Cider House Rules (Irving)

Book Reviews
The point [of the novel] which is driven home with the sledgehammer effect that John Irving usually uses—is that there are always multiple sets of rules for a given society.... Actually, this is a sharper point than Mr. Irving has made in any of his previous five novels.... [Cider House Rules is] funny and absorbing, and it makes clever use of the plot's seeming predictability.
New York Times


An old-fashioned, big-hearted novel...with its epic yearning caught in the 19th century, somewhere between Trollope and Twain.... The rich detail makes for vintage Irving.
Boston Sunday Globe


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. Victims of tragedy, violence, and injustice, their lives seem more interesting and full of thought-provoking dilemmas than the lives of many real people.
Houston Post


John Irving's sixth and best novel.... He 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.
Philadelphia Inquirer


Entertaining and affecting . . . ...John Irving is the most relentlessly inventive writer around. He proliferates colorful incidents and crotchets of character.... A truly astounding amount of artistry and ingenuity."
San Diego Union