Welcome to Litsy!

12-11-24: My 46th finished book of 2024! This was a sexually charged novel about the life of a bisexual writer. From growing up in a small town in Vermont where his mother and stepfather taught him a love for Shakespeare to the town librarian who taught him a love for reading and himself. We follow him into his late 60s through his youth, to NYC and the AIDS epidemic, and back to Vermont again. A love letter to being true to yourself. 💖

I recently reread Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany and enjoyed them quite a bit; but this book was unfortunately a bit of a mess. Coming so soon on the heels of Owen Meany it felt like Irving wanted to take another swing at the narrator of that novel, while replacing Owen Meany himself with a lightly sketched librarian named Miss Frost. It doesn't really work, and the revelations at the end of the novel feel, shall we say, unearned.

Have gone on a surprise John Irving run -- reading Cider House Rules, Owen Meany, & now In One Person in quick succession -- and it never ceases to amaze me how specific his repeated conceits are: Dickens, bears, wrestling, New England prep schools for boys, prostitutes with faint mustaches, stepfathers who teach Shakespeare, the list goes on. You have to wonder if he wrote Son of the Circus specifically to wean himself off his favorite tropes.

I thought this was ok. There was a lot of sex. Of all kinds. I got a bit tired of that after a while. But I thought it got a bit more interesting (and sad) in the 80s when AIDS hit. To see him watch so many people he knew die of AIDS… Initially I was a bit confused with the storyline, as it was a bit back and forth in time and trying to keep track of who was whom and when they were in his life, but after a while, I think I got used to that. Cont..

#QuotsyJan20 #backwards

A quote on writing “backwards” that isn‘t from the tagged book, but from a review in The Economist when it was published.

Thank you @TK-421 for a great month of quote prompts. I am happy I kept up this time! 🤗

I just love John Irving - this book is tormented; it's funny and comedic, but has a deep sense of restlessness.

Novel spanning entire life of bi man, including AIDS crisis in the 80s.

I‘m not sure what it is—smugness or petulance of tone?—about John Irving‘s style that gets under my skin, but that was the only nit I have about this book. And, in this case, the tone I get from his style worked perfectly. The story is a timely one, even if most of it takes place in the later part of the 20th century. A truly worthy read.

Omg. This book. ALL THE FEELS. I cannot believe I waited so long (6 years it's been on my shelf) to read this! Highly recommended to anyone who loved "The Heart's Invisible Furies,"

#theunreadshelfproject2018

I got some major creeper stares while reading this on the subway and decided to remove the dust jacket. 🙄 #riotgrams #nakedhardcovers

Yes. Just in the last 15 days of the year I finished #litsyatoz big book and great story but somehow I was putting it off... Feeling accomplished ;)

Because the only way to save today it's reading in my hammock.

Drinking a nice cup of tea (sugar and milk for once) to warm up after a long walk outside in the rain.

Sorry for the repeated posts but I hadn't read an Irving book in forever and I'm rediscovering how much I like his writing. Also quote about librarians and loving books :)

Book, blanket, candle and tea... Just right and cozy to get reading.

#litsyatoz OK so this is the one letter I'm missing for 2017 a to z... Now it''s 600p too so let' s see if I can read it before the new year (and probably not carrying it back and forth to work on the bus too) it seems like a challenge!

#riotgrams Day 9: LGBTQ Pride
@bookriot

I missed this prompt yesterday (with six photo challenges this month I am afraid that is going to happen a lot). John Irving famously begins writing every novel with the last line so here is where he started this book. #lastlines #splashintosummerreads

Billy has to learn to that it is ok to #beyourself. #junetunz

#junebookbugs Day 2: LGBTQ Authors
@RealLifeReading

I've loved John Irving since I read The World According To Garp at the end of high school. I bailed on his last novel (Last Night In Twisted River), so I was apprehensive that I would be disappointed by this one as well. But I absolutely loved it. It reminded me a lot of Garp and the hilarious, touching, nostalgic style of John Irving's most popular books. Unforgettable characters, laugh-out-loud scenes, and a ton of heart.

We are formed by what we desire.

A wonderful book (and my wonderful cat).