A Widow for One Year
3 journalers for this copy...
I already have a copy of this book on my TBR pile so it will be traveling soon.
Description:
Ruth Cole is a complex, often self-contradictory character--a "difficult" woman. By no means is she conventionally "nice," but she will never be forgotten.
Ruth's story is told in three parts, each focusing on a crucial time in her life. When we first meet her--on Long Island, in the summer of 1958--Ruth is only four.
The second window into Ruth's life opens in the fall of 1990, when Ruth is an unmarried woman whose personal life is not nearly as successful as her literary career. She distrusts her judgment in men, for good reason.
A Widow for One Year closes in the autumn of 1995, when Ruth Cole is a forty-one-year-old widow and mother. She's about to fall in love for the first time.
Richly comic, as well as deeply disturbing A Widow for One Year is a multilayered love story of astonishing emotional force. Both ribald and erotic, it is also a brilliant novel about the passage of time and the relentlessness of grief.
Description:
Ruth Cole is a complex, often self-contradictory character--a "difficult" woman. By no means is she conventionally "nice," but she will never be forgotten.
Ruth's story is told in three parts, each focusing on a crucial time in her life. When we first meet her--on Long Island, in the summer of 1958--Ruth is only four.
The second window into Ruth's life opens in the fall of 1990, when Ruth is an unmarried woman whose personal life is not nearly as successful as her literary career. She distrusts her judgment in men, for good reason.
A Widow for One Year closes in the autumn of 1995, when Ruth Cole is a forty-one-year-old widow and mother. She's about to fall in love for the first time.
Richly comic, as well as deeply disturbing A Widow for One Year is a multilayered love story of astonishing emotional force. Both ribald and erotic, it is also a brilliant novel about the passage of time and the relentlessness of grief.
I mailed this book to flakes today as a surprise RABCK after seeing it on her wishlist. Enjoy!
Wow! What a wonderful way to start the weekend! Thanks so much for the surprise, chambejd. I will read it soon, and pass it on to someone else. :)
I really enjoyed reading this book, even though it was a bit confusing at times. The beginning of the story really draws you in, but as Irving began to focus more on the life of Ruth Cole he almost lost me. There seemed to be so many odd little turns! By the end it was worth muddling through! Thanks so much for sharing.
I'm sending this off to molekilby because it was on his wish list...enjoy!:)
I'm sending this off to molekilby because it was on his wish list...enjoy!:)
Received today. Thanks flakes for the RABCK. I will read in the next two months and pass along.
Hands up, it took me more than two months to get to this book! Life has meant a lessening in my reading habits.
However, what can I say about it. I love reading John Irving. It was so good to get back to reading some solid writing and a good storyline. Irving puts in so much detail around the main thread, whether it's anecdotal back story, how an event affects a character in the future or just comparison to a parallel being. I was drawn along in the reading by how Ruth Cole manipulated and how she herself was moulded by those around her. It wasn't quite the ending I was expecting.
I also picked up on interaction from other Irving novels, well two at least, "The Cider House Rules", and "Until I Find You". I know wonder if this is deliberate and he always makes it happen or if this is a one off situation. Were there other references that I didn't pick up on.
All in all highly recommended and will move on at some point. Thanks for sharing.
However, what can I say about it. I love reading John Irving. It was so good to get back to reading some solid writing and a good storyline. Irving puts in so much detail around the main thread, whether it's anecdotal back story, how an event affects a character in the future or just comparison to a parallel being. I was drawn along in the reading by how Ruth Cole manipulated and how she herself was moulded by those around her. It wasn't quite the ending I was expecting.
I also picked up on interaction from other Irving novels, well two at least, "The Cider House Rules", and "Until I Find You". I know wonder if this is deliberate and he always makes it happen or if this is a one off situation. Were there other references that I didn't pick up on.
All in all highly recommended and will move on at some point. Thanks for sharing.
