This novel marks a return to the deep but gentle examination of human nature that made 'Garp' so successful.' Readers won't easily part with the characters in his latest work, 'A Widow for One Year.'. ''There's only one thing wrong with John Irving novels: They have to end. '''A Widow for One Year' delivers everything John Irving fans have come to expect from the beloved author of 'The World According to Garp' a funny, sad, sprawling saga full of oddball yet believable characters.' ''Irving is a writer whose keenest sensibilities have always fallen somewhere between Dickensian verbosity and 'Mad 'magazine mischief.' A terrific read that will make you its willing slave, so captivating is its allure.' Crammed with all the wonderful characters, quirky situations and memorable coincidences that have made so beloved by readers. ''Comic and tragic, brilliant, and moving. John Irving is one of America's great storytellers.' tells this story with so much delight that it's difficult for the reader not to be infected with the same kind of joy in the reading.' Irving's rich narrative and his sense of play result in a delicious collusion between author and reader.' ''Enchantingly balances the haunting tug of grief with the lure of enduring love. Like a warm bath, it's a great pleasure to immerse yourself in.'

''In the sprawling, deeply felt 'A Widow for One Year,' John Irving has delivered his best novel since 'The World According to Garp.'.

What's more, there's hardly a writer alive who can match his control of the omniscient point of view.' His instinctive mark is the moral choice stripped bare, and his aim is impressive. '' characters can beguile us onto thin ice and persuade us to dance there. An engaging and often affecting fable, a fairy tale that manages to be old-fashioned and modern all at once.' ''A sprawling 19th-century production, chock full of bizarre coincidences, multiple plot lines, lengthy digressions, and stories within stories. On the final page of 'A Widow for One Year'. Irving's best books are Dickensian in their rich characters, plotting and language-and of course, in moving the reader. ''A POWERFUL TALE TO ADD TO AN ALREADY EXTRAORDINARY BODY OF WORK FROM A GREAT AMERICAN WRITER.' The pleasures of this rich and beautiful book are manifold. ''IRVING'S MOST ENTERTAINING AND PERSUASIVE NOVEL SINCE. Irving is among the few novelists who can write a novel about grief and fill it with ribald humor soaked in irony.' 'BY TURNS ANTIC AND MOVING, LUSTY AND TRAGIC, 'A Widow for One Year' is bursting with memorable moments.'

Widow for a year john irving review