Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining but not Irving's Best
Review: Like many reviewers here on Amazon and elsewhere, I enjoyed reading A Widow for One Year, was caught up in the multi-generational plot, but I agree that ultimately the book was not as rewarding as A Prayer for Owen Meany (his masterpiece in my opinion) or even Garp. The characters here are for the most part richly drawn, although their motives are not always entirely clear. The novel explores two main overriding themes, grief and sex, not necessarily in that order. We are introduced at the beginning to Ruth Cole, a 4 year old girl living in the Hamptons with her parents, who are grieving for the loss of their sons in a tragic automobile accident that predates the action in the novel. Ruth comes to know her deceased brothers through a series of photographs that are plastered all over the walls of their house, as the accident occured before she was born. Ruth's parents deal with their grief very differently - father Ted, a successful author of children's books, is able to cope and resume his work, while his wife is unable to bear living in the house and has little affection for her daughter. There are numerous complicated and well developed relationships in the novel, such as the competition on the squash court between a grown and successful Ruth and her father, as well as Ruth's desire to learn more about her mother, and the very different relationships between Ruth and her husbands/boyfriends. Irving skillfully builds up the suspense in gradually giving us details about the fatal accident until Ted Cole, with a novelist's detached touch, provided a vivid and devastating account of the fateful crash that killed his sons. The book is not without its faults however. Irving seems to obsess with numerous descriptions of Ruth's breasts for some odd reason. Some of the characters in the book, such as poor love-stricken Eddie (who falls for Ruth's mother when working for the Coles as a teenage writing assistant, and who remains captivated by older women throughout his life) are fairly one dimensional. I also thought the reappearance of Mrs. Cole in the Hamptons was a little forced. We never seem to understand why the portrait models of Ted Cole proceed, universally, to agree to degrade themselves and ultimately to despise him. All in all, the novel provides an entertaining diversion (like most Irving novels) and he fortunately has ridden himself of the need to keep writing about bears and wrestling. Most of the characters in the book are writers, which gives Irving an interesting challenge of adopting different writing styles for each character, and then to include exerpts of their work. His skill at storytelling, and the freshness of his subject matter, make the reader forgive some of the contrivances of the plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Characters live on in my questions
Review: I've read the reviews of others, good and bad. For me, if I continue questioning a story, after I've read the last page, if I continue to wonder why a character did this or that, or why a writer wrote this or that, I can call it a good read. And that is how I feel about A Widow for One Year. Why does Eddie continue to love Marion all those years? I'm not sure. I suspect it has to do with him being "stunted" all those years ago by experiencing a relationship he was not emotionally ready for, with a woman much too old for him. Why is Ruth's relationship with her father "perverse" as one reviewer described it? Because that is who Ted Cole is, a perverse man. I certainly found the obsession of both parents and the pictures to be far more abusive mentally to young Ruth than the sexual exploits of her father. In any case, this book lives on for me through questions and reflections, and to be, that makes it good!
Rating:
Summary: The Door in the Floor
Review: I first became interested in this novel when I saw a preview for the upcoming movie "The Door in the Floor" which is based upon this Irving novel. This is the first time I have read something by John Irving, and while I will admit that I found him to be an engaging story-teller, I was a little disappointed in the story itself. "A Widow for One Year" tells the tale of Ruth Cole at three different stages of her life. We first meet her as a four year old in 1958, and then again in 1990 and 1995. The upcoming movie is obviously solely based on the first segment of this novel and I think that it is the strongest section of Irving's narrative. It tells of the unhappy marriage between Ruth's parents, the affair that her mother has with a 16 year old boy (not to mention the father's numerous affairs), and how in the end Ruth's mother has to escape the life she's afraid to have. This event will haunt Ruth for the rest of her life (as demonstrated in parts 2 and 3, in her string of bad relationships and fear of marriage). These next two parts of the narrative focus on Ruth's aging and her career, how she eventually marries and has a child, all the while searching for what would make her happy, even as she is still haunted with why her mother left her. She finds some solace through friendship with her mother's former lover, the grown-up Eddie O'Hare, a writer of autobiographical fiction who is still in love with Ruth's mother Marion. The second and third setions of narrative seem to become bogged down with an overabundance of supporting characters. While these characters are richly drawn and believable, it detracts from the story at hand. Sometimes while I was reading, I wasn't entirely sure where the story would end end (especially during Ruth's forays into the red-light district of Amsterdam). When the conclusion finally arrives after almost 600 pages, it seems both drawn-out and too summarily wrapped up. I found Irving to be an intrepid storyteller, and his characters are vivid and realistic. However, it seems strange that almost every main character in this novel is a writer. And after a while, one might begin to wonder if there's some sort of autobiographical writing taking place for Irving himself. The first part of this narrative is the strongest and I'd be tempted to say that it could stand alone; except we want to know what happens with Ruth, with Eddie, with her mother. Sometimes what we get seems more than enough; sometimes it seems to be barely enough.
Rating:
Summary: I like Irving but this isn't his best. . .
Review: Feel free to classify me as a big John Irving fan. In my opinion, A Prayer of Owen Meany is one of the best books I've ever read. Other great books by Irving include the Cider House Rules and The World According to Garp. Unfortunately, this book isn't in the same class as the above-metnioned Irving classics. First off, it's hard to warm to a book that involves writers as its main characters. There's something self-centered when a writer spends hundreds of pages writing about other writers and it shows in this book. Part of the problem is that most of the characters aren't very likeable. The main protagonist is Ruth Cole who is saddled with a mother who abandons her (who eventually becomes a crime fiction writer), a philandering father (who is a children's author), a teen age boy (who grows up to be a novelist) that has an affair with her mother, a sexually free best friend (a journalist), and two husbands (one of whom is a literary agent). Ruth evenutally grows up and becomes a novelist of some renown. This book is broken into three parts with the first depicting Ruth's very young childhood. The following two books deals with Ruth as an adult. While all three of the books are tenuously linked, there are some disjointed components of the story that don't always match. The books go through Ruth's marriages, career and even a bizarre murder in Amsterdam's Red Light district that changes Ruth's life forever. Regarding the three books, the first one lures you in with attractive sexuality, the second keeps the reader with its plot twists, and the third is an overly long conclusion and denouement that tried to tie up a number of loose ends. The good thing is that Irving does his usual great job in describing events and drawing the reader into the story. Unfortunately, as you are drawn into the story, you find that you don't have a great deal of respect for most of the characters in the book. In fact, the most attractive and likeable character is the only one who isn't a writer or involved in the literary field and that's a beat cop in Amsterdam. Perhaps Irving is longing for a simpler life that is unavailable to writers who are forced to create? Finally, in addition to disliking the characters I came away disappointed because Irving's motive and message in writing this book seem so unclear. While it's an engaging story, I'm not sure there was much of a point. In the end, I was happy to have something that kept me interested on the train to work for a few days but disturbed that such a great writer failed to make clear why he even bothered.
Rating:
Summary: My First J. Irving
Review: This book is a pleasure to read and strong in many areas. Particularly, "Widow..." has a strong narrative flow that manages to tie a labrynth of themes and characters together quite effectively: the story is cohesive and well managed. A major portion of this story is concerned with the various character's sexual idiosyncrasies. This defines the characters and allows Irving to examine sexual behavior from a number of angles. This examination helps Irving shape his characters in a creative way, and he does this without, for the most part, becoming moralistic or preachy. The facet of Irving's writing that I enjoy most is his ability to manipulate the tempo of the story. Climax after climax occurs throught the novel keeping the reader's interest alive. The only negative aspect of Irving's technique is that the conclusion suffers somewhat because...well, it can't keep up with the story's well written crescendos and the subtle, yet nearly constant, suspence. Irving has written, with "Widow...", a story that captures the essential elements of literature, while crafting them in a unique fashion. The story has its share of surprises, and while Irving is in a few (but only a few) instances predictable, he is never boring. If this praise seems faint, then read this: "Widow for One Year" is among the best novels of its kind.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh Ruth!
Review: I exclaimed out loud when I read a passage....Oh Ruth! I am generally not given to this sort of expression but this story really worked with me. Ruth is still somebody t0 me. Oh Ruth!
I am also not covetous but I really wish I could hang with Johm Irving. A friend once said to me You have a circus going on up there pointing to my head, but John Irving has a circus up there.
Rating:
Summary: The Door in the Floor
Review: I first became interested in this novel when I saw a preview for the upcoming movie "The Door in the Floor" which is based upon this Irving novel. This is the first time I have read something by John Irving, and while I will admit that I found him to be an engaging story-teller, I was a little disappointed in the story itself. "A Widow for One Year" tells the tale of Ruth Cole at three different stages of her life. We first meet her as a four year old in 1958, and then again in 1990 and 1995. The upcoming movie is obviously solely based on the first segment of this novel and I think that it is the strongest section of Irving's narrative. It tells of the unhappy marriage between Ruth's parents, the affair that her mother has with a 16 year old boy (not to mention the father's numerous affairs), and how in the end Ruth's mother has to escape the life she's afraid to have. This event will haunt Ruth for the rest of her life (as demonstrated in parts 2 and 3, in her string of bad relationships and fear of marriage). These next two parts of the narrative focus on Ruth's aging and her career, how she eventually marries and has a child, all the while searching for what would make her happy, even as she is still haunted with why her mother left her. She finds some solace through friendship with her mother's former lover, the grown-up Eddie O'Hare, a writer of autobiographical fiction who is still in love with Ruth's mother Marion. The second and third setions of narrative seem to become bogged down with an overabundance of supporting characters. While these characters are richly drawn and believable, it detracts from the story at hand. Sometimes while I was reading, I wasn't entirely sure where the story would end end (especially during Ruth's forays into the red-light district of Amsterdam). When the conclusion finally arrives after almost 600 pages, it seems both drawn-out and too summarily wrapped up. I found Irving to be an intrepid storyteller, and his characters are vivid and realistic. However, it seems strange that almost every main character in this novel is a writer. And after a while, one might begin to wonder if there's some sort of autobiographical writing taking place for Irving himself. The first part of this narrative is the strongest and I'd be tempted to say that it could stand alone; except we want to know what happens with Ruth, with Eddie, with her mother. Sometimes what we get seems more than enough; sometimes it seems to be barely enough.
Rating:
Summary: Irving's wise Widow.
Review: John Irving's 537-page novel tells the emotionally compelling story of its "melancholic main character" (p. 389), Ruth Cole, in three parts. The novel opens in 1958, when 4-year-old Ruth interrupts her 39-year-old mother, Marion Cole, having sex with a 16-year-old boy, Eddie O'Hare. It was a "sad time" (p. 54) in her parents' marriage. While the Coles suffer through the psychological impact of losing their two sons in an automobile accident, Eddie is unaware that he has been specifically hired by Marion's alcoholic husband, Ted, for the purpose of becoming Marion's lover for the summer, and that "it would have lifelong results" (p. 8) for all four characters. The Coles' personal tragedy first leads Marion to abandon her womanizing husband and infant daughter, and eventually leads Ted to commit suicide. Not surprisingly, Part Two of Irving's novel finds Ruth at age 36 attempting to cope with the emotional baggage from her childhood misfortunes, and Eddie at age 48 still longing for Marion. By 1990, both Ruth and Eddie have become established writers. However, it is not until 1995 and Part Three when, at age 41, Ruth is able to escape the depths of her lifelong misery by discovering love, and at age 53, when Eddie is finally able to confront his lifelong connection with Marion. Although Irving treats sexuality rather frankly throughout his unforgettable novel, ultimately his novel transcends the sexual realm and becomes a story about surviving personal misfortune and experiencing the healing powers of love. Irving brings his characters to life in a well-drawn story. It won't take a year--but more likely less than a week--for serious readers to discover the real wisdom in Irving's WIDOW. G. Merritt
Rating:
Summary: My favorite John Irving novel!
Review: A Widow for One Year has become my favorite John Irving novel. Many of his other works, while enjoyable, have put me off a little because the characters and plot are a bit over the top. This offering, while imaginative and entertaining, never gets to that stage. It's a big novel, spanning about forty years and has a satisfying, yet never hokey or corny ending. The characters, of course, are a bit quirky in their way, but said quirkiness is somehow more believable than in Irving's other novels. The story is a lot of fun and, because most of the characters are writers, allows Irving to explain and comment on the writing process. I sometimes felt he was answering his own critics while discussing the criticism of his character-writers. However, he has fun with the whole thing and never takes it too seriously, which is part of what makes this novel fun and enthralling. A Widow for One Year is a human story about loss and how far some of us would go for love. Highly recommended...
Rating: 
Summary: Dog-do: Sophomoric high school boy stuff
Review: I detested this book. I read it for my book club and threw it away in disgust. Many of us in the club felt the same way. Trust me; there will be a bonfire when we talk about this book. How can someone write that many pages about breasts and cashmere sweaters and how jeans fit? Come on! There's much more to life and people than that. The characters had no depth, no souls, and I had no desire to know them as people. At a cocktail party, if I'd met someone like ANY of them, I would have moved on. I prefer REAL books.
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