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The World According to Garp: A Novel Audiobook
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(4.00) - 100,199 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A special 40th anniversary edition of the bestselling coming-of-age classic novel by John Irving, with a new introduction by the author. "He is more than popular. He is a Populist, determined to keep alive the Dickensian tradition that revels in colorful set pieces...and teaches moral lessons."--The New York Times The opening sentence of John Irving's breakout novel, The World According to Garp, signals the start of sexual violence, which becomes increasingly political. "Garp's mother, Jenny Fields, was arrested in Boston in 1942 for wounding a man in a movie theater." Jenny is an unmarried nurse; she becomes a single mom and a feminist leader, beloved but polarizing. Her son, Garp, is less beloved, but no less polarizing. From the tragicomic tone of its first sentence to its mordantly funny last line--"we are all terminal cases"--The World According to Garp maintains a breakneck pace. The subject of sexual hatred--of intolerance of sexual minorities and differences--runs the gamut of "lunacy and sorrow." Winner of the National Book Award, Garp is a comedy with forebodings of doom. In more than thirty languages, in more than forty countries--with more than ten million copies in print--Garp is the precursor of John Irving's later protest novels.
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"I really liked this one. I debated giving it 5 stars. Definitely one of my favorites on the year this year. And it even took me a bit to read, too. (Which for me is great, because I tend to read really fast and fly through books. Reading gets expensive...)"
— Lindsey (4 out of 5 stars)
The World According to Garp Listener Reviews
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Scott, 4/25/2022
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" Just remembered I'd forgotten to add this. Definitely an awesome book. Not only "coming of age," but of a whole lifetime. Funny and daring. "
— Felicity, 2/18/2014 -
" Read it in college and recently read it again. Still like it! "
— Donna, 2/15/2014 -
" Nobody writes like Irving. You either love him or hate him. I love him. Barb "
— Barbra-Lee, 2/3/2014 -
" I started reading this after I'd read A Prayer for Owen Meany which I totally loved - but tbh I couldn't get into it at all, and didn't even finish it "
— Ant, 2/3/2014 -
" Hard to define. Enjoyed it, but some things were just plain weird. "
— Cathy, 2/2/2014 -
" oh man I loved loved love this book. "
— Zoë, 1/29/2014 -
" The stories the writer wrote within the book were more interesting than the actual book. "
— Allie, 1/1/2014 -
" My first read of John Irving. I loved the book. The movie did not do it justice. "
— Brenda, 12/26/2013 -
" Simply an incredible tale. I think I read this in three days. Definitely heartbreaking at times, but just so good. Hard to describe. A great novel. "
— Tezden, 12/16/2013 -
" Hilarious and smart. Seeing the movie before reading the book sort of ruined my imagination unfortunately. "
— Katie, 12/16/2013 -
" Perhaps I should have read this twenty years ago when I was reading all the other Irving books. Tedious and a crushing disappointment. Laboured from the word go, none of the characters had any redeeming features. "
— Kenny, 11/17/2013 -
" I am wholly satisfied after finally reading this, but I was not prepared to be punched in the gut over and over. A brutal, beautiful story. "
— Jill, 11/9/2013 -
" Friends told me I had to read this book because it was "so funny." I found the book to be sad and disturbing. It was a quick read, however. "
— Rick, 10/9/2013 -
" A wonderful read. I find myself telling excerpts from the shortstories in this book all the time. "
— Brendan, 8/5/2013 -
" Very well written. A wonderful story, but the reason I gave it a 3/5 was because I was disappointed with last third of the book. I guess I felt let down by how it was wrapped up. "
— Fishboy57, 7/27/2013 -
" OK, a classic, a must read for everyone, though I would guess it's dated now. This one has the John Irving quirkiness that lots of us enjoy. A fun read but the movie version does an OK job too. "
— Helene, 2/10/2013 -
" This book was so wonderfully written! Imaginative and humorous. My first read by John Irving, definitely not my last. LOVED. "
— Emilie, 2/7/2013 -
" Good stuff, though I felt like it lagged a little at points. "
— doug, 11/14/2012 -
" Good book, though really weird! :) "
— Adina, 8/8/2012 -
" One of my favorite books of all times. This is the book that started my love affair with John Irving! "
— Kathy, 6/8/2012 -
" The only far-fetched part of The World According to Garp is that Garp's favorite author is Joseph Conrad. The rest, from Roberta Muldoon to the Ellen Jamesians to Garp's conception and the whole of his life, rings completely true. "
— Kirsten, 1/5/2012 -
" I do not know about anyone else, but this book is in my top three, along with To Kill a Mockingbird and Les Mis. I resonated with Garp. Perhaps because of our mutual fears and experiences. "
— B.Y., 10/3/2011 -
" One of the best books I ever read! "
— Jay, 9/4/2011 -
" I am an Irving fan "
— Kim, 8/8/2011 -
" I appreciate that this one was ahead of it's time in the mid 1970s, but it reads as a bit stale today. Though the novel provides almost cheerful evidence of its famous last line, "In the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases." "
— Brigid, 7/28/2011 -
" I really like all of John Irving's books. "
— Bridget, 5/18/2011 -
" One of the best books I ever read! "
— Jay, 5/17/2011 -
" The only far-fetched part of The World According to Garp is that Garp's favorite author is Joseph Conrad. The rest, from Roberta Muldoon to the Ellen Jamesians to Garp's conception and the whole of his life, rings completely true. "
— Kirsten, 5/14/2011 -
" it kept my attention the whole way through, but it was pretty wierd ! "
— Geraldine, 5/14/2011 -
" One of the favorite books of my youth. It was a revelation to read something so different from what I had read before. "
— Mariellen, 5/9/2011 -
" Lovelovelove all he has ever done. Funny, inspirering, out of this world, mindblowing, simple yet complicated. "
— Ida, 5/4/2011 -
" Amazing!!! I'm an Irving fan now! Who knew you could have a great books about death, transsexuals, and wrestling?!? "
— Darbi, 5/4/2011 -
" One of the best books ever "
— Deanna0975, 4/29/2011 -
" I love Cider House Rules so I thought I'd give this one a try. The story sucked me in and then I seemed to lose interest. "
— Jamie, 4/22/2011 -
" I listened to this one on CD (17 of them). With his weird and frequently tasteless humor, John Irving made me laugh at some point every day on my way to work. Garp is a book that would only be recommended to some... but highly recommended to those few. "
— Susan, 4/20/2011
About John Irving
John Irving has been nominated for a National Book Award three times—winning once, in 1980, for the novel The World According to Garp, which became an international bestseller. In 1992, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2000, he won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. In 2001, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His novels have been translated into thirty-five languages.
About John Irving
MacLeod Andrews is a multiple Audie, Earphones, and SOVAS award-winning and Grammy-nominated narrator with hundreds of credits to his name. Perhaps best known for a cinematic approach with full characterizations and intimate deliveries in series such as The Reckoners, Sandman Slim, and Warriors, he’s also been noted for his straight reads ranging from memoirs to modern classics. When not doing books you can hear him in video games, cartoons, commercials, podcasts, and reading you the news on Apple News +. Or check out one of his films.