--- product_id: 82399437 title: "A Widow for One Year Mass Market Paperback – 27 November 2001" brand: "john irving" price: "€ 21.12" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 15 url: https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/82399437-a-widow-for-one-year-mass-market-paperback-27-november store_origin: CY region: Cyprus --- # A Widow for One Year Mass Market Paperback – 27 November 2001 **Brand:** john irving **Price:** € 21.12 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A Widow for One Year Mass Market Paperback – 27 November 2001 by john irving - **How much does it cost?** € 21.12 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.cy](https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/82399437-a-widow-for-one-year-mass-market-paperback-27-november) ## Best For - john irving enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted john irving brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![A Widow for One Year Mass Market Paperback – 27 November 2001 - Image 1](https://www.amazon.in/images/I/51MY2gPQtBL.jpg) ![A Widow for One Year Mass Market Paperback – 27 November 2001 - Image 2](https://www.amazon.in/images/I/51Ng0eCGh4L.jpg) ![A Widow for One Year Mass Market Paperback – 27 November 2001 - Image 3](https://www.amazon.in/images/I/41Ut8Sgtg0L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐ Not Irving's greatest *by W***D on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 May 2015* After The Cider House Rules, which I absolutely loved, I had high hopes for my next John Irving. Sadly, this one didn't do it. 'Widow...' seems a very, very autobiographical book, with a preoccupation with writers, their creative process and the relationships with their readers which quickly becomes tiresome. Every single main character is a writer - the father, the child, the mother, and her lover. When they're not writers, we have: a husband who's an editor, another husband who's read more books than anybody else alive (and the books of everybody in the novel), or another father who's a professor of literature. Oh please. And then, there is a rather distasteful, repetitive obsession with breasts which, for me, turned 'Widow..' into a caricature.And then there are numerous 'books within a book', from children's stories to a novel about murdered prostitutes, all awfully uninteresting stuff which got in the way of the proper novel, so I found myself skipping pages almost from the start. There are some gems hidden in all this mish-mash, some flashes of genius involving a deeply tragic story line, and I liked the part of the book which explored parental grief; that was nuanced and complex, done with sensitivity, and utterly convincing. Everything else, sorry to say, was neither entertaining nor particularly thought-provoking. The writing is OK, beautiful in places but marred by a stupid amount of words in italics - sometimes, 4-5 to the page. It really annoyed the life out of me, this and the far too many exclamation marks. I couldn't believe the amateurish editing.So my advice is, if you're new to John Irving don't start with this book, it'll probably put you off this writer and it would be a shame, because most of his other books are superb. The Cider House Rules ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Eating with a novel is not eating alone, Eddie - I'm mildly ashamed of you" she told him... *by K***Y on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 February 2010* A Widow For One Year by John Irving.Simply dedicated `For Janet, a love story' this thumping great fat book covers the lives and loves of the Cole family, their friends and lovers over a period spanning nearly four decades. Satisfying in length and depth with delightful pointers as to what is to come, it is a properly absorbing grown up read. There is some deliciously dicey subject matter that takes you to the edge and beyond of what may be considered decent.John Irving writes his tale in three sections, Summer 1598, Fall 1990 and Fall 1995, neatly setting out his wares in 51 usefully and aptly named chapters, using a traditional rather child's book like format. Confidently moving from The Hampton's to Europe, we are safe in the hands of the most accomplished story teller. This writer treats his readers with respect, he certainly gives us our money's worth.Exploring the role and craft of writer, novelist, illustrator; we are parachuted into the complicated, post-disaster, fractured Cole family. Two sons have died in a dreadful accident. `The grief over lost children never dies; it is a grief that relents only a little. And then only a long while.' What a wise author. He successfully pulls off the unusual and intricate device of allowing his characters to speak to each other through their own published works - fleshing out the book with `warts and all' understanding descriptions of their humanly flawed and utterly credible personalities. This family are growing their shells over a tragedy to awful to bear without armour. They each have to rewrite their family history, building their litany of detail through constant repetition, always in their own personal way. They go 'missing' from each other and each grows differently, as you can immediately understand they must do.Eddie travels alongside this family through 37 years of loyal love, absences, growth and challenges. He is intensely believable - especially when he weakens and wavers he is wonderfully credible - you really feel you know him inside out. We meet him as a green teenager briefly escaping from his overbearing but loving parents. We leave him, in his mid fifties, in the perfectly written conclusion, experiencing a resolution that is as good as it gets.I loved the part when we are told about Harry, a later arrival, a policeman, and his reading life; `He read novels because he found in them the best descriptions of human nature. The novelists Harry favoured never suggested that even the worst human behaviour was alterable. They might morally disapprove of this or that character, but novelists were not world changers; they were just story tellers with better-than-average stories to tell, and the good ones told stories about believable characters'. If you too are like Harry you will so enjoy this book.The style and breadth of writing reminded me of Any Human HeartAny Human Heart by William Boyd, which grows a similar feeling of intimacy and care for the central individual. This book has more true love in it though.Having read `A Prayer for Owen Meany'A Prayer for Owen Meany previously, I was happy to read this book on the recommendation of a friend. Now I am pleased to see that there are several more John Irving works for me to enjoy in the future. Any Human HeartA Prayer for Owen Meany ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Widow for One Year by John Irving *by G***E on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2010* John Irving does it again! He really has to be one of my favourite authors. A Widow for One year is again an excellent story of a dysfunctional family, but he takes each character and makes you feel that you know them so well. You just have to fall in love with each and every one of them!This book is primarily about Ruth Cole and Eddie O'Hare,and is in three parts, it starts in the summer of 1958 when Ruth is 4 and Eddie is 16, he comes to work for Ruth's father Ted as a writers assistant and falls in love with Ruths mother Marion, a love he will have for the rest of his life.Ruths mother walks out on her family that summer and Ruth does not see her again for 37 years! she is brought up by her philandering father, who does love her dearly and does the best he can.The next time we see Ruth she is a young unmarried woman who writes for a living. Her choice of men has been terrible so far and her books all reflect the fact. She has been damaged by her life so far, and you get the feeling that she is waiting for something.The final part of the book we meet Ruth as a woman recently widowed with a child. She has a successful career as a writer and travels around the world. She has an idea for an extraordinary book and this ultimately brings her the love and security she so richly deserves.I loved it and would recommend it along with every other thing that John Irving has written. You cannot help but get caught up in his characters --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/82399437-a-widow-for-one-year-mass-market-paperback-27-november](https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/82399437-a-widow-for-one-year-mass-market-paperback-27-november) --- *Product available on Desertcart Cyprus* *Store origin: CY* *Last updated: 2026-04-24*