Comments (21)

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Apr 15, 2023CareyMacaulay rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
"'You only grow by coming to the end of something and by beginning something else.' Even if these so-called endings and beginnings are illusions." I loved this laugh-out-loud story featuring Garp and his "sexual suspect" mother, Jenny.…
Sep 28, 2022Inner_Typewriter rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I was in college when I read Garp the first time. What a beautiful, moving, heartbreaking, heart warming, witty, engaging, timely novel this is. Especially in this age of a polarized America, and women's rights being taken away, The…
Dec 27, 2020brettminor rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
John Irving does not shy away from controversial topics and is not afraid to put his characters through hell. I saw this movie when I was a child and remembered just a few scenes from it. Now, reading the book, I cannot believe my…
Nov 23, 2020maiki69 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
While not his first, or his best, THE WORLD ACCORDING GARP brought John Irving international popularity. A story about stories, it examines fatherhood, infidelity, feminism and identity issues with deftness and the understated sense of…
Jul 10, 2020
1978 - 4.09
Nov 27, 2019mikey69 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The granddaddy of Irving's novels, THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP (E.P. Dutton, $10.95) put him on the modern fiction map. It is about the life of Garp, a writer and son of a famous feminist, all quite by accident. The novel is a story about…
Nov 29, 2018LPL_AdamL rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more, I thought about feminism and sexism and the marginalization of "Others." There is so much packed into this novel - so many stories and characters and new ways of looking at the world. This is the…
Jun 24, 2017rpavlacic rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Weird.
Mar 26, 2017sgcf rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Having recently rediscovered how much I love John Irving’s outrageously imaginative storytelling, I decided to reread Garp, which I thought was great years ago, to see how the passage of time affected my appreciation. Overall, not quite as…
KathyS82
Oct 08, 2015KathyS82 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I thought this was just okay. Didn't like or connect with any of the characters and the story just didn't flow for me. There were a few good bits in there but overall a bit boring.
Aug 21, 2015wyenotgo rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A word of advice to anyone setting out to read this book for the first time: Be patient. It take a long time for the story to really get going. Yes, several of the characters are fascinating from the get go, especially Jenny Fields,…
Torero3
Oct 22, 2014
GET SOME MORE COPIES OF THIS BOOK! This is a modern classic, and you have three total copies for a city of 7 million people. This was written 40 years ago and you can see there are still 15 holds on it. That's 15 customers you are…
May 10, 2014JCLBeckyC rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
T.S. Garp--named after the father he never knew--is the son of legendary feminist Jenny Fields. He wants to be taken seriously as a writer, but he can't seem to get out from under the shadow of his famous mother and her entourage of…
May 31, 2013finn75 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book made me laugh and gasp. Truly memorable characters spread through a fantastic book.
Mar 22, 2013mackiecat rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The John Irving novel that really started it all. It goes into some places that seem weird and definitely fantastic. Pro-gay, pro feminist (although with a cautionary tale - reminiscent of any cult scene in the '70's) and definitely…
SpencerSpencer
Feb 12, 2013
This is one of very few novels I've ever read four times in my life. I find it so well written, heart-breaking, humourous, realistic, and far-fetched. So many things from out of the blue that it just seems like real life to me. A five star…
Mar 20, 2012sfogs rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Read this awhile ago. I found it very well written. Read as part of an online book group, and as another 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die list book.
mishao
Aug 21, 2011mishao rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The amazing thing about this book is how well John Irving has figured out his characters. Every little detail. I love when he adds something they wrote one time as a little afterthought. It's humorous and sad and happy and interesting.…
BookEnthusiast
Jun 30, 2011BookEnthusiast rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I am probably the only sole on Earth that doesn't agree with others regarding this book. I found it far fetched (mother's means of conception) and somewhat boring.
Mar 07, 2011
A really good read; thoroughly enjoyed it and another confirmation of why Irving is one of my favourite authors. It's about a father's fears; that bad things happen. It's a novel about the need to be careful and how, sometimes, that isn't…
Nov 25, 2010jasonkeats rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
One of my all time favorites, this book has it all. It is funny, sad, and uplifting, with memorable characters. The movie was really good as well;l as it kept true to the spirit of the book.