One of the best narrations.

The reader becomes enveloped in the humanity of each character. Loved it.

No. I don't often repeat books.

Sure. He didn't really stand out but that is OK. I gave 3 stars only because I remember the story but not really the performance and I only finished listening last week.

Homer. I loved him. So deep, yet so simple at the same time.

I couldn't get into this book at all. I never even finished listening. It was not interesting and II just couldn't listen to it anymore. I like other books in this genre, but this just wasn't interesting to me.

I think the best part is the solidly built framework of the orphanage. There are many side stories which are great, but this orphanage is thoroughly vetted and the moral issues of the time (and even now) are completely explored. I loved the deviousness of Dr. Larch especially, as a reader I never quite knew what complex web he was weaving. It is a very compelling story from start to finish!

When the assistant Train Station Master came to the orphanage to pay his last respects to the (deceased) Station Master and came up on Dr. Larch performing the autopsy. All of the events leading up to this made it very entertaining.

I just like his reading voice and cadence. I especially liked him in one of my first audio books "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors". He was equally enjoyable here.

Candy's father (forgot his name). He was a lobster trapper but he was rumored to eat hamburgers instead. Very interesting character, he was a tinkerer, an inventor, and near genius in his creativity.

This is my second Irving book, the first was "Owen Meany". I am now on to "The World according to Garp". I have to say that they have all been very enjoyable. I am a Stephen King fan and these novels are similar in a lot of ways. They are both set in Maine and the New England lifestyle is similarly entrenched in them. I am looking forward to reading more of his books!

At first I had some trouble getting into this book. By the time it was done, I didn't want it to be.

I enjoyed the format of following just a few characters throughout their lives.

When Homer discovered who had impregnated Angel's girlfriend and how it changed his entire viewpoint of abortions.

Picturing the apple pickers on the roof of the Cider House watching the ferris wheel in the distance and their interpretation of what they were seeing.

One of my all time favorites!

I love John Irving's books usually. This one is tedious and unbelievable. I fell in love with Owen Meany but not loving anyone in this story

Less medical gore

Didn't change his voice much per character

All the abortion stuff

I wish the story description would have told that there was an abortion agenda to this writing. I would have chosen not to select it.

Yes it is entertaining and thought provoking. The characters are interesting.

The world according to garp

No

Ray, he seems like an interesting character

and I wouldn't purchase again. It is much more graphic than I am comfortable reading. However, John Irving is a master story teller and I was hooked before knowing what was coming. I couldn't stop listening to this weaving tale of right and wrong, black and white, rules and the varied why of disobediance caused by the murky middleness of life. Well written, symbolic without being blatent, full of complex and very real people. One of the main themes weaving though the book is the issue of abortion, you see it from many points of view... right down to and including looking though a speculum and seeing chunks of fetal tissue. The main character who believes abortion is killing a living soul, eventually becomes an abortionist. The book goes to very uncomfortable areas including incest, spouse abuse, masterbation, affairs, use of condoms, sex with animals, abandonment, pornography, addiction, lesbians and violence. It is not written in a dirty or foul way, rather the innocence and goodness of Homer et al, makes it feel less intense as if he is the buffer. It is a thought provoking book and I understand why the ratings are so high. Just know that it is intense and I wish I could remove some of it from my mind. It is definately not for a young reader.

I've never seen the movie, so I was approaching this book with a clean slate. Now I can't wait to rent it, because I'm dying to see whether the film brings this story to life in a way that matches the world that was created in my head.

Cider House Rules is somewhat of a commitment... you're tracing Doctor Larch and Homer Wells from their most formative years throughout their lives...and it's worth every minute. The subject matter (abortion, orphans, Alzheimer's) is pretty heavy, but you emerge from the experience feeling that you've grappled with some of the elephants you needed to tackle anyway. I'm not saying that listening to this audiobook will tell you whether or not you believe Roe v. Wade should be overturned...just that it's great to be enveloped in a story that touches on the undercurrents running through our shared experiences. In addition, great, believable characters and a narrator perfectly suited to the material.