nancidrum's review against another edition
1.0
I listened to the audio version of this book. 17 CDs! It took forever to finish! I would like to blame my disconnect to the story on all the on again-off again listening time, but I don't think it would have made a difference even if I'd listened to it in a few sittings on a long trip, or read it. Looking at reviews many people said they DNF, so I might not have been able to finish it either. I have really enjoyed the older John Irving books and was looking forward to reading another one, as it had been years. Initially, I thought it was going to be great...the story of a brother and sister growing up as poor kids in a dump in Mexico, with a fairly non-existent mother. After that it all just turned bizarre. It was difficult to follow, or even care to follow. The profanity was extreme to the point where I began to glaze over and the subject matter was downright offensive to me at times. I lumbered through, as it was for a GR reading challenge. Sorry, John Irving, but this one is getting one lonely star.
andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
I first discovered John Irving in the early 1980s and I cannot remember if I read Garp first or saw the Robin Williams film but thereafter I anticipated each new book and can recall the joys of reading one of his new works over the subsequent years.
I was lucky enough to see the author talking to Jeanette Winterson ( and there is a great reference to her book The Passion in this novel) in Manchester when it came out and grabbed a signed hardback but have only now got round to reading a paperback version.
The Story is set in two time frames and is about a Mexican dump child Juan Diego and his mind reading younger sister Lupe. We see Juan Diego in 2011 in his 50's and earlier as a young teenager. In the early 70's he lives with the Dump boss Riviera el Jefe) and the local Jesuit priest Pepe is astonished at Juan's intelligence and reading skills. When a new priest from Iowa arrives and various mishaps occur overlooked by the mind reading Lupe the story moves with Irving's usual prose style into bizarre situations. There are some memorable scenes in these extracts as the children move from the Dump to a children's home and then the local circus.
In 2011 Juan, a successful writer goes on a trip to the Philipines, via Hong Kong to honour the dead father of a character in the 1970's a young American dodging the Vietnam draft. In this section he encounters two strange women , mother and daughter who appear to cast a sexual spell over Juan much to the consternation of Juan's pupil and fellow writer. Again a plot full of bizarre and comic incidents but with a magical feel enhanced by Juans recollection of his childhood through dreams.
This was definitely a book I enjoyed although I noticed the recurrence of themes visited in previous novels such as abortion, circus, orphans, transgender , and Catholicism so hope this is not the final novel of one of the greats of American literature .
I was lucky enough to see the author talking to Jeanette Winterson ( and there is a great reference to her book The Passion in this novel) in Manchester when it came out and grabbed a signed hardback but have only now got round to reading a paperback version.
The Story is set in two time frames and is about a Mexican dump child Juan Diego and his mind reading younger sister Lupe. We see Juan Diego in 2011 in his 50's and earlier as a young teenager. In the early 70's he lives with the Dump boss Riviera el Jefe) and the local Jesuit priest Pepe is astonished at Juan's intelligence and reading skills. When a new priest from Iowa arrives and various mishaps occur overlooked by the mind reading Lupe the story moves with Irving's usual prose style into bizarre situations. There are some memorable scenes in these extracts as the children move from the Dump to a children's home and then the local circus.
In 2011 Juan, a successful writer goes on a trip to the Philipines, via Hong Kong to honour the dead father of a character in the 1970's a young American dodging the Vietnam draft. In this section he encounters two strange women , mother and daughter who appear to cast a sexual spell over Juan much to the consternation of Juan's pupil and fellow writer. Again a plot full of bizarre and comic incidents but with a magical feel enhanced by Juans recollection of his childhood through dreams.
This was definitely a book I enjoyed although I noticed the recurrence of themes visited in previous novels such as abortion, circus, orphans, transgender , and Catholicism so hope this is not the final novel of one of the greats of American literature .
leilatre's review against another edition
3.0
My relationship with John Irving is complicated. It's been years since I read a book of his, and this one had parts that really interested me (everything from Juan Diego's young life) and parts that really didn't (present day). Luckily (I guess) both storylines were well integrated with one another, so there was a lot of bouncing back to the past to keep me engaged. Did I really understand all the symbolism around Miriam and Dorothy? I'm sure I didn't.
Anyway, good enough story. I've never loved some of the over-the-top events that happen in Irving's stories, but I expected them, just the same, so I didn't let them pull me out of the story, as I might have when I was younger.
I must also include my funny formative years John Irving story here: When I was too young to see The World According to Garp in theaters (pretty sure it got an R rating), I was SOOO invested in the previews that I bought the paperback book and started reading it (the internet tells me it was 1982, so I was 12). My mom found it and decided it was too racy for me, so she threw it in the kitchen trash can and scolded me for reading it. I later sifted through the kitchen trash, pulled it out, and carried on reading it. Only to find that I didn't really enjoy it that much so I never finished it anyway. When I read other Irving novels as a young adult, it all made sense to me that my mom needn't have worried because his style just didn't interest me that much and it felt like much ado about nothing. Anyway. That has nothing to do with this particular book. At the same time, my reaction to this particular book probably could have been predicted given my earlier history with John Irving. [insert shrugging shoulders emoji here]
Anyway, good enough story. I've never loved some of the over-the-top events that happen in Irving's stories, but I expected them, just the same, so I didn't let them pull me out of the story, as I might have when I was younger.
I must also include my funny formative years John Irving story here: When I was too young to see The World According to Garp in theaters (pretty sure it got an R rating), I was SOOO invested in the previews that I bought the paperback book and started reading it (the internet tells me it was 1982, so I was 12). My mom found it and decided it was too racy for me, so she threw it in the kitchen trash can and scolded me for reading it. I later sifted through the kitchen trash, pulled it out, and carried on reading it. Only to find that I didn't really enjoy it that much so I never finished it anyway. When I read other Irving novels as a young adult, it all made sense to me that my mom needn't have worried because his style just didn't interest me that much and it felt like much ado about nothing. Anyway. That has nothing to do with this particular book. At the same time, my reaction to this particular book probably could have been predicted given my earlier history with John Irving. [insert shrugging shoulders emoji here]
mazza57's review against another edition
2.0
I like Irving's books normally but this was too much of a ramble around nothing in particular. It was far too long and and far too meaningless for me
bookwormerica's review against another edition
2.0
I listened to this book...only way I finished it no doubt.
it was okay. How much he talked about his penis got old...and was broken up with his viagra and dimished talk
I read it for a bookclub as a book I wouldn't normally choose
it was okay. How much he talked about his penis got old...and was broken up with his viagra and dimished talk
I read it for a bookclub as a book I wouldn't normally choose
happydog33's review against another edition
4.0
John Irving is a master of character and this book doesn't disappoint. I loved the main character Juan Diego and his sister Lupe. I like a book that stays with me days later giving me much to ponder. Self referencing at times and gently clever. Recommend.
brittaini's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't hate this book, but I found so much of it annoying, and ultimately felt like there wasn't anything for me in it really.
Things that annoyed me:
* Near constant italicizing for effect. I think you generally can get away with this once a chapter.
* Juan Diego's seemingly constant preoccupation with sex, both in his present self and in his past self.
* The flirting with, but not really committing to, the idea of supernatural things happening.
* The repeated reference to women as "the best readers, the ones who can be really moved by story," with no hint of irony that women in this book are largely flat, and are either things that help Juan Diego fulfill his destiny as a writer, or sex objects, or both.
* The way Edward, someone who has devoted his life to the church, instantly becomes in love with Flor and is instantly determined to be with her forever.
* Overexplanation
* The fact that Juan Diego is a writer who went to and now teaches at Iowa, and has all of these little side paragraphs about what being a writer is like and how his work relates to his experience, blah blah blah.
Then again, I did make it through 450 pages of this, relatively quickly, and I didn't throw it against a wall. Two stars.
Things that annoyed me:
* Near constant italicizing for effect. I think you generally can get away with this once a chapter.
* Juan Diego's seemingly constant preoccupation with sex, both in his present self and in his past self.
* The flirting with, but not really committing to, the idea of supernatural things happening.
* The repeated reference to women as "the best readers, the ones who can be really moved by story," with no hint of irony that women in this book are largely flat, and are either things that help Juan Diego fulfill his destiny as a writer, or sex objects, or both.
* The way Edward, someone who has devoted his life to the church, instantly becomes in love with Flor and is instantly determined to be with her forever.
* Overexplanation
* The fact that Juan Diego is a writer who went to and now teaches at Iowa, and has all of these little side paragraphs about what being a writer is like and how his work relates to his experience, blah blah blah.
Then again, I did make it through 450 pages of this, relatively quickly, and I didn't throw it against a wall. Two stars.
laurensalisbury's review against another edition
3.0
I think I could read anything by [a:John Irving|3075|John Irving|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1257375547p2/3075.jpg]and be at least marginally entertained. His success is due to this readability and the sprawling epics that he weaves of seemingly normal people.
In Avenue of Mysteries I found myself equally entertained, but it seemed the most interesting aspects of this particular epic were ignored for lengthy descriptions of the aging protagonist's penis and pill taking practices. Although it seems Irving felt this heavy handed foreshadowing was necessary for readers to anticipate the final scene, but it ultimately detracted from my ability as a reader to identify, empathize, and immerse myself in Juan Diego's life.
Spoilers: The most interested characters--Lupe, Flor, Eduardo--are killed off without any kind of in depth examination of their worlds or even their relationship with Juan Diego. Irving continues his habit of ignoring and killing off mothers who can never live up to the expectations Irving has for them despite -- as in this case -- their own personal battles and struggles.
In Avenue of Mysteries I found myself equally entertained, but it seemed the most interesting aspects of this particular epic were ignored for lengthy descriptions of the aging protagonist's penis and pill taking practices. Although it seems Irving felt this heavy handed foreshadowing was necessary for readers to anticipate the final scene, but it ultimately detracted from my ability as a reader to identify, empathize, and immerse myself in Juan Diego's life.
Spoilers: The most interested characters--Lupe, Flor, Eduardo--are killed off without any kind of in depth examination of their worlds or even their relationship with Juan Diego. Irving continues his habit of ignoring and killing off mothers who can never live up to the expectations Irving has for them despite -- as in this case -- their own personal battles and struggles.
eekgranola's review against another edition
2.0
Clearly not my favorite Irving. I liked the writing itself and learned lots of great facts but it just didn't pull me in.
This was also the first Irving I've read without New England or a private school.
This was also the first Irving I've read without New England or a private school.