Reviews

The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving

slothrop_garp's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.5

martin_books's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

blaetz's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

rebeccatc's review against another edition

4.0

This is the first time I have read anything by John Irving. It's the story of an eccentric family with five children and their attempts to run two different hotels, one in New Hampshire and one in postwar Vienna, Austria. The story takes many unexpected turns and addresses some uncomfortable subjects but is written in an entertaining and often laugh out loud way. I did think the last quarter dragged. You know the book has gone on too long when it starts quoting poetry on every other page.

reading_carrot's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad medium-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

3.75

mg_libros's review against another edition

4.0

"Tienes que obsesionarte y mantener la obsesión. Y pasar de largo ante las ventanas abiertas."

Si de algo sabe John Irving es de obsesiones, toda su obra gira en torno a ellas. Con los mismos elementos construye siempre historias diferentes: en El hotel New Hampshire tenemos osos, Viena, luchadores y todo lo que forma ese universo propio.
La segunda parte de la novela se me ha hecho un poco pesada y hay una trama bastante perturbadora que me resulta completamente prescindible.

chiaralt's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring relaxing 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Incest, and Rape

Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, Antisemitism, Suicide, and Child death

martine_01's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective 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

4.0

astridrv's review against another edition

This was a strange one, John! As always, there is a lot of heart in Irving's novels - and here too, I felt care for and cared by this family. This time however, their repeated mantras were a bit overdone. As always, there are his recurring themes around sexuality, too: prostitution, age gaps, sexual violence, rape, incest. Regarding the latter, I just can't. Brother-sister incest is a huge part of this book, and I can't really articulate a more complex opinion than: I can't.  I loved Suzie, I loved the ending, I loved many passages, but I can't say I loved this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Animal death, Death of parent, Violence, Rape, Incest, and Death

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual violence, Grief, and Adult/minor relationship

dllh's review against another edition

3.0

This book was funny and at times had a lot of heart, but the big middle part dragged on, and I felt uneasy with Irving's treatment of both race and another (avoiding spoilers here) central sort of trauma in the book. I'm not sure they're bad treatments, but they did make me feel uneasy.