The Cider House Rules by John Irving is a rich and complex novel that delves into themes of abortion, orphanages, migrant workers, and incestuous rape. Set in rural Maine in the early 20th century, the story follows Dr. Wilbur Larch, an obstetrician and abortionist, and his favorite orphan, Homer Wells, who is torn between different perspectives on abortion. The book explores the moral dilemmas faced by the characters as they navigate through challenging situations, all while dealing with everyday tedium in a compelling narrative style that absorbs the reader into the setting.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for The Cider House Rules include sensitive topics such as abortion, sexual violence, child abuse, drug use, and explicit discussions of medical procedures.
Has Romance?
There are romantic elements present in The Cider House Rules, particularly in the relationships involving Homer, Candy, and Wally, but they are interwoven with deeper themes and character development.
From The Publisher:
"The Cider House Rules is filled with people to love and to feel for. . . . The characters in John Irving's novel break all the rules, and yet they remain noble and free-spirited."-The Houston Post
First published in 1985, The Cider House Rules is set in rural Maine in the first half of the twentieth century. The novel tells the story of Dr. Wilbur Larch-saint and obstetrician, founder and director of the orphanage in the town of St. Cloud's, ether addict and abortionist. This is also the story of Dr. Larch's favorite orphan, Homer Wells, who is never adopted.
Praise for The Cider House Rules
" [Irving] is among the very best storytellers at work today. At the base of Irving's own moral concerns is a rare and lasting regard for human kindness."-The Philadelphia Inquirer
" Superb in scope and originality, a novel as good as one could hope to find from any author, anywhere, anytime. Engrossing, moving, thoroughly satisfying."-Joseph Heller
" An old-fashioned, big-hearted novel . . . with its epic yearning caught in the nineteenth century, somewhere between Trollope and Twain."-Boston Sunday Globe
Ratings (50)
Incredible (12) | |
Loved It (24) | |
Liked It (7) | |
It Was OK (6) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (73):
Read It (54) | |
Want To Read (11) | |
Not Interested (8) |
2 comment(s)
The word "gritty" has never affected me so much. This is a beautiful book, much better than the movie.
This is a very engrossing book. Honestly, after reading, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It left me depressed. Unfortunately, many of the social issues that the book addresses from the early 1900s (unwanted children, rape, incest, abuse, misogyny, poverty, right to choose, etc) I still see play out in my daily work in psychology and social work today. These are realities of our life that most people want to ignore. There are some very disturbing themes and the overall tone of the book is not optimistic. That being said, it offers an insightful and very balanced approach to some of the biggest debates of our time and is not one of those books that you can read and just put away and forget about. Characters are very interesting and well-developed. At times it is slow, due to the great detail, but epic in its scope, like Dickens. I recommend to anyone who likes to think about deep moral issues, or works with women and the "lost" children of our generation. If you have seen the movie and think that is was "dark" or "deep," know that after reading the book, the movie seems quite whitewashed and optimistic.
What can you read after
The Cider House Rules?
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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