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Title: The Cider House Rules by John Irving ISBN: 0-345-38765-1 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.32 (314 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Very moving and superbly crafted story
Comment: You can't evaluate "The Cider House Rules" on the basis of the plot: to say that the book is about an orphan who grows up in an orphanage run by an abortionist, meets a young couple (there for an abortion), leaves with them, and falls in love with the woman, is to miss about 90 percent of what makes the book special.
I've only read one other book by John Irving ("The Hotel New Hampshire"), but it seems to be the case that his novels are so incredibly character-driven. As you read the books, you get the sense that he is so attuned to the people who populate his world that he could write novels centered on any of them.
Now, you are probably aware that the book is somewhat about abortion. Indeed, Irving clearly has a point to make about the pro-choice vs. pro-life debate, and it's pretty clear which side he's on. But at the same time, to say that the book is "about" abortion is like saying that "Casablanca" is about World War 2. Clearly, abortion is inextricably intertwined with the plot and the characters, but the novel is not about abortion; rather, it's about characters who have to make life decisions, including about abortion.
One final note: for better or worse, I tend not to have much patience for "literature." I've read some Dickens, but would never do so for fun. My idea of great literature is "Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson. But . . . I absolutely loved reading "The Cider House Rules" and I was never bored.
Rating: 5
Summary: The best book I think I've ever read!
Comment: As a preface to seeing the recently released (and critically acclaimed) film I thought I'd take a stab at reading the novel upon which it is based. For years, friends and family have told me how wonderful John Irving is and it's taken me until now to realize how right they are.
Irving is a storyteller on par with Dickens, whom he refers to frequently in this book. His characters are very distinctively drawn. You get to know them slowly and find yourself really caring about them. While some of them at times may seem larger than life, they never cease to be real. (The story also happens to be terrific, but it's the characters who profoundly struck me.)
A word of warning: while the film on its own is a beautiful achievement, I would recommend reading the book after seeing the film. I did the opposite and unfortunately was distracted from enjoying the film as much as I might have because I found myself dwelling on all that the film left out, which is quite a bit.
Michael Caine, however, is perfectly cast as Dr. Larch and the cinematography is beautiful.
I will definitely be reading more Irving.
Rating: 3
Summary: I Killed a Baby, Yeeaahhh!
Comment: Since the theme of this book is abortion, let's get that out of the way first. Now, I personally have somewhat conflicted opinions on this issue so I'm not a fanatic on either side of the fence, but this book presents its argument in such a way that I would think (I would hope) that even the staunchest pro-choice supporter would find it disturbing if they really thought about it. The practice itself is frequently referred to as "The Lord's Work." Doctors willing to perform abortions are described as "Heroes." And one particular abortion near the end is referred to as a "Miracle"!!!! That one word would have probably been enough for me to put down the book and never finish it if it didn't occur in the last twenty pages. I mean, really, c'mon now; we are talking about killing unborn babies here aren't we? The most compelling argument that one could possibly make about abortion is that it is sad and awful and unfortunate but perhaps necessary. But this book makes it sound like some sort of righteous cause, something heroic to perform or even have an abortion yourself. You expect one of the women emerging from the ether to declare, "Oh, Dr. Larch, you're my hero. I'm going to go out and get knocked up again right away so you can kill another one of my babies. Three cheers for Dr. Larch. Hip Hip Hooray!!" Well, I realize I getting a little carried away here, but it isn't far from the truth. As I've said before, John Irving is a great story teller, but there is something definitely wrong with the man. Who else would write a book featuring a lock of pubic hair as a love memento?
Anyway, on a technical level, I think this novel is very good; worthy of five stars or at least four and a half if there were such a thing. But I had to knock off a few stars over my distaste with the theme. St. Cloud's is very vividly portrayed, and as gloomily as it was described, I found the place more warm and inviting to my imagination than Ocean View. Of course this is the point, since St. Cloud's emerges victorious in a sense in the battle between both settings for Homer's commitment. For the most part the story tugs at all the right heartstrings and hits the right notes, which is what you expect in a novel like this. Of course I personally feel that it fails in its ultimate message, but I will admit that it makes a good try. One thing that didn't work very well though was the Candy-Wally-Homer love triangle. I didn't buy for a minute the bit about how much Homer loves Wally and values his friendship while he's romping around the cider house with his fiance. How could you say you loved someone and then do something that you know would hurt them so much? How many girls out there who have cheated on their boyfriends would want to listen to their lovers talk about how much they loved and cared about their boyfriends too? Please, it's nauseating. And yet, I can't really see any other way that Irving could have worked it without us completely losing sympathy with Homer. It doesn't work, but Irving did as good a job of patching the hole as can be expected I suppose. Personally, my sympathy for Homer was hanging by a thread throughout the Ocean View years as it was. I mean, poor Mr. Hood. The man makes one mistake in class and Homer condemns the man as a buffoon. Quite a snotty attitude for an orphan I think. Why it's almost as snotty as hating a man for secretly being your father and keeping the baseball that your mother was killed with. But that's another story.
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Title: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving ISBN: 0345361792 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 1990 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The World According to Garp by John Irving ISBN: 034536676X Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1994 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving ISBN: 034540047X Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 1995 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: A Widow for One Year by John Irving ISBN: 0345424719 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 1999 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Water-Method Man by John Irving ISBN: 0345367421 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 1990 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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