About this title: Something of a modern classic, this is the story of T. S. Garp, who is raised by his eccentric feminist mother and spends most of his life surrounded and preoccupied by woman. Irving depicts Garp's pursuit of a writing career against the backdrop of the odd assortment of characters in his life--wrestlers, radical feminists, transsexuals, and rape protesters. Part fictional biography, part examination of the writing life, and part meditation on modern American society gone amok.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
"Dull, dull, dull. Boring people doing boring things. Even the sex is boring.
I've spent some time wondering whether everyone is so boring because it's the world according to Garp, and Garp himself is boring. The novel is cleverly structured (it could be a literary theorist's wet dream); Garp himself is a novelist, and shards of his work appear throughout this novel, including the third chapter of his third novel, The World According to Bensenhaver. (Excuse me if I got the name wrong). Both start with rape (well, in the case of Garp, that's pushing it, but the relationship is clearly intentional). Lots of clever stuff that might be interesting to think about... Is Garp so boring because his (boring) mom ascribes all the world's problems to "lust," which she understands about as well as the Victorians who put dresses on table legs? (I shouldn't demean the Victorians; they had it all over her.)
There's plenty of stuff that could be interesting. There's plenty of stuff that could be funny. There's even plenty of stuff that could be sexy. There's a scene that could be interesting, hilarious, and sexy, when Garp's mother hires a high-class Viennese prostitute to explain "lust." Since the prostitute doesn't speak English, and the mom doesn't speak German, Garp (who's just graduated from an exclusive prep school) has to translate.
But at the end of the day, Garp is a book about boring people being boring."
"Someone once told me that Irving has a tendency to "ramble on" in his books. That person lied. I have read two of his books now and there is no tendency to it; the man is a certifiable rambler. This is not to say that his ramblings aren't enjoyable-most of them are. They are side dishes of escapade, if you like. But, as much as I enjoyed the sides, I felt as if this book had a sort of matryoshka doll effect (But wait! There's more! Ta da! But wait! There's more! Ta da!...), literarily speaking. A heavier edit might have been a good thing. All in all, The World According to Garp is the work of an inventive writer great at capturing the whole horribly beautiful/beautifully horrible mess of humanity. There are no cut-aways or edits here...you will meet Garp, read his first scribblings, tack his finger paintings to the fridge, cheer at his wrestling matches, worry about his marriage, want to advise him on his relationship with his kids...if you are not ready for a parenthood of these proportions, stay away."
"I read this in 1979. I can remember walking into the book store on 5th Avenue, NYC, and buying a copy after marveling at the piles and piles of this bestseller in the window. I was not disappointed. A great introduction to Irving. I later gave away my copy of GARP to a friend who truly needed at the time to see that even in the most absurd and traumatizing times, life shows us a glimpse of redemption."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
