author results for Irving, John

Queen Esther

Irving, John — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

"Esther Nacht is born in Vienna in 1905. Her father dies on board the ship to Portland, Maine; her mother is murdered by anti-Semites in Portland. Dr. Larch knows it won't be easy to find a Jewish family to adopt Esther; in fact, he won't find any family who'll adopt her. When Esther is fourteen, soon to be a ward of the state, Dr. Larch meets the Winslows, a philanthropic New England family with a history of providing foster care for unadopted orphans. The Winslows aren't Jewish, but they despise anti-Semitism. Esther's gratitude for the Winslows is unending; even as she retraces her roots back to Vienna, she never stops loving and protecting the Winslows. In the final chapter, set in Jerusalem in 1981, Esther Nacht is seventy-six"-- Provided by publisher.

Queen Esther

Irving, John — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Queen Esther

Irving, John — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

After forty years, John Irving returns to the world of his bestselling classic novel and Academy Award–winning film, The Cider House Rules, revisiting the orphanage in St. Cloud's, Maine, where Dr. Wilbur Larch takes in Esther—a Viennese-born Jew whose life is shaped by anti-Semitism.
Esther Nacht is born in Vienna in 1905. Her father dies on board the ship to Portland, Maine; her mother is murdered by anti-Semites in Portland. Dr. Larch knows it won't be easy to find a Jewish family to adopt Esther; in fact, he won't find any family who'll adopt her.

When Esther is fourteen, soon to be a ward of the state, Dr. Larch meets the Winslows, a philanthropic New England family with a history of providing foster care for unadopted orphans. The Winslows aren't Jewish, but they despise anti-Semitism. Esther's gratitude for the Winslows is unending; even as she retraces her roots back to Vienna, she never stops loving and protecting the Winslows. In the final chapter, set in Jerusalem in 1981, Esther Nacht is seventy-six.

John Irving's sixteenth novel is a testament to his enduring ability to weave complex characters and intricate narratives that challenge and captivate. Queen Esther is not just a story of survival but a profound exploration of identity, belonging, and the enduring impact of history on our personal lives showcasing why Irving remains one of the world's most beloved, provocative, and entertaining authors—a storyteller of our time and for all time.

A Prayer for Owen Meany

Irving, John — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In the summer of 1953, two 11-year-old boys--best friends--are playing in a Little League baseball game in New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills his best friend's mother. Owen Meany believes he didn't hit the ball by accident. He believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after 1953 is extraordinary and terrifying.

A Prayer for Owen Meany

Irving, John — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

"A remarkable novel. . . . A Prayer for Owen Meany is a rare creation. ... An amazingly brave piece of work ... so extraordinary, so original, and so enriching. . . . Readers will come to the end feeling sorry to leave [this] richly textured and carefully wrought world." —STEPHEN KING, Washington Post

I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.

In the summer of 1953, two eleven-year-old boys—best friends—are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany, one of literary fiction's most unforgettable characters, believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary.

A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick

The Last Chairlift

Irving, John — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT

"In Aspen, Colorado, in 1941, Rachel Brewster is a slalom skier at the National Downhill and Slalom Championships. Little Ray, as she is called, finishes nowhere near the podium, but she manages to get pregnant. Back home, in New England, Little Ray becomes a ski instructor. Her son, Adam, grows up in a family that defies conventions and evades questions concerning the eventful past. Years later, looking for answers, Adam will go to Aspen. In the Hotel Jerome, where he was conceived, Adam will meet some ghosts; in The Last Chairlift, they aren't the only ghosts he sees"--From the publisher's web site.

The Last Chairlift

Irving, John — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Growing up in a family that defies conventions and evades questions concerning the eventful past, Adam goes to Aspen, where he was conceived, to learn the truth about his mother, a former slalom skier and ski instructor, and meets some ghosts, which are not the first or the last ones he sees.

The Last Chairlift

Irving, John — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT

John Irving's fifteenth novel is "powerfully cinematic" (The Washington Post) and "eminently readable" (The Boston Globe). The Last Chairlift is part ghost story, part love story, spanning eight decades of sexual politics.
In Aspen, Colorado, in 1941, Rachel Brewster is a slalom skier at the National Downhill and Slalom Championships. Little Ray, as she is called, finishes nowhere near the podium, but she manages to get pregnant. Back home, in New England, Little Ray becomes a ski instructor.

Her son, Adam, grows up in a family that defies conventions and evades questions concerning the eventful past. Years later, looking for answers, he will go to Aspen. In the Hotel Jerome, where he was conceived, Adam will meet some ghosts; in The Last Chairlift, they aren't the first or last ghosts he sees.

John Irving has written some of the most acclaimed books of our time—among them, The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules. A visionary voice on the subject of sexual tolerance, Irving is a bard of alternative families. In the "generously intertextual" (The New York Times) The Last Chairlift, readers will once more be in his thrall.

Queen Esther

Irving, John — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Esther Nacht is born in Vienna in 1905. Her father dies on board the ship to Portland, Maine; her mother is murdered by anti-Semites in Portland. Dr. Larch knows it won't be easy to find a Jewish family to adopt Esther; in fact, he won't find any family who'll adopt her. When Esther is fourteen, soon to be a ward of the state, Dr. Larch meets the Winslows, a philanthropic New England family with a history of providing foster care for unadopted orphans. The Winslows aren't Jewish, but they despise anti-Semitism. Esther's gratitude for the Winslows is unending; even as she retraces her roots back to Vienna, she never stops loving and protecting the Winslows.

The World According to Garp

Irving, John — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The bestselling coming-of-age classic novel by John Irving-now in a limited 40th anniversary edition with a new introduction by the author. The opening sentence of John Irving's breakout novel, The World According to Garp, signals the start of sexual violence, which becomes increasingly political. "Garp's mother, Jenny Fields, was arrested in Boston in 1942 for wounding a man in a movie theater." Jenny is an unmarried nurse; she becomes a single mom and a feminist leader, beloved but polarizing. Her son, Garp, is less beloved, but no less polarizing. From the tragicomic tone of its first sentence to its mordantly funny last line-"we are all terminal cases"-The World According to Garp maintains a breakneck pace. The subject of sexual hatred-of intolerance of sexual minorities and differences-runs the gamut of "lunacy and sorrow." Winner of the National Book Award, Garp is a comedy with forebodings of doom. In more than thirty languages, in more than forty countries-with more than ten million copies in print-Garp is the precursor of John Irving's later protest novels.

Avenue of Mysteries

Irving, John — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT

"Juan Diego--a fourteen-year-old boy, who was born and grew up in Mexico--has a thirteen-year-old sister. Her name is Lupe, and she thinks she sees her own future and her brother's. Lupe is a mind reader. Regarding what has happened, as opposed to what will, Lupe is usually right; without your telling her, she knows all the worst things that have happened to you. Lupe doesn't know the future as accurately. But consider what a terrible burden it is, if you believe you know the future--especially your own future, or, even worse, the future of someone you love. What might a thirteen-year-old girl be driven to do, if she thought she could change the future?"--Back cover.

The Cider House Rules

Irving, John — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

An American classic first published in 1985 by William Morrow and adapted into an Academy Award-winning film, The Cider House Rules is among John Irving's most beloved novels. Set in rural Maine in the first half of the twentieth century, it tells the story of Dr. Wilbur Larch-saint and obstetrician, founder and director of the orphanage in the town of St. Cloud's, ether addict and abortionist. It is also the story of Dr. Larch's favorite orphan, Homer Wells, who is never adopted. "A novel as good as one could hope to find from any author, anywhere, anytime. Engrossing, moving, thoroughly satisfying." -Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22

In One Person

Irving, John — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This novel is an intimate and unforgettable portrait of the solitariness of a bisexual man who is dedicated to making himself "worthwhile."

Last Night in Twisted River

Irving, John — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In 1954, in the cookhouse of a logging and sawmill settlement in northern New Hampshire, an anxious twelve-year-old boy mistakes the local constable's girlfriend for a bear. Both the twelve-year-old and his father become fugitives, forced to run from Coos County to Boston, to southern Vermont, to Toronto, pursued by the implacable constable. Their lone protector is a fiercely libertarian logger, once a river driver, who befriends them.

Last Night in Twisted River

Irving, John — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Cider House Rules

Irving, John — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

First published in 1985, The Cider House Rules is John Irving's sixth novel. Set in rural Maine in the first half of this century, it tells the story of Dr. Wilbur Larch--saint and obstetrician, founder and director of the orphanage in the town of St. Cloud's, ether addict and abortionist. It is also the story of Dr. Larch's favorite orphan, Homer Wells, who is never adopted.

Avenue of Mysteries

Irving, John — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT

In One Person

Irving, John — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A tale inspired by the U.S. AIDS epidemic in the 1980s follows the experiences of individuals--including the bisexual narrator--who are torn by devastating losses and whose perspectives on tolerance and love are shaped by awareness of what might have been.

The World According to Garp

Irving, John — Fri, 31 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The World According to Garp

Irving, John — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Now available as an ebook for the first time ever in America, the bestselling coming-of-age classic novel by John Irving—the 40th anniversary edition with a new introduction by the author.
“He is more than popular. He is a Populist, determined to keep alive the Dickensian tradition that revels in colorful set pieces...and teaches moral lessons.”—The New York Times
The opening sentence of John Irving’s breakout novel The World According to Garp signals the start of sexual violence, which becomes increasingly political. “Garp’s mother, Jenny Fields, was arrested in Boston in 1942 for wounding a man in a movie theater.” Jenny is an unmarried nurse; she becomes a single mom and a feminist leader, beloved but polarizing. Her son, Garp, is less beloved, but no less polarizing.
From the tragicomic tone of its first sentence to its mordantly funny last line—“we are all terminal cases”—The World According to Garp maintains a breakneck pace. The subject of sexual hatred—of intolerance of sexual minorities and differences—runs the gamut of “lunacy and sorrow.” Winner of the National Book Award, Garp is a comedy with forebodings of doom. In more than thirty languages, in more than forty countries—with more than ten million copies in print—Garp is the precursor of John Irving’s later protest novels.

Avenue of Mysteries

Irving, John — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT

"Thoroughly modern, accessibly brainy, hilariously eccentric, and beautifully human." —The New York Times Book Review

John Irving returns to the themes that established him as one of our most admired and beloved authors in this absorbing novel of fate and memory.
In Avenue of Mysteries, Juan Diego—a fourteen-year-old boy, who was born and grew up in Mexico—has a thirteen-year-old sister. Her name is Lupe, and she thinks she sees what's coming—specifically, her own future and her brother's. Lupe is a mind reader; she doesn't know what everyone is thinking, but she knows what most people are thinking. Regarding what has happened, as opposed to what will, Lupe is usually right about the past; without your telling her, she knows all the worst things that have happened to you.

Lupe doesn't know the future as accurately. But consider what a terrible burden it is, if you believe you know the future—especially your own future, or, even worse, the future of someone you love. What might a thirteen-year-old girl be driven to do, if she thought she could change the future?

As an older man, Juan Diego will take a trip to the Philippines, but what travels with him are his dreams and memories; he is most alive in his childhood and early adolescence in Mexico. As we grow older—most of all, in what we remember and what we dream—we live in the past. Sometimes, we live more vividly in the past than in the present.

Avenue of Mysteries is the story of what happens to Juan Diego in the Philippines, where what happened to him in the past—in Mexico—collides with his future.

The Cider House Rules

Irving, John — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Adapted into an Academy Award-winning film and one of John Irving's most beloved novels, The Cider House Rules is the story of a kind but complex doctor and the conflicted young orphan he takes under his wing.

"A novel as good as one could hope to find from any author, anywhere, anytime. Engrossing, moving, thoroughly satisfying." —Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22

In the quiet, rural landscape of Maine, the St. Cloud's orphanage stands as a refuge for the unwanted. It is run by the eccentric and compassionate Dr. Wilbur Larch, a man who is both a saint and a sinner in the eyes of the world. He serves as an obstetrician, delivering babies for women in need, while also providing illegal abortions, a service he believes is his moral duty.

Among the orphans is Homer Wells, Dr. Larch's devoted protégé. Trained in medicine by Larch, Homer is destined to take over the orphanage. However, Homer is fundamentally opposed to performing abortions, creating a deep conflict between his beliefs and his loyalty to his mentor.

Seeking to forge his own path, Homer leaves St. Cloud's to work an apple orchard for the wealthy Worthington family. There, he builds a new life and falls in love, but he cannot escape the pull of his past or the complex questions of right and wrong that Dr. Larch instilled in him. This epic tale explores the intricate nature of found family, the unpredictability of love, and the profound choices that define who we are meant to be.

Last Night in Twisted River

Irving, John — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In 1954, in the cookhouse of a logging and sawmill settlement in northern New Hampshire, an anxious twelve-year-old boy mistakes the local constable’s girlfriend for a bear. Both the twelve-year-old and his father become fugitives, forced to run from Coos County—to Boston, to southern Vermont, to Toronto—pursued by the implacable constable. Their lone protector is a fiercely libertarian logger, once a river driver, who befriends them. In a story spanning five decades, Last Night in Twisted River depicts the recent half-century in the United States as “a living replica of Coos County, where lethal hatreds were generally permitted to run their course.” What further distinguishes Last Night in Twisted River is the author’s unmistakable voice—the inimitable voice of an accomplished storyteller.

Czwarta Ręka

Irving, John — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Takiej prośby o rękę nie sposób odrzucić! Gdyby reporter telewizyjny Patrick Walley wiedział, za sprawą jakich wydarzeń stanie się popularny, pewnie wybrałby dozgonną anonimowość. Dziennikarz relacjonuje wypadek w Indiach, kiedy jego rękę pożera lew. W oczekiwaniu na pionierski przeszczep dostaje nietypową propozycję od świeżo upieczonej wdowy. Doris Clausen jest skłonna oddać mu rękę nieżyjącego męża, stawia jednak dość krępujące warunki. Pomiędzy Doris a Patrickiem rodzi się intensywne i niepokojące uczucie. Jak rozwinie się ich relacja? Czy będzie miała wpływ na decyzję Patricka o przeszczepie? Groteskowy styl autora i celna krytyka amerykańskiego społeczeństwa przypadną do gustu miłośnikom stylu Kurta Vonneguta.

Czwarta Ręka

Irving, John — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT