Rating: 
Summary: Excellent effort by Irving
Review:
I'm reading the Irving books all out of order, and so I am robbed of the sense of progression that I might get if I read them chronologically. But that might not be a bad thing; for many writers, their masterpieces come early (when they still have something to say), and their less notable works come late in life, when the world is most receptive.
I'd generally put Stephen King in this category, but the jury is still out on Irving. A Widow For One Year bears all the hallmarks of classic Irving-quirky characters, riveting and humorous episodes, development of a "theme," and nods to literary giants who have come before.
In this case, the characters are, mainly, the family of Ted Cole, a philandering children's author who is more concerned with keeping his daughter than his wife. His wife, Marion, who is described as one of the most beautiful women on the planet, is grief-stricken by the death of their two sons, Timothy and Thomas. Their daughter, Ruth, conceived after the tragedy in an effort to make a new start, starts the novel as a four year old, but spends most of the book as a rather tough female novelist. The other main characters are Eddie, also a novelist, whose love affair with Mrs. Cole at the age of sixteen leads him to a lifelong interest in dramatically older women; and Hannah, a friend of Ruth's who is mainly described through her promiscuity.
The plot is difficult to convey, because the most traditionally sensational events of the book, involving a murder in the red light district of Amersterdam, are secondary to the character development, and indeed seem more like a device to introduce Ruth to a future lover.
Irving is at his most entertaining when he is describing calamitous events befalling innocent people, and we get this in spades when Eddie, acting as chauffeur to Ted, and the gardener of a Mrs. Vaughn, get caught up in the violent fallout of a love affair between Mrs. Vaughn and Ted.
The theme is distracting, because there is a tremendous amount of focus on the degree to which a fictional novel is taken from the lives of the author. Ted, Ruth, Eddie, and Marion are all writers; they all draw from their lives to a different degree, and write for different reasons. I get the feeling that Irving is conveying his own views on the subject, but they are so intensely involved that they become boring. The average reader is not so interested in the real-life inspiration for characters and plot devices that he or she would like to read hundreds of pages inundated with that theme, I think. I didn't really care about whether Ruth used incidents from her real life or not, and I also was reading under the impression that Irving was using this as an opportunity to give voice to his own pet peeves with regard to book tours. Ruth hates signing autographs; does Irving? She tires of certain fan questions (where do you get your ideas?)' is this Irving telling us directly? Maybe the issue isn't even so much boring as distracting; I found it impossible to read about Ruth being irritated with an interviewer for not having read the book (for instance) without wondering if this is a John Irving experience. And this is because, at the same time, Ruth and the others debate how much of their real-life experience comes out in their writing. Overall, I thought that this was not in full service to the reader's interests, and may have even crossed into the realm of self-indulgence.
And so, this interfered with the book becoming a slam-dunk; in my mind, this and a slightly less-likable cast of characters keep Widow from overtaking the other favorites of mine in the Irving canon.
For the record, here is my ranking to date:
First, A Prayer for Owen Meany, which also ranks on my list of best books ever read
Second, The Cider House Rules
Third and Fourth, a toss-up between The Hotel New Hampshire and The World According to Garp, which is tough because I've read Hotel twice, and more recently, while Garp was my first Irving novel and is fuzzy in my mind.
Fifth, A Widow for One Year, which is still an excellent book
Sixth, The Fourth Hand, which was the least enjoyable so far of the Irving books I've finished
Rating: 
Summary: An Irving classic
Review: "A Widow for One Year" is a great example of Irving's abilities as a storyteller and crafter of characters. I found myself totally engrossed in the story of the Coles, a family marred by tragedy and dysfunction. As with most of Irving's novels, the characters are what draw you in. They are realistically drawn and very thoroughly fleshed-out, making it impossible not to care what happens to them. The excellent characterization also serves to make the large cast of the novel manageable.The plot of the novel is equally wonderful. It's full of twists and turns, chance encounters, and coincidences. While these surprises are a lot fun, they do sometimes strain credibility. A willing suspension of disbelief is a must. In addition to great characters and a fascinating story, this book is also worth reading for its discussion of writing. The majority of the characters are writers, and this provides Irving with an opportunity to voice his philosophy of writing. It's interesting to get a glimpse of Irving's thoughts about his craft and the process of writing. While this book may not be the highest of high literature, it is nonetheless a well-written and engaging novel. It's also quite a fast read, so don't be put off by the length. This book is worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Irving returns to his previous level of excellence
Review: "Widow" is top-notch John Irving, complete with many colorful characters and a complex plot that somehow becomes well-integrated by the time the book ends. I'd rank it slightly below Ciderhouse, equal to Garp, and a notch above Owen Meaney. These comments come from a devoted, but not blind, Irving fan. I was terribly disappointed with A Son of the Circus and Trying to Save Piggy Sneed, and am glad to see he's back on track. Those who complain about his use of coincidence, descriptions of sex, etc., probably have not enjoyed any of his work to date. If you enjoyed Garp, don't miss this one!
Rating:
Summary: John Irving regains his Garp form with A Widow for One Year!
Review: A story of love, obsession, betrayal, and murder awaits the reader of John Irving's latest novel. The author of The World According to Garp (one of the best novels of the latter half of the 20th Century) and The Cider House Rules (an insightful look at abortion and adoption) seemed to have slipped lately. A Son of the Circus, especially, lacked Irving's trademark understated humor. But in "Widow" the author reclaims the blunt narrative, careful character development, and hilarious plot twists that have endeared him to readers. This is very much a story of writers. The protagonist, a woman but nonetheless bearing autobiographical elements, is a novelist as is her mother, and her mother's lover. The father, chief rogue of the piece, writes and illustrates childrens books. In an international romp engendered by book tours, we are treated to sex, prostitution, guilt, and redemption. All the while Irving keeps us guessing as to the ultimate fate of the several chief characters, all of whom are endearing in sundry ways. John Irving has the ability to bring the reader (who may have been laughing out loud a paragraph or two ago) up short. He does so by confronting universal human fears: exposure, loneliness, aging. In A Widow for One Year, this exceptional modern writer shows once again that the "world according to Irving" is a place we all recognize, love, and hate.
Rating:
Summary: Three times a lady
Review: Dysfunction is in the blood of the Coles in John Irving's remarkable "A Widow for one year". His novels reads like a patchwork achievement copying with many characters in three different periods in the life of the protagonist Ruth Cole, when she deals with things like grieving, lost and tragedy.
We first meet the Coles in the Summer of 1958, when she is only four and her mother Marion is dealing with the death of her older brothers in a car accident. The woman, always described as `a difficult woman', believes she cannot be a good mother to her daughter, who, by the way, was planed as a way of replacing the dead boys. Depressed and unable to lead a normal life, Marion embarks in a love affair with her husband's teenage assistant.
The tale moves fast to 1990, when Ruth is a famous writer who is unable to have relationships with men. Again, she comes across her mother's ex-lover, Eddie O'Hare, who is also a writer, albeit less successful than her. Both they discuss Marion and what may have happened to them. The final part of the story is set five years later, when Ruth seems to be finally ready to fall in love.
However difficult it is to say that Irving's novel has a plot, it is easier to believe he has written a chronicle of many years in Ruth's life. In this case, there are the recurrent people who surrounds her -- like her alcoholic father (who is also a very famous children writer), her friends (notoriously the delightful Hannah) and Eddie (who is on and off her life from time to time). In this fashion, the novel is a great achievement, once the characters are very believable.
Of course, the most interesting character is Ruth who shares many resemblances to her mother -- mostly psychological. It is easy too see how her childhood experiences --many from when she was four -- affect her throughout her life -- mostly when it comes to being in love or men in general.
The supporting characters are very human as well -- an achievement that not many writers can reach nowadays. Marion, for instance, vanishes from the novel for about 200 pages, but we still can feel her presence and influence (mostly in Ruth and Eddie) all the time. Not only her daughter wonders what may have happened to her, but so does the reader.
Not only is Irving able to write a great story but he also has a great command of the language building beautiful sentences that have a dramatic effect without being corny. His talents make it worthy to follow three different periods in the life of this lady. A novel recommended to those who like a great storytelling.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Change for Irving
Review: I am a huge John Irving fan and I always look forward to his latest book. I was pleasantly surprised by Widow as he has never had a female main character in any of his well crafted novels. Ruth was a wonderfully drawn woman, so much depth and richness to her character and the world around her. This is the story of Ruth Cole, from her childhood thru her life as an adult and all the people that fill her life from start to finish. When Ruth is a young child she discovers her mother, Marion, having an affair with Eddie, the teenager hired to drive her father, a drunk and wildly popular children's author, around for the summer. After this her mother disappears from her life. Both Eddie and Ruth become authors as well. Eddie, not quite a popular author, never quite got over his affiar with Ruth's mother and thus writes about it in every one of his novels. Ruth, on the other hand, is well known and loved. The book begins to take off when they meet again, after Eddie is asked to open a reading for Ruth. Their lives once again become entertwined as they both search for answer about Marion's disappearance and life. The novel also centers around Ruth's relationship with her father. The plot is engrossing and well rounded. This novel is full of the things that Irving fan's have come to expect and love. Widow has become one of my favorite Irving novels - sitting next to Garp, Owen Meany and Cider House Rules. This book deserves to be savored like a fine wine.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, powerful, and extremely moving
Review: I cannot express in words what this book means to me. It is without a doubt, one of my favorites of John Irving (which is saying quite a lot). I have recommended it to the greater majority of my friends, and everyone appreciated it.
Rating: 
Summary: The widow according to Irving.
Review: I had such high hopes for this book as I'm an Irving fan, but the characters were so flat and the pages just drag on. I've not had the experience of being in love with the same absent person for 40 years but it makes for very dry reading, I must say. I agree with the other reviews that the first part grabbed me but then it just fell apart. The Hannah character was just plain irritating.
I got about 60 pages from the end and I just didn't care what happened anymore.
Rating:
Summary: Disapointed
Review: I want to say that first and foremost I am an avid reader, always giving a book a chance. After reading 90 pages of this book and waiting for it to show signs of hope I gave up. I was very surprised to see that it was a New York Times bestseller and notable book. I guess I should of read some of his better books first because after reading the reviews on this sight I saw that this was not one of John Irving's better books. I felt the book was very boring. I also felt that it had no plot, I just couldnt keep interest. I'm sorry if I have offended any Irving fans, but I just found that the author gave to much information. I found myself wanting to skip paragraphs, which I never do.
Rating: 
Summary: Overall Worthwhile Read
Review: I've always really liked John Irving--but I've never been a part of his "do no wrong" cult following. Sometimes I find his work to be bizarre to the point of alienation.
Maybe that's why I enjoyed "Widow" so much--a very real, very believable slice of life story with sympathetic characters that I found myself easily relating to.
Incidentally, the movie based on this book was truly amazing.
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