Title: Better than GARP, but no NEW HAMPSIRE or OWEN MEANY
Review: I found CIDER HOUSE to be a very entertaining, enriching novel. I did feel that classic Irving attachment to the characters, but I didn't find the characters themselves as fascinating, funny, sad, tragic, etc, as the characters Irving created for HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE and OWEN MEANY. Plus, I felt the pace of CIDER HOUSE tended to drag about halfway-to-3/4's of the way through. It was not as biting as HOTEL and didn't pack the emotional punch of OWEN. Still, a fantastic book. Of the four I've read, I would rate OWEN first, HOTEL NEW HAMPSIRE second, CIDER HOUSE third and GARP fourth. Can't wait to pick up another one!
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