A bit about John Irving
John Irving is an acclaimed, best-selling novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter. He is best known for his epic dark comedy novels including The World According to Garp and A Prayer for Owen Meany.
The following two aspects of John Irving’s life influence his writing:
- He has suffered from dyslexia throughout his life and struggled specifically with reading. As a result, he writes clear and deliberate prose; and
- John Irving always plots his ending first and writes towards a predetermined and deliberate conclusion.
John Irving’s literary achievements
John Irving has published sixteen novels over his sixty year career. His novels tackle complex social and gender issues and the fallibility of institutions.
He has won three major literary awards, namely, National Book Award in 1980 for The World According to Garp, Lambda Literary Award (2013 for his novel, In One Person, and Dayton Literary Peace Prize (2018) receiving the Richard C. Holbrooke Award for Distinguished Achievement.
John Irving’s notable best-selling books are The World According to Garp (1978), The Cider House Rules (1985), and A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989).
The World According to Garp by John Irving
What Amazon says
This is the life and times of T. S. Garp, the bastard son of Jenny Fields – a feminist leader ahead of her times. It is also the life and death of a famous mother and her almost-famous son; theirs is a world of sexual extremes – even of sexual assassinations. It is a novel rich with ‘lunacy and sorrow’; yet the dark, violent events of the story do not undermine a comedy both ribald and robust. It provides almost cheerful, even hilarious evidence of its famous last line: «In the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases.»
My review
This novel is a fascinating satire about the rise of feminism pre- during- and after- World War 2. The book is set mainly in American, with some interludes in Vienna, Europe, and revolves around the lives of Jenny Fields, a nurse and single mother, and her son, TS Garp. I did not know that much about feminism during this time period so, for me, it was a very insightful and informative read. This is a character driven book and uses exaggeration of possible situations and relationships in everyday life to make strong points about its key themes in a darkly humorous way.
Jennie Fields is a fascinating character who decides in her early 20s to take a stand against the firm gender based roles of society at the time and her family’s expectations of her future. She leaves collage where her parents expected her to find a suitable husband, and pursues studies and a career in nursing. Jennie excels as a nurse but she stays away from men and sexual relationships with them. Jennie does, despite her dislike of men, want a baby. She seduces a dying and severely brain-damaged soldier in the hospital where she works and becomes pregnant; an early version of artificial insemination. Jennie’s pregnancy causes a stir and she is ‘let go’ from her job. She returns to her parents home to have the child who is, ironically, a son. She names the baby TS Garp after his now deceased father. After the birth, Jennie gets a job as the nurse at an all-boys private school. She runs the school sanitarium and it is understood her son will attend the school in due course, which he does.
The author’s dark humour about the quirks and faults of the teaching staff, including the headmaster, and the antics of the boys are hilarious and relatable for me as my sons both attended an all boys school. I enjoyed the piece of the novel about Garp’s school days very much. During their time at this school, Jennie and Garp meet Ernie Holm and his intelligent and fiercely academic daughter, Helen. Garp admires Helen, a precocious reader, hugely and aspires to impress her with his writing. Garp aspires to become an author and it is this ambition that shapes the rest of the novel and the lives of all of the characters.
Jennie Fields is a determined and driven woman with strong views on how the world should be. She is flawed and her method of becoming pregnant isn’t very ethical, but she does achieve her goal. Jennie overshadows her son in every way and he spends his life desperately trying to prove his own worth as a man and a writer. It is Jennie’s influence on Garp’s behaviour and life that set the scene for the bizarre and horrific tragedies and life-altering events that mar Garp and Helen’s life as well as Jennie’s own life. This did set up a series of reflections in my mind about domineering and overachieving mothers and the effect they have on their children’s lives.
A notable character in the novel is Roberta Muldoon. Roberta, a transgender former star football player, becomes a devotee of Jennie Field’s and her views about and support of feminism. Over time, Roberta also becomes a close friend of Garp’s and offers him perspective, loyalty and emotional support.
Overall, this is an excellent novel that delves deeply into its key themes of fear of death, feminism and gender dynamics and the unpredictability and tragedy of life. I believe this book is still highly relevant given the current social and political environment of the 21st century.
You can purchase The World According to Garp from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/World-According-Garp-Black-Swan-ebook/dp/B0080GQXKW
Quotes from The World According to Garp
“In this dirty minded world, you are either someone’s wife or someone’s whore. And if you’re not either people think there is something wrong with you….but there is nothing wrong with me”
“If you are careful,’ Garp wrote, ‘if you use good ingredients, and you don’t take any shortcuts, then you can usually cook something very good. Sometimes it is the only worthwhile product you can salvage from a day; what you make to eat. With writing, I find, you can have all the right ingredients, give plenty of time and care, and still get nothing. Also true of love. Cooking, therefore, can keep a person who tries hard sane.”
“You know, everybody dies. My parents died. Your father died. Everybody dies. I’m going to die too. So will you. The thing is, to have a life before we die. It can be a real adventure having a life”
Have you read The World According to Garp? Did you appreciate it? Let me know in the comments.
About Robbie Cheadle
South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, written and illustrated four poetry books and written and illustrated one celebration of cake and fondant art book with recipes. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Social Media Links
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
TSL Publications: https://tslbooks.uk/product-tag/robbie-cheadle/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robbie-Cheadle/author/B01N9J62GQ
Unsplash profile: https://unsplash.com/@r_cheadle
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