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The 158-Pound Marriage
“Irving looks cunningly beyond the eye-catching gyrations of the mating dance to the morning-after implications.”— The Washington Post
The darker vision and sexual ambiguities of this sensual, ironic tale about a ménage a quatre in a New England university town foreshadow those of The World According to Garp ; but this very trim and precise novel is a marked departure from the author's generally robust, boisterous style. Though Mr. Irving's cool eye spares none of his foursome, he writes with genuine compassion for the sexual tests and illusions they perpetrate on each other; but the sexual intrigue between them demonstrates how even the kind can be ungenerous, and even the well-intentioned, destructive.
“One of the most remarkable things about John Irving's first three novels, viewed from the vantage of The World According to Garp, is that they can be read as one extended fictional enterprise. . . . The 158-Pound Marriage is as lean and concentrated as a mine shaft.”—Terrence Des Pres
“Deft, hard-hitting . . . What Irving demonstrates beautifully is that a one-to-one relationship is more demanding than a free-for-all.”— The New York Times Book Review
The darker vision and sexual ambiguities of this sensual, ironic tale about a ménage a quatre in a New England university town foreshadow those of The World According to Garp ; but this very trim and precise novel is a marked departure from the author's generally robust, boisterous style. Though Mr. Irving's cool eye spares none of his foursome, he writes with genuine compassion for the sexual tests and illusions they perpetrate on each other; but the sexual intrigue between them demonstrates how even the kind can be ungenerous, and even the well-intentioned, destructive.
“One of the most remarkable things about John Irving's first three novels, viewed from the vantage of The World According to Garp, is that they can be read as one extended fictional enterprise. . . . The 158-Pound Marriage is as lean and concentrated as a mine shaft.”—Terrence Des Pres
“Deft, hard-hitting . . . What Irving demonstrates beautifully is that a one-to-one relationship is more demanding than a free-for-all.”— The New York Times Book Review
176 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 1974
407 people are currently reading
4275 people want to read
About the author
John Irving
159 books16.2k followersJOHN IRVING was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1942. His first novel, Setting Free the Bears, was published in 1968, when he was twenty-six. He competed as a wrestler for twenty years, and coached wrestling until he was forty-seven.
Mr. Irving has been nominated for a National Book Award three times—winning once, in 1980, for his novel The World According to Garp. He received an O. Henry Award in 1981 for his short story “Interior Space.” In 2000, Mr. Irving won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. In 2013, he won a Lambda Literary Award for his novel In One Person.
An international writer—his novels have been translated into more than thirty-five languages—John Irving lives in Toronto. His all-time best-selling novel, in every language, is A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Avenue of Mysteries is his fourteenth novel.
Mr. Irving has been nominated for a National Book Award three times—winning once, in 1980, for his novel The World According to Garp. He received an O. Henry Award in 1981 for his short story “Interior Space.” In 2000, Mr. Irving won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. In 2013, he won a Lambda Literary Award for his novel In One Person.
An international writer—his novels have been translated into more than thirty-five languages—John Irving lives in Toronto. His all-time best-selling novel, in every language, is A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Avenue of Mysteries is his fourteenth novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 479 reviews
July 29, 2011
A tale about the trials and tribulations of relationships that are fraught with infidelities, an area of expertise in the writing mind of John Irving, I was expecting a whole lot more from this book than I actually got. As with most Irving novels, there's plenty of Vienna for the reader to sink their teeth into (after all the John Irving I've read over the years I feel almost as intimate with Vienna as I am with my own Toronto, and I've never even been there!), and no bears to mar or confuse this story which is a nice change for early Irving, but the tone and characteristics of the antagonists, and they're all antagonists in this one, just sort of fell flat for me and didn't ring with the usual realism that make John Irving's characters so sympathetic. I felt their jealousy for their scorned and spurned lovers, but I didn't care about it or them as much as I should have. It was a very quick and easy read, but probably not one I'll ever read again which is a shocking review for me to make, indeed, since I think John Irving is one of those writers who wasn't meant to be read, but rather he was meant to be re-read, re-visited, and re-loved. I will do none of those things with The 158-Pound Marriage, but rather just go back and re-read Garp the next time I want to read about the sexual politics of couples as he told the same story in that book, and did a much better job with more fulfilling characters. The second wind of the cuckold, indeed...
June 28, 2007
relationships really aren't all about the sex. john irving kicked even more ass before he was widely read. read it.
September 4, 2007
It's John Irving. One cannot go wrong with John Irving.
August 9, 2009
I love John Irving. I really, really love him. I was very curious to read this because it is one of his early novels and I was told it was bad and very mean spirited. I think it is still better than most novels and only mildly mean spirited. Irving demonstrates his usual (brilliant) humor, his fascination with physical deformity and physical fitness, and his delightfully complex characters. That being said, I found the transitions from scene to scene vague and quick. Several times in this novel I don't know where I am in time and place. The narrative voice is first person, weaving in memory after memory-- it gets confusing. Irving often dances around being a mysoginist asshole and in this novel he just IS one...but I forgive him...because I a forgive him his sins. If I were to meet John I would ask him why he is so into wrestling...I must say it baffles me but the more I read his books the more I want to watch a wrestling match.
February 28, 2012
"The 158-Pound Marriage" is Irving's third novel, but it bears the seal of his trademark conversational prose, his sleek sparsity. The man is a prose pro -- even at this early point in his career -- capable of turning the simplest of descriptions into something fulsomely beautiful, larger than the sum of its parts.
However, just because someone knows how to write, that doesn't mean they know what they're writing about. In this book, Irving tries real hard to make a very little look like a whole lot. This reader wasn't fooled.
The story is about an unnamed college professor (who is also an unsuccessful writer of historical fictions) and his Viennese wife, Utchka. At a faculty get-together, they meet another couple: a Viennese German professor/wrestling coach named Severin, and his spoiled wife, Edith. Without much fanfare, the couples start up a spouse-swapping relationship that, of course, ends badly.
That's it. I'm not kidding.
Irving rounds out his dismal and repetitive plot with various anecdotes, some time-flopping devices, and lots of clever (if not over-wrought) character development. Irving is a maverick at populating his books with legitimate and understandable souls; you can feel their pulses in each slim page. The problem here is that every character is despicable. The narrator is myopic and heartless. Severin is petulant and stubborn. Utch is childish and stupid. And Edith is selfish and melodramatic. The real kicker? None of them change. Not at all.
The story's "twists," if they can be called that, are employed solely to make the reader feel like the tale is in motion, that it both arose from and is headed toward something interesting. That's not the case. These people and their histories (especially Utch's) make for some occasionally intriguing reading, but by the last third of the novel, when the couples are mostly just bickering and whining, you'll find it as intriguing as, well, as watching two couples bicker and whine.
Let's not forget the children. That's right. Both couples have two children which exist in the plot like thumbtacks holding up a map of Swingsville. Not only are the kids barely there, but when they DO show up, their presence is announced sportscaster-style by both Irving and the narrator. My guess is that the next-to-last draft of this novel had no kids at all. Just before publication, I bet Irving decided to try to ratchet the stakes up a notch by tossing in a few tykes, expecting they would give all of the self-indulgent sexuality a tincture of doom. He's trying to slap on some import, make the reader aghast, throw the amoral escapades into the light of carelessness, but such a thing would be unnecessary if the story were well-molded to begin with. As such, the overall effect is cheap and tasteless. (Maybe Irving knew this; the narrator himself frequently mentions how it's too bad he hadn't thought of the children more than he did.)
For a story about love and passion, this book is void of either. Never do the characters seem to have any feelings for anyone other than themselves, and even the occasional "erotic" passage is about as sexy as a shattered shower door or stinking wrestling mat. The book takes place at such a remove (not a surprise, since the narrator, like all the characters, has his sights turned mostly on himself) that there's no connection at all, not between the lovers, nor between the spouses, not even with the reader. There's a lot of nice-sounding prose here, but it tells a dull and dismal half-story, one that's not nearly as profound as it is pathetic.
However, just because someone knows how to write, that doesn't mean they know what they're writing about. In this book, Irving tries real hard to make a very little look like a whole lot. This reader wasn't fooled.
The story is about an unnamed college professor (who is also an unsuccessful writer of historical fictions) and his Viennese wife, Utchka. At a faculty get-together, they meet another couple: a Viennese German professor/wrestling coach named Severin, and his spoiled wife, Edith. Without much fanfare, the couples start up a spouse-swapping relationship that, of course, ends badly.
That's it. I'm not kidding.
Irving rounds out his dismal and repetitive plot with various anecdotes, some time-flopping devices, and lots of clever (if not over-wrought) character development. Irving is a maverick at populating his books with legitimate and understandable souls; you can feel their pulses in each slim page. The problem here is that every character is despicable. The narrator is myopic and heartless. Severin is petulant and stubborn. Utch is childish and stupid. And Edith is selfish and melodramatic. The real kicker? None of them change. Not at all.
The story's "twists," if they can be called that, are employed solely to make the reader feel like the tale is in motion, that it both arose from and is headed toward something interesting. That's not the case. These people and their histories (especially Utch's) make for some occasionally intriguing reading, but by the last third of the novel, when the couples are mostly just bickering and whining, you'll find it as intriguing as, well, as watching two couples bicker and whine.
Let's not forget the children. That's right. Both couples have two children which exist in the plot like thumbtacks holding up a map of Swingsville. Not only are the kids barely there, but when they DO show up, their presence is announced sportscaster-style by both Irving and the narrator. My guess is that the next-to-last draft of this novel had no kids at all. Just before publication, I bet Irving decided to try to ratchet the stakes up a notch by tossing in a few tykes, expecting they would give all of the self-indulgent sexuality a tincture of doom. He's trying to slap on some import, make the reader aghast, throw the amoral escapades into the light of carelessness, but such a thing would be unnecessary if the story were well-molded to begin with. As such, the overall effect is cheap and tasteless. (Maybe Irving knew this; the narrator himself frequently mentions how it's too bad he hadn't thought of the children more than he did.)
For a story about love and passion, this book is void of either. Never do the characters seem to have any feelings for anyone other than themselves, and even the occasional "erotic" passage is about as sexy as a shattered shower door or stinking wrestling mat. The book takes place at such a remove (not a surprise, since the narrator, like all the characters, has his sights turned mostly on himself) that there's no connection at all, not between the lovers, nor between the spouses, not even with the reader. There's a lot of nice-sounding prose here, but it tells a dull and dismal half-story, one that's not nearly as profound as it is pathetic.
October 5, 2012
After reading John Irving's A Son Of The Circus a few months ago and enjoying it (see my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... ), I decided to read another of his books. I chose The 158-Pound Marriagebecause, unlike many of Irving's other works it was a slim volume ideal for carrying whilst commuting.
The narrator is an academic who writes historical novels. His wife, Utch, was born in Austria soon before the Soviet Union marched in at the end of WW2. Severin, also born in Austria, teaches German and coaches wrestling at the same university as the narrator. His wife, Edith, is an aspiring novelist.
The two couples decide to become a foursome'. By mutual agreement Severin spends occasional nights sleeping with Utch, whilst Edith and the narrator sleep together. It is an arrangement that appears to be working, but from the beginning of the book I suspected that things turn sour. It is clear from the outset that the narrator is wary of Severin, but the reverse is not true. Severin turns out to be a colourful character full of mystery, some of which is gradually revealed as the tale unfolds. Inevitably, things end badly, but I will not reveal any details.
Compared to A Son Of The Circus, The 158-Pound Marriage is colourless and dull. It was only a refusal to give up, that kept me going until the last page. However, I have not been put-off reading John Irving, and plan to tackle some of his better-known novels in the future.
The narrator is an academic who writes historical novels. His wife, Utch, was born in Austria soon before the Soviet Union marched in at the end of WW2. Severin, also born in Austria, teaches German and coaches wrestling at the same university as the narrator. His wife, Edith, is an aspiring novelist.
The two couples decide to become a foursome'. By mutual agreement Severin spends occasional nights sleeping with Utch, whilst Edith and the narrator sleep together. It is an arrangement that appears to be working, but from the beginning of the book I suspected that things turn sour. It is clear from the outset that the narrator is wary of Severin, but the reverse is not true. Severin turns out to be a colourful character full of mystery, some of which is gradually revealed as the tale unfolds. Inevitably, things end badly, but I will not reveal any details.
Compared to A Son Of The Circus, The 158-Pound Marriage is colourless and dull. It was only a refusal to give up, that kept me going until the last page. However, I have not been put-off reading John Irving, and plan to tackle some of his better-known novels in the future.
April 29, 2024
3.5⭐
Turbūt pirmas romanas, kurį teko skaityti, apie dvi poras ir jų santykius, kai jie tarpusavyje pradeda keistis partneriais.
Tikėjausi daugiau ir įdomiau, bet lūkesčių neišpildė. Matyt dėl to, kad man tokie keitimaisi yra nesuvokiami ir nepriimtini.
Prie gero jie tikrai nepriveda, ir pasakykit man kaip galima dalintis mylimu žmogumi su kitu???
Turbūt pirmas romanas, kurį teko skaityti, apie dvi poras ir jų santykius, kai jie tarpusavyje pradeda keistis partneriais.
Tikėjausi daugiau ir įdomiau, bet lūkesčių neišpildė. Matyt dėl to, kad man tokie keitimaisi yra nesuvokiami ir nepriimtini.
Prie gero jie tikrai nepriveda, ir pasakykit man kaip galima dalintis mylimu žmogumi su kitu???
October 4, 2017
Das waren sehr mühsame 278 Seiten und ich habe ehrlich gesagt keine Lust noch mehr Zeit auf dieses unheimlich zähe, mir leider nichts sagende, Buch zu verschwenden.
February 26, 2022
Not bad... Irving continues to develop themes that would inform his work from Garp to the present - Vienna, wrestling, infidelity, perversity, etc...
Recommended if you've become an Irving fan after reading his post-Garp novels.
Recommended if you've become an Irving fan after reading his post-Garp novels.
July 23, 2021
Love and light to all characters in this book but I hope I never end up like them.
My mom LOVES John Irving (I picked this book from her bookshelf) but she warned me that this is not one of his better works and even though I have yet to read another Irving book ("A Window For One Year" is already on my nightstand) I know it to be true. I am in love with the writing style – Irving gets sidetracked every other sentence and it makes for an intriguing, fragmented reading experience – and I do enjoy the way he talks about sexuality, but I found myself not caring for any character except Severin and the children. They are supposed to be dislikeable, but except for Severin none of the adults had ANY redeeming traits at all (in my humble opinion). The narrator is fun because his motives and manipulation of the reader are so transparent, but I didn't care about what happened to him. This also ties into the way the relationships are depicted: Given the novel's theme, it's fair that everything is focused on sex, but there are few moments where the reader gets to see why these people married each other in the first place. There is nothing Utsch and the narrator seem to have in common, and the way he talked about both her and Edith made me want to gouge his eyes out. And maybe that was intended by Irving, but it made the reading experience a tad stale, at least for me. Possession and sex a good and interesting relationship do not make. It was a good read, but where other books have a heart, this had descriptions of sexual acts.
My mom LOVES John Irving (I picked this book from her bookshelf) but she warned me that this is not one of his better works and even though I have yet to read another Irving book ("A Window For One Year" is already on my nightstand) I know it to be true. I am in love with the writing style – Irving gets sidetracked every other sentence and it makes for an intriguing, fragmented reading experience – and I do enjoy the way he talks about sexuality, but I found myself not caring for any character except Severin and the children. They are supposed to be dislikeable, but except for Severin none of the adults had ANY redeeming traits at all (in my humble opinion). The narrator is fun because his motives and manipulation of the reader are so transparent, but I didn't care about what happened to him. This also ties into the way the relationships are depicted: Given the novel's theme, it's fair that everything is focused on sex, but there are few moments where the reader gets to see why these people married each other in the first place. There is nothing Utsch and the narrator seem to have in common, and the way he talked about both her and Edith made me want to gouge his eyes out. And maybe that was intended by Irving, but it made the reading experience a tad stale, at least for me. Possession and sex a good and interesting relationship do not make. It was a good read, but where other books have a heart, this had descriptions of sexual acts.
October 13, 2023
Джон Ирвинг написал эту книгу задолго до того, как к нему пришла мировая известность, премии и награды, а в том числе “Оскар” за лучший сценарий. Я признаюсь, что открыла и начала читать книгу по странной ошибке, вместо другого его произведения, но потом не смогла оторваться. В отдельные моменты читать становилось физически сложно, когда сюжет обращался к прошлому героев книги – ко времени Второй Мировой войны и послевоенной жизни в Берлине, разделённом на части. Но для понимания характеров персонажей, откуда они произошли и как оказались в этой маловменяемой ситуации, было важно знать их истоки, влияние корней. Меня удивили их истории, и запомнились, надо отметить, детальнее, чем последующие трагедии их уже взрослых жизней.
Книга написана в начале 70х, когда роль секса в жизни семейной пары уже не замалчивается, а даже с избытком расплёскивается вокруг, вовлекая других людей. Как спасти семью, как удержать любовника, как разжечь страсть с новой силой…? И грустно, и иронично, и больно за отдельные моменты, и я думаю, что понять эту книгу легче тем, кто тоже переживал драмы в отношениях. Конечно, ответов здесь не будет, только клубок нерешенных вопросов, запутанный заигравшимися взрослыми.
Книга написана в начале 70х, когда роль секса в жизни семейной пары уже не замалчивается, а даже с избытком расплёскивается вокруг, вовлекая других людей. Как спасти семью, как удержать любовника, как разжечь страсть с новой силой…? И грустно, и иронично, и больно за отдельные моменты, и я думаю, что понять эту книгу легче тем, кто тоже переживал драмы в отношениях. Конечно, ответов здесь не будет, только клубок нерешенных вопросов, запутанный заигравшимися взрослыми.
April 5, 2011
Partnertausch, um eine Ehekrise zu bewältigen? Was anfangs zu funktionieren scheint, entpuppt sich als fatale Fehleinschätzung: Scheinbar spielt nur einer nicht richtig mit, aber was in den anderen dreien vorgeht, weiß auch keiner genau.
John Irving beschreibt dieses Liebesdrama großartig und menschlich, man kann sich in die Figuren hineinversetzen, man lebt und leidet mit. Auch wenn sein schräger Humor und sein Gespür für skurrile Szenen hier nicht ganz so ausgeprägt zu sein scheinen wie beispielsweise bei Hotel New Hampshire oder Garp, ist Eine Mittelgewichtsehe ein typischer Irving, fesselnd und hervorragend zu lesen.
John Irving beschreibt dieses Liebesdrama großartig und menschlich, man kann sich in die Figuren hineinversetzen, man lebt und leidet mit. Auch wenn sein schräger Humor und sein Gespür für skurrile Szenen hier nicht ganz so ausgeprägt zu sein scheinen wie beispielsweise bei Hotel New Hampshire oder Garp, ist Eine Mittelgewichtsehe ein typischer Irving, fesselnd und hervorragend zu lesen.
December 19, 2022
Der Mann macht mich fertig. Jede Geschichte spielt in Wien oder New Hampshire, jedes Mal sind die Charaktere ultraweird und es geht immer ums Vögeln…
November 18, 2021
“The 158-Pound Marriage” (“Het huwelijk van 158 pond”, 1974) is een voor Irvings doen erg korte roman (235 blz.) over partnerruil. Aangezien Irving een Amerikaan is, heeft de titel uiteraard niks te maken met het Engelse pond, maar wel met een gewichtsklasse uit (je raadt het al) het worstelen. Eén van de vier hoofdfiguren (voor partnerruil moet men met vier zijn) is immers Severin Winter, een worstelcoach van de universiteit van Iowa die in zijn eigen carrière als worstelaar actief was in de categorie tot 157 pond. Ondertussen is die categorie echter gewijzigd naar 158 pond: “As a former 157-pounder, it must be nice, Severin, to involve yourself in a field that’s changed one pound in ten years.” (p.24). “What do you weigh now?” Edith asked. He looked so much bigger, though he was lean in those days. “One fifty-eight,” he said. She wasn’t sure if this was a joke. With him you never knew.” (p.42) “I learned later that he liked to categorize books by wrestling weight classes. Such as: “That’s a pretty fair 134-pound novel.” (p.74)
Severin is de zoon van een Oostenrijks koppel, waarbij de man (de kunstenaar Kurt Winter) zijn echtgenote (de actrice Katrina Marek) naar het buitenland had gestuurd de dag vóór de inval van Hitler. Hij had haar een aantal kunstwerken van zijn hand meegegeven “om te kunnen overleven”, maar toen ze deze ontrolde, bleken het allemaal erotische afbeeldingen van haarzelf te zijn. De man had immers geredeneerd dat ze met haar acteerprestaties in het buitenland niet aan de bak zou kunnen komen en bovendien was ze hoogzwanger dus weinig aantrekkelijk. Maar dankzij die tekeningen kwam het dus nog allemaal goed. Ze zou zelfs nooit meer acteren, ook na de oorlog niet toen ze was teruggekeerd naar Wenen. Ze modelleerde zich een weg door het leven, zou men kunnen zeggen. Meestal droeg ze een “muskrat coat” en daaronder helemaal niks. En in het bezette Wenen volstond het dan meestal om gewoon haar jas eens te openen om ergens toegang te krijgen…
Dat had hij dus goed ingeschat. Minder goed was zijn inschatting om tegen het einde van de oorlog de dieren uit de Weense zoo vrij te laten (tiens, waar hebben we dat nóg gelezen?). De dieren waren immers uitgehongerd en de eerste die op het menu stond was uiteraard hun bevrijder. Bovendien waren ook de Russische “bevrijders” (weer zeer anti-communistische passages) uitgehongerd en in plaats van de dieren te redden, werden ze op die manier op de kortste keren zelf allemaal verorberd.
Die Severin is getrouwd met Edith Fuller uit New York, een teer gebouwd schepsel, dat in opdracht van haar moeder (die voor het Museum of Modern Art werkt) op zoek was naar schilderijen van Kurt Winter (louter als overgangsfiguur, niet als belangrijk schilder), en waarop de auteur (de ik-persoon) meteen verliefd wordt als hij het koppel jaren later ontmoet. Zelf is hij getrouwd met Utchka, wat Oekraïns zou moeten zijn voor “klein kalf”, omdat ze als kind verstopt zat in het karkas van een dode koe, toen de Russen hun dorp “bevrijdden” door iedereen te vermoorden, nadat ze de vrouwen hadden verkracht. Ik moet mij overigens corrigeren als ik opmerk dat dit telkens “anti-communistische” oprispingen van Irving zijn, het zijn eerder racistische uitlatingen, want in het geval van Utchka, stipt Irving zelf de ironie aan dat haar vader door de nazi’s werd geëxecuteerd als “bolsjevistische saboteur”: “It is unproven that he was a Bolshevik, but he was a saboteur.” (p.7) Alhoewel. De passage over het naoorlogse Wenen is van het grofste anti-communisme dat ik ooit heb gelezen. Ik heb er wel de film “The third man” een beetje beter door begrepen, maar ik was dan ook erg jong toen ik die voor de eerste keer zag.
Wat ik niet begrijp is dat John Irving schrijft dat Severin tot dat worstelen is gekomen, omdat hij in zijn jeugd in het naoorlogse Wenen beschermd werd door twee Joegoslavische worstelaars, waarvan er één (Vaso Trivanovich) “een bronzen medaille had gewonnen op de Olympische Spelen van Berlijn” (p.38). Ik ben dan natuurlijk van het type dat dit onmiddellijk gaat opzoeken en uiteraard is er geen sprake van die man. Akkoord, als Bob Mendes een verhaal schrijft over een achttienjarige “beur” die zowaar bijna de Ronde van Frankrijk wint, dan gelooft natuurlijk ook geen mens dat, maar waarom geeft Irving dan zo’n precieze informatie die zo gemakkelijk te weerleggen is? Waarom het niet vager houden? Dat heeft toch geen enkele invloed op het boek?
Uiteraard loopt het allemaal slecht af, hoe kan het ook anders als het over partnerruil gaat, maar dat ga ik hier toch maar niet verklappen, want ondanks alles is het toch wel een lezenswaardige novelle.
Severin is de zoon van een Oostenrijks koppel, waarbij de man (de kunstenaar Kurt Winter) zijn echtgenote (de actrice Katrina Marek) naar het buitenland had gestuurd de dag vóór de inval van Hitler. Hij had haar een aantal kunstwerken van zijn hand meegegeven “om te kunnen overleven”, maar toen ze deze ontrolde, bleken het allemaal erotische afbeeldingen van haarzelf te zijn. De man had immers geredeneerd dat ze met haar acteerprestaties in het buitenland niet aan de bak zou kunnen komen en bovendien was ze hoogzwanger dus weinig aantrekkelijk. Maar dankzij die tekeningen kwam het dus nog allemaal goed. Ze zou zelfs nooit meer acteren, ook na de oorlog niet toen ze was teruggekeerd naar Wenen. Ze modelleerde zich een weg door het leven, zou men kunnen zeggen. Meestal droeg ze een “muskrat coat” en daaronder helemaal niks. En in het bezette Wenen volstond het dan meestal om gewoon haar jas eens te openen om ergens toegang te krijgen…
Dat had hij dus goed ingeschat. Minder goed was zijn inschatting om tegen het einde van de oorlog de dieren uit de Weense zoo vrij te laten (tiens, waar hebben we dat nóg gelezen?). De dieren waren immers uitgehongerd en de eerste die op het menu stond was uiteraard hun bevrijder. Bovendien waren ook de Russische “bevrijders” (weer zeer anti-communistische passages) uitgehongerd en in plaats van de dieren te redden, werden ze op die manier op de kortste keren zelf allemaal verorberd.
Die Severin is getrouwd met Edith Fuller uit New York, een teer gebouwd schepsel, dat in opdracht van haar moeder (die voor het Museum of Modern Art werkt) op zoek was naar schilderijen van Kurt Winter (louter als overgangsfiguur, niet als belangrijk schilder), en waarop de auteur (de ik-persoon) meteen verliefd wordt als hij het koppel jaren later ontmoet. Zelf is hij getrouwd met Utchka, wat Oekraïns zou moeten zijn voor “klein kalf”, omdat ze als kind verstopt zat in het karkas van een dode koe, toen de Russen hun dorp “bevrijdden” door iedereen te vermoorden, nadat ze de vrouwen hadden verkracht. Ik moet mij overigens corrigeren als ik opmerk dat dit telkens “anti-communistische” oprispingen van Irving zijn, het zijn eerder racistische uitlatingen, want in het geval van Utchka, stipt Irving zelf de ironie aan dat haar vader door de nazi’s werd geëxecuteerd als “bolsjevistische saboteur”: “It is unproven that he was a Bolshevik, but he was a saboteur.” (p.7) Alhoewel. De passage over het naoorlogse Wenen is van het grofste anti-communisme dat ik ooit heb gelezen. Ik heb er wel de film “The third man” een beetje beter door begrepen, maar ik was dan ook erg jong toen ik die voor de eerste keer zag.
Wat ik niet begrijp is dat John Irving schrijft dat Severin tot dat worstelen is gekomen, omdat hij in zijn jeugd in het naoorlogse Wenen beschermd werd door twee Joegoslavische worstelaars, waarvan er één (Vaso Trivanovich) “een bronzen medaille had gewonnen op de Olympische Spelen van Berlijn” (p.38). Ik ben dan natuurlijk van het type dat dit onmiddellijk gaat opzoeken en uiteraard is er geen sprake van die man. Akkoord, als Bob Mendes een verhaal schrijft over een achttienjarige “beur” die zowaar bijna de Ronde van Frankrijk wint, dan gelooft natuurlijk ook geen mens dat, maar waarom geeft Irving dan zo’n precieze informatie die zo gemakkelijk te weerleggen is? Waarom het niet vager houden? Dat heeft toch geen enkele invloed op het boek?
Uiteraard loopt het allemaal slecht af, hoe kan het ook anders als het over partnerruil gaat, maar dat ga ik hier toch maar niet verklappen, want ondanks alles is het toch wel een lezenswaardige novelle.
July 18, 2025
Ich bin leider sehr enttäuscht von John Irving, dass er diesen Quatsch fabriziert hat. Ich habe "Gottes Werk und Teufels Beitrag" und "Hotel New Hampshire" gelesen und fand beides wirklich sehr gut, daher hat ich mir dieses Erlebnis anders vorgestellt :(
Den Extra-Punkt gibt es für seine Begabung, sich die absurdesten Backstories über seine Charaktere auszudenken. Außerdem fand ich auch hier an sich seine Schreibart gut, es war eher der Inhalt der komplett dumm war... Es geht um zwei Paare, die miteinander swingen, was in dem Fall Partnertausch heißt. Die Frauen machen zwar auch mal miteinander rum, aber natürlich nur in einer Dreierkonstellation, damit es geil für den Mann ist und NATÜRLICH bekommen auch beide Männer dieses Erlebnis unverdienterweise. Die Männer strotzen vor Eifersucht und können sich gegenseitig nicht ausstehen (was immerhin wahrscheinlich realistisch ist). Besonders eklig fand ich, dass die eine Frau angeblich so viel hässlicher ist, als die andere, weil sie so fett ist, I guess??? (Die gute wiegt 62 Kilogramm). Die andere ist ja so rank und schlank und begehrenswert und ihr Handgelenk ist so DÜNN und ECKIG Kotz kotz... natürlich haben die Frauen auch jeden Abend Bock auf die millionste Penetration ihres Ehemannes und sind immer schon feucht, wenn er sie nur anhaucht. Das Buch ist wohl repräsentativ für die sexuelle Freiheitsbewegung der siebziger Jahre, in denen Männer irgendwie halt rumbumsen wollen I guess? Ah und der eine hat irgendwie auch Sex mit seiner Frau, während die schläft, also alles super, Vergewaltigung ist auch dabei und sie hat natürlich überhaupt kein Problem damit.
Außerdem sind ihnen ihre Kinder auch irgendwie völlig egal, also so, die sind die ganze Zeit einfach auch zu Hause, während ein fremder Mann mit ihrer Mami im Schlafzimmer bumst??? Außerdem fallen so Sätze wie "Ich kann mich nicht erinnern, wann wir das letzte Mal als Familie zusammen Abend gegessen haben" und "ich habe schon so lange nicht an meine Kinder gedacht" oder so ähnlich? Die sind die wahren Opfer in dieser Geschichte, meiner Meinung nach.
Fazit, I cannot recommend... Die anderen Bücher von ihm sind aber sehr gut und eigentlich auch eher progressiv was Geschlechterrollen angeht, also keine Ahnung was DAS war.
Den Extra-Punkt gibt es für seine Begabung, sich die absurdesten Backstories über seine Charaktere auszudenken. Außerdem fand ich auch hier an sich seine Schreibart gut, es war eher der Inhalt der komplett dumm war... Es geht um zwei Paare, die miteinander swingen, was in dem Fall Partnertausch heißt. Die Frauen machen zwar auch mal miteinander rum, aber natürlich nur in einer Dreierkonstellation, damit es geil für den Mann ist und NATÜRLICH bekommen auch beide Männer dieses Erlebnis unverdienterweise. Die Männer strotzen vor Eifersucht und können sich gegenseitig nicht ausstehen (was immerhin wahrscheinlich realistisch ist). Besonders eklig fand ich, dass die eine Frau angeblich so viel hässlicher ist, als die andere, weil sie so fett ist, I guess??? (Die gute wiegt 62 Kilogramm). Die andere ist ja so rank und schlank und begehrenswert und ihr Handgelenk ist so DÜNN und ECKIG Kotz kotz... natürlich haben die Frauen auch jeden Abend Bock auf die millionste Penetration ihres Ehemannes und sind immer schon feucht, wenn er sie nur anhaucht. Das Buch ist wohl repräsentativ für die sexuelle Freiheitsbewegung der siebziger Jahre, in denen Männer irgendwie halt rumbumsen wollen I guess? Ah und der eine hat irgendwie auch Sex mit seiner Frau, während die schläft, also alles super, Vergewaltigung ist auch dabei und sie hat natürlich überhaupt kein Problem damit.
Außerdem sind ihnen ihre Kinder auch irgendwie völlig egal, also so, die sind die ganze Zeit einfach auch zu Hause, während ein fremder Mann mit ihrer Mami im Schlafzimmer bumst??? Außerdem fallen so Sätze wie "Ich kann mich nicht erinnern, wann wir das letzte Mal als Familie zusammen Abend gegessen haben" und "ich habe schon so lange nicht an meine Kinder gedacht" oder so ähnlich? Die sind die wahren Opfer in dieser Geschichte, meiner Meinung nach.
Fazit, I cannot recommend... Die anderen Bücher von ihm sind aber sehr gut und eigentlich auch eher progressiv was Geschlechterrollen angeht, also keine Ahnung was DAS war.
August 13, 2021
2.5 gwiazdki
Jestem wielką fanką powieści Irvinga, jednak Małżeństwo wagi półśredniej zmęczyło mnie i rozczarowało.
Warsztat autora i jego zmysł obserwacji jak zwykle bez zarzutu, a mimo to książka pozostawia niesmak. Historia czworga ludzi połączonych seksualną grą, którzy tylko wg metryki są dojrzali, a w rzeczywistości infantylni, małostkowi, bezwzględni i żałośni, to kolejna opowiastka o tym, że zabawy zapałkami są niebezpieczne - las spłonął, nowy nie odrośnie, a podpalacze niczego się nie nauczyli.
Czytałam bez zainteresowania, czasami irytując się bezbrzeżną głupotą bohatera/narratora, nie współczując postaciom, ani im nie kibicując. Mogłam spokojnie darować sobie lekturę, ale cóż... to Irving.
Jestem wielką fanką powieści Irvinga, jednak Małżeństwo wagi półśredniej zmęczyło mnie i rozczarowało.
Warsztat autora i jego zmysł obserwacji jak zwykle bez zarzutu, a mimo to książka pozostawia niesmak. Historia czworga ludzi połączonych seksualną grą, którzy tylko wg metryki są dojrzali, a w rzeczywistości infantylni, małostkowi, bezwzględni i żałośni, to kolejna opowiastka o tym, że zabawy zapałkami są niebezpieczne - las spłonął, nowy nie odrośnie, a podpalacze niczego się nie nauczyli.
Czytałam bez zainteresowania, czasami irytując się bezbrzeżną głupotą bohatera/narratora, nie współczując postaciom, ani im nie kibicując. Mogłam spokojnie darować sobie lekturę, ale cóż... to Irving.
May 7, 2022
I just reread this novel, and was surprised at how little I cared for it. It is not rollicking and boisterous, like his other novels. In every one of his novels there is a scene that has me laughing so hard I have to put the book down. Not this one; not even close.
The novel focuses entirely on two couples who develop a menage a quatre. As such, the subject matter is distasteful, and the novel never really moves far away from the interrelationships of the four people. A few other people (their children, for example) drift into and out of the novel, but are never fully developed as characters.
I'll still keep reading John Irving's novels, but I highly doubt I will ever reread this one again.
The novel focuses entirely on two couples who develop a menage a quatre. As such, the subject matter is distasteful, and the novel never really moves far away from the interrelationships of the four people. A few other people (their children, for example) drift into and out of the novel, but are never fully developed as characters.
I'll still keep reading John Irving's novels, but I highly doubt I will ever reread this one again.
December 22, 2022
Irving's first three novels, the ones before Garp, are a window into the process of an author learning to write. He recycles themes, characters, situations, experimenting with different permutations to see what might work. He gradually improves, and there are moments of quality, but I'm surprised these books were published. While an insight into Irving's process, perhaps a lesson for beginning writers, I didn't really need to read these three books. Starting with Garp, which I'll read next, is a good place to begin.
August 4, 2025
I swore off Irving after putting down The Cider House Rules. No more for me, still I had The 158-Pound Marriage staring at me from the unread shelves for most likely more than a decade. So time to read and discard it. Unfortunately Irving's tale of 2 married couples who share each other physically and emotionally, falls flat. Somehow he manages to make sex unexciting and decidedly unerotic, no small feat. Also contains wrestling scenes. Hoo boy!
June 5, 2017
As a fan of John Irvin, I was deeply disappointed in this book. I'm bitter due to past relationships, but not bitter enough to appreciate the resentment and anger that overshadowed the storyline.
January 10, 2023
I still love Irvings style of writing fiction in a biographic way of storytelling. His way of interrupting the story with storys of the characters past is a great thing to deepen the backstory and helps to build up the differnt characters. This story had a lot of Irvings classic elements and his writing is good! But the story itself was not my thing, I guess.
June 30, 2011
I LOVED The Hotel New Hampshire, The World According to Garp, and A Prayer for Owen Meany, and really liked A Widow for One Year. I read this even though it didn't look that good because I have a three-month-old and no time or attention span for reading anything anymore but John Irving is always pretty quick-moving and this book looked short.
If I didn't already love John Irving I would have hated this book. The characters were pretty unconvincing and if I had been convinced then I wouldn't have liked them. The story was banal and told with such heavy-handedness as to make the banality even more irritating. But, I do already love John Irving, and this book, written early in his career, had enough of the stuff he would later turn into those genius books that I adore, that I enjoyed it anyway. It was like, even though I didn't like THIS book, it reminded me enough of the ones that I DO like that I was able to enjoy reading it.
Two stars for being the first real book I've been able to read since having a baby (and the second since getting pregnant). And in related news, I've been wearing all my pants with the stretchy band to hold them together during and after pregnancy, but I just went to the bathroom and thought, Why not give it a go? and MY PANTS FIT!!! First book and first time closing my pants in a long time. Things are getting back to normal.
If I didn't already love John Irving I would have hated this book. The characters were pretty unconvincing and if I had been convinced then I wouldn't have liked them. The story was banal and told with such heavy-handedness as to make the banality even more irritating. But, I do already love John Irving, and this book, written early in his career, had enough of the stuff he would later turn into those genius books that I adore, that I enjoyed it anyway. It was like, even though I didn't like THIS book, it reminded me enough of the ones that I DO like that I was able to enjoy reading it.
Two stars for being the first real book I've been able to read since having a baby (and the second since getting pregnant). And in related news, I've been wearing all my pants with the stretchy band to hold them together during and after pregnancy, but I just went to the bathroom and thought, Why not give it a go? and MY PANTS FIT!!! First book and first time closing my pants in a long time. Things are getting back to normal.
October 3, 2011
I can't seem to get sick of Irving. This is one of his shortest novels I've read and that threw me off a bit because I've been reading a lot of Irving lately and all his novels are thick. I picked this book up because I heard that it was similar to the world according to garp (which I loved). This book was about two married couples that enter into a foursome. At first it was a bit unclear how this foursome started and Irving was a bit vague about that but once you get deeper into the story it starts to unfold and each of the four character story is told and you love some and hate the others. Though there are four people in the foursome its told from the perspective of one of the husbands who isn't talking about himself but narrating the life of the other husband and how the three are living in his world. I don't want to give the ending away but this novel was enjoyable to read. One thing thats different from this novel from the other works of Irving I've read is that its not a crazy twist or plot involved, yes its a odd topic but its simple and Irvings prose as always is fantastic and on point.
March 29, 2019
Based on the reviews and the questionable subject matter, I was unprepared to actually *like* this book. What a pleasant surprise! It is deeply moving, tragic, and painful -- the story of four children playing an adult game whose consequences they are unwilling to consider. The story arc, which mirrors real life in this situation, wraps up as untidily as it would in real life, with no real growth of any of the characters, no happy ending, no real promise, even, that the characters won't repeat their mistakes again. But that's real life ... and I loved it! John Irving is a brilliant master of human emotions; I have yet to read a book of his all the way through that I haven't loved (though I am struggling to get into one of his most acclaimed: The Cider House Rules.) The 158-Pound Marriage isn't for everyone; however, if you're not discomfited by loose ties, no morals, and messy human emotions, it's a terrific read.
July 21, 2020
Istorija apie dviejų šeimų mėginimą dalintis partneriais, atvirai ir be skrupulų. Labai vaizdingas ir... sakykim, kūniškas kūrinys.
Įdomu tai, kad man “Vidutinio svorio santuoka” pasirodė labai neirvingiška knyga. Visų pirma, 245 psl. dažniausiai sudaro 50%, o kartais ir mažiau kūrinio apimties. Antra - dažniausiai jo knygose veikia labai stiprūs, vieni su kitais dėl žibintų šviesos kovojantys net keli pagrindiniai veikėjai, o čia aš beveik neradau nei vieno. Visi keturi esminiai veikėjai kažkaip vienodai išblukę, tarytum visi keturi yra vienas. Trečia - dažniausiai savo kūriniuose Irvingas dėlioja gyvenimo kelionę, rašo coming of age romaną; Čia, tuo tarpu, apimamas vos kelių mėnesių laikotarpis ir dviejų šeimų psichologinis niuansas.
Kita vertus, tai pirma jo knyga, kuri jaučiasi tokia moderni, t.y., ne klasikinė, kaip kiti mano skaityti, kur svarbiau už istoriją yra psicholiginė kelionė. Man tai, deja, ne pliusas.
Įdomu tai, kad man “Vidutinio svorio santuoka” pasirodė labai neirvingiška knyga. Visų pirma, 245 psl. dažniausiai sudaro 50%, o kartais ir mažiau kūrinio apimties. Antra - dažniausiai jo knygose veikia labai stiprūs, vieni su kitais dėl žibintų šviesos kovojantys net keli pagrindiniai veikėjai, o čia aš beveik neradau nei vieno. Visi keturi esminiai veikėjai kažkaip vienodai išblukę, tarytum visi keturi yra vienas. Trečia - dažniausiai savo kūriniuose Irvingas dėlioja gyvenimo kelionę, rašo coming of age romaną; Čia, tuo tarpu, apimamas vos kelių mėnesių laikotarpis ir dviejų šeimų psichologinis niuansas.
Kita vertus, tai pirma jo knyga, kuri jaučiasi tokia moderni, t.y., ne klasikinė, kaip kiti mano skaityti, kur svarbiau už istoriją yra psicholiginė kelionė. Man tai, deja, ne pliusas.
March 14, 2015
Kind of boring. I like John Irving, but lately finding out he's hit or miss. A Prayer for Owen Meany is great, but books like this one and Widow for a Year stink.
Couldn't get into any of the characters in this book and the story got old real quick. It's about two couples that swap wifes/husbands. It's predictable and no surprise ending really. Thankfully, it's only 250 pages. Avoid and read a Prayer for Owen Meany instead.
Couldn't get into any of the characters in this book and the story got old real quick. It's about two couples that swap wifes/husbands. It's predictable and no surprise ending really. Thankfully, it's only 250 pages. Avoid and read a Prayer for Owen Meany instead.
September 7, 2015
This is a compelling and startling book. Irving does a superb job of feeding you each character’s history in order to understand why this foursome even happens and for me, these character backgrounds were truly the meat of the book. Because you know so much about each member you can realize the tensions and trigger points exposed during their affairs together. The underlying theme is this: scorn, jealousy and rage disguised by carnal desire cannot stay hidden forever.
January 29, 2024
this is about a foursome, an experiment in switching partners with another couple. taking couple vacations with another couple, dinner and sleepovers house hopping. its difficult for me because i don't like the narrator. he's too goopy. and the children have no presence. but i keep reading. its really intense and relationshippy
July 29, 2015
I think that this is a book that some bored housewife would probably enjoy. For me, there was nothing interesting, it took too much time to built the main characters and the rest of it was just sex. I barely had the energy to finish the book.
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