A Widow for One Year

A Novel

By: John Irving

Narrated by: George Guidall

Ruth Cole is a complex, often self-contradictory character--a "difficult" woman. By no means is she conventionally "nice," but she will never be forgotten.

Ruth's story is told in three parts, each focusing on a crucial time in her life. When we first meet her--on Long Island, in the summer of 1958--Ruth is only four.

The second window into Ruth's life opens in the fall of 1990, when Ruth is an unmarried woman whose personal life is not nearly as successful as her literary career. She distrusts her judgment in men, for good reason.

A Widow for One Year closes in the autumn of 1995, when Ruth Cole is a forty-one-year-old widow and mother. She's about to fall in love for the first time.

Richly comic, as well as deeply disturbing A Widow for One Year is a multilayered love story of astonishing emotional force. Both ribald and erotic, it is also a brilliant novel about the passage of time and the relentlessness of grief.©1998 Garp Enterprises, Ltd.; (P)1998 Random House, Inc.

Captivating

I'm fairly new to Audible books and remain impressed with the way the narration maintains the images I create when I read the stories in print. This is my third Irving Audible book. The World According to Garp and Last Night in Twisted River were very good, too. The Cider House Rules is up next.

Wow!!

Great book like most Irving books.
Loved every aspect. If you like J.I you would like this book. Audiobook is excellent

It's not Owen Meany but its good!

Like many other listeners I've sometimes struggled with Mr. Irving but when he's good he's soooo good! Not his absolute best for me but well worth spending my credit. I loved the dry humor from beginning to end & it's an unusual & interesting story line. I tried Son of the Circus & could not finish it so I'm a little gun shy but found this one rewarding.

Good, but not his best.

I love John Irving. And I really enjoyed this book overall. The narration was terrific and well suited for this story. One thing that kind of irked me was Irving’s almost obsession with breasts in this novel. A few other reviewers had pointed this out and I assumed they were probably being prudish. But no. Incessant commentary on everyone’s breasts. It’s almost embarrassing. Super juvenile.
I think more of the average male reader than to think this is the way they think.
If you can get past that, (which is A LOT) the book is really enjoyable.

Amazing Performance, Very Good Throughout

George Guidall brought this novel to life with his well deserved award winning performance. He kept me engaged in what the characters were feeling and thinking -- he really brought them to life. This a rare instance where the performance out did the story. I enjoyed the story, but as others have mentioned, it is really three different stories connected by threads and parts of the stories pace better than others. John Irving is a master at making characters so original, so fresh, you feel that they must be real.