A Widow for One Year

Rating:
Summary: Such a disappointment
Review: It's hard to believe this is the same author who wrote the extraordinary Cider House Rules. It felt to me like one long (in Irving fashion) rebuttal letter to his critics. This book was transparently Irving's forum for justifying, through character Ruth, his style and choices in past works. If you read the book, you'll understand. Yes, I believe a man can write from a woman's viewpoint. No, I don't believe Irving was able to pull it off in Widow. The book read like a Sidney Sheldon novel. The only difference is that (so far) it's not embarrassing to read a John Irving book on the bus. The story was entirely predictable, the writing simplistic and even dumbed-down and the cliches ran rampant. I was expecting something more heady from one of my favorite American authors.

Rating:
Summary: Find another book...
Review: After a strong start, it's all downhill--unless you're really a fan of trite plot, unconvincing characters, and a cliche ending. Don't judge a book by its author.

Rating:
Summary: Worth reading for John Irving fans
Review: A good friend of mine once said you never get over the loss of a loved one, you just get used to it. That thought kept coming to me when I was reading this. I'll admit, at first I thought this just wasn't what I expected of a John Irving novel. I really didn't care much what happened to any of the characters who seemed very self-serving, self-absorbed, and dysfunctional. They were very human. However,as readers, we also bring our experiences to what we read. My experiences while reading A WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR involved the death of a loved one. I was extremely grateful to have this book to lose myself in. The ending was not dissapointing. The only weaknesses came through some of the repeating (nay, it felt like hammering at times) of points. But these were central to the characters and the choices they made. IF this is your first encounter with a John Irving novel, skip it and read A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANEY or CIDER HOUSE RULES. If you start it and find yours! elf hating it, put it away. But if the timing is right, this novel is well worth it. The characters aren't cuddly and lovable. They're flawed and human, like the rest of us.

Rating:
Summary: What happened in the second half, I fell asleep.
Review: I enjoyed the first half of this book so much, John Irving doing what he does best. Making a strange cast of characters so interesting that you can't put the book down. It seemed that Irving grew as bored as I did with Ruth after such a promising start. The most interesting characters, Marion, a young Eddie and Ted Cole made the first part, only to be ignored for the rest of the book. Why tell us Marion would be back. I wondered after reading the book if Irving got bored with the book and finished it as fast as he could. That's how it felt to me.

Rating:
Summary: Widow is the Best of Irving
Review: I have personally only been a modest Irving fan in the past. I find some of his previous work just hard to read and enjoy. However, I loved Widow. I picked it up and could not put it down. The story of Ruth Cole and the lives of those around her fascinated me. I was also fascinated by her father and the role of women in his life and how that affected the other characters int he book. There was so much here worth reading and discussing that I look forward to finding a book club talking about the book.

Rating:
Summary: Okay, place me in the minority.
Review: I ran out to buy this book as soon as I read an early review--the NY Times, I think. Besides, one of the main characters has a name similar to mine, I liked Garp, and I've always admired a writer who is a Renaissance Man, able to write knowingly of wrestling, running, lifting weights, etc. However, my 17 bucks was wasted, I'm afraid. The book plodded from chapter to chapter, character to character, towards an ending that was all but announced in the first chapter. Overall, Widow was a tedious, mechanical read that was more demanding on me than my matching John Irving push up for push up.

Rating:
Summary: This book is insultingly bad.
Review: I can't believe to what depths John Irving has sunk. Not that he was ever a GREAT writer, but this book puts him on the level of Danielle Steele. Stick with Garp.

Rating:
Summary: Better than Son of the Circus. Short of Owen Meany
Review: After the debacle that Son of the Circus was , I worried that my favorite American author had lost it. WIdow is a nice recovery but falls short of his best efforts in Hotel New Hampshire and Owen meany. Irving teaches us little new about the human condition and fraility that epitomize his best work. The story is well constructed but at times way too predictable. Still it was a nice tale, although his characters are beginning to look more and more alike. Marion would have fit into Garp, Cider House, or Hotel NH. Eddy could have gone to school with Garp. Ruth could fit any of the books. I guess my main disappointment is the lack of uniquenes in the story and characters. Then again my disaapointment in Son of the Circus was that they were a bit too unique. There' a fine line between success and failure. I think Irving succeeds here but I'm hoping for better next time. At four years per novel, my expectations are high.

Rating:
Summary: Tragedy and humor live on in Irving's latest
Review: The lives of Eddie, Marion and Ruth are not nearly as far-fetched as the lives of many of the characters known to Irving fans. They are, however, no less interesting. And the tragedy that he somehow manages to turn into smiles is there as well. While the book is purportedly all about Ruth Cole, the daughter of Ted and Marion Cole, it's really about four different writers, their odd, yet believable, lives and how knowing each other affects their lives and their writing. While I found "A Widow for One Year" to be a slightly slow start, it's worth the effort to get through the first 50 pages or so....from that point on, I couldn't put it down! If you're a John Irving fan, don't expect the usual Irving "weirdness." But do expect a tightly written, humourous, sexy and captivating read.

Rating:
Summary: Irving back on the rise.
Review: After the somewhat disappointing A Son Of The Circus, the latest novel by Irving was definitely a leap forward, albeit not a giant one. A Widow For One Year certainly is a compelling story that drags you in once you start reading it but it is far less moving than some of his previous novels. It lacks the tear-jerking qualities of Garp and Owen Meany, it is far less touching than The Ciderhouse Rules or The Hotel New Hampshire. Although I got to like the characters I did not miss them like I missed Garp or Owen Meany once I read the last page of their story. In his latest novel Irving put a certain amount of distance between his characters and the readers, making the former into mere acquaintances instead of lifelong friends I find that a pity and the sole weakness of an otherwise excellent piece of work.