This resource is perfect for the small group where prior preparation is not likely. Each lesson occupies two facing pages. The text (NAS) is included and printed in a mechanical layout emphasizing certain words and phrases. Each lesson is the same with sections for observation, interpretation, correlation, and application. What a shame it is out of print.

I have several of these "Do It yourself" studies by Irving Jensen. They are all worth buying, They are out of print, but if they are ever in print again or you see them for resale / auction--buy it!

After reading this biography of John Calhoun, I had completed reading about the lives of the "Great Triumvirate" of Webster, Clay and Calhoun who, as Representatives, Senators and Secretaries of State were the most dominant non-Presidents in early-19th Century America.

Each of the Triumvirate had their assets and their flaws. As this biography illustrates, Calhoun's great assets were his integrity and his intellect; his great flaws included his inflexibility and his adherence to promoting and continuing slavery.

As a biography goes, this one is good but not great. It is a generally well-written work, but Bartlett has a tendency to speculate as to what Calhoun and others were thinking at particular moments and let a pro-Calhoun bias sometimes remove the objectivity from his work. Despite this, I still did not feel I could really relate to Calhoun, who comes off kind of remote.

Overall, there is more good than bad in this book, however, and as an introduction to an important historical figure, this is a worthwhile read.

John Calhoun is probably one of the most interesting Americans to ever serve his country. A member of the American troika that included Clay and Webster, Calhoun was a staunch states right and slavery advocate. This book begins by examining Calhoun's youth and how his father Patrick instilled his virtues in his son. Calhoun went to Yale and later law school in Connecticut. Calhoun was then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives at the time of the 1812 disagreements with Britain. Calhoun was to remain in politics until his death almost 40 years later. Calhoun served as a Representative, Vice-president, Senator, and Secretary of War and State. The book is at its best when it details Calhoun attacking the status quo, something he did often. In fact, with todays sell-outs that we call politicians, it's nice to see that someone once stood up for what he believed in. Bartlett spends some time pointing out Calhoun's ironies--one of which was that as great a man as he was, his kids were spoiled brats. Only one of his children was up to his immense intellect, and that was his daughter Anna. Since women didn't have careers in the 19th century, she couldn't follow him into politics. Try and find this book at the library if Amazon doesn't get it in stock.

This is probably the last Irving book I'll review for a while because I've pretty much read them all until something new comes out. What I can tell you after reading 8 Irving novels, is that some are really good (Cider House Rules, World According to Garp), others are pretty bad (Prayer for Owen Meany, Fourth Hand), and still others are in between (Widow for One Year, Son of the Circus). Hotel New Hampshire I have to put in the third category of in between books.

The best thing about the book is the cast of quirky characters essential to any Irving novel. The Berry family is a loving, oddball family of different personalities, which sometimes conflict, but for the most part work together in a sort of harmony as they grow up. The story follows their misadventures through three variations of the Hotel New Hampshire, one in the rundown town of Dairy, New Hampshire, one in Vienna, and the final one along the ocean in Maine.

Like any Irving novel, you can see elements in past and future books. The way I think of it, Irving's books are all one house and for each novel, the author moves around the furniture a little bit so while it's the same house, it LOOKS slightly different to us readers. After eight novels, I'm used to the references to wrestling, prep schools, Vienna, and bears, though like anyone, I wish Irving would try to move beyond these elements sometimes.

The main weakness of the book is the same as in Owen Meany, although not as pronounced. John the narrator is really a dull guy, who pretty much sits back and has things happen to him as opposed to going out and doing anything. As he says, he's the caretaker of the family, which also means he's not very interesting. However, he's not like John the narrator of the Owen Meany who's completely unlikeable.

So, in closing, this is an enjoyable read and I recommend anyone who's liked some of Irving's other books take a look at this one. If you haven't read any other Irving novels, then I'd say to start with Cider House Rules and World According to Garp, then move on to Son of the Circus, Hotel New Hampshire, Widow for One Year, and Setting Free the Bears. Then at your own risk, try out Owen Meany and the Fourth Hand.

And that, as Forrest Gump would say, is all I gotta say about that.

With The Hotel New Hampshire John Irving wrote one of his best books and one of my personal favorites. Although in every book several themes return (we already read about rape, wrestling and Vienna in The World According to Garp and the transsexuals from this book can also be found in A Son Of The Circus and the bears... well, you got the point now, I suppose), every work of John Irving is original, surrealistic and moving.

John Irving writes about people. And whether he writes about Owen Meany, Dhar or The Watermethod Man, he writes about life. All his characters are in a way eccentric and bizarre, but always understandable and just normal people. Irving describes their lives, their thoughts, their emotions and so tries to find the meaning and purpose of our own lives. Irving's books are in that way portraits, but not just portraits. It are portraits of colorful people, absurd, but still in a way being like us. We can see ourselves in the eyes of Irving's main characters. And that's, beside his wonderful writing style and humor, what I like about Irving and especially about "The Hotel New Hampshire" that's a fresh and imaginative dive in Irving's world and really worth reading!

With The Hotel New Hampshire John Irving wrote one of his best books and one of my personal favorites. Although in every book several themes return (we already read about rape, wrestling and Vienna in The World According to Garp and the transsexuals from this book can also be found in A Son Of The Circus and the bears... well, you got the point now, I suppose), every work of John Irving is original, surrealistic and moving.

John Irving writes about people. And whether he writes about Owen Meany, Dhar or The Watermethod Man, he writes about life. All his characters are in a way eccentric and bizarre, but always understandable and just normal people. Irving describes their lives, their thoughts, their emotions and so tries to find the meaning and purpose of our own lives.

Irving's books are in that way portraits, but not just portraits. It are portraits of colorful people, absurd, but still in a way being like us. We can see ourselves in the eyes of Irving's main characters. And that's, beside his wonderful writing style and humor, what I like about Irving and especially about "The Hotel New Hampshire", a fresh and imaginative dive in the wonderful world of John Irving.

This book is a good teaching tool. It covers the basic history and metamorphoses of the health promotion field, offering the reader a chance to critically examine the various approaches. It offers a refreshing look at health, utilizing a multi-dimensional approach in defining and evaluating individual and community health. It also offers many illustration of the ideas by describing health projects from around the world. One thing that could be discussed more are the counter arguments made by epidemiologists against such a broad approach...I would have loved to hear the authors' responses to this.

This is a very scholarly work, in fact it reminded me of a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation revised for popular publication. It is the most thorough and detailed study of Mozart's piano sonatas I have yet found and even so I had hoped for a more complete analysis of how to play the sonatas well. As an adult piano student, I wanted advice as to how to interprent theme, motif and emotion in the various sonatas. This book presents a complete historical perspective on the sonatas but didn't provide the guidance on performance I was hoping for. As part of the library for a serious student, however, it is a must, albeit expensive.

Like many other high schoolers who wrote reviews on this page, I was forced to read this in my freshman english class. I thought it was an extremely good story. The characters (my favorites being Orlick and Trabb's Boy) are brilliant and subtley funny. The story is creative and unpredictible, and overall, it was absolutely supberb. The only reason this book doesn't get 5 stars is because it tends to drag a lot of the time, and Dickens overlong descriptions are a bit grating on the nerves, but I DO understand why people would have liked it like that in the 1800's. They liked their books long and juicy. It's a bit dated but Great Expectations is well worth a read if you have the patience. Even if you are impatient, you can not miss this great story and its wonderful characters, so at least see one of the many great movie adaptions. My personal favorite movie version of Great Expectations is the 1999 Masterpiece theatre version.

Having seen the many reviews written by students, I must say that I would agree. In fact, they sounded like they could have almost been my students from the past. Overall, GE is well liked, but the major complaint most have is that the story line is too slow-developing. I think this is a fair assessment. Of course, this was the style chosen by Dickens since this book was compiled from serial form. How many people would claim that we ought to take a week's worth of a soap opera program and turn it into a movie? I doubt such a production would attract much attention. In the same way, a serial writer's objective was to build mini-climaxes throughout the book, twisting and turning to get the audience to scream with anticipation, so that the next segment would sell. From what I understand, Americans could hardly wait for the shipments to get off the ships. They would purchase the newest segment and immediately dig in!

If you are a teacher, I highly recommend showing the 4-hour movie starring Anthony Hopkins (produced in the late 1980s, I believe). It is the best and most accurate of all the GE movies. This works really well in conjunction with the book, and it truly helps in the interest level for those students who are not as motivated as "the readers." So go ahead and find out about the adventures of squeezable Pip, lovable Joe, the mysterious Miss Havisham, sweet Biddy, snooty Estella, and of course the mysterious Magwitch. I think you will be as surprised as I was when I first read it. (I've read an abridged version four or five times!)

When his magazine, All the Year Round, began failing due to an unpopular serial, Dickens was forced to begin publishing installments of a story of his own. The resulting work, Great Expectations, was published weekly from December 1, 1860 to August 3, 1861. This was his second semi-autobiographical work, but where David Copperfield was a confident expression of faith in middle class values, Great Expectations offers a bleaker view of whether those values will lead to happiness. In fact, Dickens own marriage had just come to an end after many unhappy years. Indeed he had recently changed the name of the magazine from the more bucolic Household Words. Despite, or because, of this ambivalence, Great Expectations became one of his greatest achievements.

Pip, a boy of the marshes, is being "raised by hand" by his shrieking harridan of an older sister and her seemingly doltish husband, the blacksmith Joe Gargery. One day, while visiting his parents' gravesite, Pip is accosted by an escaped convict who demands that he bring him a file and some "wittles". When the convict, Abel Magwitch, is later captured, he accepts the blame for stealing the file and food before being carted back to prison.

Shortly thereafter, Pip is invited up to Miss Havisham's manor house to play with her beautiful ward Estella. Miss Havisham's life came to a halt when she was jilted at the altar, all clocks are stopped at the hour of her betrayal, the feast lies rotting on tables & she wanders about in the decaying wedding gown. Estella is to be the instrument of her revenge upon men.

Eventually, "Great Expectations" are settled upon Pip when a secret benefactor sets up a trust in his name and sends him to London to be educated and become a gentleman. Pip assumes, and Havisham allows him to believe, that she is his benefactress and that he is being elevated to a position that will make him worthy of Estella.

As Pip rises in society, he leaves Joe behind, despite the many kindnesses Joe had shown him growing up. He becomes a shallow arrogant middle class climber. So he is stunned when he discovers that he is actually benefiting from the secret wealth of Magwitch, who made a fortune in Australia after being transported. Moreover, Magwitch's unlawful return to England puts him and Pip in danger. Meanwhile, Estella has married another, a horrible man who Pip despises. Eventually, with Magwitch's recapture and death in prison and with his fortune gone, Pip ends up in debtors prison, but Joe redeems his debts and brings him home. Pip realizes that Magwitch was a more devoted friend to him than he ever was to Joe and with this realization Pip becomes, finally, a whole and decent human being.

Originally, Dickens wrote a conclusion that made it clear that Pip and Estella will never be together, that Estella is finally too devoid of heart to love. But at the urging of others, he changed the ending and left it more open ended, with the possibility that Estella too has learned and grown from her experiences and her wretched marriages.

This is the work of a mature novelist at the height of his powers. It has everything you could ask for in a novel: central characters who actually change and grow over the course of the story, becoming better people in the end; a plot laden with mystery and irony; amusing secondary characters; you name it, it's in here. I would rank it with A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist and David Copperfield among the very best novels of the worlds greatest novelist.

GRADE: A+

reading "the cider house rules" and 'a prayer for owen meany" before reading this book. i enjoyed both of them immensely and "the water method man" was somewhat of a letdown. the book jumps from year to year and back again in the life of fred trumper. sometimes, i found myself reading halfway into a paragraph before i realized that the story switched to an incident that occurred years ago in the main character's life. the storyline is not as entertaining as the other two books i mentioned but it grows on you. if you are a die-hard fan of john irving, then you will want to read this book. if you want to experience the best of irving, buy the other two books that i mentioned.

I read several other Irving Books before I read this, all of which i loved, and while the water-method man did not capture my attention at the beginning as much as garp or owen meany or cider-house rules did, once i had gotten through the first few chapters i was completely enraptured. it is very different than some of the others, but still wonderfully written. the water-method man manages to be both one of the funniest things that i have ever read and one of the most depressing. it is very honest writing. I am only fifteen so everything is probably distorted but i think that it is very true to life. or at least one kind of life. and merrill overturf is truly an inspiration. his death was an appropriate tragedy. what i mean is, the reader was sad when it happened but nothing else quite seems fitting for merrill. even if you hate the book or john irving you must finish it just for merrill. also the scene with the 'verbose eel.' it's difficult to say which irving book is my favorite because i liked all of them except the hotel new hampshire, but the water method man has the some of the most memorable scenes i've ever read.

John Irving's second novel has been lost in the wake of "The World According to Garp" and "A Prayer for Owen Meany," the successful Irving novels that it most resembles. A pity. For Bogus Trumper in "Water-Method Man" is a lost, beautiful soul -- desperately trying to find, or create, a self amid the challenges of early adulthood. Here we have some of the finest prose and most entertaining idiosyncrasies of any Irving book, and -- in Biggie and Tulpen -- two of his best female characters. Incredible real-world humor in the title character's letters to friends and bill collectors, as well as the film documentary of his life and its reviews -- and a Thanksgiving that features the most sweet-sad-honest portrait of rebirth in the author's collected works. "The Water-Method Man" is an underrated pleasure.

When I read "a son of the circus" the first time I HATED it vehemently! "Damn it, I want more Owen Meany!" I thought to myself. I was incredibly disappointed by this book.

Then, about a year later I was desperate for something to read so I picked it up and read it again and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!! This is now my favorite of John Irving's novels. And during the second (and third, etc.) rereadings, I found myself rolling with loud laughter and delighted by Irving's vivid, colorful descriptions of India and Indian life.

If you read this book expecting a continuation of Owen Meany, forget it. But if you want to read an excellent novel that is nothing like anything else Irving has written, pick this up with an open mind and prepare to be delighted!!!

Although some may not appreciate John Irving's leap across time zones and continents, I have to say that this was better than "Owen Meany," "The Hotel New Hampshire," and "Garp." It was more bizarre, filled with a more colorful cast of characters, written with amazing descriptive grace and style and evocative of a time and place which is just as foreign to you or I as it is to the main character, Dr. Daruwalla. Although Irving stipulates that he has never lived in India, his imagery makes readers feel as though they do. The themes are many, varied and complex, but perhaps the most important one is the lack of identity that Dr. Daruwalla feels. This is so prevalent in today's constantly shrinking world that Irving really hits home with those of us who feel like we don't really "belong" anywhere. In addition to all of these great literary achievements, "A Son of the Circus" is a rollicking good story, a page-turner and sure to bring you both laughter and tears. As crazy as Irving gets, however, he always maintains his brillant sense of humanity. This book has inspired me to study people, ethnicity, migration and statelessness. I'm not kidding

Bordering on sensory overload, John Irving enthralls readers with this excellent story of an orthopedic surgeon who is neither at home in his birthtown of Bombay, India nor his adopted residence of Toronto, Canada. Set amidst the backdrop of colorful India with its circuses, prostitutes, dwarfs, transvestites and cinema, the story is a hybrid of murder mystery, relational drama and satire.

Irving makes excellent use of flashbacks, weaving the plots and subplots with the mastery of an expert author. Despite the many characters with diverse backgrounds, one theme remains at the heart of the story: The ongoing search for identity and the importance of self-acceptance.

Fans of Irving may be tempted to compare this book to his previous works, but this book is truly in a class by itself. Readers looking for another "Garp" will be disappointed, but those simply looking for an excellent story will find "A Son of the Circus" a sheer delight.

David Irving self styled historian and author of numerous books on Nazi Germany is best known for HITLER'S WAR which at the time it came out in 1977, was hailed as a great scholarly work by historians such as Hugh Trevor Roper and John Keegan. This and two earlier books: THE DESTRUCTION OF DRESDEN and THE DESTRUCTION OF CONVOY PQ17, best summarize Irving's career. Rich with source documents his work is invariably called "detailed"; it is also always controversial. Indeed Irving was sued because of his assertion in CONVOY PQ17 that there was cowardice on the part of a British officer. It is therefore ironic that this book by D.D. Guttenplan - THE HOLOCAUST ON TRIAL should be about a suit brought by Mr Irving against Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin books for libelous remarks in Ms Lipstadt's book DENYING THE HOLOCAUST. As shown by Mr Guttenplan though, the greater irony is that as a result of the outcome of the trial - in favor of Lipstadt and Penguin - and with the Judges condemnatory words about Mr Irving, this book could justifiably have been titled 'The Destruction of David Irving'. For that is exactly, and deservedly, the impact the following words by Judge Charles Gray at last year April's ruling, will have on Mr Irving's career: "Irving has for his own ideological reasons persistently and deliberately misrepresented and manipulated historical evidence [he is] an active Holocaust denier [who] associates with right-wing extremists who promote neo-Nazism."

THE HOLOCAUST ON TRIAL is about more than Mr Irving; the principal characters involved in the suit are profiled, especially Anthony Julius, lawyer for the defense and Richard J Evans, a historian and expert witness. Mr Guttenplan goes into the background of the libel law in Britain, which is fundamentally different to ours. The onus is on the defense. A consequence of this, only tangentially touched on here, is that other books on the same subject have been affected. John Lukac's book THE HITLER OF HISTORY, friends in the UK tell me, is only recently out and they understand that it is not as complete as my US edition.

Mr Guttenplan also mentions some of the reactions to the courts decision. John Keegan it seems is still a defender; he writes that Irving has "many of the qualities of the most creative historians. He is certainly never dull." Ms Lipstadt on the other hand is "as dull as only the self-righteously politically correct can be." True, perhaps, but she is not "an active Holocaust denier" and she at least has a history career to continue with.

D.D. Guttenplan's "The Holocaust On Trial" is an insightful and well-written account of the David Irving--Deborah Lipstadt libel case. The story of the trial would be reason enough to buy the book--this is one of the best descriptions of a real-life legal proceeding that I have ever read. Guttenplan has a good reporter's ability to bring the setting and personalities to life so that the inherent drama of the trial holds the reader's interest throughout.

But of course, this was no ordinary trial. Irving is the author of several books about World War II that some reputable historians have praised. He has long argued that while some "atrocities" were inflicted on Europe's Jews (as they were also visited upon Germans), Hitler did not order any genocide of Jews and Jews were not systematically gassed at Auschwitz. When American scholar Deboral Lipstadt called Irving "one of the most dangerous spokespersons for Holocaust denial," Irving sued Lipstadt for libel in England, where libel plaintiffs enjoy many advantages. Lipstadt and her publisher were forced to spend millions of dollars in a high-risk effort to prove that Irving was a liar and not just a historian with controversial views.

It is here that "The Holocaust On Trial" becomes much more than another good book about an interesting lawsuit with intriguing characters. As Guttenplan explains so well, the trial raised profound questions about the meaning of history and the ways in which the Holocaust has been remembered and understood as well as the ways in which it has been misrepresented and exploited.

It is a remarkable accomplishment that Guttenplan has compelling and thoughtful insights into the Holocaust-- a subject that on the one the one hand is so enormous and profound as to defy representation, and on the other hand has been so written about, depicted and analyzed that one picks up another book wondering if anything new can be said.

"The Holocaust On Trial" meets that exacting test on many levels--as a chronicle of a compelling courtroom drama, but more importantly as a meditation on the enduring impact the Holocaust has had on our culture. I was particularly impressed by Guttenplan's sense of the humanity of the Jewish victims of the genocide and his ability to make the reader appreciate them as human beings rather than abstractions.

We honor the victims of the Holocaust above all by remembering what happened with unsparing honesty. "The Holocaust On Trial" eloquently demonstrates that this difficult goal is a moral imperative. It is a valuable contribution to the literature of the Holocaust and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in historical truth and the sacrifices that are sometimes required in the service of that truth.

'Lying About Hitler', by Professor Richard J. Evans was the first book I read regarding the trial of David Irving. Professor Evans was part of the defense team, and he prepared a sweeping indictment of David Irving and his writings that were an integral part of Irving losing the suit he had brought. Mr. D.D. Guttenplan author of, 'The Holocaust On Trial', describes himself as a reporter. This man was not only present at the trial, but on several occasions spoke with David Irving, and was allowed access to his files. The idea that a trial was needed to prove that the Holocaust did take place despite the writings of the rabid anti-Semite David Irving is almost beyond belief. I highly recommend both of these books, for while they cover the same event, the first is from a participant, while the second is from an observer.

Mr. Guttenplan does much more than report on this trial. He takes the reader through the difficulties of why proving history is so difficult. The idea of proving historical events, especially one as prominent as the Nazi Programs of WWII seems absurd. Absurdity is quickly dismissed when a judge is brought into a courtroom along with history, and the record of past events must meet legal thresholds. Again this would seem to be an astonishingly easy case to make; however the opposite is true.

Eyewitness survivors were never put on the stand, for a legitimate lapse in memory of whether a set of doors open inward or outward can mean the difference between documenting an accepted fact, and stating an error that is meaningless in the eyes of anyone except those that exploit these issues to place widely held, accurate beliefs into question. These are the deniers of history, the intentional revisionists like David Irving who either takes pieces of information and presents them in a distorted manner, or when there is nothing to distort, he and his like will fabricate whatever lies are necessary to falsify history in the hopes of sensationalizing their works of fiction and the sales thereof. The trial exposed David Irving for what he is, a self-promoting anti-Semite, who while having excellent secretarial skills and a man who has amassed prodigious records, is still, in the end nor more than a anti-Semite and a historical hack.

Mr. Guttenplan also raises and discusses other issues that are sure to be controversial with some people. He raises some consequences that occur when a group becomes defined by a single event, and when the same group selectively includes their group as victims while not mentioning the others that shared the same fate. History needs above all to be accurate, and the fact that the number of non-Jews killed in camps is measured in 7 figures is no less important a matter than the number of Jews who perished. That the intent to destroy the Jews as a people is historically accepted, was unique, and especially depraved. Some estimates state 20 million civilians died during the war, all must be remembered, and to do so in no way diminishes what was distinctly horrific about the specific plans for the Jewish People.

There is a quote that many will be familiar with that is from the German Pastor Martin Niemoller. His words were meant to document how The Third Reich of Hitler methodically came and took away groups as others did not help, as they were not a part of the group. The familiar lines end, 'Then when they came for me, there was no one left who could stand up for me'. The pastor refers to 5 groups in a very specific order, why would anyone try to change the man's words? He spoke of horror without hierarchy, why would it be changed, and why would anyone believe a change would be beneficial? The list of publications that have routinely misquoted the Pastor's words will surprise any reader. The fact that the quote was manipulated and then enshrined in The United States Holocaust Museum, is not only troubling, it plays into the hands of those who seek any point to minimize history, to discredit those who manipulate it.

The order that the Pastor listed was as follows, 'first they came for the Communists', then the, 'Social Democrats', 'then came the trade unionists', 'and then the Jews', 'and then they came for me'. So why would a people who have suffered as the Jews had, hand to their opponents material to harm them with? Why were the first people mentioned, the Communists, eliminated from the version at The Holocaust Museum'? Why are the Jews routinely moved to the first that, 'they came for'? What difference does it make? It certainly does not change what happened, the violence, the crimes. Mr. Guttenplan offers the following explanation that is troubling, ' 'because arguments about the Holocaust have always been about politics as well as history'.

The truth honors all of those that were killed. I have yet to read any truth that would damage the memory of the victims.

Feel free to classify me as a big John Irving fan. In my opinion, A Prayer of Owen Meany is one of the best books I've ever read. Other great books by Irving include the Cider House Rules and The World According to Garp.

Unfortunately, this book isn't in the same class as the above-metnioned Irving classics. First off, it's hard to warm to a book that involves writers as its main characters. There's something self-centered when a writer spends hundreds of pages writing about other writers and it shows in this book. Part of the problem is that most of the characters aren't very likeable. The main protagonist is Ruth Cole who is saddled with a mother who abandons her (who eventually becomes a crime fiction writer), a philandering father (who is a children's author), a teen age boy (who grows up to be a novelist) that has an affair with her mother, a sexually free best friend (a journalist), and two husbands (one of whom is a literary agent). Ruth evenutally grows up and becomes a novelist of some renown.

This book is broken into three parts with the first depicting Ruth's very young childhood. The following two books deals with Ruth as an adult. While all three of the books are tenuously linked, there are some disjointed components of the story that don't always match. The books go through Ruth's marriages, career and even a bizarre murder in Amsterdam's Red Light district that changes Ruth's life forever. Regarding the three books, the first one lures you in with attractive sexuality, the second keeps the reader with its plot twists, and the third is an overly long conclusion and denouement that tried to tie up a number of loose ends.

The good thing is that Irving does his usual great job in describing events and drawing the reader into the story. Unfortunately, as you are drawn into the story, you find that you don't have a great deal of respect for most of the characters in the book. In fact, the most attractive and likeable character is the only one who isn't a writer or involved in the literary field and that's a beat cop in Amsterdam. Perhaps Irving is longing for a simpler life that is unavailable to writers who are forced to create?

Finally, in addition to disliking the characters I came away disappointed because Irving's motive and message in writing this book seem so unclear. While it's an engaging story, I'm not sure there was much of a point. In the end, I was happy to have something that kept me interested on the train to work for a few days but disturbed that such a great writer failed to make clear why he even bothered.

I've read many John Irving novels, and I did look forward to this one. He's a great storyteller, and though many of the tales are implausible, hey, that's fiction. The first part, about teenager Eddie and grownup Marion, went on too long, and was tedious. Still, I thought the book was going to be about Eddie, and expect to see more of Eddie as a grownup. The rest of the book takes place 30 years later, and is centered around Ruth, Marion's daughter, and we really don't learn much about Eddie as an adult. I had a hard time switching to Ruth as the central character, and found the book lacks a unifying force. How I read the book says a lot about how I felt about it. I read 100 or 150 pages in a few days, put the book aside, thinking I would not go back to it. Then I'd read more, get into it, and then stop again. Usually, when you're really taken by a novel, you steal every minute you can to read it. I don't regret having read it, but I told my wife, also a John Irving fan, that she wouldn't miss anything if she didn't.

How important is sex? Apparently very, according to John Irving in A Widow for One Year. But it's not everything. In this novel, the characters that are led astray by bad sexual choices are never truly happy- for example: Ted, Hannah, and Ruth (with her bad boyfriends). The characters are only truly happy when they are in love, and as a prerequisite for love, the sex must be good! After all, why wasn't Ruth in love with Allan? Inadequate physical attraction, lackluster sex. But with Dutch "what was that sound" Harry, the chemistry was there. In A Widow for One Year, the characters are only truly happy and fulfilled when they are in a loving relationship. The widow who persecuted Ruth: unhappy. The divorced woman who came to buy Ruth's house: unhappy. Hannah: unhappy. Ted: unhappy. Marion + Eddie: happy. Ruth + Harry: happy. So, don't marry your best friend. And don't look for personal fulfillment in a career or even parenthood. If you're like the characters in this book, marry for love and you'll be happy for life (but first find out if the sex is any good).