Kangaroo Talk

[Vika]

"The Cider House Rules" by John Irving

I have just finished reading this amazing book. It's GREAT. I enjoyed it from the very beginning and till the end. It's simply written yet very entertaining and calming at the same time. All the main characters are very well described. There were several unexpected (for me) turns of events. And I couldn't guess what the ending would be till the very end.

Here are some quotes for you...

"...trouble can come to nice places, too; trouble travels, trouble visits."

"Why would you want to be anywhere where all you get is a chance?"

"People with families are the people who worry about wars."

And, finally kinda the most important one...

"If you expect people to be responsible for their children, you have to give them the right to choose whether or not to have children."

John Irving "The Cider House Rules"

[Gena]

Yeah... great stuff. I gotta warn you though, especially you, guys. If you ever plan to have sex again, or eat for that matter, use caution when reading. Nothing gets you going like mental images of inflamed punctured uterus...

[Natasha S.]

I like Irving's books too, but he seems to get grosser and grosser with each subsequent book.

I really liked "Life according to Garp". It's very funny in an absurd sort of way. There's a movie too.

Widow for a year was also fun to read, but I can't remember anything now except for the part about prostitute unions in Amsterdam.

[Gena]

I read only the Cider House myself but I've read a review about the Garp one, and was intrigued. Apparently, it is one of the last religious novels (or something, that's a subgenre, as I understand), and that is supposed to be interesting...

[Natasha S.]

hmm. I've read the whole thing and never realized it was a religious novel. I guess that's why we need critics

[Gena]

Nah, my bad. The religious one is A Prayer for Owen Meany.