World According to Garp (Irving)

Book Reviews
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This is not going to be easy to explain. [In] John Irving's fourth novel, The World According to Garp, a truly horrifying automobile accident occurs....At this point in the story... we have grown extremely attached to the characters involved...yet one of our reactions to this catastrophe is to burst out laughing. There we are, numb with shock and sick with concern, and suddenly we are laughing. And not feeling all that guilty about doing so either....In fact, we find ourselves laughing thoughout [the novel] at some of the damndest things.
Christopher Lehmann-Haupt - New York Times (4/13/78)

(Audio version-20th aniversary). In the world according to Garp, "we're all terminal cases." This sentence ends both Irving's comic and tragic novel and its wonderful audio adaptation, read disarmingly by Michael Prichard. We hear the familiar story of T.S. Garp; his mother, Jenny Fields; and Garp's wife, family, friends, and lovers. We also see Garp's efforts to establish himself as a serious author and his involvement in sexual politics. In contrast, Jenny's memoirs establish her as a feminist leader. This work is funny, sexual, serious, and sad...as fresh today as it was when first published in 1978. —Stephen L. Hupp, Univ. of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Lib., PA
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