A Widow for One Year

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Major word for this book is boring. Characters are unbelievable, story line predictable and slow. Unfortunately I allow myself the luxury of a novel during my vacation and I'm disappointed to say I picked this one.

Rating:
Summary: i cant believe the universally good reviews
Review: i loved prayer for owen meany and several of john irvings earlier books and thought this was utterly dreadful (his overuse of parenthetical explanations for hit-you-over-the-head obvious points drove me absolutely crazy). i found the writing and story line juvenile and quite frankly it seemed as though the book was a first draft that had never once been edited. the end was hokey and unbelievable and seemed to lack any true thought. i was quite shocked to read all the universally good reviews claiming this was john irving's best writing. guess i am in the minority.

Rating:
Summary: A Widow for One Year
Review: This has to be the most boring novel I have read. In fact, once I put it down, I found that it is virtually impossible to pick it up again. However, since I bought the book, I picked it up again, at about page 106, only to put it down again at page 232. I doubt if I'll ever start again. The book stinks.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite John Irving Novel
Review: A Widow for One Year has got to be my favorite John Irving novel. Many of his others, while I have enjoyed them, have put me off a little because the characters and/or the plot is a bit over the top, just too quirky for me. Widow, while imaginative and entertaining, never gets to that too much stage. It's a big novel, spanning about 40 years and has a satisfying, yet never hokey or corny ending. The characters, of course, are a bit quirky in their way, but their quirkiness is somehow more believable than in other Irving 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 felt at some times he was answering his own critics while discussing the criticism of his character-writers. He has fun with the whole thing, though, and never takes it too seriously, which is part of what makes this novel so enjoyable. Widow is really a human story about loss and how far some of us will go for love. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: you cant read another book after this
Review: hello, i read the book in german, so i dont really know how the original is, but it must be great. i am a big fan of irving and after i read this book i couldnt read something else because all other writers hasnt had this graet imagination and sentence-constructions. you mey not understand my english, but you will understand what i mean after you read the book.

Rating:
Summary: True to heart
Review: I'm not much of a reviewer, I liked this book. I love reading John Irving's books. The way he writes is soulfull. I enjoyed this book because I love to read storys of how people live their lives. All the twists and turns.... I truely love to read John Irving. I hope a new book will come out soon.

Rating:
Summary: Not his best.
Review: John Irving is a very talented writer and I have enjoyed all of his books. However, reading this book, I felt that it lacked the depth that his other books did. I almost got the feeling that he was writing because he had a deadline to meet. His character development just didn't hit the mark in this one. Would I suggest it, yes, I still would. Although, I didn't feel that it was up to par with most of his other writings, it was still an enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Fair for Irving
Review: The novel is tremendously overwrought. But being a fan of Mr. Irving's I read on. I found the book tedious at times, and this for me was a first with one of his books. I have read seven of them now and this is my least favorite. The only character who I felt sympathy for was Marion, Ruth's mother and Eddie's lover.

Rating:
Summary: life affirming
Review: A widow for one year has got to be my favorite John Irving novel. He is such a master at seeing plot. The story follows the life of a woman from age 4 into her 40's and rarely skips a day. Only when you come to the end do you understand the underlying connections which bafeled me throughout. This novel evokes emotions of all kinds, out right laughter and tears. A great story for someone at any stage in their lives.

Rating:
Summary: Irving's Most Powerful Book...
Review: In my opinion, Irving has raised the standards of modern fiction. "A Widow for One Year" shatters all of my expectations of even Irving's monumental talent. This book presents the reader with an intense and unmitigated experience of each character's feelings. His settings are described in lucid and vivid language. His characters are as real as any you might meet in your own daily toils. When I finished reading "Widow" I felt like I had just returned from a visit to another world... waiting for Irving to write another masterpiece like this one will be like waiting to take another trip...