Last Night in Twisted River
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Product Description
Book Description
A breathtaking story of a father and a son in 20th-century North America from the award-winning author of A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Product Description
In 1954, in the cookhouse of a logging and sawmill settlement in northern New Hampshire, a twelve-year-old boy mistakes the local constable's girlfriend for a bear. Both the twelve-year-old and his father become fugitives, pursued by the constable. Their lone protector is a fiercely libertarian logger, once a river driver, who befriends them.
In a story spanning five decades, Last Night in Twisted River - John Irving's twelfth novel - depicts the recent half-century in the United States as a world 'where lethal hatreds were generally permitted to run their course.'
From the novel's taut opening sentence to its elegiac final chapter, what distinguishes Last Night in Twisted River is the author's unmistakable voice, the inimitable voice of an accomplished storyteller.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
62 of 69 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I've been enjoying John Irving's novels for well over twenty years, but found his previous book (Until I Find You) unengaging. "Last Night in Twisted River" is, by contrast, a magnificent work that is absolutely up there with the best books John Irving has written.
The novel begins with a straightforward story, set in the logging camps of the great north woods in 1954. The subsequent sections divide up the years between then and 2005, and each continue the story, but not in a linear or expected direction. At times this can be disconcerting, and new information about the events of the previous chapters forces the reader to reinterpret the on-going story: I often found myself re-reading earlier sections in light of later discoveries.
The themes may superficially be familiar to John Irving readers, but it is not a re-treading of old ground. The tone of the book is about halfway between the exuberance of The World According to Garp, and the melancholy of A Widow for One Year, leaning slightly towards the later. If Garp is the story of youth to middle-age, then this novel can be seen as adding another half a life on top of that. The tendency of the novel to place crucial information unexpectedly in the middle of a paragraph can be emotionally shocking, particularly in the twelfth chapter. Many parts of the book are very moving.
While the book can easily be enjoyed purely for the story and characterisation, it also can be enjoyed for the playful way it shows the art of the novelist, particularly when it demonstrates how complex events can be turned into a simpler narrative: at the end you will certainly want to read the first chapter again.
Full of themes of identity, containing aspects of the social history of the last fifty years in North America, and with more recipes than a cookbook, it is a mammoth work - and one that lives up to the standards that John Irving set for himself in his novels of the 1980s. It's good to have him back on top form.
The novel begins with a straightforward story, set in the logging camps of the great north woods in 1954. The subsequent sections divide up the years between then and 2005, and each continue the story, but not in a linear or expected direction. At times this can be disconcerting, and new information about the events of the previous chapters forces the reader to reinterpret the on-going story: I often found myself re-reading earlier sections in light of later discoveries.
The themes may superficially be familiar to John Irving readers, but it is not a re-treading of old ground. The tone of the book is about halfway between the exuberance of The World According to Garp, and the melancholy of A Widow for One Year, leaning slightly towards the later. If Garp is the story of youth to middle-age, then this novel can be seen as adding another half a life on top of that. The tendency of the novel to place crucial information unexpectedly in the middle of a paragraph can be emotionally shocking, particularly in the twelfth chapter. Many parts of the book are very moving.
While the book can easily be enjoyed purely for the story and characterisation, it also can be enjoyed for the playful way it shows the art of the novelist, particularly when it demonstrates how complex events can be turned into a simpler narrative: at the end you will certainly want to read the first chapter again.
Full of themes of identity, containing aspects of the social history of the last fifty years in North America, and with more recipes than a cookbook, it is a mammoth work - and one that lives up to the standards that John Irving set for himself in his novels of the 1980s. It's good to have him back on top form.
33 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Before I begin I should note that, in common with many of the other reviewers, I have been a fan of John Irving for a long time. I think I have read, and enjoyed, all of his books (including Until I Find You). A Prayer for Owen Meany is probably my favourite book of all time (and one of the few that has actually brought me to tears).
And then came Last Night in Twisted River.
I have just finished the book. This, in itself, I felt was a major achievement and primarily a reflection of the fact that I am very reluctant to put a book to one side once I have started it.
I am used, in John Irving's work, to encountering many unique (and often bizarre) characters, interacting against an unpredictable, sometimes quite shocking or disturbing backdrop of events. The pace is not always fast, but Irving has a knack for working his characters under the skin of the reader and then, with an unexpected plot twist, creating situations of great emotional intensity.
On the face of it, Last Night in Twisted River has all the hallmarks of a classic Irving novel. The events which it describes take place over a 50-year period, it has a full helping of slightly off-beat, emotionally and/or physically damaged characters and it hinges around a truly bizarre event (right at the start, for those who might be worried about a spoiler).
However, for me at least, that's where the similarities end.
I felt no attachment to any of the characters in the book (with the possible exception of Ketchum's farting dog, but that doesn't really count). I think this is because, despite the lengthy descriptive prose, none of the characters really made any emotional connection with me. They were just, I suppose, there. I couldn't understand their motivations and didn't even feel much sympathy when one or two of them met their end. It was all very distant.
I also felt patronised by the book. Some of the translations felt like a primary school language lesson. I am also not sure why Irving felt the need to describe Danny as "the writer" constantly. Maybe it was all very clever, certainly too clever for me, but I was left with the impression that there was some fantastic literary joke at work known only to the author and his circle.
I wanted to like this book, but I didn't. I had an extra spring in my step for this morning's commute- a tedious book (and heavy too) finished and something more interesting to look forward to.
I would urge those thinking about getting to know Irving's works to start with A Prayer for Owen Meany or The World According to Garp.
And then came Last Night in Twisted River.
I have just finished the book. This, in itself, I felt was a major achievement and primarily a reflection of the fact that I am very reluctant to put a book to one side once I have started it.
I am used, in John Irving's work, to encountering many unique (and often bizarre) characters, interacting against an unpredictable, sometimes quite shocking or disturbing backdrop of events. The pace is not always fast, but Irving has a knack for working his characters under the skin of the reader and then, with an unexpected plot twist, creating situations of great emotional intensity.
On the face of it, Last Night in Twisted River has all the hallmarks of a classic Irving novel. The events which it describes take place over a 50-year period, it has a full helping of slightly off-beat, emotionally and/or physically damaged characters and it hinges around a truly bizarre event (right at the start, for those who might be worried about a spoiler).
However, for me at least, that's where the similarities end.
I felt no attachment to any of the characters in the book (with the possible exception of Ketchum's farting dog, but that doesn't really count). I think this is because, despite the lengthy descriptive prose, none of the characters really made any emotional connection with me. They were just, I suppose, there. I couldn't understand their motivations and didn't even feel much sympathy when one or two of them met their end. It was all very distant.
I also felt patronised by the book. Some of the translations felt like a primary school language lesson. I am also not sure why Irving felt the need to describe Danny as "the writer" constantly. Maybe it was all very clever, certainly too clever for me, but I was left with the impression that there was some fantastic literary joke at work known only to the author and his circle.
I wanted to like this book, but I didn't. I had an extra spring in my step for this morning's commute- a tedious book (and heavy too) finished and something more interesting to look forward to.
I would urge those thinking about getting to know Irving's works to start with A Prayer for Owen Meany or The World According to Garp.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'm afraid to say as far as I'm concerned this the worst novel John Irving has produced.
The characters are two dimensional and bland (especially "the writer" and "the cook")This has frankly always been a bit of an issue with Irving's novels as far as I'm concerned, but normally he compensates with an amazing roller coaster of a story line (e.g. Garp and Hotel New Hampshire)Here the story line is both dull and unbelievable (I just don't buy the cops 50 year search and vendetta)
The last section of the book is the worst, here Irving has his characters, now in their 70's and 80's acting as if they were in perfect health and 40 years younger, every time you remember their age the story becomes unbelievable.
Also, is it just me who finds the little diatribe against Bush and Iraq both boring and totally irrelevant to the story? I understand his dislike for that particular chapter in American foreign policy, but it is simply bolted on to this novel in a very crass way. If he wanted to get it off his chest then he should have writen an article for a newspaper, or perhaps a new novel with this at it's core (do they have bears in Afghanistan?)
If your not a fan then this is not the book to make you one - read "World according to Garp"
The characters are two dimensional and bland (especially "the writer" and "the cook")This has frankly always been a bit of an issue with Irving's novels as far as I'm concerned, but normally he compensates with an amazing roller coaster of a story line (e.g. Garp and Hotel New Hampshire)Here the story line is both dull and unbelievable (I just don't buy the cops 50 year search and vendetta)
The last section of the book is the worst, here Irving has his characters, now in their 70's and 80's acting as if they were in perfect health and 40 years younger, every time you remember their age the story becomes unbelievable.
Also, is it just me who finds the little diatribe against Bush and Iraq both boring and totally irrelevant to the story? I understand his dislike for that particular chapter in American foreign policy, but it is simply bolted on to this novel in a very crass way. If he wanted to get it off his chest then he should have writen an article for a newspaper, or perhaps a new novel with this at it's core (do they have bears in Afghanistan?)
If your not a fan then this is not the book to make you one - read "World according to Garp"
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great, if not his best...
I am massive fan of John Irving, especially Garp, Widow for One Year and Owen Meany. I haven't read an Irving book I haven't enjoyed and this wasno exception. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Maddy Reading
Jumbled Memories and flashbacks at Twisted River
A Prayer for Owen Meeney, The Cider House Rules and Widow For a Year remain as three of my favourite Irvine epics and have found other Irvine novels falling short and repeating on... Read more
Published 8 days ago by R. Pieters
Lacks the Irving magic
Irving says in his notes that it took him three years to write this book - it feels as if it took me just as long to read it. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Kentish Woman
Well begun isn't always half done
'The World According to Garp' and 'A Prayer for Owen Meany' are amongst my favourite books, and since reading them I've been hooked on John Irving, but none of his later books have... Read more
Published 5 months ago by John Williams
Vintage Irving
A naked woman falls out of the sky, in the middle of the desert...and returns to the storyteller, after his labyrinthine life working cafes and restaurants, discovering childhood... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mark John
Up there with his best
Having read all of John Irving's novels I would count count five of them: The World According To Garp, Hotel New Hampshire, Cider House Rules and a A Prayer For Owen Meany as... Read more
Published 7 months ago by K. Strachan
Not a guaranteed good read - but if you took a chance, you might enjoy...
Dominic Baciagalpo is a cook and when the story opens he is working in a logging camp in northern New Hampshire. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Alison McVey
Old style Irving
For the Irving fans who haven't read this yet and are wondering whether to after the last couple of disappointments: Yes this is the old John Irving. a very enjoyable read. Read more
Published 10 months ago by JohnEurope
Navel-gazing and dull
When finishing a book feels like an effort, you know it hasn't been A Good Read. Like so many other reviewers I'm a big fan of John Irving, but even he can't make writing about... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Four Candles
Not the best Irving book I've read
I've read most of Irving's books and A Prayer for Owen Meaney is one of my favourite books. I purchased the Kindle version of Twisted River without reading any reviews and was... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Lyndie Cat
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