A Widow for One YearWe first meet Ruth Cole in the summer of 1958 when she walks in on her mother having sex with 16-year-old Eddie O'Hare, the assistant to Ruth's alcoholic father. The death of Ruth's older brothers (years before she was born) turns her mother, Marion, into a zombie who is unable to love her surviving daughter. Ted Cole is a semisuccessful writer and illustrator of disturbingly creepy children's novels. His womanizing habits prove he's "as deceitful as a damaged condom," but he remains the only stable figure in Ruth's life. The tempestuous tale fast-forwards to the year 1990 when Ruth's soaring writing career is faring far better than her lackluster love life. The final segment of the novel ends in 1995 when 41-year-old Ruth is ready to fall in love for the first time. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - AliceAnna - LibraryThingOne of his best. Great characters driving the plot. Even though the plot might have been unbelievable in places, the characters made you believe. Hard to explain, but the book just made me feel good. Ruth was a wonderful, strong, likable, complex character that you had to root for! Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - Pferdina - LibraryThingI was not as excited about this story as the other Irving novels I have read. I like the way he traces his characters' lives over decades of time, but they weren't as fascinating this time. Read full review
Contents
The Inadequate Lamp Shade | 17 |
Summer Job | 23 |
Unhappy Mothers | 37 |
Copyright | |
44 other sections not shown
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Common terms and phrases
Allan already appeared asked bedroom better boyfriend breasts called character child closed couldn't course daughter dead didn't door drawings drive Eddie O'Hare Eddie's Eduardo Exeter eyes face father feel felt girl going gone Graham hand Hannah Harry he'd hear heard imagine interest kind knew least leave less light living look Marion mean morning mother never night novel older once photographs picture prostitute remember replied Rooie Ruth Ruth asked Ruth Cole Ruth's Scott seemed seen she'd shoes sleep someone sound squash standing stopped story street summer sure talk Ted's tell thing Thomas thought Timothy told took trying turned Vaughn waiting walk walls watch who'd window woman women writing young
Bibliographic information
| Title | A Widow for One Year A Black Swan book |
| Author | John Irving |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint, reissue, revised |
| Publisher | Black Swan, 1999 |
| ISBN | 055299796X, 9780552997966 |
| Length | 667 pages |
| Subjects | › › Fiction / Romance / Contemporary |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |