Rating: 
Summary: One third of a great novel
Review: The first third of this novel--Eddie's account of his affair with Marion when he was sixgteen--the engine that drives the rest of the book--is magical--on a par with THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP. It's darkly imaginative, charming, and impossible to put down. Unfortunately, the rest of the novel doesn't live up to the beginning. It's still an interesting read. All of the characters have gotten stuck in some way or another--unable to really get on with their lives as the result of their past. It's interesting reading to see how everything works out--but Irving doesn't hold me the way he does at the beginning of the novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply a great book!
Review: This is the first John Irving book I've read, and it blew me away. I've since gotten hooked on him as a writer. Honestly, I think it's the best book he's written. The Hotel New Hampshire and Cider House Rules were very good though. I'm reading The World According to Garp now! Great writer!
Rating:
Summary: irving does it again
Review: i was once again pleasantly floored by irving. i've become a huge fan and find that this title was slow in some parts, but the last 200 pages or so completely made up for it. fantastically written, this is a sure bet for anyone who enjoys a well written novel.
Rating:
Summary: John Irving at the Top of his Game!
Review: This is one of the best novels Irving has written. It flows, its words go far beyond the page, its characters are like those next door -- yet interesting, and its action and suspense are just enough to make you believe it -- yet not overdone. John Irving is at the top of his game. A Widow for a Year will be remembered for many years beyond its publication date of 1998.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but not great
Review: Being a fan of Irving, I was excited to get into another of his books. Widow was entertaining with its moments of tenderness, sorrow and humor, however I didn't love it. It didn't rivet me anywhere near Owen Meany, a novel filled with such fantastic characters that I was truly sorry that it ended. Widow's charcters are more difficult to like, much less relate to, and I felt like there was not a positive female figure to be found. Yes Ruth is a sort of heroine of the novel but she's a little too uninteresting, I didn't care about her first marriage, and I could NOT figure out her friendship with Hannah, a character I absolutely hated - not because she liked sex but because I found her character so incredibly flat/one dimensional and with an unbelievably irritating habit of saying 'baby' after every damn sentence. The scenes with Eddie and Ruth as a child were the most interesting. I agree with another reader that it was a nice circle to have Ruth be 'complete' when becoming a mother. The excerpts of the various characters' writings within the book were interesting as well.
Rating:
Summary: A Fun Book
Review: If you are willing to "suspend your disbelief", this is the book for you. Totally outrageous plots make " Widow For One Year"--the fun book that it is. Hard to fathom that Eddie would hold a torch for close to 40 years for his first love who was 23 years older than him --and that in the end the two lovers are reunited--but then--there is a happy ending. I loved Ruth's character development throughout the book---and the fact that once she became a a mother--she was complete---. I must admit though, the scene with Wim in Amsterdam--was sort of weird. Tim being chased by Mrs. Vaughn was hilarious, as was the "interesting" scene in Amsterdam's red line district. It is true that "sorrow is contagious", as is said by Marion towards the end of the book, but this book, with all its sad moments, was a fun book which I had a hard time putting down.
Rating: 
Summary: Irving still knows how to push those emotional buttons
Review: After reading The World According to Garp, one of my favorite books of all time, I read all of Irving's prior work. By the time I had finished I felt that I had heard enough about bears, wrestling and infidelity to last a lifetime, so haven't been inclined to read another of his books until recently opening A Widow For One Year. I have to say, he still has the talent for making the bizarre seem believable and for tugging at a range of emotions - frequently all at once, so that one doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. For anyone who likes the Irving formula, this should be a truely satisfying book. I enjoyed it much more than I expected to - even when I realized that my emotions were being manipulated.
Rating:
Summary: A very entertaining book...
Review: This book is a delight to read. If this is what John Irving was wishing me to feel by reading his book then he accomplished it 100%.The characters are a little outlandish, but then if they were normal people living normal lives, I wouldn't need a book to find out what that is about.
Rating: 
Summary: this was the same writer who gave us GARP?
Review: I can't believe it... GARP was such a masterpiece, and this was such drivel. Disappointing!
Rating:
Summary: Completely Engaging!
Review: I loved this book! A Widow For One Year is a story of a group of writers whose lives are intertwined through love affairs, friendships, and kinship. The fact that the characters are writers is a key component of the novel and the aspect that I enjoyed most. Irving takes the reader on a literary joy ride with characters and situations that are believable and exciting. He tells this story using a multi-voiced approach and he is able to change voice without any interruption to the story. At times he's narrative and at times he's providing information about the characters or plot though a work of fiction written by one the characters. Technically speaking, the book is written as perfectly as humanly possible (no doubt a Writing Fiction course could be taught with this novel as a guide) As a reader, the novel is extremely engaging; (no I didn't want to put it down). As a writer, the novel is informative and demonstrative (literally) of how good fiction is created. I'm certain that I'll be a better writer as a result of reading this book and unfortunately, for some authors, I'll be a lot more critical as a reader as well.
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