"AN OLD-FASHIONED, BIG-HEARTED NOVEL . . . with its epic yearning caught in the 19th century, somewhere between Trollope and Twain . . . The rich detail makes for vintage Irving."
--The Boston Sunday Globe

"The Cider House Rules is filled with people to love and to feel for. . . . The characters in John Irving's novel break all the rules, and yet they remain noble and free-spirited. Victims of tragedy, violence, and injustice, their lives seem more interesting and full of thought-provoking dilemmas than the lives of many real people."
--The Houston Post

"John Irving's sixth and best novel . . . He is among the very best storytellers at work today. At the base of Irving's own moral concerns is a rare and lasting regard for human kindness."
--The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Entertaining and affecting . . . John Irving is the most relentlessly inventive writer around. He proliferates colorful incidents and crotchets of character. . . . A truly astounding amount of artistry and ingenuity."
--The San Diego Union

One of my favorite things about John Irving is his character development. His accomplishments in delving deep into the souls of his creations and slowly letting them emerge onto the pages keeps the reader captivated through the novel. The plots are bizarre, yet real, and the characters become fixtures in the reader's mind long after the book is finished. Superb work!

I must admit that the book just was not good enough to hold my interest. I am an avid reader who is interesed in many sorts of books, and while the book deals with issues that may be hard for some readers (abortion and adoption), the amount of charecters and Irving's constant backflashes and side stories really did me in. I wished it could have been better, but for people who really like a challenge, you should definately dive right in.

Maybe it's the fact that it was my first book by John Irving, but I truly loved The World According to Garp, and I have not been able to find that feeling in any of the books that followed in my list. I liked A Widow for One Year (guess what, my second...), I didn't care much for The Fourth Hand, which I found lame. I liked this one, which I have not really read, but listened to in the truly splendid reading by G Gardner. But I never cared too much for Homer Wells, another main character of Irving's to whom things just seem to happen. I don't know how else to put it, but I could not help imagining Homer in this book as a never-smiling character that lets his life decide for him. Indeed, I am not sure I recall instances where Homes laughs or even just smiles.

The book is, also, endless. I liked the first part better, but the second part, which tells the story of Homer as an adult, felt overlong. Irving writes really really well, but there are too many well written but uneventful pages here.

I found the "message" of the book about abortion well delivered, but I doubt it will change anybody's mind on the matter. It will most likely shock some and sound perfectly reasonable to others.

Overall, I am happy I purchased this audio book (again a VERY good reading), but (unlike for Garp) it's unlikely that I will reach for it again. I was sort of happy when I got to the end and could move to another listening.

This book is a wonderful read; engaging and well written. What is remarkable about it is that the writer is able to depict men so well; how they think, how they behave. All the motivations and emotions are covered with each male character which was especially appealing to me because I actually believe that after reading this book not only had I felt a sense of accomplishment in reading such a wonderful story, but I had a sense that I understood men better, too. Highly recommended.

I generally read the book after I have seen the film. I do this so I am not disappointed in the film/screenplay. Generally the book proves to be much more entertaining than the movie. The movie was fantastic, the book a delight to read.