Book Group - Widow For One Year
2 watchers
Mar 2016
2:16pm, 5 Mar 2016
3,812 posts
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Steampunk seratonin
Leave your comments for the book in here 
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Apr 2016
4:16pm, 1 Apr 2016
825 posts
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westmoors
As the first poster in here I wish I could be positive about this book, but I can't. Definitely not my cup of tea. It just went on and on. The fact that Eddie and Marion were going to get back together was alluded to so many times I was relieved when they finally did and absolutely elated when I read the words THE END.
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Apr 2016
7:32pm, 1 Apr 2016
4,238 posts
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Steampunk seratonin
I think that Irving is very much a "marmite" type author Westmoors. I really like his style and characterisation but he does have a huge tendency to cover recurring themes in his novels. I have read WFOY before and am rereading it now. Perhaps I should have picked another novel. Even I had forgotten that the book was too much about Eddie and Marion. I think that the better part of the book is the middle section which is about Ruth and what happens in Amsterdam. |
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Apr 2016
8:26pm, 1 Apr 2016
826 posts
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westmoors
I agree the best part of the book was the Amsterdam story. Might have made a better book if the guff before and after had been omitted
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Apr 2016
9:14pm, 1 Apr 2016
4,247 posts
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Steampunk seratonin
Interestingly, a film was made of the first part of the book. The Door in the Floor has Kim Basinger as Marion and Jeff Bridges as Ted. I did see it at the cinema way back but it was not that exciting.
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Apr 2016
10:44pm, 11 Apr 2016
4,407 posts
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Steampunk seratonin
I have finished this one now. I have the hardback from when it was published but have reread it via the kindle. The electronic version has a "John Irving discusses the book with his editor" section at the end of the novel. I enjoyed this as Irving sets out what he wanted to do with the novel and how he intended to layer the story to get the story across. For me, it reinforces why I like Irving books - complex characterisation, tragic comedy and the scope of the novel across quite long time spans. As an aside, it is interesting that when planning his novels, Irving has previously said that he always knows what the last line of the book will be and works the story back from that point. If you make it to the end of WFOY, you will see how that works with this story. |
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Apr 2016
7:14am, 12 Apr 2016
839 posts
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westmoors
I also read this on Kindle but didn't bother with the extra discussion.
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