the world according to garp by john irving

In the novel, John Irving makes you fall in love with his characters… only to throw them into harrowing situations with huge consequences. If you thought the Red Wedding from A Game of Thrones was rough, then just wait until you read The World According to Garp. What is The World According to Garp About and Why Should I Care? So set aside your own perspective for a while, and get ready for The World According to Garp. You know you've made it when Patch Adams himself is starring in the movie adaptation of your book. And then, of course, there's the 1982 film adaptation starring Glenn Close and Robin Williams. It was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction in 1979, going on to win the award the following year. That's not bad for one book, right? It's no wonder the novel-author John Irving's fourth-was a huge hit when it was published in 1978. You'll encounter bizarre political movements like the Ellen Jamesians, loveable old coots like Dean Bodger, and less loveable young weirdoes like Pooh Percy. Along the way, you'll meet an endearing cast of characters like John Wolf, the fast-talking publishing executive, and Roberta Muldoon, the former Philadelphia Eagle and now transgender icon.

But despite these setbacks-and maybe because of them-Garp becomes, as he likes to say, the 'real thing.'īut that's just scratching the surface.

And guess what? His path is not without obstacles (it'd be a much shorter book otherwise), including the runaway literary success of his feminist mother, the slow disintegration of his marriage, and countless personal traumas. Garp, a small fellow with a big dream: to become the greatest writer in the world. In the world according to Shmoop, The World According to Garp is a pretty big deal.

The world according to garp by john irving