Wednesday, January 28, 2015

A Widow for One Year - John Irving


I picked up a couple of authors whose names I recognized this month.  John Irving has been off my list since his A Prayer for Owen Meaney.  I didn't like it and haven't read anything of his since.

This was an early novel of his that tells the story of Ruth in three parts; the first when she is a four year old child in the middle of her parents messy life and divorce; the second when she is a renowned author researching the work of prostitutes in Amsterdam and finally as a widow with a small child.

Almost all the characters in the book are writers or work with writers.  Ruth's father is a children's author without the need to work because of the success of his books.  Her "nanny" Eddie who has an affair with her mother writes the rest of his life about the relationship.  Her husband is her publisher.

It was a compelling read in that I wanted to see what happened but in the end just another weird story without a meaningful message for me.

Published: 2003 (originally 1998)  Read: January 2015  Genre: Fiction


ISBN: 0-8129-6857-3

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