John Irving's novels

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 Rog Wilko 21 Jul 2020

Having just finished Widow for a Year, my total comes to 4 (with Prayer for Owen Meany, World According to Garp and Cider House Rules). I have only now looked at his complete list - it's huge! What do any more of his readers recommend I read next?

Gone for good 22 Jul 2020
In reply to Rog Wilko:

I havent read it myself but a Prayer for Owen Meany seems to be highly recommended by most book reviews. 

 Offwidth 22 Jul 2020
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Hardly that huge. I've read those and The Hotel New Hampshire... and felt they were all amazing so maybe I need the advice you're requesting as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Irving

 C Witter 22 Jul 2020
In reply to Rog Wilko:

I think maybe you've read the best! I would definitely not recommend "Until I find you" - it's very long and becomes tedious about half-way through when the first 300-pages of the story unravels in one fell swoop.

So, maybe I'd recommend trying something else? Have you read E L Doctorow's Ragtime? If not, that's brilliant. Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint is fun. John Williams' Stoner is beautiful. John Kennedy Toole's Confederacy of Dunces is hilarious. Just to mention a few!

 DaveHK 22 Jul 2020
In reply to C Witter:

> I think maybe you've read the best! 

I'd agree with this. I enjoyed a few of them but like many prolific authors I started to find them a bit samey even though the storylines were often quite different.

 wbo2 22 Jul 2020
In reply to Rog Wilko: I'd recommend John Updikes Rabbit series

 jasonC abroad 22 Jul 2020
In reply to Rog Wilko:

I think I've read all those and also A Son Of The Circus which I found quite funny and A Widow For One Year which was also good.  Might re-read some of them as I must have read Garp about 25 years ago.

 n1ge 22 Jul 2020
In reply to Rog Wilko:

I'd say his best four by far are: The World According to Garp, The Hotel New Hampshire, The Cider House Rules, A Prayer for Owen Meany. So to answer your question, you should definitely read The Hotel New Hampshire next.

OP Rog Wilko 22 Jul 2020
In reply to Gone for good:

> I havent read it myself but a Prayer for Owen Meany seems to be highly recommended by most book reviews. 

I have read it and wondering if I might be going to read it again. It is one of the most memorable books I've ever read. You should read it!


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