Ahhh, John Irving...on of my Top Five favorite currently living writers(or dead ones too probably). This sweeping story of families (blended, fractured, loving, dysfunctional) covers all of my favorite Irving topics. It takes us through so many wonderful, weird, gifted and unusual characters with both a ferocity and gentleness that only John Irving can provide.
The protagonist, Adam, starts seeing ghosts as a child but that's only part of his unusual education in the way life twists and turns. The themes of gender, abortion, violence and pure loving kindness wind their way through his life and the stories he tells. At 900+ pages, it would take too long to explain what goes on here, but let me just say that if you ever were an Irving fan (or even not) this one, like all of his books, will make you think hard about life, love and loss and make your heart greatfull for a writer like John Irving

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review of the book.

I have long been a John Irving fan, ever since I read Setting Free the Bears in college, and I was excited to receive an advance copy of The Last Chairlift, which is expected to be his last long novel. After reading all 912 pages, I wound up with mixed feelings.

First, the positive. As ever, Irving has a wonderful gift for writing quirky characters who still seem real. You don't read his books thinking about the characters as just being somewhat odd and strange. Yes, they do have many strange characteristics, but at the same time, they're just people. I think it's this gift that makes his novels so enticing. I don't read them thinking that they're about a bunch of oddities - they're very human, interesting, and frequently wise, people, that it's very easy to care about.

The book flows beautifully and the plot makes sense - each change in the characters' lives flows naturally from what's happening in the book, and none of the changes are jarring or feel out of characters.

Perhaps best of all, Irving has an appreciation and respect for individual differences and choices. Mr. Barlow is a consistent guide and teacher for the other characters, both before and after his long desired change to a woman. The various strange girlfriends of Adam, the central character, are for the most part treated with kindness. In Irving's apparent viewpoint, the only real sin is treating other people badly, both in actions and in intolerance.

The not-so good - If John Irving weren't such a revered writer, I wonder if there might have been some push to cut some of this book. An awful lot of repetition - there were tmes when I had to check to see if somehow I had gone back in pages, because I felt that I was reading the same thing over and over again. Perhaps he just wanted to emphasize, but I could have happily done without it. Toward the later part of the book, I was eager to be finished, not the way I prefer to end a book.

And, finally, a question I still have. There are a lot of characters, but two of the most important are Mr. Barlow (who married Adam's mother and acted as a wonderful stepfather to him, both before and after transitioning to a woman), and Molly, Adam's mother's long time lover and partner. Mr. Barlow is variously referred to as "Mr. Barlow," (even after his transition), "the little English teacher," and "the snowshoer." Molly is variously referred to as "Molly," "the night groomer,"" the ski patroller," and "the trail groomer." Other characters aren't referred to by these types of characterizations, unless I missed it, and I couldn't help but wonder why.

I'm glad I read this - but you should be prepared by a long expedition!

I have enjoyed reading John Irving in the past and I was/am excited to see a new work from him. But I didn't enjoy this one. It started slow and stayed slow. I found the characters somewhat distasteful and had trouble caring about them. The New England setting is very typical so I tried to like it because of that. But reading this book is too much of a commitment for me. Perhaps it is best read in the depth of winter by a fireside by someone with ample time to plod slowly through it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I feel sure I will revisit it when I am fully retired.

John Irving has established himself as one of the best novelists in modern day fiction. My favorite is A Prayer for Owen Meany, a delightful book with interesting characters I could relate to. The Last Chairlift is a daunting tale which at over 900 pages is a good read for a long, cold winter. This novel needed some serious editing as there are many instances when the subject rambles on and I found myself skimming much of the content. Quirky characters and imaginative tales will keep you reading this latest novel in John Irving's literary legacy.

MIXED FEELINGS

I have mixed feelings about this book. But overall I liked it. More about that below.

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

JOHN IRVING, A FAVORITE AUTHOR

I didn’t need to read all the blurbs praising [author: John Irving, as I’m already a fan.

The three of his books I read previously were favorites. These were The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and Cider House Rules

So I knew when this appeared on Netgalley I had to request it.

This book didn’t quite live up to those. But it’s well worth reading.

This one seemed more autobiographical than his other books (except perhaps "Garp").

BOOK SECTIONS

The first twenty percent of the book details the childhood of our main character, writer Adam Brewster, in Exeter, New Hampshire. (I couldn’t help thinking he was a standin for ohn Irving, as there are many similarities in their biographies).

Adam’s old New England family is full of eccentric characters, to put it mildly. Many of them are gay. Most of them are loving.

Anyway a large part of this first section is devoted to the wedding of Adam’s mother, ski instructor Rachel Brewster.

The descriptions of the wedding were a nonstop laugh riot. They were hilarious. An old Austrian zither player provides the music, the “infant emeritus” (Adam’s senile diapered grandfather) wanders around in a daze, etc. It’s all extremely funny.

The next part of the book details young Adam’s succession of comically unsuitable girlfriends.
This is amusing at times, but much less so than the wedding scenario. One has an injured hand and clubs him in the chest with her cast during intimate moments; another has a bad leg that acts up
when they are in bed and then she falls down the stairs; another is just nuts, etc. etc.

The rest of this sprawling (912 pages) and at times, meandering, book details Adam’s life with his mother, who lives in Vermont; his stepfather;
his extended family; his school friends; his marriage to a pushy, conventional woman who’s a bad match for him, etc.

Eventually, when he is older, he does end up in a good marriage. But it happens in a very roundabout way.

BOOKENDS

My favorite sections of the book were the first section (with the wedding), which I’ve already described, and the last
twenty percent. Part of the last section packs a punch, although the book ends quietly.

Part of the deliberate bookending structure, is that both the first and last sections of the book feature weddings. MINOR SPOILER: Also the author’s mom is featured in both sections.

SWAN SONG

This book feels like the aging Irving’s swan song (and I don’t mean the novel by Robert McCammon.

It’s a poignant, moving (and also very funny at times) meditation on aging, loss, mortality, and death.
There are a lot of ghosts.

A secondary theme is: what is a good death?

Irving signals that death is the book’s focus by opening the book with the following epigraph, a quote from Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure:

If I must die,
I will encounter darkness as a bride,
And hug it in mine arms

And the author ends with the following line:

 "I try not to think about the vanishing."

WHAT I LIKED

I liked much about this book.

John Irving writes with his trademark humor, much of it foul mouthed and bawdy.

I didn’t object to the use of foul language here, as it’s part of the humor, and it does reflect the way people really talk. (I don’t like foul language when it serves no purpose than to show how “cool” the author is. Irving doesn’t use it that way).

The characters were all well drawn, vivid, and very memorable. Most were quite eccentric.

I liked the loving nature of Adam’s family.

I liked that the book was about death and mortality. Perhaps this means more to older readers who are thinking about that subject themselves.

I liked that this was a substantial read.

I liked that though Adam is straight he is accepting towards his many gay family members.

I liked Adam’s politics (likely the same as those of John Irving).

I liked that Irving knew where he was going all along. He wraps up most of the loose ends.

And it’s by John Irving.

WHAT I LIKED LESS

The book seemed too long. It took me two months to finish (which is a really long time for me. I usually read faster than that.)

Part of my long reading time was because I was reading other books.

But in the middle sections of the book, my enthusiasm for reading it flagged somewhat. Reading it became a bit of a slog.

It was sprawling, meandering, and slow paced.
An audio would have helped a lot here, but none was available yet.

So this wasn’t as much of a favorite as the other Irving books I’ve read.

However, the last twenty percent really redeemed the book.

I COULD RELATE

Although I'm younger than [author: John Irving|3075], I'm old enough to recall much of the time frame and cultural references of the book. It starts in the 1950s and ends in the current time.

I went to Exeter summer school one summer, so I'm vaguely familiar with both Exeter Academy and the surrounding town.

Like Adam, too, I was an intermediate skier and never got better than that.

I may have skied once at Bromley Mountain, where Adam's mother worked. I remember skiing a trail called Yodeler.

I skied in Colorado once (but it was Copper Mountain, not Aspen).

I had a college boyfriend who was a high school wrestler. He told me about "cutting weight" and the rest of it.

I used to take frequent trips to Vermont, so I know at least part of that beautiful state.

Plus, I live in New York City (another locale in the book).

OVERALL RATINGS

Pacing, length, etc.: 3
Meaningful subject matter: 4
Writing and voice: 4
Emotionally moving: 4
My enthusiasm during reading: 3

Overall: 3.5

TRIGGER AND OTHER WARNINGS

There is an abundance of foul language, though in context it’s usually quite funny.
But if foul language really bothers you, avoid this book.

There are plenty of bawdy scenes. If this bothers you, avoid this.

I’m pretty certain Trump supporters won’t like this book.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing an ARC (Advance Review Copy) of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The book will be published on October 18, 2022.

#TheLastChairlift #NetGalley

Update: I’m raising the rating to 4 stars.

John Irving can tell a story like no other, but although I was very excited to be approved to preview his new book, I was left with very mixed feelings. Irving's writing style remains largely unchanged, and his ability to delve into details and descriptions of dysfunctional families continue in this book, but the story left me feeling very bored. Adam is the illegitimate son of Ray, a ski instructor. Every aspect of this family is dysfunctional, and for the most part, pointless. Somehow, Irving fails to engage this reader to the extent that I wanted to know what would happen, next. I was left wishing that the book would end. Unlike Garp, Widow for one year, and Hotel New Hampshire which were filled with bizarre happenings, this book just didn't do it for me. Joh Irving, at the age of 80, claims that this will be his last book which is a shame. I would have liked him to go out with more of a bang. All this aside, I would like to thank Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for n honest review.

Wow, this book is going to be as difficult to review as it was to read. I received an EARC from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review, so here it comes.
I started this book, reading at my usual pace, and after about an hour noticed I was only at 5%. How could this be?? So I went and looked and this was a 912 page book. Ironically, this is a book about an author with a lot of discussion about editing, but this book was not well edited. There was a lot of repetition that could have been weeded out.
So, Pros: This is a book by John Irving!
I think I would compare it to Owen Meany in content. As in Meany, there is a lot of Vietnam War discussions and criticism.
There are a lot of autobiographical similarities to Irving's life, New Hampshire, wrestling, author, age, living in Toronto.
This is a relatively liberal bias political book. There are many gay couples, a transgender character, long rants about Reagan and his ignoring the aids crisis, right up to Trump. As a liberal reader, it was all fine for me, but others might have a problem with it. There is also quite a bit of criticism about the Catholic church. There are ghosts and a lot of foreshadowing.
Cons: though the writing style holds up, there is a LOT of repetition and the book is simply too long. There are many, many scenes with Nora and Em in a "comedy club" that simply were too long and incredibly difficult to picture.
The songs by Damaged Dan went on too long and were just not necessary.
The descriptions of Adam's son were as if Irving had never met a child.
Irving says this is his last big book, and at the age of 80 I am sure he poured everything he has been thinking about for quite some time.
I am glad I read the book, and just be prepared as you read it.

I love Irving's writing, but this one kind of meandered about and was too long to maintain my attention.

That said, Irving can make even the most unlikely combination of people into a family. Although my first reaction was, what's with all the sexual politics, he normalized it. The characters are well developed and it was pretty amazing to see all the changes they went through in 900+ pages, but their essence stayed the same.

I tried to finish this but I found myself dreading it. I feel like whole sections could be removed without changing the story. I had never heard of this author previously and I don't feel like I have much interest in going back and reading earlier works.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I tried. I did. Really.
But 900+ pages, unfortunately I couldn't finish - life got in the way.
But here's the thing: I think that's what The Last Chairlift is supposed to be. It's not an edge-of-your-seat thriller. It's a long, series of narrative stories about this unique family and their friends and society through the years.

This book could likely go on for another 500 pages about this clan, and their descendants (not sure if there are descendants, as I think I only made it about 700 pages in before my NetGalley expired).

But if you love John Irving, you will love this book. And I did. I struggled, but just so appreciate his writing. There are definitely familiar tropes to Owen Meany and Garp. But that's why this book fits like a warm sweater.

On the other hand, it's incredibly progressive, and 'woke', even though I'm not sure people would have been or were as woke back then - then again, maybe they were up in New Hampshire?

If you want a long tale without much suspense... with some drama for sure, and definitely dark humor, I highly recommend The Last Chairlift - and I hope to get it out again soon to see how the tale of this comes to a conclusion.

Oh wait... did i mention the ghosts? There are definitely ghosts... in a hotel.... in Colorado... (maybe he was "Shining"... but as far as I know there was no hedge maze, or Snow Cat....)

Thanks again, NetGalley!

In a rambling, at times stream of thought way, Adam tells the story of his life as it plays against the last almost 80 year period. Born to a single Mom in 1941 and raised in what might politely be called an unconventional family, his is a clear-eyed, at times hysterical portrait. One that requires a great deal of patience on the part of the reader. Since John Irving has called this his last big book, I think his publishers just let him rip without changing a word, or a sentence, or a paragraph, sometimes with frustrating repetition. But the rewards outweigh those detriments, and I'm glad I finished it but not without a lot of prodding.

Irving fans will enjoy all the elements they've come to expect, this time with ghosts and skiing. This is a long book, but a decent page turner. I still think a Prayer for Owen Meany is Irving's best, but this one may be a close second. I marvel at how Irving cultivates the comical scenes and balances those with thought-provoking dialogue among the complex characters.

I tried and tried to finish this book, but I just couldn't. While Adam, Little Ray, Nora, Em, and the rest of the huge cast of characters are interesting, the sheer volume of irrelevant information Irving has in this book just stymied me. There are literally hundreds of pages that could easily be cut from this manuscript, and they should have been. It's Irving - I know - but these long tangents are just too much. I never wanted or needed to know that much about skiing, skiers, or ski culture.

My other struggle was that I didn't really like many of the major characters. Little Ray, in particular, just rubbed me the wrong way. To me, she was annoying and selfish and a terrible mother. Adam wasn't much better. He had too many hang ups, too many tics, and I got tired of him. Nora was a bright spot as was the Snowshoer.

I am a fan of Irving, but not of this book.

This is so bad! Over 900 pagers I hate giving up on books but this was such a waste of my time. Ill give to stars only out of respect for this author
Thanks to NetGally for advance copy

There are no bears. But do not despair... There are: very tiny men, New England, wrestling, Philips Exeter, mysterious paternity, a wonderful stepfather, the Vietnam War, and every expression of gender and sexuality you can imagine. Are you getting a very Owen Meany vibe from that list? Me, too!

I recently interviewed a successful author, and she told me that every novelist has one story and they just write it over and over. That may be true of John Irving, but what a freakin' pleasure it is to revisit his world each time. Yes, there are themes and motifs that have recurred throughout his career, but each novel is unique. That said, this feels like the most Irvingesque of his works in... a couple decades?

Now, if it weren't already obvious, I am a hard-core, life-long, John Irving fangirl. I flat-out loved this novel! For those who are more Irving agnostic, your mileage may vary. For starters, it's a LONG book. Weighing in at 912 pages, not even I could read it in a single day, and that's saying something. Critics will complain that it could have been shorter--and they have a point. It absolutely could have been shorter. There were a few minor redundancies in pre-pub galley I read that will hopefully be cut from the finished book. But there's a reason that descriptors like Dickensian always come attached to his work. This is a man that appreciates a good sprawling tale. This one spans decades. And while there is, yes, a certain amount of sprawl evident, there is a defined shape to the story being told. Everything comes to an assured conclusion. This is a writer who knows what he's doing.

It's a little funny that I threw in the "D" word above (Dickensian), because at the heart of the novel there is a Dickensian novelist named Adam Brewster. We meet him as a young child, and we meet his most unconventional family. (HAS there ever been a conventional family in an Irving novel?) As described, Adam's career--and even some of his novels--bear a striking resemblance to Irving's own. It's kind of fun to view Irving's career through his own eyes.

Now, I don't see the point in trying to summarize the plot of a 900-page novel beyond what I have already written. A lot of stuff happens. But I will say this: Throughout his career, John Irving has been the master of the tragi-comedy. And throughout this novel I laughed out loud--a lot--and I ugly cried. At the age of 80, the man's still got it. I came to this book with the highest of expectations, and I savored every single page. He says this will be his last "long novel." If that's the case, he's going out on a high note. And I'll look forward to a more measured 400- or 500-page novel moving forward.

DNF
I read about 20-25% of this very long book and set it aside. I cannot bring myself to go back to it. This thing is so drawn out and boring. The characters have the potential to be interesting, but there is so much filler that I can hardly wade through it. The mother got married, and the wedding dragged on for at least 100 pages. It seemed none of it was going anywhere.
I hate to give up on a book, but I just cannot go back to this one.
Irving is a famous author, and I had never read his work before. I'd imagine it must be a lot better than this novel.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really didn't enjoy this over-long, overstuffed, overdone novel. It feels very similar to his earlier works and I don't know, I guess I've moved on since then.

My beloved John Irving has done it again. Given us a story peopled with interesting characters in even more interesting situations. I imagine there are plenty of people who believe this would be improved with a tighter edit, but I am here for whatever John Irving has to say.

John Irving’s signature style remains. Despite an absence of seven years. He perfectly captures quirky family dynamics as well as local color of Aspen, Colorado. We follow Adam and his bizarre cast of characters and relatives with Irving’s signature wit, tolerance, and cleverness.

I read and read this novel and about 20% of the way in I decided to just skim through to get to the end. I read someone else's summary on here to see if I missed anything noteworthy...and nope, it looks like I did not. Maybe if this had been condensed down to being 600 fewer pages I would have stayed engaged, but it unfortunately didn't hold my attention. Usually the size of the book isn't a factor to me (and I know we've all read amazing books that we wish were longer) but this one...oof. It just draaaaged.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.