I've tried four times and can't get past the first chapter.
Dnf.

Irving’s novel gives an inside look into the relationship between two married couples that becomes impossible to maintain. The lack of attention to the respective children struck me as the most depressing part of the novel. In the end, it’s no surprise that all of the characters end up so lost and alone, in particular the narrator who could not stop thinking about the control Severin had over all of them.

At his best John Irving is remarkably powerful, but this particular novel is a mixed bag. Some portions of it - - the account of the childhood of the narrator's wife, the backstory of the narrator's rival, the brief sketch of an accident which mutilates a dance instructor - - show Irving's unique talent, his rendering of the horrific and the grotesque lying just below the surface of everyday life. The main focus of the novel, however, is the sexual and power dynamics between two faculty couples at a college, and this plot line seemed much less engaging (Irving also found a way to introduce his obsession with wrestling into the novel, which felt even more tedious to me). I am happy to have read this book, but if a reader is just starting out with Irving, I think he or she would be much better served by "The World According to Garp" or "Cider House Rules."

Irving always has a message to go along with his wry humor and it is quite evident in this one.

An early Irving, shows great promise and is in no way bad, but compared to his later offerings this feels a bit rushed, impatient and crude. Kind of short also.

The 154-Page Crap.

I love John Irving. His stories, even when populated by assholes, have a distinct ring of truth. This book was my least favorite of his, not because it was about "swingers" but because it was just unpleasant. Still a great story-teller. Unless you are a real Irving fan, I would actually recommend skipping this one. He has much better books out there. Though none as blessedly short.

A pretty dark John Irving book - themes (wrestling, college, unconventional sex) consistent with other stories of his, but with foreboding and such hatred/jealousy towards Severin. Swinging was exciting at first, but wrecked all four of the participants. Likely wouldn't recommend it to others compared to Garp, Cider House or Owen Meany.

An interesting story and one that did seriously make me question the quality of sex I’m having (lol). Well written, fun story.

2,5–3

Kol kas tai mažiausiai man patikusi Irvingo knyga (skaičiau „Sidro namų taisyklės“, „Našlė vieneriems metams“ ir „Ketvirtoji ranka“).
Man atrodo, kad šis romanas neturi nei ryškios siužetinės linijos, nei ryškios pagrindinės minties.
Tema kaip ir aiški – svingerių bangos metas, dvi šeimos, nusprendusios paįvairinti vedybinį gyvenimą ir kur juos tai nuvedė.

Jausmų, psichologinių niuansų, erotinių scenų, na, to, ko tikėtumeisi iš tokios temos čia yra, bet viskas kažkaip blausoka, ne visai iki galo išpildyta. Kai kur man atrodė scenos vardan scenų, aprašymai vardan aprašymų. Aišku, čia tik mano nuomonė. Gal kai ką suprasti man trukdė nepakankamas kultūrų išmanymas, išsilavinimo spragos, nežinau. Tiesiog skaitėsi šiaip sau.

Ir 2 žvaigždučių nedaviau tik todėl, kad patiko veikėjai. Patiko savo netipiškumu. Prie šios temos jie galėjo būti labai stereotipiniai. Dėl viso siužeto – nuobodūs. Bet ne, veikėjai tikrai gerai sugalvoti, realistiški (nors gana dramatiški). Ant savęs išnešę visą knygą. :)

Oh la la comme j'ai eu du mal à le finir celui-là. Ce livre m'a globalement mise très mal à l'aise, je l'ai reposé pour une longue période - j'avais mieux et plus urgent à lire. Dans d'autres circonstances je ne l'aurais pas fini, mais bon, c'est John Irving, j'espérais que ça s'améliore au cours du livre, et puis une fois dépassé la moitié, autant aller jusqu'au bout (c'est en général mon point de non-retour, même si je me réserve le droit de déroger pour les cas exceptionnels).
La raison du mal à l'aise? Les personnages. Sur les 4 protagonistes centraux, 3 sont tout simplement ignobles - méchants, égoïstes, stupides - et ce sont les 3 principaux sur les 4, autant vous dire qu'on a le temps d'"apprécier" leur malveillance.
Et je n'ai aucun mal à imaginer apprécier un livre dont les personnages sont ignobles, mais là ça ne colle pas, je ne sais pas bien pourquoi, peut-être parce qu'il n'y a pas de recul, pas d'humour, pas d'analyse - pour ce que j'ai perçu, en tout cas.
Et puis des thèmes récurrents chez John Irving - la lutte, Vienne - qui en général me font sourire m'ont gonflée ici - va savoir pourquoi, sans doute le contexte glauque qui ne m'incite pas à la complaisance.
Je mets deux étoiles parce qu'il y a quand même quelques passages sur le passé des protagonistes plutôt sympas à lire.

As a fan of John Irvin, I was deeply disappointed in this book. I'm bitter due to past relationships, but not bitter enough to appreciate the resentment and anger that overshadowed the storyline.

Una historia de un intercambio de parejas venido a más seguramente es lo más alejado a mis intereses vitales y como lectora.
Pero como John Irving me gusta mucho y entro siempre con mucha facilidad a su universo de abandonos, osos, luchadores y vieneses, la verdad es que lo he disfrutado un montón.