The Cider House Rules: A Screenplay

by John Irving

The practices of Dr. Wilbur Larch--obstetrician, orphanage director, ether addict, and abortionist--are hindered, abetted, and continued, in turn, by his favorite orphan, Homer Wells

Genres: Fiction, Literature

182 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

JOHN 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.

Reviews

[Spence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an example of a perfect story. As is The Shawshank Redemption or Fargo. All the charcters are well thought up and intriguing. It is a charcter driven plot that is riveting. And everything comes full circle in the end. It touches every one of the human emotions. The thing with the actual Cider House Rules is ingenious. You wait the whole screenplay to find out what it is and then...Everyone who breathes air should read this screenplay.

[Jeff Steward · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Cider House rules John Irving manages what few author's can. He truly weaves a story. The threads of the paths of the individual characters come together to create a complete fabric while remaining believable. The characters are well developed moving the reader to compassion or dislike depending on one's view. The development of the lead character, Homer Wells is compelling and held my interest during the entire book, which is fairly long one. But it does not overshadow the other characters. Many of the characters are noble but they all have deep flaws. Irving even managed to make me laugh out loud in the midst of several intense even depressing events in the lives of his characters. A word of warning, the book deals with abortion,a central theme in the book, in a graphic manner. The movie, an award winner in it's own right only remotely follows the book. So if you have seen the movie don't judge the book by it. I would recommend the book to those who like stories deep with individual struggle and human interaction.

[Tracie Sneed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disturbing subject

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read for any fan of the book or the movie.

[Sophie Bowns · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored the film! 🧡

[Marcus J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good film. Such a rich plot - an Irving novel so that fits. But it felt like a novel adaptation and I would have liked to seen it in the hands of a different screenwriter rather than those of the novelist. I don't know...there was a coldness with our main character that meant I lacked sympathy for him. The Tobey Maguire character just ups and leaves the orphanage and never visits, missing the deaths of Fuzzy and Dr Lark. So he loses my sympathy there. Meanwhile Dr Lark turns out to be corrupt, albeit someone who believes his own motives, so he loses my sympathy. There go the protagonist and antagonist. At its heart it breaks the Aristotelian rules of inspiring fear or pity, or having the protagonist's moral character arc. The reversals/twists are good, as is the structure, but I feel pushed away by Irving's world. He doesn't draw me in enough. It is a colder lens on life. Too goyish. Not caring enough. Too many grey lines. I see why it got the Oscar but also why it didn't touch me..and I want to be moved more.

[Alyssa Myck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the screen play. The contrasting characters made it a very interesting read. The ending was built up through the screenplay and did not disappoint. I enjoyed the movie more than the play because I am a more visual learner and found the movie more interesting. It teaches lessons of integrity and determination through Homer's actions. It portrays human conflicts through the relationship Dr. Larch and Homer built. Isolation, abandonment, nutriment and the chance to start over. These and many more feelings are shown throughout the film in relationships between characters.

[Selina Stoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cider House Rules is the most entertaining Screenplay I have read in a high school English class. We watched the movie as well and I feel the film interpretation elaborates on the emotion that is hidden in the script. The story connects all the characters together through the primary and secondary story lines, while making it a realistic and entertaining tale that we can all relate to in some aspect.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the screenplay and the film, The Cider House Rules. It was well written. I believe that we can all connect to either Homer or Dr. Larch is any part of it. The film did a good job in portraying the characters and I sure got engulfed by both the screenplay and the film. It for sure is worth the read!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The screenplay is interesting, without watching the movie. You get a different idea on the characters personality and reactions in your perspective. The plot was steady as in not giving away to much information at once. The movie more or less followed the the screenplay only leaving out a few scenes.
Read this first before watching the movie.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Den mangler én stjerne på grunn av blodet, og sorgen jeg har blandet inn etter at jeg ble mor. Glad jeg leste den lenge før. Men det må vel være typisk meg å sørge over ufødte romanpersoner... Det ville i alle fall tante ha sagt!

[whiskeytownwombat · Rating 5 out of 5]

a little slow at first, but i soon found myself so deeply into the story. i felt challenged to figure out more specifically where i stood on abortion, women's rights, etc. irving's approach to the subject is gentle yet firm. i am really growing to love his writing

[Calvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great movie! It really shows you the importance of staying close to your foundation. You may be given opportunities in your life but you will always come back to where you began. Acting was precise and the ending just hits you in the feels.

[Nathan Molloy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great film! There's not really much to say about this movie other than the fact that it is extremely solid! Everything about it is good and it's hard to find many flaws at all in this film, which is hard. The story, cast, emotion, score, acting.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

sjelden har jeg hatt slik glede av å lese bok først og så se filmen etterpå. God bok, men kanskje enda bedre film.

[Aunt Missy]

Another John Irving - well written and quirky.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tough issues put in a way that you really sympathize with the main characters, even though you don't approve. Much better than the movie, in fact DOn't See the Movie!

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the typical John Irving style this story of a relationship between father and son shows that it isn't always nature but nurture that molds us.

[Joseph Longo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great screenplay. Well worth the Oscar it received.

[Michael Bereziuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

It blends romance with the love of children, the warmth of family with the darker side of human nature, and the all-encompassing belief that everything has a purpose.

[Joshe Azarcon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story overall was heartwarming and endearing. It has created a moral atmosphere between sense of belonging and independence. I like both the movie and screenplay equally.

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Michael Bay didn't direct it