The Water-Method Man

Rating:
Summary: The Long & Winding Road
Review: "The Water Method Man" could easily be renamed "John Irving's Frankenstein". Bits of first-person and third-person narration, a movie script, and an Old Low Norse epic are patched together to form a book at times funny and other times almost unreadable. The end product is entertaining and probably too clever for its own good.

The story focuses on Fred "Bogus" Trumper, the shallow, immature man who fails at one marriage, almost fails at another relationship, becomes the subject of a mockumentary, and undergoes painful surgery to correct a rather sensitive defect (hence the title of the book). Throughout the tangled web of narratives, Bogus eventually grows up a little and is perhaps on the way to becoming a good husband and father.

For fans of Irving, this earlier work contains all the elements of any of his novels--Vienna, prostitutes, New England (everything except a bear). Having read the author's memoirs I know that at least some of the material is based loosely on Irving's own experiences. There are more humorous elements in this book than later ones like "The Cider House Rules" or "Prayer for Owen Meany"; I would say "Water Method" is the funniest of the Irving novels I've read to date.

The writing, the characters, the story are all vintage Irving--there's no point in discussing those. The problem is HOW the story is told. The setting changes so much that as a reader it's hard to get into the flow of the book until it's almost over. There were many times when I thought about just giving up and putting it back on the shelf, but I pressed ahead and--like Ian McEwan's "Atonement"--my patience was rewarded with a story that when pieced together is humorous and a little touching (for an Irving novel). Other readers, I suspect, would have less patience waiting for everything to come together.

Should you read this book? Yes and No. If you're an Irving fan, then definitely Yes. If you've never read the author before or didn't like what you read by him, then No. I still recommend "Cider House Rules", "World According to Garp", and "Son of the Circus" as my favorites, but "Water Method" is up there in the pantheon of Irving novels.

Rating:
Summary: The Long & Winding Road
Review: "The Water Method Man" could easily be renamed "John Irving's Frankenstein". Bits of first-person and third-person narration, a movie script, and an Old Low Norse epic are patched together to form a book at times funny and other times almost unreadable. The end product is entertaining and probably too clever for its own good.

The story focuses on Fred "Bogus" Trumper, the shallow, immature man who fails at one marriage, almost fails at another relationship, becomes the subject of a mockumentary, and undergoes painful surgery to correct a rather sensitive defect (hence the title of the book). Throughout the tangled web of narratives, Bogus eventually grows up a little and is perhaps on the way to becoming a good husband and father.

For fans of Irving, this earlier work contains all the elements of any of his novels--Vienna, prostitutes, New England (everything except a bear). Having read the author's memoirs I know that at least some of the material is based loosely on Irving's own experiences. There are more humorous elements in this book than later ones like "The Cider House Rules" or "Prayer for Owen Meany"; I would say "Water Method" is the funniest of the Irving novels I've read to date.

The writing, the characters, the story are all vintage Irving--there's no point in discussing those. The problem is HOW the story is told. The setting changes so much that as a reader it's hard to get into the flow of the book until it's almost over. There were many times when I thought about just giving up and putting it back on the shelf, but I pressed ahead and--like Ian McEwan's "Atonement"--my patience was rewarded with a story that when pieced together is humorous and a little touching (for an Irving novel). Other readers, I suspect, would have less patience waiting for everything to come together.

Should you read this book? Yes and No. If you're an Irving fan, then definitely Yes. If you've never read the author before or didn't like what you read by him, then No. I still recommend "Cider House Rules", "World According to Garp", and "Son of the Circus" as my favorites, but "Water Method" is up there in the pantheon of Irving novels.

Rating:
Summary: Irving at his very best.
Review: Ah, what can I say about a book that has accompanied me all around the world? The wit, sarcasm and character development of J.D. Salinger set in a more modern era. While the whirlwind plot changes may take a while to adapt to, I suggest sticking it out for what I consider to be the epitome of Irving's early Vienna, wrestling, East Coast prep character focuses. Bogus Trumper, a man too smart for his own good, tosses his life in the air in search of a completion of his incomplete past and voila, it all comes together in the end. A major book in Irving's repetoire and a must own. I am fortunate enough to own an autographed copy that I will forever treasure.

Rating:
Summary: The World According to Bogus
Review: It would seem that John Irving has always been a self-assured author. His first novel, Setting Free the Bears, is a very unlikely "first" work. It is a very complex work, with a narrative that interweaves the Austrian Anschluss, Balkan partisan politics, war, love, "Easy Rider" romanticism and the freeing of the animals from Vienna's Hietzinger Zoo. Hardly the stuff expected from a "new" writer. And although Irving was quite successful in handling the complexities of his narrative, the novel suffered because of weak character development. The characters of this first novel never came to life; in fact, it was all too easy to confuse the various characters because they resembled one another so much. In this novel, Irving took the narrative lessons learned from his first novel and set about to create a more complete work, one in which the readers would remember the characters as much as the masterful narrative techniques. With Fred "Bogus" Trumper, Irving succeeded in creating the first of the unforgettable characters who would populate all his later novels.

The novel involves the life of one Bogus Trumper as he sets about trying to make a life for himself amidst uncontrollable chaos, disappointment, and the pain and agony caused by an abnormally narrow urethra. While his narrow urethra can be attributed to genetics, the other hurdles that he confronts are more or less of his own making which gives Irving license to hone his ironic and satirical gifts. Generally inept in his dealings with his family, friends and life's other complexities, Bogus has a gift for languages and uses this gift to extend his studenthood into the labryrinth of graduate school. Never has the life of a graduate student been so accurately portrayed (compare this novel with Larry McMurtry's failed attempt in his Moving On) revealing the frustration, humor and general penury that is so common to that bewildered group. But Bogus, in spite of his faults, is lovable and has a loyal group of friends who try to help him along. His childhood friend, Couth; the Bohemian diabetic, Merrill Overturf; his first wife, Biggie; his second wife, Tulpen; and the independent film director, Ralph Packer, are all developed nicely and lend their own personalities to the novel.

In many ways, this book could be considered Irving's "happy" novel. Those readers who read this book after reading some of Irving's other works will notice the absence of the indiscriminate violence (the violence in this novel is limited to Bogus' PhD dissertation, the translation from the Old Low Norse of the saga of Akthelt and Gunnel) that confronts many of his characters in his other novels; those characters so lovingly developed then abruptly snatched away by the author. And while the ending to The Water-Method Man might be considered to be too nicely rapped up, a little too conveniently summed up, there is an element of that old Irving fatalism that creeps in and reminds the reader that universal forces, be it the Under Toad or the gods being gratulated by the Feast of Throgsgafen Day, are really in control.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific early Irving
Review: My first John Irving was The World According to Garp and I've gone backwards from that point, having not read any of his later works. After Garp, I read The 158-Pound Marriage and then Setting Free the Bears, both wonderful in their own ways, especially as a portrait of a developing novelist.

But it is with The Water Method Man the Irving really begins to blossom. All the quirky bits in the other novels really seem to flow together seamlessly here, in preparation for the magnum opus that would be Garp.

The Water-Method Man is the story of Fred "Bogus" Trumper and his two main relationships with women: his marriage to Biggie and his subsequent relationship with Tulpen. (I love Irving's way with names--these are definitely not going to be confused with anyone you know.)

Bogus failed at marriage and Irving implies that he is going down a similar path with Tulpen. His friend Ralph Packer is even documenting this fall on a film. The most interesting parts of the novel are actually those that take you out of the story for a moment. The POV changes throughout without warning: one moment Bogus is telling his story and with a paragraph change, it is being narrated about him. Along the way, Irving uses the epistolary format to tell part of the tale, and one chapter is, in its entirety, a transcript for the film.

The title refers to a penile problem Bogus has and how his doctor tries to remedy it. This is a minor subplot, but it feeds the character of Bogus in subtle ways. Irving's early novels are always funny, lightly so, not laugh-out-loud, and The Water-Method Man is no exception. It's not a quick read, but is well worth the time.

Rating:
Summary: Comic Genius
Review: People who find this novel tedious, and the narrator idiotic and unlikable, are really missing the point. While I might agree that The Water-Method Man is not a "serious" work (whatever that should mean), Irving makes no effort to present it as such. The Water Method Man is arguably one of the funniest books ever written--the characters, from the hapless Trumper to the mythic Merrill, are unforgettable. It's not the same kind of novel as A Prayer for Owen Meany, but why should it be?

Rating:
Summary: i probably made the mistake of....
Review: reading "the cider house rules" and 'a prayer for owen meany" before reading this book. i enjoyed both of them immensely and "the water method man" was somewhat of a letdown. the book jumps from year to year and back again in the life of fred trumper. sometimes, i found myself reading halfway into a paragraph before i realized that the story switched to an incident that occurred years ago in the main character's life. the storyline is not as entertaining as the other two books i mentioned but it grows on you. if you are a die-hard fan of john irving, then you will want to read this book. if you want to experience the best of irving, buy the other two books that i mentioned.

Rating:
Summary: early Irving work entertains but isn't polished
Review: The Water-Method Man is a good story and exhibits all of the creativity and novel plot lines that Irving is know for. But he was still 29 at the time that he wrote it. The novel is a bit rough around the edges and does not capture like his later works. If you are new to Irving, this is not the New England writer at his best. Instead, try his classics: The World According to Garp or A Prayer for Owen Meany.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Writing & Insightful Snapshots
Review: The Water-Method Man is a well-written piece of fiction that is worth the read. This story has a 'woven' plot that takes you back and forth through the weft and weave of the narrative, building both plot and characters along the way. For those who need a linear progression to anchor them in a story, this is not the book to read. But for those who enjoy a good example of a more complex pattern of story telling, Water-Method will be a special treat. As a piece of writing, this book is superb.

Nevertheless, I am ambivalent about the book as a whole. I like the way Irving tells a story -- and I even have a special fondness for some of his characters and scenes -- but I confess that I do not like his story. As a writer he seems far too self-absorbed, making too little room for empathetic engagement by the reader. I had the sense throughout the book that Irving was working out his 'stuff.' This is fine. But a good piece of writing should be crafted in such a way that it reaches out to the reader. Irving invites us into more of a voyeuristic experience. For some this may be counted as part of its appeal. But for me it is not. When I commit myself to reading an author's work, I expect to be more important to the author than simply as a vehicle for book sales or fame.

That said, there is a lot that is worth seeing -- even through the panes of 'glass' behind which Irving places us. My favourite character is Merrill Overturf whose humanity and humour transcend the weaknesses of the book. And for anyone who has ever lived some portion of their life in the pursuit of a graduate degree, Trumper's thesis work is bound to cause howls of laughter (as it did with me). Water-Method also does a good job capturing snapshots of the awkwardness and adventure of life around the age of 30.

John Irving is a great practitioner of the craft of writing -- and that is a good enough reason to read this book. I recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Not his best - but who cares?
Review: This is definitely not the cleverest of Irving's books, nor the deepest, nor the best written. It is, however, without a doubt the most enjoyable. `The Water Method Man' is the book to read when you wish to reaffirm for yourself that life makes absolutely no sense at all, but is a hell of a lot of fun anyway.

The characters, like all of Irving's, are charmingly flawed and vibrantly human. They are presented to us in what feels more like a string of interconnected vignettes than a plot, which is a slight deviation from Irving's 'family history' model on display in many of his other novels. One of the (few) criticisms frequently made of Irving is that his endings tend to be a little too neat, with epic epilogues and an almost obsessive tying up of loose ends. However, in The Water Method Man, this is entirely to the book's advantage. The feel-good ending is a natural conclusion to both the plot and to the main character's journey.

While 'The World According to Garp' and 'A Widow for One Year' may offer more in the way of thematic depth, 'The Water Method Man' is nothing less than a pleasure to read.