Review Detail

Reader reviewed by L. Eustace

T.S. Garp is a young writer. His mother is a popular feminist leader who never married and slashed an eager flirt's arm from shoulder blade to hand in a movie theater. Garp's father was a wounded soldier in a war, where his mother worked as a nurse. Garp never knew his father, nor did his mother.

Why does Garp decide to become a writer? His wrestling coache's bookish daughter declared that she would only marry a full time writer. So to win her heart, he becomes a writer.

One of the best contemporary books I have read. A tale of life with true love, but also with lust. John Irving is a wonderful writer who manages to keep readers in suspense, in love, and into the book with the twisted humor and zany characters. Although this book is a massive 600+ pages, it reads like a 250 page book.