Andrea Alessandro Alessandro من عند Cabanas, كوبا من عند Cabanas, كوبا

i have an ongoing love affair with john irving, and it all started with this book. i read it for the first time when i was a tad too young, and it has had a freakishly large impact on me. it is not necessarily grand or epic in any sense, and the story is ridiculous and morbid and almost fantastical with its excessive insanity. now, i want to look at it with a condescending and adultlike detachment, believing life has a much higher purpose than wading through the soap opera depicted here. but what i learned, again at a too young age, is that the dirty, dark and crazy melodrama is the best part of any existence. the juicy stuff is what makes us tick. this book is a must-read. it goes rather quickly, rollicking through the lives and sexual escapades of the characters without much time to catch a breath. you will keep reading just to know if something more ridiculous will happen soon, but find yourself surprised at your attachment to the characters. even when irving becomes a bit obsessive with description, it only paints a deeper image in your mind. it is also unbelievably moving - there is a section that i tend to skip now, simply because i will start sobbing too hard if i read it. but i also find myself laughing out loud to other parts, frequently through the tears. i learned what a douche bag was from this book. that was an awkward conversation with my health teacher...

I read this book all in one day. It was an enjoyable read in which we get to know more about Sophie and her friends and we also meet new characters. I'm looking forward to the next one...which won't be out for a while. Oh well.