Irving talks about the differences between writing a novel and a screenplay, primarily concerning The Cider House Rules, but he also touches on his other work. Interesting to hear about the choices that were made and the reasoning behind them.

This book is more than a memoir. Irving writes with passion and intelligence about his grandfather, a famous obstetrician in the 1940s, and how that inspiration gave birth to Irving's novel "The Cider House Rules". He also details the lengthy labour of love to get the book made into a film, one which would eventually win several Academy Awards. But most compellingly, Irving writes about the political history of abortion in the United States. A fascinating read.

John Irving describes the 14-year process of bringing his novel, "The Cider House Rules" to the screen. An interesting look at the differences between novel and screenplay writing and the concessions made by each form. "The Cider House Rules" is a well-made and entertaining film, I never read the book but am sure it lines up with the best of Irving's works. The story is Irving's chance to develop his views on abortion--those being that it is a compassionate practice for mother and the presumed orphan. He includes a great deal of historical details about the practice, informed by his grandfather's medical writings, all quite interesting, but filtered through the author's perception. Nowhere does he acknowledge the Giver of life who alone is authorized to give and take life. Every life, born or unborn, should matter because it is given this sanctity. May our pro-life rhetoric match our compassion and actions always.

This was a quick read and an interesting look at Irving's experience with turning his books into movies. It centers around his more than 14-year-long voyage to bring The Cider House Rules to the screen, which made me really want to re-read the book and re-watch the movie, but he also mentions his other movie-making experiences. It was a short book, and it didn't delve too deeply into the process of turning your own book into a movie, though he does touch on the difficulty of making a long and complex novel into a 2-hour film.

Fun, simple, short. Having read Cider House Rules, and having seen the movie, will help you get through the book. But Irving does his best to summarize. This refreshed my memory. I don't know if it would suffice for those who are unfamiliar with the story.

There are a lot of gentle stories, sweet and simple, describing the writing process, the filming process, and how these things differ and work together. Irving provides insights into the actors and scenes as well. The book is nostalgic, but I wonder if that's just me. It's a call back to my youth, and this movie, and the book.

I found this book in a free book bin. Not even sure why I picked it up. Glad I did. Now I will put it back in the bin for someone else.

I've seen the film version of The Cider House Rules at least ten times, and my worn copy of the novel is one of my most prized books. I don't even let guests touch it; I've been known to buy them their own copy rather than let them preview the story with mine.

Needless to say, I was more than interested to find out why John Irving decided to cut out major parts of his novel for the film adaptation. No spoilers here, but the film is drastically different than the book. I thought this memoir would be a detailed description answering every one of my questions. After I read it, most of my questions have remained unanswered.

It's not a bad read; it just wasn't what I was expecting. A good portion of the book discusses his journey while writing The Cider House Rules, and an equally lengthy section details his experiences with Hollywood's adaptations of his other novels. I thought the entire book was going to center on The Cider House Rules. I thought he would provide more answers as to why he made the cuts and changes he did, rather than devoting an entire chapter to his hopes for the promotional poster of the film, which had not yet been released at the time.

Still, if you're a John Irving fan and would like a quick read that you can imagine was a fireside chat between you two at a quiet party, you might enjoy this book.

http://hottoastyrag.weebly.com/my-mov...

Worth a read to see how the movie business works, but it's nothing substantial.

Irving recounts his experiences with the filming of his books. He provides considerable detail, particularly, for the transition of Cider House Rules from novel to film. It is a very nice look into the process of translating from novel to screenplay. He provides many examples of the decisions that had to be made and why they worked, or didn't.

3.5 stars
Chronicles the making of Cider HOuse Rules form novel to movie over 14 years. Irving is completely competent and confident, stubborn but brilliant. The ook might not be of use to someone not familiar with Cider House Rules. It compares novels and screenplays in a helpful, instructive way. (And Irving won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, which he wrote for his own book.)

A most enjoyable book - if you have read "Cider House Rules". Interesting to see how a novel gets turned into a movie. Going to go watch the movie again now.

Reading this book is like inviting John Irving over for dinner and talking long into the night. If you are a fan of his books and their resulting movies you will love it!

I really like his books, but he definitely seems like a jerk.