Now available as an ebook for the first time ever in America, the bestselling coming-of-age classic novel by John Irving—the 40th anniversary edition with a new introduction by the author. “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 … 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.
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I read this wonderful book years ago, and I have to say that it is an experience to cherish, and it will stay with for a long time. It has everything a wonderful story should have.
An American classic. Not to be missed.
Loved it
Read this in the day when it was 0 years old. Actually read it again when it was 20 years old. Both time it was both entertaining and brought some aspects of life in our time into focus. Thinking of giving it a third go now that this questionaire about books I’ve purchased over many years has popped up on my email…..
I’m a big fan of John Irving and this book made me laugh out loud, not something I can say of many books.
Classic John Irving. Quirky to the T. Unique, unforgettable characters. You won’t be sorry you read it.
This book has so many ups and downs, you need a score card. It is a fun ride.
This is the story of T.S. Garp (the T.S. don’t stand for anything) who is a child born out of wedlock to a feminist named Jenny Fields. This is the story of Jenny before Garp came along, all the way through to Garp’s death. Jenny was as asexual as Garp was sexual. Jenny was a nurse who became a famous writer, and Garp was a write that became almost famous. This book tells the story of these characters – and the characters they most interact with – whole lives.
I liked this book as much as I thought it was strange. It started out strong and I was really enjoying getting to know Jenny and her story and her little boy, Garp. Then around page 200 (in this 433 page book) it got a little strange, and stayed pretty strange for the next 100 pages. Garp has a lot of sexual encounters with many (many) women over his young years, and even after he gets married – he has several affairs. His wife is aware of them all, and they have a mutual affair at the same time, which just made me shake my head. I mean, why? He and his wife do stay together, have three children (one who dies at a very young age), and the affairs disappear from the story. For the last 100 pages of the book, the story picks up again, and renews my interest, and ends strong.
There is a lot of death in this book. There is a lot of sexual encounters. There is a transgender person – which I found very interesting because of the time period this book took place. Almost all of the characters in this book meet tragic ends to their lives. It kind of reminded me of the Kennedys.
I would suggest this book with the warning of the above paragraph. It will turn several people off. And truly – about 100 pages of this book are really strange. I don’t get the point of the affairs except to maybe prove how sexual Garp is compared to his mother. Otherwise – it was pointless.
John Irving’s considerable talents are wasted on this book.
I haven’t read this book in a long time, but I do remember it as being quite wonderful. Have to put it on my re-read list!
One of the best books of the 20th Century! Still holds up today after 40 years. Beautiful and heartbreaking.
This is on of my all-time favorite books. The way that John Irving makes the unreal seem perfectly normal is truly a gift. Irving has recently completed a script for a mini-series for (I believe) HBO so I’m really looking forward to seeing it. I honestly think that Garp is one of the best novels of the second half of the 20th Century!!! Highly recommended!
John Irving has as unique a style as any writer of the last 50 years. He view of the world and its events and his development of unusual characters is seemingly chaotic but ultimately satisfying. Garp ranks with Cider House Rules, A Widow for One Year, and a Prayer for Owen Meany as classic contemporary American literature. Enjoy the ride, bumps, unplanned detours and all.
One of the great statement books ever written. John Irving bet everything he had on this book, taking it to a new publisher after the push behind his first three books didn’t live up to his expectations. Every writer can only hope they will be as bold in both their self-promotion as well as their writing. I LOVE this book!
T.S. Garp is a somewhat known writer with a peculiar mother who is a more famous writer than he is. Jenny Fields, his mother, was a nurse who was strong-willed and she enjoyed caring for folks but didn’t have a desire to be in a relationship with anyone. She saw herself as asexual. When the desire to be a mother overcame her, rather than foster a relationship she didn’t want, she copulated with a mentally injured soldier who died soon after inseminating her. Jenny raises Garp on her own, in her own peculiar way, instilling an interest in wrestling and literature into her boy. The first quarter of the book about Jenny raising Garp and his awkward adolescence is the best part of the entire book; the quirky premise of an asexual, feminist nurse raising her son at an all-boys school was a promising start for this novel.
When Garp graduates, the book segues to Jenny and Garp traveling to Europe together where Garp befriends a hooker and Jenny doesn’t get out much to sight-see. Jenny declares a desire to write a book about herself even though she’s never written before and Garp is inspired to write because of his time walking the streets. One of the themes Jenny harps on in her book is lust and her lack of having it. She both emasculates and sympathizes with her son for lusting after women, foreshadowing later events with Jenny’s “fans” and their perception of Garp and his place in Jenny’s life.
Garp and his mother return to the U.S. having both completed a manuscript: Jenny’s autobiography A Sexual Suspect and Garp’s short story with the awkward title of The Pension Grillparzer. Jenny’s book gets published through the first publishing contact she makes (really?) and her book becomes a huge bestseller. She becomes nationally known as the asexual feminist who wears a nurse’s uniform wherever she goes. Garp’s short story is published with little fanfare. The bulk of the rest of The World According to Garp follows young Garp into adulthood as he marries his wrestling coach’s daughter, Helen, and the two have children. Garp stays at home with their kids and is a doting father who worries tremendously about his kids. Garp writes a couple of novels that are mediocre and not very successful; his readership is considered small yet astute. He and Helen have consensual affairs with another couple. And the novel goes on and on, not giving much insight into any of these plot points. Even though Garp is described as a doting father, he gives very little insight into being a parent. Although Garp is a writer, he gives very little insight about the process of writing or pursuing writing as a career (Irving as narrator does offer a zinger or two about the process of writing, though. I’ll get to that later). And the consensual affair seems to neither strengthen nor diminish their marriage; it ends simply because Helen tires of it and their marriage carries on.
Mostly, that’s the way the entire novel goes, by just carrying on. Irving introduces quirky characters and premises but does not really dive into the quirkiness of the characters and premises very deeply. It’s like he is creating a laundry list of interesting ideas then leaving us simply with the list. Asexual nurse and single mother who miraculously becomes a bestselling author? Check. A football player that becomes a transsexual and Garp’s best friend? Check. A college student, Michael Milton, who has an affair with Helen then whose penis is bitten off by Helen in a car accident? Check. It all sounds more interesting than it plays out with very little insight into these weird characters’ motivations or feelings or desires other than to say “Look at these loonies! Next.” For being such quirky characters, the interactions and conversations between them are a real drag. Their lasting love or friendship for each other through one bizarre event to another mundane event seems to be the only thread through the entire book; their lives are entwined simply because they held on together and that’s it. As Garp states, “Life … is sadly not structured like a good old-fashioned novel. Instead, an ending occurs when those who are meant to peter out petered out. All that’s left is memory. But even a nihilist has memory.”
Sadly, that’s what this novel does: peters out. All the characters summarily die off, their lives ending in mundane fashion, except for Garp and his mother, who are both murdered for being famous writers. The rest of them just live on, then die, as is life. The youngest of Garp’s children–Jenny– outlasts them all. She finds a career in medicine, just like her grandmother. The novel ends with young Jenny’s observation, “But in the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases.”
Duh.
Not very insightful, if you ask me. I can tell Irving has a knack for dropping an occasional zinger or two but I really wanted more of that from him. Lines like “A writer’s job is to imagine everything so personally that the fiction is as vivid as our personal memories” were so few and far between that I was left wanting. Irving’s novel was just teasing, just flirting, not really following through, then it petered out.
One of my top five favorites after 60+ years of steady reading.
One of my all time favorite books. John Irving’s “The World According to Garp” is an incredibly visionary book written such a very long time ago. How did he know??? Many of the “over-the-top” eccentric characters he introduced are with us today in the here and now. Mr. Irving captures you from the outset with Garp’s unique conception and immerses you into a world of profound joy and hope, sadness and grief. Garp’s battle with the dog, despite its tragic effect on the physiognomy of both, remains one of the most outrageously funny moments in literature. The book is truly a “must-read” for LGBT activists and opponents alike.