vstewart76's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
zzelda's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Oof. He’s done it again. A masterpiece. Took me about half the book to get into but I knew it would be worth it. Every American should read this book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
Moderate: War, Gore, and Death
Minor: Incest and Rape
jdalton's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! I was skeptical at first, and thrown off by it's massive size, but I found it humorous and sweet!
steakuccino's review against another edition
Well I gave it two chapters and a bit. It’s not terrible but it’s not very engaging a I’m just bored with it. Perhaps one day I’ll give it another go.
shanviolinlove's review against another edition
3.0
excellent novel. at first wondered why it had to be over 500 pages. the movie version also captured the essence of the novel (and no, tobey maguire's character Homer is not nearly as base in the movie as it is in the book). i like it b/c it presents both sides of the morality of abortion with strong and reasonable arguments.
thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
The book started out good enough. Set in an orphanage, Dr Wilbur Larch is an abortionist in a time when abortions were frowned upon. However, he believes strongly in a woman's right to choose, and for the women who choose to give birth but don't want to keep the child, he takes them in and runs the orphanage with the help of two nurses. Then there is Homer, who is an orphan that's 'too old' to be adopted. So instead of trying (and failing) to get adopted, Dr Larch decides that it is a good idea to teach Homer midwifery, as well as how to perform abortions — and here's the interesting part. Homer is AGAINST abortion. So this makes for an interesting dynamic between the teacher and the student.
And it'd have been a much more interesting read if John Irving had stuck with the premise. Instead, majority of the book is overwritten, overblown, overly dramatic in every way possible. The moment Homer leaves the orphanage to go to the apple farm, which is about a third of the way through the book, that is where the story takes a sharp nosedive into tedium. Homer's infatuation with Candy (and, in some ways, Wally) feels unearned, juvenile and borderline creepy. Homer as a character never develops beyond his characterisation in the orphanage. He learns how to help women give birth, but his mental age is that of a 15 year old. After helping Candy abort her child, Homer, being the pervert that he is, collects and keeps Candy's pubic hair because he is 'in love'. The worst part is that after Candy finds out about the collection of her own pubic hair years later, instead of freaking out like a normal human being, Candy takes the opportunity to CONFESS HER LOVE FOR THIS PERVERT.
I am sorry, but this romance angle was clearly thought up by an old white guy who probably has a small collection of women's pubic hair of his own. In fact, speaking of that, instead of developing the premise (which, again, is actually very compelling), Irving spends more time talking about Homer's weird obsession with Candy (and Wally), how he's basically sexually harassing Debra Pettigrew (I mean, sure, she's clearly into necking, but he keeps touching her in places she's uncomfortable with) and — here's the worst — Irving feels obsessed with the picture that Melony finds in that abandoned house. The picture depicts a young prostitute who's been forced to give a blowjob to a donkey. Now, that's a horrific image that I have just put in your head, but every time Irving refers to the picture, instead of just saying 'the picture', he has to say 'the girl with the donkey cock in her mouth'. And if it wasn't enough that Homer is a huge pervert who never learnt about consent or what a healthy sexual relationship is, he regularly masturbates to the picture, too.
So yes, don't be fooled by the positive reviews. People will tell you that this is one of the great American classics, but they often forget that the main character is a sexual deviant who's creepy as fuck.
And it'd have been a much more interesting read if John Irving had stuck with the premise. Instead, majority of the book is overwritten, overblown, overly dramatic in every way possible. The moment Homer leaves the orphanage to go to the apple farm, which is about a third of the way through the book, that is where the story takes a sharp nosedive into tedium. Homer's infatuation with Candy (and, in some ways, Wally) feels unearned, juvenile and borderline creepy. Homer as a character never develops beyond his characterisation in the orphanage. He learns how to help women give birth, but his mental age is that of a 15 year old. After helping Candy abort her child, Homer, being the pervert that he is, collects and keeps Candy's pubic hair because he is 'in love'. The worst part is that after Candy finds out about the collection of her own pubic hair years later, instead of freaking out like a normal human being, Candy takes the opportunity to CONFESS HER LOVE FOR THIS PERVERT.
I am sorry, but this romance angle was clearly thought up by an old white guy who probably has a small collection of women's pubic hair of his own. In fact, speaking of that, instead of developing the premise (which, again, is actually very compelling), Irving spends more time talking about Homer's weird obsession with Candy (and Wally), how he's basically sexually harassing Debra Pettigrew (I mean, sure, she's clearly into necking, but he keeps touching her in places she's uncomfortable with) and — here's the worst — Irving feels obsessed with the picture that Melony finds in that abandoned house. The picture depicts a young prostitute who's been forced to give a blowjob to a donkey. Now, that's a horrific image that I have just put in your head, but every time Irving refers to the picture, instead of just saying 'the picture', he has to say 'the girl with the donkey cock in her mouth'. And if it wasn't enough that Homer is a huge pervert who never learnt about consent or what a healthy sexual relationship is, he regularly masturbates to the picture, too.
So yes, don't be fooled by the positive reviews. People will tell you that this is one of the great American classics, but they often forget that the main character is a sexual deviant who's creepy as fuck.
lenasch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jammasterjamie's review against another edition
5.0
Stop it! I'm not crying - You're crying!
In The Cider House Rules, John Irving once again shows us that he's a master story-teller with the most intricate plotting and detailed wonder that can make a universe seem real with just a few well-placed words. I don't think Cider House is my favourite Irving as Garp will always have a very special place in my heart, but it's way up there among his best for sure, and considering how many 'bests' he has written, that's saying something. There really isn't a single character in this book that I didn't fall at least a little bit in love with, even the more deplorable ones. That's the power of John Irving.
In The Cider House Rules, John Irving once again shows us that he's a master story-teller with the most intricate plotting and detailed wonder that can make a universe seem real with just a few well-placed words. I don't think Cider House is my favourite Irving as Garp will always have a very special place in my heart, but it's way up there among his best for sure, and considering how many 'bests' he has written, that's saying something. There really isn't a single character in this book that I didn't fall at least a little bit in love with, even the more deplorable ones. That's the power of John Irving.
wombat_88's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0