yong : book 4/25 : The World According to Garp by John Irving

Like Rich, I was looking for a light, easy read after all the sweat and tears I'd expended toiling through Les Mis. Unfortunately, I overshot.

I'd picked up this ratty paperback at a book giveaway. That's what they do with the dregs that are left after a friends-of-this-or-that-library book sale. The cover fell off while I was reading it, but as you can see, I skillfully reattached it with clear packaging tape; it's now in slightly sturdier condition than when I found it.

"America's most jubilant bestseller!" declares the cover. On the back, more glowing testimonials and review snippets. Now I ain't normally a bestseller kind of guy. But you gotta understand, I was in a gravely weakened reading condition after my last book. I bit. Only there wasn't much to bite.

I vaguely remembered watching the movie with Robin Williams. Well, the movie skips the first four hundred pages of this 609 page book. It also skips the last hundred and seventy pages or so. The forty pages or so in the middle that the movie actual deals with, I think (but don't confidently remember) it completely rewrote.

This was a book that was actually well-suited to reading in fifteen minute nibbles during the silent reading period that we have between fourth and fifth period at the school I'm student teaching at. It was a book that I had no problem putting down, until I got to tha last chapter and a half of its 19 chapters. Through the first two-thirds, I felt no suspense or anticipation or excitement or concern for any of the main characters. There was nothing "jubilant" about it, or compelling, or even vaguely emotional. Finally, in the last third of the book, it got a little interesting. And the last chapter and a half were actually quite good. And the last sentence was a knockout. But does that justify the first four hundred pages?

It just goes to show...you really can't judge a book by its cover. :D