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.

Fast & Furious Book Promotion

For me, the power of John Irvine's "The Cider House Rules" is how the story has stayed with me. Irvine's characters are people I connected with and the story kept me entertained. But why the story stays with me is the theme Irvine decided to write about, mainly the abortion issue. I was brought up in a firm republican, pro-life household but as an adult I often realize how an ideal can sometimes create unsavory results. Because John Irvine took on this subject, I was able to form my own opinion about abortion, which is basically that it should be legal (pro-choice) and then we should do all in our power as a society to help men and women not to choose abortion.

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.