I have an absolute passion for John Irving's works, and "A Prayer for Owen Meany" holds a special place in my heart. So, when I decided to explore an Audible book other than the Harry Potter series, I naturally turned to Irving's "The Hotel New Hampshire." However, this choice might not have been the wisest one.

The book is extremely long, clocking in at almost 20 hours. As I listened to it while exercising, which I don't do daily, by the time the author was tying up the various themes, I had unfortunately forgotten some of the key scenes from earlier in the book.

Moreover, the story contains numerous emotional triggers. The loss of a spouse and child is deeply affecting. But the hardest part for me was the ongoing theme of brother-sister incest. While adultery and homosexual scenes are now more commonly accepted in literature, incest remains a taboo topic. It was uncomfortable enough in "A Song of Ice and Fire," but in this book, it was truly yucky. The scene where John, the narrator, and his sister, Frannie, give in to their mutual attraction was particularly difficult to stomach.

There is also an unpleasant gang rape that has a significant impact on the entire story. Additionally, I'm bothered by the character of Win Berry, the father, who is a "dreamer" rather than a practical hard worker. His dreams for successive Hotels New Hampshire are frustrating, considering he has a family of five kids and a wife to support.

The plot is too long, convoluted, and filled with various emotional triggers to fully describe in this review. Heartbreaking events occur throughout, such as the loss of several family members in a plane crash. The line "Sorrow floats" has multiple meanings in the story and is truly shattering in this context.

Despite all the controversial plot threads, I'm somewhat glad I listened to this book. If I had tried to read it, I would never have been able to get through all the German words. The Audible narrator does an excellent job with the German, opera, and philosophers. Now I know how to pronounce those names!

Overall, no one can match John Irving's ability to create quirky, relatable characters. This book will evoke a wide range of emotions in you. It has great symmetry and closure, and Irving's writing is beautiful. However, due to the controversial plot threads, I can't give it a full 5 stars.

Trochu jiný (ještě ujetější) Irving, než byly předešlé knihy, které jsem "spásla" v posledním měsíci.

At first glance, it seems serious and then humorous. Suddenly, it takes a turn towards catastrophe or some kind of tragedy, and then back to jokes again. In fact, while reading, I sometimes didn't know what to think of the book or where to classify it. Maybe it's an "absurd drama"? The dramatic situations alternate with complete absurdities. Or is it a precursor to bizarro fiction?

Most of all, it seems to me that it is humor. In this book, even the tragedies were smile-inducing, it almost seems to me.

But in the end, I would label it as absurd realism.

On the scale of humor, I would place it somewhere between Ante Tuomainen with his book Než natáhnu brka and Jonasson with Stoletým staříkem, which is already an extreme in this genre of absurd humor.

This unique work by Irving keeps the reader on their toes, constantly surprised by its twists and turns, and leaving them with a sense of confusion and yet a strange kind of satisfaction.

Wow,

I don't think I can accurately put into words just how amazing this book is!

It is truly one of the most memorable and unique pieces of literature that I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

The recurring phrases such as 'Jesus God' and 'Keep passing the open windows' have left an indelible mark on my mind and will stay with me forever.

The story is beautifully crafted, effortlessly complex yet so engaging from start to finish.

The characters are brought to life in such a vivid way, with Franny and Frank being particularly outstanding.

They feel like real people with their own hopes, dreams, and flaws.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a must-read for anyone who loves a good story that will make them think and feel deeply.

Trust me, once you pick up this book, you won't be able to put it down.

I truly adored this book. I discovered it through one of my social work professors in college. In the book, there is a dog named Sorrow, and I was extremely intrigued by the symbolism that Sorrow comes to represent throughout the story. There are certain sad moments, as well as some rather unorthodox ones (uh, brotherly-sisterly love?!?). However, aside from that, I really like this book. John Irving's writing is undoubtedly quirky and distinct from that of most others. But he is one of my favorite authors. His unique style and the way he weaves the story together make it a captivating read. I was constantly engaged and eager to find out what would happen next. The characters are well-developed and the plot is full of twists and turns. It's a book that I would highly recommend to others who enjoy reading something a little different.

I truly desired to have a liking for this book, and initially, I indeed did. However, once they journeyed to Vienna, everything seemed to take a turn for the worse.

The story just became overly long and extremely confusing. I really loathe having to do this in such a public forum, but I firmly believe it is my responsibility as a well-intentioned Goodreads user.

BT, once more your 5-star rating is incorrect. You should feel ashamed of your actions. What exactly are you doing? Are you simply clicking on the stars randomly? Are you not taking your role here seriously? Do I have to impose a ban on you from reading? I think you need to pause for a moment and reflect upon what you have done. And perhaps, if you just give some thought to what you are doing the next time, we can still maintain our friendship. That is all I am asking for, just a little bit of thought.

This book completely blew me away!

I thought I was going to encounter a light and funny story that tells the adventures of a somewhat crazy family constantly on the move in search of the fulfillment of their dreams. Instead, I found myself immersed in a deep and courageous book that tackles very "hot" topics such as bullying, rape, prostitution, suicide, terrorism, and death, and confronts taboos like incest.

What struck me the most is that Irving has the ability to address all of this with great irony and lightness, which is never superficiality. Sometimes his way of telling is a bit "harsh," sometimes sacrilegious, but there is always a sweet and loving gaze towards his characters.

Despite the somewhat bittersweet ending, this book leaves you with a decidedly positive message: a life without dreams cannot truly be called life.

In the end, the Hotel New Hampshire is not a place, but a metaphor for the eternal search of man for his own fulfillment and the ability to never stop dreaming and hoping... despite everything.

Truly beautiful.

This is one of my all-time favorite books. In a world where everyone else seems to pick "The World According to Garp" by John Irving, this one holds a special place in my heart. It's a perfect blend of sad, sweet, and strange, a combination that is truly difficult to achieve. Irving doesn't always manage this trifecta successfully in his other works.

The story follows the Berry family of New Hampshire and their travails in running the eponymous hotel. And boy, are there plenty of travails! Bears, Austria, and wrestling all make appearances, because it's John Irving. Just the other day, someone quoted "Keep passing the open windows" to me, and I almost cried because I love this book so much. If you've read it, you understand.

Surprisingly, it was also turned into a faithful and underrated movie in the 1980s, starring Beau Bridges, Jodie Foster, and Rob Lowe. The movie managed to capture the essence of the book quite well, which is no easy feat. Overall, this book is a must-read for any fan of John Irving or anyone looking for a unique and engaging story.

This is the third Irving book that I have had the pleasure of reading. However, just like the previous two, it has managed to frustrate me approximately three-quarters of the way through.

I find myself growing impatient with the length of time it takes to get through his novels. They seem to hit a lull or become bogged down just before the conclusion.

Surprisingly, despite this frustration, I do actually like his books. This confuses me to no end.

In this particular book, there were moments that made me laugh out loud. Irving is definitely a unique and somewhat eccentric author. His writing style and the stories he weaves are like no other.

Even though his novels can be a bit of a challenge to get through at times, there is something about them that keeps me coming back for more. I guess that's the mark of a truly talented writer.

I've never had a great affinity for fancy dress. To be honest, I've never been particularly adept at it either. It's really my mum's doing. Every Halloween during my childhood, my mum would drape a black bin liner over me, color my nose with her mascara, and attach a sock stuffed with newspapers to my bottom, and then proclaim my costume complete. Even at the tender age of seven, I was acutely aware of how absurd I looked. Sometimes, in an attempt to avoid confusion, I would decide to apply some additional make-up or attach a couple of ears to my head, but that was arduous work. Most years, I simply wrote 'CAT!' on a sheet of paper and pinned it to my chest for all to see. My baby sister had less need to explain her identity to our neighbors, but her Ghost disguise – one sheet with two eye-holes – was yet another classic in the shoddy costume genre.

You know another instance of a crappy costume? A bearskin. And by that, I mean the actual skin of a bear, which, let's be honest, would look incredibly absurd on a human, especially a slender female human. And yet, according to this novel, a slender female human somehow becomes an exact replica of a bear when dressed in this enormous animal's skin and encounters any idiotic hotel guest. In the real world, no one with an ounce of common sense would be fooled by this trick, but idiot hotel guests fall for it here. Continuously. It's extremely irritating.

Also, there's the matter of sibling incest.

Ugh.

It is difficult for me to review this book as it has been quite some time since I read it. I think this might already say a lot about my opinion of the book.

On one hand, it is entertaining to read, told humorously and peculiarly. However, there are some disturbing episodes that the author could have done without. The incestuous relationship between two minors and a gang rape contribute little to the overall picture of the novel for me. Nevertheless, it is especially these trigger points that have remained in my memory, while the rest of the plot and the individual characters fade and remain rather monotonous.

The writing style, on the other hand, is brilliant and I like the unpredictability of the plot, or the unusual weighting of the plot elements. The death of some main protagonists takes up half a page, while insignificant things are written about in quite some detail. Overall, it is a rewarding reading experience for people who respond to such a narrative style.

ChatGPT says about this: "With a perceptive eye for the absurd and a penchant for quirky characters, Irving tells a story that both touches and disturbs."

It’s actually 4.5 stars.

I do enjoy John Irving. His works always have a unique charm that can deeply attract readers.

This particular piece is wonderful. It is not just good, but simply wonderful.

The story is engaging from the very beginning, pulling you in and making you eager to know what will happen next.

The characters are well-developed, with their own distinct personalities and motives.

You can really feel their emotions and understand their actions.

The writing style is also excellent, smooth and flowing, making it a pleasure to read.

Overall, this is a great work by John Irving that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves good literature.

I can’t wait to read more of his books.

Irving is truly a remarkable storyteller and novelist. His characters are brought to life in a way that is almost flawless. They take views and actions that are unexpected, much like in real life, which makes his stories all the more engaging. He also has some rather strange interests, such as bears and wrestling, and these are evident in some of his works as well.

'Hampshire' is a good book, but it's not one of his best. The narrative can be a bit bumpy at times, with some parts being truly amazing and others easily overlooked. If you're new to Irving's work, I would recommend starting with another one of his books to get a better sense of his writing style and talent.