The World According to Garp - by John Irving (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"John Irving, it is abundantly clear, is a true artist." --Los Angeles Times

"A brilliant panoply of current attitudes toward sex, marriage and parenthood, the feminist movement and--above all--the concept of delineated sexual roles . . . Irving's characters will stay alive for years to come." --Chicago Tribune

"A social tragi-comedy of such velocity that it reads rather like a domestic sequel to Catch-22." --The Observer (London)

"A large talent announces itself on practically every page." --The Book of the Month Club News

About the Author