Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Bookworm9

I was a bit surprised to see this book listed here, especially with only a 14+ label. As with all of John Irving's books, there's plenty of "adult material" here, mainly of a sexual nature. Irving's books are always over-the-top in their shock value, but unfortunately this one is just shocking, and doesn't include the great relationships of some of his other books (i.e. "A Prayer for Owen Meany" and "The Cider House Rules"). This is just a sad tale of an extremely dysfunctional family over the span of decades, namely the daughter, Ruth, who is searching for happiness in life. The premise itself isn't bad, but Irving just gets too bogged down with goofy situations.