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Product Description
Review
'John Irving has been compared with Kurt Vonnegut and J.D. Salinger, but is arguably more inventive than either. Wry, laconic, he sketches his characters with an economy that springs from a feeling for words and mastery over his craft.' The Times 'Irving has a literary style similar to a snowball effect: with each novel he creates symbols and develops themes to accompany those he has already accumulated. Grief, loss, abortion amputation, sex, children, America's political history and the power of foresight are all explored' Observer 'Irving's novels are not just page-turners. Time and again, he forces his readers to consider important social issues - war, rape, incest, the fragmentation of the family, feminism, the culture of celebrity - in a way reminiscent of Dickens As ever Irving is peerless at presenting action, writing without a wasted second.' Guardian 'The most important American humourist to appear in the last ten years' Kurt Vonnegut
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
A tragic-comic classic from one of the world's greatest living writers.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the only novel I have felt compelled to write a review of. Its impact upon me was profound and I have since re-read it. For such a huge novel, that is quite some undertaking.
This book is full of typical Irving-esque characters - wrestlers, tattooists, writers, not to mention an actor protagonist, Jack Burns. However, there is clearly something deeply personal in this book for the author here. The book is so vast simply because our experiences are so varied and compicated. Jack Burns emerges as a character with an psychological truth that is unprecedented in modern fiction. His memories and neuroses (maybe shared with the author?) dominate this book and each of the other characters is presented through his perceptions and experiences. Of course, this is how real life is for each of us. Everyone external to us can only be viewed subjectively and true 'objectivity' is actually impossible as long as we relate to others as humans. This is what Irving presents; a painfully real and limited human being who when confronted with agonising situations reacts in a pathetically human and limited way - just like all of us. If you find Jack an inexplicable or despicable character, you may get frustrated with this novel, but if you recognise him as a truthful portrayal of the product of an awkward and painful union of two real people you will be bowled over.
At the heart of this novel is a representation of family which has such love and empathy that it will braek your heart, if you have one. Certainly, no novel's climax has ever wrung such 'tears of blood' (Byron) from me. The psychological portrait of neurosis is incredibly accurate. It is possible that Irving has presented the reader with facts about himself wrung from years of self-analysis mixed with fiction. I can't theorise, but I can testify that he achieves a psychological truthfulness that is truly shocking to find in a novel.
Aside from this, there is enough eccentricity and weirdness to keep anyone laughing and satisfied. There are very few novels that I have made an impact on my emotional life rather than being some kind of cultural 'divertimento'. This is one of the few that have. (The other I can count on the fingers of one hand )
I have recommended this to everyone I am close to and none of them have failed to have been bowled over.
This book is full of typical Irving-esque characters - wrestlers, tattooists, writers, not to mention an actor protagonist, Jack Burns. However, there is clearly something deeply personal in this book for the author here. The book is so vast simply because our experiences are so varied and compicated. Jack Burns emerges as a character with an psychological truth that is unprecedented in modern fiction. His memories and neuroses (maybe shared with the author?) dominate this book and each of the other characters is presented through his perceptions and experiences. Of course, this is how real life is for each of us. Everyone external to us can only be viewed subjectively and true 'objectivity' is actually impossible as long as we relate to others as humans. This is what Irving presents; a painfully real and limited human being who when confronted with agonising situations reacts in a pathetically human and limited way - just like all of us. If you find Jack an inexplicable or despicable character, you may get frustrated with this novel, but if you recognise him as a truthful portrayal of the product of an awkward and painful union of two real people you will be bowled over.
At the heart of this novel is a representation of family which has such love and empathy that it will braek your heart, if you have one. Certainly, no novel's climax has ever wrung such 'tears of blood' (Byron) from me. The psychological portrait of neurosis is incredibly accurate. It is possible that Irving has presented the reader with facts about himself wrung from years of self-analysis mixed with fiction. I can't theorise, but I can testify that he achieves a psychological truthfulness that is truly shocking to find in a novel.
Aside from this, there is enough eccentricity and weirdness to keep anyone laughing and satisfied. There are very few novels that I have made an impact on my emotional life rather than being some kind of cultural 'divertimento'. This is one of the few that have. (The other I can count on the fingers of one hand )
I have recommended this to everyone I am close to and none of them have failed to have been bowled over.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
John Irving's longest work to date tells the story of Jack Burns. His mother is a tattoist and his father an organist, addicted to music tattoos. It begins with Jack's recollections of his travels through northern Europe with his mother at the age of 4 in search of his absent father. In a strange mixture of hotels, tattoo shops and churches Irving paints a picture of Jack's early life and his perception of his parents. Jack and his mother apparently give up the trail and settle down in Canada with no sign of his absent father.
He attends an all-girls school which has just admitted its first boys and meets Emma Oastler, an older girl, who will become his closest friend. Even at an early age, his life is dominated by older women and Jack suffers abuse in a variety of ways. He finds his niche, acting in school drama productions, particularly excelling in female roles. Sent away to boarding school in the States, Jack feels rejected not only by his father but also his mother. Unable to find a lasting relationship, he moves to LA and eventually gets a break in acting.
Then two tragedies strike Jack's life. Bit by bit, Jack starts to piece together his past. He returns to Europe and discovers that the world is not always as it seems to a four year-old boy.
Irving has created a host of dysfunctional characters, with whom I am pleased to say I could sympathise. For me, this was a great improvement on A Widow For One Year. Despite its air of sadness, the author's usual wit and humour are as strong as usual. The story of Jack Burns in some ways reflects Irving's own personal life and although, he changed the narrative from first to third person, it is this personal connnection which makes it a very poignant novel; perhaps his best work for a number of years.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Covering much ground, there were sections of the book I "learned" to quickly skim through...detailed descriptions of tattoos, descriptions of old Euro-church architecture, etc. Some may love these elaborations; it didn't mean much to me. Irving certainly seemed to enjoy telling us about them. But there was a point to it, I understand-- it was a part of these characters lives.
Without a doubt the book as a whole was intruiging. The story is rich with emotion and love and pain and injustice and struggle and loss and success. Just like life. And throughout every phase of Jack's life, as strange as it was at times, I really wanted everything to work out for him.
Without a doubt the book as a whole was intruiging. The story is rich with emotion and love and pain and injustice and struggle and loss and success. Just like life. And throughout every phase of Jack's life, as strange as it was at times, I really wanted everything to work out for him.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Long, weird and boring,
This book is way, way too long. I was losing the will to live around page 600 but I wanted to find out what the point of the book was and where these thousands of words were... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Myles na gCopaleen
Until I Find You, by John Irving
I found this book way too long, which was a real disappointment because I usually enjoy John Irvings stuff. Read more
Published 12 months ago by P. A. Cunningham
Not one of Irving's classics
I am a huge fan of some of Irving's books. They grab you from the first moment and keep your attention throughout with idiosyncratic characters and slightly unreal situations. Read more
Published on 3 May 2010 by Amsterdamned
The third best Irving?
I was surprised by this novel, in the sense that it seems to have had a mixed reaction from Irving fans. Some love it, some think it drags and is a pale imitation of other books. Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2010 by Stephen Kirk
Disappointing but instructive
Irving sometimes produces novels that are a long and boring even though (like me) you'd want to find them gripping. I love Irving but I struggled finishing this one. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2009 by French reader
a new fan
i was given this book to read by a colleague and was slightly intimidated by the 900 odd pages by an author i hadnt read before, however i have to say that Until i Find You was one... Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2008 by J. Munro
A Good Read
A very good book indeed which I enjoyed. I say that as a person who views wrestling, tatooing and the early sexualisation of children with a lot of distaste. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2008 by thelardyman
Familiar territory, great charaters but a disappointing ending
I'll not summarise the story, see other reviews for this. If you've read JI before then you know what to expect. Read more
Published on 25 Aug 2008 by ADM
Back to Form for Irving
I loved this book. Irving's output is prolific and sporadically brilliant. I felt that he had lost his lustre of late, but I really rate this book with his finest work: Owen... Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2007 by Mrs. K. A. Wheatley
no center
i got this book when it first came out. i didnt want to read a review. i liked the title and the story, and that was enough. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2007 by drew bridge
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