Having read almost everything Irving's written, I place this book as my favorite. After all these years (I read it several times, the last probably in the early 1990s), the characters are still in my head and seem just as real as they did when I first read it.

Strangely enough, I thought it was crude. I put it down.

I'm giving this novel a 4 because, although I hated the main character and the general subject matter of the book, I found the writing to be compelling. I think this is the kind of novel that a reader likes better in retrospect than during the process of reading!

Could not finish this, did not like the infidelity, the cocky attitude and immaturity of the main character. Some chapters we're funny and I read for 220 pages hoping it would get better, but I'm giving up now.

didn't event go through the second chapter

Es ist das zweite Buch, das ich von Johr Irving lese. Für mich ist jetzt klar, dass ich wohl einfach seine speziellen Figuren nicht mag. Die Geschichten sind mir zu absurd. Es kam mir vor, als ob ich ein Drehbuch für einen Trickfilm lesen würde.
Die letzten drei, vier Kapitel waren dann eher "normaler". Aber ich werde kein Buch mehr lesen von John Irving.

Never disappointed me yet

A conversation with a friend got me inclined to read the Irving novels I hadn’t as of yet. Decided to start with the earlier ones I’d missed before Garp. So glad I did. As with everything I’ve ever read of his I loved it. There is just something about how he combines the ridiculousness of life with it’s hard realities in a way that’s comedic & tragic at the same time that makes his novels so enjoyable. I could read him forever.

3.5 stars

If this book had been as bad as Setting Free the Bears, I think I'd give up on my John Irving challenge. But I found it 10x better, thoroughly readable, and will forge ahead. I didn't love the tangents about the main character's PhD thesis translation, but otherwise found the story quite amusing. Some scenes were truly absurd, and provided welcome comic relief from Trumper's otherwise dreary life. I can see Irving's style coming together with the oddball characters and their web of relationships. Looking forward to re-reading the next two which are even better.

a special book, to be sure. Fred, aka “Bogus,” (lol) is a bit of a renaissance man, offering, simultaneously, visions of a deplorable twenty-something, a pitiful comer-of-age, and a bittersweet window into the aimless mind of a young man.

his renaissance nature, more textually speaking, comes from his roles as: 1) voice over actor for avant garde documentary films, 2) PhD candidate translating a Low Old Norse epic poem, 3) absentee husband and father, and 4) vagrant in Austria.

the title refers to Bogus’ choice (early in the novel) to address a recurring UTI by drinking more water (the “water method”) rather than taking medication or undergoing a procedure. his penis plays a significant role in the story, so it’s fitting that the book would start by examining its issues and by Bogus refusing to meaningfully address them. I didn’t particularly like Bogus, but I came to sympathize with him by the end. similarly, I didn’t like Biggie much (though I was left wondering if this was in part due to my falling into Irving’s well-laid trap, viewing her exclusively and thoroughly through Bogus’ eyes and thus resenting her the way he did), but came around a little by the end (hmmm suspicious that this is a similar trajectory to Bogus’…). Tulpen, however, I loved the entire time. (thinking as I write, I do think this was sexist or at least non-egalitarian—Irving paints these two women as almost diametrically opposed; they are both aloof and self-sufficient women, but one (Biggie) is painted as overreacting or reacting poorly to Bogus’ trysts, whereas the other (Tulpen) is evidently indifferent about Bogus’ “bad” behavior—his going MIA for months on end—and loves him no matter what… gives pick-me energy a little, maybe?)

overall, a bit of a strange book, but ultimately well worth the read. Irving is such a good writer! there are some interesting formats throughout the book, including:
- screenplay
- letters from Bogus to others
- mid-scene perspective switches from third person omniscient narrator to first person narrator (Bogus)
- the story of Akthelt and Gunnel (Bogus’ thesis text)

a couple quotes, which are indescribably random:

* “Got to get up early to get those ducks!” shouts Mr. Fitch, who is capable of believing anything.

* “For example, I used to like motorcycles; I couldn’t ride one after Colm was born. I don’t think it was just responsibility; it’s just that children give you a sense of time. It was as if I’d never realized how time moved before.”

No woman in her right mind should be attracted to Fred Bogus Trumper, yet here I am with a little soft spot in my heart for him. Though this may not be one of Irving's best books, it has the endearing quality I've come to expect. If there were half stars, this would be a 3.5 for me but I'm rounding up.

Is everybody's favorite quote: "Let the grave mound grow a little grass, I always say; then it's safe to look."

When I started "The Water Method Man" I was a little bit disappointed because it wasn't of the usual quality of Irving. However, as I progressed with the novel, Irving's writing quality improved and as his first official book written as a Grad student, I am astonished at his early talent for an American narration and the usual humor he adds to all of his novels. The first humor is seen when our protagonist is at a football game where he is selling gear and he tries to save face with one of his students. Also the "Old Norse" German the protagonist had was hilarious. I enjoyed the characters and though sometimes the plot is lacking, if you are an Irving fan I highly recommend.

After seeing "Cider House Rules" at Book-It this past season, I decided to revisit John Irving- I didn't realize how many of his books I hadn't read (he's quite a bit more prolific than I thought.) Water Method Man is one of his earlier novels, and while it was a good read, it wasn't *great.* It includes those recurring Irving obsessions with Vienna, big women, and uncomfortable sexual situations. There's even the compulsory mention of a character who used to wrestle (although it's not key to the story.) Ultimately, it didn't have the same punch as "Garp", pathos as "Cider House" or epic knitting as "Owen Meany" - but if you're an Irving fan, it's still a decent novel (and a better bet than most.)