'The Hotel New Hampshire' by John Irving is a novel that follows the eccentric Berry family as they navigate through life's tragedies and triumphs. The story is set in hotels in New Hampshire and Vienna, where the family faces a range of bizarre and often disturbing situations. The novel features quirky characters like Franny, John, Frank, Lilly, Egg, and a pet bear, all of whom are richly developed and evoke a mix of emotions in the reader.
The writing style in 'The Hotel New Hampshire' is described as funny, sad, and quirky, with a touch of surrealism. John Irving presents a narrative that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, blending elements of humor and tragedy seamlessly. The novel explores taboo topics such as rape, incest, terrorism, and death, all while maintaining a whimsical and imaginative tone.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include explicit sexual content, themes of rape, incest, and emotional trauma.
Has Romance?
While there is romance, it is complex and often interwoven with themes of tragedy and taboo.
From The Publisher:
The New York Times bestselling saga of a most unusual family from the award-winning author of The World According to Garp.
"The first of my father's illusions was that bears could survive the life lived by human beings, and the second was that human beings could survive a life led in hotels." So says John Berry, son of a hapless dreamer, brother to a cadre of eccentric siblings, and chronicler of the lives lived, the loves experienced, the deaths met, and the myriad strange and wonderful times encountered by the family Berry. Hoteliers, pet-bear owners, friends of Freud (the animal trainer and vaudevillian, that is), and playthings of mad fate, they "dream on" in a funny, sad, outrageous, and moving novel by the remarkable author of A Prayer for Owen Meany and Last Night in Twisted River.
Ratings (16)
Loved It (8) | |
Liked It (3) | |
It Was OK (4) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (27):
Read It (17) | |
Want To Read (6) | |
Not Interested (4) |
2 comment(s)
Now I have read four books by John Irving and none as been over 3 stars. Not a bad writer but his books just don't work for me. This was a bit strange at times but it didn't work either. Didn't get the humour,invested in the characters or plot. Will probably not pick something else up by him if I'm not suffering from memoryless one day at a secondhand store
It's like the Brady Bunch with hookers.
What can you read after
The Hotel New Hampshire?
About the Author:
JOHN IRVING, born in Exeter, New Hampshire, published his first novel, Setting Free the Bears, when he was twenty-six. His most popular novel, worldwide, is A Prayer for Owen Meany, published in 1989. In 2000, Mr. Irving won the Oscar…
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