The Fourth Hand: A Novel Audiobook

" Wavered between creative/unique and a sheer sex romp. Clearly not his best. "

" Irving's imagination is just wild. Another fascinating and unusual story. "

" I just couldn't empathise or even sympathise with the character at all. Disappointed. "

" Not one of his best books. I felt that he seemed to lose the interesting off the wall character that the book began with, in the second half. Almost like he ran out of interest in the characters and just finished the story off. It it unusual for his characters to be introduced and then not developed further and left up in the air at the end. "

" I really enjoyed reading The Fourth Hand. It would probably be one of my favorite John Irving books if it followed the main character through more of his life instead of just sticking to the period around losing his hand, getting a hand transplant, then re-losing his hand. "

" So your hand gets bitten off and eaten by a lion, and you are a candidate for a hand transplant. But the donor's widow wants visitation rights... Only John Irving could come up with a plot like this. Hilarious! "

" I found this book to be weirdly sweet and funny. A quick and engaging read. "

" The development of characters is very intriguing!! Specially - the doctor Zajac. "

" Irving is one of my favorite authors. This book is written with his usual zany combination of humor and sadness. It didn't resonate with me like some of his other novels have. "

" A nice variation on the Irving theme. A great read. "

" Maybe 3 stars would be more fair. This book wasn't terrible but it certainly wasn't great. It did get better as it went on which is why I kept at it. I wanted to like it more than I actually did. It was also a little weird for me I guess. "

" Irving never disappoints and he always comes up with intriguing storylines and plots. This is one of his most original books and well worth a read. "

" Really great novel - classic Irving. "

" This was my first experience reading Irving and i enjoyed it immensely. However, like several reviewers have mentioned, i felt Irving could have done so much more with the characters he created. "

" I enjoyed this book very much. In fact, just thinking about some of the scenes and the way he has his characters live through them makes me smile. "

" Much awaited but fell way short of the high standard I expect from my adored John Irving. I expect much fresher images and eclectic characterisations. "

" I love John Irving. He can do no wrong in his weird/obsessive/hyper-detailed way. "

" i appreciate an artist trying to stretch and try out new forms. but when an author has such a distinct voice and style and it works, i can't help but feel disappointed when they deviate. maybe i should re-read it and give it another shot? "

" Kinda quirky, but fun to read. "

" As usual John Irving-entertaining characters in unusual situations. I enjoy his writing style. "

" I'm over John Irving. That his characters - male and female - have so many casual sexual relationships bothers me. It also indicates that he lacks creativity in developing his characters. Yes, they're quirky, but they're essentially the same: shallow, flaky, and rather unlikeable. "

" I started this book forever and just picked it back up and finished it mostly to get it off my shelf. That being said, it was pretty good but definitely not Irving's best work. I find Irving to be a fun occasional read but this one was lacking something. "

" This isn't particularly epic Irving, at least not in the way that I felt inextricably romanced by Garp or Owen Meany. But his deliciously flawed characters are at once so bizarre and so human/familiar that you're happy just to take a ride with them. Great escapism for the pre-finals crunch. "

" 3.5 if I had the choice. It's not as convoluted or involving as some of his other novels, but I enjoyed it. "

" This book is awesome although I seem to have lost it, otherwise I would definitely read it again. John Irving seems to have some recurring themes in his novels...one of which is adultry "

" Wow. What a terrible book. I read this a while ago and all I can remember is that I hated it. I have a 100 page rule but based on Irving's reputation I kept waiting for it to get better. It didn't. "

" I enjoyed the wrting style, but the book went nowhere. "

" Entertaining ... an American story with a happy ending. "

" Disappointing but Irving is nevertheless an enjoyable read. "

" I like the scene where they go to the Packers game. "

" Not at all up to his usual work. "

" I enjoy Irving's books, I'm working my way through his writings. This story started out really good, but I couldn't get settled into it the way I have done with some of his other stories "

" Interesting beginning and great writing, but the story trails off at the end. I had to fight against the urge to just send it back to the library. "

" typical Irving humor. still like Owen Meany best. "

" The last 100 pages were beautiful. Too bad you have to go through so much hoopla to get there! The characters weren't very likable—they were caricatures of themselves—until that last section. "

" This read of ok, but glad when it was over. The subject matter just didn't capture my interest. "

" Disappointing considering how much I loved Garp and Cider House "

" John Irving can take the most depressing, odd situation and make it somehow inspiring. Well, indirectly inspiring. In any case, I loved this odd little book. And how appropriate that I finished it on the night the Green Bay Packers won the Superbowl. "