Roy’s Comments (group member since May 02, 2009)

Roy’s comments from the Between the Lines group.

Mr. Irving is running neck & neck with Toni Morrison and Gabriel Garcia Marquez for my alltime favorite author. As the only one of the three I've had any personal interaction with, I can vouch that he's truly a class act. I have read every one of his books, including his charming children's book that my daughter adores, and will continue doing so as long as he keeps writing them. The World According to Garp is about as close to a perfect novel as you can get. I'm looking forward to Last Night In Twisted River when it comes out in October. If only I had the pull to get my hands on an advance copy. Regarding the comments about his movie adaptions, he writes novels that are so full and rich and complex that it's simply impossible to capture their full essence in a couple hours of screen time. Cider House Rules probably comes closest, and it was a wise decision to make a film based on only a portion of one of his novels (A Widow for One Year) rather that trying to capture the whole book. No group of film makers could have possibly done full justice to Garp, but the effort is nonetheless praiseworthy, particularly the performances by Robin Williams (who knew back then that he was such a good actor) and John Lithgow. A Son of the Circus is easily his weakest novel IMHO, but a weak John Irving novel is better than the best by most authors.