Sorry it's been awhile, loyal readers. This 600+ pager took awhile to finish. Irving never wrote a sentence he didn't include in his book - seriously, I'd hate to see how long the first draft of this novel was (but I'd love to be a writer's convention and overhear a conversation between Irving and Hemingway)!
A Widow for One Year is actually several stories within a larger one, but the plot centers on Ruth, first as a four-year old, and then as an adult and world-renown author. Click here link, from Barnes and Noble's webpage, has some great reviews and plot detail: http://tinyurl.com/4ft9pe.
The novel is divided into three parts, and I experienced each of them differently. Part I focuses mostly on the 18-year old Eddie and his romantic affair with Ruth's mother. Still, Irving assures the reader that "this is Ruth's story," so I was eager to keep reading, wondering what would become of the innocent and bright Ruth in adulthood.
Part II introduces us to Ruth as an adult, on a tour for her latest book that takes her to Amsterdam, where she conducts "research" for her upcoming novel by visiting the red light district and befriending a prostitute. Irving takes the readers on twists and turns, veering from the core story in a way that irritated me but still left me interested enough in the characters to keep reading.
Fortunately for my irritated self, in Part III Irving unites the many threads of Parts I and II, giving readers a satisfying ending to a long journey through the complicated relationships and events.
If you are a fan of John Irving, definitely read A Widow for One Year. If you're not sure, it's worth a gamble - Irving is a beautiful writer with an incredible talent for vivid imagery and complex character development. Just beware that there are some real oddities, to say the least, in this lengthy work.
My next few reviews: The Other Boleyn Sister and various books on child development and infant massage (I have to read these as part of my certification to become a parent educator of infant massage - how cool!).
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