Modern Library of the World's Best Books: A Widow for One Year (Hardcover)

from AlisonY

This was my first John Irving novel, and whilst I strongly suspect he's another Marmite kind of author in the realm of Jonathan Franzen (at least for this book), personally I've found a new favourite author. It's no doubt terribly maudlin of me, but I just can't resist a dysfunctional family saga...

from AliceAnna

One of his best. Great characters driving the plot. Even though the plot might have been unbelievable in places, the characters made you believe. Hard to explain, but the book just made me feel good. Ruth was a wonderful, strong, likable, complex character that you had to root for!

from unlikelyaristotle

A great intertwining of crazy, dysfunctional people trying hard (I think) to be normal and survive in the world. Of course I mean this in the nicest way, because I truly believe everyone is like this at their core, at least in these days, I can't speak for the billions of people who have lived an...

from cameling

Stories within a story ... this is really what this book amounts to. It's like getting a little surprise treat every once in a while along the way. There's a house on Long Island where every room is filled with framed photographs of 2 boys long dead. A little girl of 4 grows up in the house surro...

from unlikelyaristotle

A great intertwining of crazy, dysfunctional people trying hard (I think) to be normal and survive in the world. Of course I mean this in the nicest way, because I truly believe everyone is like this at their core, at least in these days, I can't speak for the billions of people who have lived an...