This was the first book by John Irving that I have read, although I did see and love the movie adaptation of The Cider House Rules, which led me to jump at the chance to get #TheLastChairlift from #NetGalley.
I am so glad that I did! This book and Irving's exquisite style of writing kept me fascinating from beginning to end. I was so engaged in the story of Adam and his unconventional family that I was loathe to put the book down,
What I appreciated most about the writing of the characters was that they were portrayed first and foremost as both flawed and genuine; the main characters were loving and passionate, dedicated and loyal, yet capable of mistakes and at times less-than-admirable behaviour. The issues of their gender and sexuality were not something that came across as stereotypical; these were people first, and I felt for them and their challenges. Even the intolerant and callous characters of Adam's aunts came through as realistic; they are likely characters that everyone recognizes from their own families.
Irving doesn't shy away from issues - be they political or social - and I ended up learning things about the political landscape in the 70's and 80's that I had missed out on as a teen and young adult. The manner in which those issues affect his characters, and their reactions to those issues, fascinated me.
The story of Adam's life - from the regular absences of his mother and the reading of Moby Dick to him by his grandmother, to his connecting with what he called the best father he could have asked for and the discovery of his birth father, to his 'unmarriageable' girlfriends and falling in love, to his acceptance of those he loves without question, and to his experiences with death - is riveting. While the book does bog down in spots, the little details do come full circle, making for a complex and wonderful narrative.
I did find the screenplay segments to be lacking in some of the emotion that is present in the rest of the book, but understand the reason for their inclusion.
As I read through this whale of a book, the size of which was intimidating at the beginning and throughout as the percentage read on my Kindle seemed to barely budge at all, I found myself wondering how I could have missed out on this author up until now. At no time in high school or university - where I studied English literature - did Irving's work come up. Nor did Moby Dick, which is still waiting for me to open it. Both, I think, are a shortfall in my reading history.
This is definitely one of the best books I've read this year. It is superbly written and will stick with me for a long time to come. I do anticipate, however, that the 'book banners' out there will gleefully target it, which only means that it is worth reading.
Finally, I have to say that the synopsis I read for the book does it no justice at all, making it sound like a simple story about ghosts, with no reference or hint of the depth of feeling and breadth of events it actually contains. The Last Chairlift is so much more than the synopsis suggests.

I really wanted to like this one - not only a John Irving novel, but also related to skiing! Unfortunately, I found it really long and repetitive, and lacking the kind of narrative drive I need to engage me and propel me through. Some Irving fans may enjoy it, but I'm afraid I didn't.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC in advance of publication.

There are many of his books I treasure but this one was a chore to get through.
Familiar themes abound in this book and it was rambling and long.
He is still one of my favourite authors but this is a real miss for me.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.