christynhoover's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
It's a complex & epic tale with multiple characters lives being followed from birth or childhood to old age. There are, yes, "ghosts" --and births and deaths, some of which are tragic, but it wraps up in a quiet, tender way. "No last chairlifts for [us], just last sentences." says the narrator.
As is typical of John Irving's novels, there is LOTS of gender and sexual politics/expression. Major 1940s to 2019 US historical events including the US political and ~religious landscape figure into the plotline and serve as backdrop.
It's just soooo long.
As is typical of John Irving's novels, there is LOTS of gender and sexual politics/expression. Major 1940s to 2019 US historical events including the US political and ~religious landscape figure into the plotline and serve as backdrop.
It's just soooo long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, and Medical content
Moderate: Transphobia, War, and Terminal illness
amydarling's review against another edition
i just didn't feel like it was GOING anywhere
mer1mad2mar3's review against another edition
3.25
I am a huge Irving fan but this one missed the mark for me. Here is my very subjective review. Having no interest in skiing, wrestling or Moby-Dick, the endless references to them bored me. There was also a lot of needless cross-referencing to earlier incidents. I just didn't feel compelled to turn the page at any point in the story. Overtly political... even though I agreed with the opinions the characters were expressing, I prefer my fiction to be an escape rather than a political commentary. Good character development but I had a hard time giving it much more than a 3.
jammasterjamie's review against another edition
5.0
The Last Chairlift is a masterpiece in character-study, and the lovable bunch that Irving gives us in this offering are among the best and most well-rounded that he's ever written. If you're a John Irving fan, this story has a little bit of everything for you but the bears - No bears make an appearance in this one; I guess John had already set them free.
The story inside this book is among Irving's best and most emotionally connected, and I'm not going to lie, there's a certain chapter about 2/3 of the way through that left me in a flood of tears and snot - An 'ugly cry' in response to some of the most beautiful writing I've ever read. No spoilers, but you'll know which scene I'm talking about when you get to it - Irving built up to it wonderfully so there was no surprise, but the delivery was pure gold. And that sentiment stands for the whole book, actually - Irving says that this will be his final long-form work, and he made sure to hit all of the bells and whistles to make it a worthwhile journey for his readers.
I want to take a quick moment to talk about the structure of the novel, particularly the chapters written as screenplays because I think there's an underlying message in there that a few of my friends who finished reading before I did seemed to miss. There is a lot of talk in this novel about authors of the past, in particular Melville and Dickens, those writers of incredibly long and detailed tomes from a time when reading was the most popular and accessible form of entertainment. We rarely see books like that anymore, and if you look at the publishing world from a hundred years ago and compare it to now, it is impossible to miss the fact that the written word no longer has the cultural impact that it had before 'sound and vision' took over our brainwaves. I think the chapters written in screenplay format were a recognition of that and how the longform novel is a dying art and how our 21st Century greats are no longer novelists, but rather Hollywood entertainment has taken over as the prevalent art-form whilst the literary novel lies shivering on it's deathbed. That's what Irving's stylistic choice meant to me, and while I may be wrong in what he intended, it certainly makes sense in the way I took it.
The story inside this book is among Irving's best and most emotionally connected, and I'm not going to lie, there's a certain chapter about 2/3 of the way through that left me in a flood of tears and snot - An 'ugly cry' in response to some of the most beautiful writing I've ever read. No spoilers, but you'll know which scene I'm talking about when you get to it - Irving built up to it wonderfully so there was no surprise, but the delivery was pure gold. And that sentiment stands for the whole book, actually - Irving says that this will be his final long-form work, and he made sure to hit all of the bells and whistles to make it a worthwhile journey for his readers.
I want to take a quick moment to talk about the structure of the novel, particularly the chapters written as screenplays because I think there's an underlying message in there that a few of my friends who finished reading before I did seemed to miss. There is a lot of talk in this novel about authors of the past, in particular Melville and Dickens, those writers of incredibly long and detailed tomes from a time when reading was the most popular and accessible form of entertainment. We rarely see books like that anymore, and if you look at the publishing world from a hundred years ago and compare it to now, it is impossible to miss the fact that the written word no longer has the cultural impact that it had before 'sound and vision' took over our brainwaves. I think the chapters written in screenplay format were a recognition of that and how the longform novel is a dying art and how our 21st Century greats are no longer novelists, but rather Hollywood entertainment has taken over as the prevalent art-form whilst the literary novel lies shivering on it's deathbed. That's what Irving's stylistic choice meant to me, and while I may be wrong in what he intended, it certainly makes sense in the way I took it.
toru_okada's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.25
ovationgal's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
hadewygh's review
As a hardcore Irving fan I had looked forward to reading the last chairlift. Sad enough even though trying very hard I didn’t even make it half way through it. I tried fastreading to get to a point where the book would pick up but never found it. I didn’t like any of the characters, the story dragged and didn’t go anywhere. A book I don’t even want to see in my bookcase.
tylopoda's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eli7eb's review against another edition
2.0
way way way too long. I listened to it for 32 hours. Will not recommend