A Widow for One Year

By: John Irving

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 24 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

Ruth Cole is a complex, often self-contradictory character — a "difficult" woman. By no means is she conventionally "nice", but she will never be forgotten.

Ruth's story is told in three parts, each focusing on a crucial time in her life. When we first meet her in the summer of 1958 on Long Island, Ruth is only four.

The second window into Ruth's life opens in the fall of 1990, when Ruth is an unmarried woman whose personal life is not nearly as successful as her literary career. She distrusts her judgment in men, for good reason.

A Widow for One Year closes in the autumn of 1995, when Ruth Cole is a 41-year-old widow and mother — and about to fall in love for the first time.

Richly comic, as well as deeply disturbing, A Widow for One Year is a multilayered love story of astonishing emotional force. Both ribald and erotic, it is also a brilliant novel about the passage of time and the relentlessness of grief.

©1998 Garp Enterprises, Ltd. (P)1998 Random House, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Irving's most entertaining and persuasive novel since... The World According to Garp." ( The New York Times)

"Impressive....There's hardly a writer alive who can match his control of the omniscient point of view." ( The Washington Post Book World)

"Wisely and carefully crafted...Irving is among the few novelists who can write a novel about grief and fill it with ribald humor soaked in irony." ( USA Today)

More than a door in the floor

So many characters! Eddie, Marion, Ted, Thomas, Timothy, Ruth, Hannah, Harry, Mrs. Von, Alan, Graham; I would write Mr. Irving to tell him how I loved this book; how it made me feel, but when you read the book, you would know why I won't.

Give this book a try. I disagree with those that cannot find the beauty in it. I never have made comments on books I've read before because I've never felt I could write in a way that would have accurately conveyed how they make me feel.

You will be able to relate to the story and the characters. You will envy the author and his imagination. You will know and understand the characters. You will enjoy this book; immensely!

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Returning to Amsterdam

John Irving has a fascination with the red-light districts of Amsterdam, detailed in another novel "Until I Find You." This setting and the author's exploration of many controversial sexual themes keep his books lively, entertaining, and engaging. His tight control of the narrative is also an hallmark of his method. I have enjoyed all but one of John Irving's books and would welcome audiobook versions of all of older works. We have too few of his many great works.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Great story and Excellent Narrator

I had seen the film A Door In The Floor which was based on this book and The Cider House Rules, and I was intrigued about John Irving's work. The book delves much further into the character of Ruth as both a child and an adult. Although I was disappointed with the ending because it felt like it ended too tidy, over all I thought it was amazing, and I am working my way through other Irving novels. His sense of irony and the way he gives the reader tidbits of information of what happens in the characters future, which they themselves don't know, leaves you wanting more all the time. The Narrator was amazing in this, and I recommend it just based on that.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Fabulous Story, Gets Better with Every Reading

I've read this book 4 times in the past couple of years, and enjoy it more each time I read it. John Irving is a master of character development, and the writing is impecable. A totally satisfying story.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Good but flawed

John Irving writes good, satisfying stories, with good characters. This long book has some great characters but Irving seems to think that all men have breast fixations that just won't quit, and it gets very tiresome. He just won't let up on the breasts, and pity the woman who is underendowed in that department. The story (or interwoven stories) move right along, and aside from one horrific, depressing incident in the later part of the book, it's believable within Irving's frame of reference. The bummer incident could have been modified or reconstructed in any number of ways to be more believable and not give the reader such an unpleasant kick in the pants. (It left me in a shocked, unhappy mood for hours after that part of the book.) Anyway, I do recommend the book, and I did enjoy it, but I bet lots of people will not care for it.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

A Waste of time and $$$

I love John Irving. But his books run from can't put down to can't pick up. This books falls under the latter category. This book just goes on and on and on and never really gets interesting. I bought it because of it's 5 star rating, but cant imagine why it even has 3 stars. I quit listening with 3 hours to go. Just couldn't get to the end.

19 of 25 people found this review helpful

Confusing!

This was an OK book for me. I wanted to give it a higher rating since I couldn't stop listening to it but Geez Louise --- well, I'm just confused.
George Guidall does an excellent job of narration but the story still leaves me with major brain fog.
Parts of the story were exciting and even funny - I couldn't wait to hear what would happen next. Then there were big chunks of it that felt like being led down a dark alley and left there for way too long.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Not a fan of narrator.

I know, George Guidall is popular; however, although his voice is fine, he uses a certain even cadence that makes all of his narration very hard for me to listen to. I am constantly distracted and have to keep rewinding as my mind drifts off. He's great for putting me to sleep.
The story was typical Irving, which I always like. It's more about characterizations than a captivating plot. I just enjoy his writing. If you want an excellent story with an interesting pace, listen to Cider House Rules. This book was far too long and needed serious editing.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Among His Very Best

Owen Meany, Cider House Rules. and now Widow....Irving touches the core of our existence on this planet, and our relationships with those both close to, and distant from us, like no one else for me, save Dickens.
Even though the end is a shade too tidy, the tides of how we both save and wound those closest to us resound for me repeatedly in this novel.
The narrator is superb.
Get this book. You will not be disappointed. I am quite sure I will remember these characters for a long ,long time.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Repetitious nonsense

I listened to this book after finishing Irving's previous book: "A prayer for Owen Meany" which I loved. "A widow for one year" was a disappointing follow up. Irvin's ridiculous referrals to women's breasts and their lingerie and clothing was funny in Owen Meany, but there was far too much of it in this book to the point of it ruining the story. Since there was not much of a story either, the book was very disappointing and I feel like I wasted my credit this month!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful