The Last Chairlift
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- Create Date：2022-08-04 11:21:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：John Irving
- ISBN：1797111221
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Summary
John Irving， one of the world’s greatest novelists， returns with his first novel in seven years—a ghost story， a love story， and a lifetime of sexual politics。
In Aspen， Colorado， in 1941， Rachel Brewster is a slalom skier at the National Downhill and Slalom Championships。 Little Ray， as she is called， finishes nowhere near the podium， but she manages to get pregnant。 Back home， in New England， Little Ray becomes a ski instructor。
Her son， Adam， grows up in a family that defies conventions and evades questions concerning the eventful past。 Years later， looking for answers， Adam will go to Aspen。 In the Hotel Jerome， where he was conceived， Adam will meet some ghosts; in The Last Chairlift， they aren’t the first or the last ghosts he sees。
John Irving has written some of the most acclaimed books of our time—among them， The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules。 A visionary voice on the subject of sexual tolerance， Irving is a bard of alternative families。 In The Last Chairlift， listeners will once more be in his thrall。
In Aspen， Colorado， in 1941， Rachel Brewster is a slalom skier at the National Downhill and Slalom Championships。 Little Ray， as she is called， finishes nowhere near the podium， but she manages to get pregnant。 Back home， in New England， Little Ray becomes a ski instructor。
Her son， Adam， grows up in a family that defies conventions and evades questions concerning the eventful past。 Years later， looking for answers， Adam will go to Aspen。 In the Hotel Jerome， where he was conceived， Adam will meet some ghosts; in The Last Chairlift， they aren’t the first or the last ghosts he sees。
John Irving has written some of the most acclaimed books of our time—among them， The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules。 A visionary voice on the subject of sexual tolerance， Irving is a bard of alternative families。 In The Last Chairlift， listeners will once more be in his thrall。
Reviews
Kyle
，
Much thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an early opportunity to read John Irving’s last LONG novel “The Last Chairlift” When Irving said this would be his last long novel， he left no doubt whether it was a novella or novel， it weighs in at 900 pages or roughly 30 hours。 Now I am a long time Irving fan。 The World According to Garp is a modern classic and A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favorite all time books。 I did enjoy The Last Chairlift， but I would say with the length， it is p Much thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an early opportunity to read John Irving’s last LONG novel “The Last Chairlift” When Irving said this would be his last long novel， he left no doubt whether it was a novella or novel， it weighs in at 900 pages or roughly 30 hours。 Now I am a long time Irving fan。 The World According to Garp is a modern classic and A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favorite all time books。 I did enjoy The Last Chairlift， but I would say with the length， it is probably not a good introduction to Irving if you have not read him。 I think this book really plays to long time readers。 His recurring themes are all here。 Mother Son relationships， wrestling， hotels， LGBTQ， New England， Schools and of course plenty of quirkiness！ The novel does reference Moby Dick throughout the story， a part of the theme， and the novel is also told in different formats。 A good chunk of the novel is in screenplay format。 Wrapping up， before I reach 900 pages， but once again， I think longtime readers of Irving will feel quite at home， and maybe a little nostalgic enjoying one of the worlds great storytellers last works of art。 Thank you for reading！ #TheLastChairlift #NetGalley 。。。more
Nancy Mijangos
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I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 John Irving writes creating such beautiful imagery and believable raw characters。 I love this complicated novel， with its complicated characters， and their complicated lives set in our increasingly more complicated world。
Carol
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I'll start with how much I loved some of her older works and that I really was excited to get an advance reader copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion。It was slow going from the start， learning about Adam， his gay mother Little Ray， her gay husband the little snowshoer， Adam's influential stepfather and all the other characters。 Too repetitious in many cases， but also way more details than we needed is how I'd best describe this 912 page book。 Easily it could be I'll start with how much I loved some of her older works and that I really was excited to get an advance reader copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion。It was slow going from the start， learning about Adam， his gay mother Little Ray， her gay husband the little snowshoer， Adam's influential stepfather and all the other characters。 Too repetitious in many cases， but also way more details than we needed is how I'd best describe this 912 page book。 Easily it could be cut in half and that might still be too long。Adam has no idea who his mom is， but he knows she likes small men and compares himself to any small man who may have been in her life at the time of his conception。 As a champion skier she was competing then so there were many people who might have been attracted to her then。 The family is bizarre， with an understanding grandmother to Adam， who does not interfere when his 2 aunts battle with and criticize his mother and his stepfather。 Little Ray's father， who stopped talking entirely when he learned of her pregnancy， is referred to by so many titles that I was glad once he was out of the picture in a bizarre way。 Actually， bizarre is the best word to describe the whole book。 If I mentioned how bizarre each character was， you'd never finish reading this review。 There were moments of wit and once I laughed outloud。 Adam's aunts， laughing uncles and grandfather were too out there for me。 The issues of being gay or transgender took up a lot of the book which didn't faze me， but if that bothers you， don't read this book。Overall it was way too long and many parts were just plain boring。 Other parts were interesting enough to look forward to the next chapter， only to be ley down again。 Too rollercoaster-ish for me。 。。。more
Sharyl
，
John Irving’s much awaited new novel is a treasure chest of the memorable characters and backstories I love him for， and it is probably twice the length of Moby-Dick， by Herman Melville。 I mention this because another thing I enjoy about Irving’s work is that he always shines a light on other works of fiction that have factored into his life。 This tome focuses on Adam Brewster and his formative years in Exeter， New Hampshire， amongst relatives with diverse world views and lives。 The reader can c John Irving’s much awaited new novel is a treasure chest of the memorable characters and backstories I love him for， and it is probably twice the length of Moby-Dick， by Herman Melville。 I mention this because another thing I enjoy about Irving’s work is that he always shines a light on other works of fiction that have factored into his life。 This tome focuses on Adam Brewster and his formative years in Exeter， New Hampshire， amongst relatives with diverse world views and lives。 The reader can count on encountering some zaniness， here。 Adam has been born out of wedlock to Rachel “Little Ray” Brewster， an expert skier and former serious competitor。 Since Ray spends part of the year as a ski instructor in another location， Adam spends plenty of time missing his mother。 In her absence， Adam’s early experiences involve hearing his insufferable maternal aunts moralize about his mother’s situation， seeing ghosts in his attic bedroom， and having his grandmother read to him from Moby-Dick。 He also becomes close to Nora， an older cousin。 She and her girlfriend Em become important people in his life。 Another wonderful， important character is Elliot Barlow， yet another adult who will act as a lodestar in Adam’s life。 Additionally， his mother’s girlfriend， Molly， is also there for Adam， at times helping him to better understand Little Ray。 All the while， though， Adam has burning questions about his father， who his mother will not talk about。 As the years pass， Irving reminds us of plenty of history， especially concerning sexual politics。 The outside world’s opinions and laws affect the lives of Irving’s characters in profound ways， and their reactions are a vital part of the plot。 Another part of Adam’s saga is aging， and the loss of these special souls in his life， and how they all stay with him， in various ways。 Bits of this book seem to be autobiographical。 For instance， Irving’s biological father was indeed a mystery to him， so he let his imagination run with that。 Irving even communicates， through Adam， that “biography isn’t good or bad enough to work as fiction，” at least in itself。 It’s been an important ingredient in his novels， but not the most important one。 The characters Irving invents are memorably unusual and for the most part endearing。 I certainly haven’t mentioned them all！ Some parts of this saga would work well as short stories， and that brings me to my only criticism。 This novel could have and should have been more thoroughly edited。 There was some repetition at times， which would have been needed if it had been split into smaller segments， but altogether， it was too much。 I am honored to have read been given this opportunity to read this marvelous novel as an early reviewer。 Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster。 。。。more
Sharyl
，
John Irving’s much awaited new novel is a treasure chest of the memorable characters and backstories I love him for， and it is probably twice the length of Moby-Dick， by Herman Melville。 I mention this because another thing I enjoy about Irving’s work is that he always shines a light on other works of fiction that have factored into his life。 This tome focuses on Adam Brewster and his formative years in Exeter， New Hampshire， amongst relatives with diverse world views and lives。 The reader can c John Irving’s much awaited new novel is a treasure chest of the memorable characters and backstories I love him for， and it is probably twice the length of Moby-Dick， by Herman Melville。 I mention this because another thing I enjoy about Irving’s work is that he always shines a light on other works of fiction that have factored into his life。 This tome focuses on Adam Brewster and his formative years in Exeter， New Hampshire， amongst relatives with diverse world views and lives。 The reader can count on encountering some zaniness， here。 Adam has been born out of wedlock to Rachel “Little Ray” Brewster， an expert skier and former serious competitor。 Since Ray spends part of the year as a ski instructor in another location， Adam spends plenty of time missing his mother。 In her absence， Adam’s early experiences involve hearing his insufferable maternal aunts moralize about his mother’s situation， seeing ghosts in his attic bedroom， and having his grandmother read to him from Moby-Dick。 He also becomes close to Nora， an older cousin。 She and her girlfriend Em become important people in his life。 Another wonderful， important character is Elliot Barlow， yet another adult who will act as a lodestar in Adam’s life。 Additionally， his mother’s girlfriend， Molly， is also there for Adam， at times helping him to better understand Little Ray。 All the while， though， Adam has burning questions about his father， who his mother will not talk about。 As the years pass， Irving reminds us of plenty of history， especially concerning sexual politics。 The outside world’s opinions and laws affect the lives of Irving’s characters in profound ways， and their reactions are a vital part of the plot。 Another part of Adam’s saga is aging， and the loss of these special souls in his life， and how they all stay with him， in various ways。 Bits of this book seem to be autobiographical。 For instance， Irving’s biological father was indeed a mystery to him， so he let his imagination run with that。 Irving even communicates， through Adam， that “biography isn’t good or bad enough to work as fiction，” at least in itself。 It’s been an important ingredient in his novels， but not the most important one。 The characters Irving invents are memorably unusual and for the most part endearing。 I certainly haven’t mentioned them all！ Some parts of this saga would work well as short stories， and that brings me to my only criticism。 This novel could have and should have been more thoroughly edited。 There was some repetition at times， which would have been needed if it had been split into smaller segments， but altogether， it was too much。 I am honored to have been given this opportunity to read this marvelous novel as an early reviewer。 Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster。 ____Note: since I forgot to add the book here at first， I have no idea how long it took me to finish。 It was awhile。。。 。。。more
Alice
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As I read this amazing story， the twists and turns surprised me just as I was getting comfortable。 Exploring intolerance with endearing characters， this book confronts bias and shows the way to thoughtful kindness。 I loved this book- it is a book that will stick with me。
Gwen
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This is quite possibly the longest book I have ever read， 30+ hours; I typically read a book in 4-6 hours， so this one was like the equivalent of 6 normal-sized books。 I loved the first half， the characters are fun and quirky， and their relationships are unique and heart-warming， but even though I loved them， with a book this long， I got tired of them。 I absolutely hated the later chapters that were written as screenplays。 I get John Irving is a legend， and this is rumored to be his last novel， This is quite possibly the longest book I have ever read， 30+ hours; I typically read a book in 4-6 hours， so this one was like the equivalent of 6 normal-sized books。 I loved the first half， the characters are fun and quirky， and their relationships are unique and heart-warming， but even though I loved them， with a book this long， I got tired of them。 I absolutely hated the later chapters that were written as screenplays。 I get John Irving is a legend， and this is rumored to be his last novel， but it just seemed indulgent。 A lot of the parts could have been edited out to form a much more enjoyable story。 I was hoping for another Owen Meany， and although there were glimpses of that kind of genius， this book just did not measure up in the end。 5。5/10。Thank you very much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
MandM
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Partly because he is John Irving I give this 900+ page book （I think it could have used some editing） 4 stars。 It does meander and repeat itself to a certain extent， and the many topics he explores， staying true to himself， will be off putting to some。 But he has his own unique style and his isn’t afraid to cover difficult topics in a way that is funny at times， but also makes an important point。 It won’t be his best selling book ever， but for those who love John Irving， I think they will enjoy Partly because he is John Irving I give this 900+ page book （I think it could have used some editing） 4 stars。 It does meander and repeat itself to a certain extent， and the many topics he explores， staying true to himself， will be off putting to some。 But he has his own unique style and his isn’t afraid to cover difficult topics in a way that is funny at times， but also makes an important point。 It won’t be his best selling book ever， but for those who love John Irving， I think they will enjoy the 900+ journey。 。。。more
Marybeth
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John Irving is one of my "try everything" authors--I'll try everything he writes without knowing anything about the books。 I haven't enjoyed， or finished， a few of them but I enjoyed my way through this huge book because of the well-developed characters。A lot of the reviews here have already told you about the similarities of Mr。 Irving's books--New England， wrestling， LGBTQ history/issues--and it's all true。 But what kept me reading was the characters' stories。 I loved Adam's alternative family John Irving is one of my "try everything" authors--I'll try everything he writes without knowing anything about the books。 I haven't enjoyed， or finished， a few of them but I enjoyed my way through this huge book because of the well-developed characters。A lot of the reviews here have already told you about the similarities of Mr。 Irving's books--New England， wrestling， LGBTQ history/issues--and it's all true。 But what kept me reading was the characters' stories。 I loved Adam's alternative family life （call it dysfunctional if you want but aren't we all？）， the absurdities， the repetitions， the different titles used in place of characters names。 I， too， want to read Moby-Dick， loved all the ghosts （can anyone tell me who the hippie girl was？） and the Hotel Jerome scenes。 I thoroughly enjoyed following these characters for their whole lives。 I appreciate all the political history， too， even though those were pretty disheartening， in my opinion。I was thrilled to receive a free ARC copy from @Netgalley and am thrilled to have read this latest book from a beloved American author。 。。。more
Martie Nees Record
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Genre: Literary Fiction/Sexual PoliticsPublisher: Simon & SchusterPub Date: October 18， 2022 At the 1941 National Downhill and Slalom Championships in Aspen， Colorado， skier Rachel Brewster competes in the slalom event。 Little Ray， as she is known， doesn’t win。 However， she does manage to become pregnant。 Irving begins his new novel with Little Ray’s son， Adam， journaling his life。 Young Adam is sweet yet defiant of his mother。 He is determined not to learn to ski。 She is forever telling him to Genre: Literary Fiction/Sexual PoliticsPublisher: Simon & SchusterPub Date: October 18， 2022 At the 1941 National Downhill and Slalom Championships in Aspen， Colorado， skier Rachel Brewster competes in the slalom event。 Little Ray， as she is known， doesn’t win。 However， she does manage to become pregnant。 Irving begins his new novel with Little Ray’s son， Adam， journaling his life。 Young Adam is sweet yet defiant of his mother。 He is determined not to learn to ski。 She is forever telling him to stop wringing his little hands。 This theme of defying authority runs deeply through the novel， along with those of neurosis and comic obsession。 Little Ray adores， for example， Adam’s short stature， and that of his step-father。John Irving is one of the prominent novelists of our time—it is a terrifying honor to be asked to review his work。 His most recent book， which he wrote at the age of 80， is a 912-page tale laced with his recognizable brand of subtle detail and humorous dialogue。 As usual， his characters are oddballs。 They have flaws and quirks and sometimes they're annoying or downright unlikeable， but you end up loving them anyway。 Many of the topics touched upon， including sexual nonconformity， are exactly what you’d expect from Irving。One of my favorite chapters is “The Lesbians’ Children，” which seems to encapsulate the spirit of the novel。 Now a gay mother， Little Ray， and her lover， Molly， live happily together with Little Ray’s gay husband。 Little Ray’s son， Adam is straight。 His best friend is his older cousin Nora， who is gay。 As a young teen， Adam needs to close his ears， and curious mind， to the loud orgasms of Nora’s lover， Em。 Eventually， Adam will marry Em。 Irving refuses to cage his characters’ identities， weaving theses threads together with such wit and empathy， it’s hard to imagine the plot unfolding any other way。 Ahead of his time， Irving’s 1978 classic， "The World According to Garp，" featured a rare example of a sympathetic trans character。 The world may at last be catching up。With such a lengthy novel， it’s not surprising to see it grow sluggish in places。 Probably fewer chapters could have resolved this problem。 But come on， it’s John Irving。 The man is famous for long， strange novels。 Did I mention the ghosts？ Or the fateful lightning strike？ Just get the book and sink in。I received this Advance Review Copy （ARC） novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review。Find all my book reviews at:https://www。goodreads。com/review/list…https://books6259。wordpress。com/https://www。barnesandnoble。com/review…https://www。facebook。com/martie。neesr…https://twitter。com/NeesRecord\https://www。amazon。com/ 。。。more
Laura Mooney
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- {THE LAST CHAIRLIFT - John Irving}I have never read anything by John Irving before， but the synopsis on Net Galley peaked my interest。 I had no clue the book was 912 pages long， took me about 2 weeks to read。 If it wasn’t for Adam （who is narrating his life story） and his hilariously dysfunctional and unconventional family， I would not have labored through it。 I fell in love with the eccentric band of characters: Adam， his mother Little Ray （a ski instructor）， her lesbian life partner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- {THE LAST CHAIRLIFT - John Irving}I have never read anything by John Irving before， but the synopsis on Net Galley peaked my interest。 I had no clue the book was 912 pages long， took me about 2 weeks to read。 If it wasn’t for Adam （who is narrating his life story） and his hilariously dysfunctional and unconventional family， I would not have labored through it。 I fell in love with the eccentric band of characters: Adam， his mother Little Ray （a ski instructor）， her lesbian life partner Molly （a ski patroller）， Little Rays husband Mr。 Barlow （English teacher/wrestling coach/eventual transgender woman）， Adams cousin Nora and her nonspeaking girlfriend Em （pantomimes her way through life） and plenty more。 Its a very non-traditional family to say the least， but the amount of love and support shared between them is moving。 The book spans between the 1940’s to present day with plenty of focus on sexual intolerance， the AIDS epidemic， political （republican） bashing over the decades。 Some of it became a little long winded but again the moments of humor and my investment in the lives of the characters pulled me through。 Most of the book is narrated in first person by Adam， other parts were written as a screenplay。 That was a little harder to follow but I guess it added another dimension to the book。 Again Im not familiar with any of his previous work so I cant compare but I enjoyed it。 I would only recommend it to committed lovers of reading， because you are going to invest a lot of time and it takes a little patience at moments。 Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Karen
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Oh this was a disappointment。 It's been a good long while since Irving published and I was beyond excited。 However this is the slowest chairlift possible ，traveling up Everest for how freaking long this book was。 The normal Irving relationships are there， mother and son， daughter and father， a misbegotten youth。 We have read this before， multiple times， in many of his other novels。 Nothing new and definitely nothing exciting。 Oh this was a disappointment。 It's been a good long while since Irving published and I was beyond excited。 However this is the slowest chairlift possible ，traveling up Everest for how freaking long this book was。 The normal Irving relationships are there， mother and son， daughter and father， a misbegotten youth。 We have read this before， multiple times， in many of his other novels。 Nothing new and definitely nothing exciting。 。。。more
Linden
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 John Irving can really tell a story; his novel， A Prayer for Owen Meany， is one of my all time favorites。 This one starts out with Ray， a 19 year old who gets pregnant at a 1941 ski competition。 She gives birth to Adam， and her New England family is embarrassed at her status as an unwed mother。 （I did find it hard to believe that a young woman in 1941 would deliberately try to get pregnant from a one night stand with someone she didn’t know。） We meet many unique characters in this novel， includi John Irving can really tell a story; his novel， A Prayer for Owen Meany， is one of my all time favorites。 This one starts out with Ray， a 19 year old who gets pregnant at a 1941 ski competition。 She gives birth to Adam， and her New England family is embarrassed at her status as an unwed mother。 （I did find it hard to believe that a young woman in 1941 would deliberately try to get pregnant from a one night stand with someone she didn’t know。） We meet many unique characters in this novel， including Ray’s judgmental sisters， her incompetent and incontinent father， her partner， Molly， and quite a few others。 We learn perhaps more than we want to know about Adam’s romances and his relationship with the wonderful teacher who will become his stepfather。 I did think that the book， at 762 pages， was too long， and wondered if an editor might have suggested some cuts had Irving been a less well-known author。 Three and a half stars。 Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more
Michael Herbert
，
Being from NH myself， it amazes me how well John Irving captures the nuances of granite staters in his characters。 Yes， I know he grew up in NH but not every author has the ability to get the people just right。 I started reading The Last Chairlift without realizing it is over 900 pages。 Not that it intimidates me， it is more along the lines I have to be in the right mood and have the time to read something that long。 As I got a little further in the novel， I'm saying to myself that Irving once a Being from NH myself， it amazes me how well John Irving captures the nuances of granite staters in his characters。 Yes， I know he grew up in NH but not every author has the ability to get the people just right。 I started reading The Last Chairlift without realizing it is over 900 pages。 Not that it intimidates me， it is more along the lines I have to be in the right mood and have the time to read something that long。 As I got a little further in the novel， I'm saying to myself that Irving once again is going to bring us down familiar territory with a single mother with a son， who is searching to find the identity of his father， the same private school， along with some eccentric characters。 I really wasn't expecting to actually finish or like the novel if it didn't bring something new to the table。 Fortunately in some ways Irving does and I highly enjoyed the read。 What makes this different from his best known novels， is it interweaves Adam's story with movie scenes， a film script， and of course long passages/conversations about Moby Dick， The Screenplay Adam is writing blurs the narrative of fact and fiction， which at times will tire a readers patience。 At least it did for me anyways。 Like why is this script so long？ Why do you keep going on and on about Moby Dick？ Some of it makes sense and at other times I was thinking will you just stick to the narrative and stop going on a tangent。 John Irving novels have always been political and The Last Chairlift is no exception。 In many ways it reads as historical fiction most particularly for the LGBTQ+ Community that makes it accessible for readers to understand their history and what the community had/has to go through。 If you can get past the tangents of the novel and immersed into the characters， I would say it is up there with the best of Irving， but still nowhere near my favorites （A Prayer for Owen Meany， The World According to Garp， Hotel New Hampsire， and my personal favorite A Widow for a Year）， nor is it even close to his worst （The Fourth Hand）。 Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy。 。。。more
Diane
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I was so happy to receive the ARC of the The Last Chairlift by John Irving。 I am familiar with his work only from the film adaptations and this provided me my first opportunity to read the source material。 It has many of the themes you come to anticipate in an Irving story: sexual nonconformity ， a mute woman， a boy being raised by a single mother， unknown father， wrestling and Exeter， just to name a few。 While I don't mind the duplicative construct， you do need to have something new to say。 I f I was so happy to receive the ARC of the The Last Chairlift by John Irving。 I am familiar with his work only from the film adaptations and this provided me my first opportunity to read the source material。 It has many of the themes you come to anticipate in an Irving story: sexual nonconformity ， a mute woman， a boy being raised by a single mother， unknown father， wrestling and Exeter， just to name a few。 While I don't mind the duplicative construct， you do need to have something new to say。 I found the first third of the book enjoyable。 Irving's eccentric characters and the campy prose used to describe them was entertaining。 I soon found myself pushing。to continue reading。 When I reached the halfway mark， I was rocked to see that I still 500 pages to go！The book takes the reader down many rabbit holes - deep rabbit holes。 You get the tangents of war ， politics， ghosts， sexuality， class divisions， you name it。 These are not explored lightly， he goes into depth on each and then brings you back to the main story in the same way you can take a wrong exit on the freeway and drive for miles before you are on the right road again - only repeatedly。 This makes for a very long and irritating road trip。 What this really needed was an editor with a strong， bold pen。 。。。more
Marcia reading past dark
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How does one begin to review the work of a man who is called one of the greatest novelists of our day？ The Last Chairlift is John Irving’s first book in 7 years， and it is a tome， stretching 912 pages。 In this new novel， the author is at his best。 His is a unique humor that is subtle， often hidden between the lines， and his characters are eccentric creatures， making them even more memorable。 The Last Chairlift opens with Adam， a first-person narrator， who writes in a diary style。 We are introduc How does one begin to review the work of a man who is called one of the greatest novelists of our day？ The Last Chairlift is John Irving’s first book in 7 years， and it is a tome， stretching 912 pages。 In this new novel， the author is at his best。 His is a unique humor that is subtle， often hidden between the lines， and his characters are eccentric creatures， making them even more memorable。 The Last Chairlift opens with Adam， a first-person narrator， who writes in a diary style。 We are introduced to his family， each one dysfunctional in his or her own way。 I loved the grandmother， who reads Moby Dick aloud to him and sparks his love of literature。 If you’re like me， you’ll be tempted to read Melville’s great American classic again。 This novel could almost be characterized as historical fiction， for it includes content related to politics， war， the AIDS epidemic， and society’s ever-changing sexual mores。 Irving has strong opinions and is open in sharing his views。 Destined to be one of those books that people either love or hate， The Last Chairlift will most certainly be discussed and debated by casual readers and literary scholars alike。 But I have no doubt that fans of John Irving will race to purchase this new work。This timeless author turned 80 this year， but his indomitable voice is as strong as ever。 In the literary world， John Irving is ageless。 Thank you to Simon and Schuster， NetGalley， and the amazing John Irving for the advanced copy of this novel。 。。。more
Rachel
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If you've read John Irving， you know what to expect here--Exeter， wrestling， absent fathers， writers， mute women， deviant sexuality， older men with younger women， Irving proxies。 It's almost embarrassing at this point how many repetitive details I can pick out from earlier work。 Remember the Ellen Jamesians of Garp？ They're replaced by women with hangmen's nooses around their neck。 Ellen James herself is replaced by the similarly-named Em， though she is mute by choice until， after decades with b If you've read John Irving， you know what to expect here--Exeter， wrestling， absent fathers， writers， mute women， deviant sexuality， older men with younger women， Irving proxies。 It's almost embarrassing at this point how many repetitive details I can pick out from earlier work。 Remember the Ellen Jamesians of Garp？ They're replaced by women with hangmen's nooses around their neck。 Ellen James herself is replaced by the similarly-named Em， though she is mute by choice until， after decades with barely a word， she just decides to speak again with little logic。 There are also ghosts， though there is little logic to them as well。 Why are some confined to one location while others can travel？ Why can some interact with material objects？ Whatever suits the story。Irving has said that some images wouldn't work in one of his movies but do work in writing。 His example was Delroy Lindo sucking his thumb in "Cider House Rules"--it works on the page but would look strange in person。 In The Last Chairlift， Irving has an incontinent grandfather regress in age from elderly man to diaper-wearing baby to。。。dog？ He literally has the poor man， clad in a diaper， get on all fours and bark like a dog。 He also has a woman and her husband continually give each other piggyback rides well into their seventies。 These details， oft-repeated （and BOY are they repeated！） as they are， read just as oddly on the page as they would visually。Speaking of "Cider House Rules，" Irving has his narrator， Adam， a former wrestler， write a screenplay for a film that was filmed in 1998 in New England。 Adam is nominated for a Golden Globe， which he loses， and an Oscar， which he wins。 Adam's first wife （like Irving's second） is a publisher， and he and his second-wife emigrate to Toronto in 2019， where he remains very critical of the US Republican administration。 Sound familiar？ He includes so many autobiographical details that it's almost humorous。 He even has another character who's an Irving proxy--Adam's dad， who was 14 years old when he impregnated Adam's 18/19-year-old mom。 Paul， his father， is also a screenwriter who marries/beds women young enough to be his granddaughter。 I have no way of knowing if this is how Irving sees himself， but this behavior is eerily reminiscent of Juan Diego in "The Avenue of Mysteries" If you want to read books about septuagenarian writers and their much-younger sexual partners， Irving is the author for you。Irving's prose still sparkles with whimsy， but this bloated novel deserved a good editor。 。。。more
Heather
，
A lot to love with this epic story from John Irving！ In his inimitable style， John Irving delivers everything his fans have come to love and expect from him。 It's easy to think The Last Chairlift is a coming of age story， which it is， but it goes much beyond into the realm of a saga about love and an unconventional family。 This is the story of Adam's life and all the characters in it， and there are some interesting characters！ Readers of Irving will immediately feel at home with the New England A lot to love with this epic story from John Irving！ In his inimitable style， John Irving delivers everything his fans have come to love and expect from him。 It's easy to think The Last Chairlift is a coming of age story， which it is， but it goes much beyond into the realm of a saga about love and an unconventional family。 This is the story of Adam's life and all the characters in it， and there are some interesting characters！ Readers of Irving will immediately feel at home with the New England setting and quirky characters。 There are movie stars and ghosts， there are pantomimists and lesbians， wrestling and even a fateful lightning strike。 As Adam gets older， he becomes a novelist and screenwriter， and there are two lengthy sections of the book that are written in screenplay style。 For me， these didn't flow as well as the other writing， although they did serve a purpose。 The book covers a LOT， but by the end you can't help but feel intimate with the characters and touched by the poignancy of their story。 All in all， I enjoyed the book and would recommend it。 At 900+ pages， it's a major commitment and maybe not the best book to start with if you're new to John Irving。 But for his fans， it's well worth your time！ 。。。more
Heather
，
A lot to love with this epic story from John Irving！ In his inimitable style， John Irving delivers everything his fans have come to love and expect from him。 It's easy to think The Last Chairlift is a coming of age story， which it is， but it goes much beyond into the realm of a saga about love and an unconventional family。 This is the story of Adam's life and all the characters in it， and there are some interesting characters！ Readers of Irving will immediately feel at home with the New England A lot to love with this epic story from John Irving！ In his inimitable style， John Irving delivers everything his fans have come to love and expect from him。 It's easy to think The Last Chairlift is a coming of age story， which it is， but it goes much beyond into the realm of a saga about love and an unconventional family。 This is the story of Adam's life and all the characters in it， and there are some interesting characters！ Readers of Irving will immediately feel at home with the New England setting and quirky characters。 There are movie stars and ghosts， there are pantomimists and lesbians， wrestling and even a fateful lightning strike。 As Adam gets older， he becomes a novelist and screenwriter， and there are two lengthy sections of the book that are written in screenplay style。 For me， these didn't flow as well as the other writing， although they did serve a purpose。 The book covers a LOT， but by the end you can't help but feel intimate with the characters and touched by the poignancy of their story。 All in all， I enjoyed the book and would recommend it。 At 900+ pages， it's a major commitment and maybe not the best book to start with if you're new to John Irving。 But for his fans， it's well worth your time！ 。。。more
Lea Columbus
，
I would like to thank Simon and Schuster， and Net Galley， for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC。 I was very excited to receive this book。 I loved The World According to Garp and Cider House Rules。 Sadly， I did not like this book。 First， it is extremely long-912 pages。 John Irving has said that this ， his first novel in 7 years， would be his last long novel。 I almost wish he would have made 2 shorter novels 。 This book is both sprawling and overstuffed。 It is about a writer named Adam ， I would like to thank Simon and Schuster， and Net Galley， for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC。 I was very excited to receive this book。 I loved The World According to Garp and Cider House Rules。 Sadly， I did not like this book。 First， it is extremely long-912 pages。 John Irving has said that this ， his first novel in 7 years， would be his last long novel。 I almost wish he would have made 2 shorter novels 。 This book is both sprawling and overstuffed。 It is about a writer named Adam ， his life， his friends， his family ， his work。 It spans a time frame of 1941 to 2019。 It is the story of Adam Brewster。 Adam's mother is Rachel Brewster， called Little Ray。 She is a ski instructor。 She went to a ski race in 1941 in Aspen， and became pregnant。 She did not name the father， and wanted to keep Adam as her "one and only"。 The story traces Rachel and Adam's life， as well as many members of their family， friends and acquaintances。 I liked the character of Adam， however ， most of the other characters were unlikable。 There is a streak of meanness in almost all of them， particularly when it comes to describing Adam's old girlfriends。 （ They all have nicknames- the limper for one）。There are so many characters， and many are called by a variety of names/nicknames。 Elliot Barlow comes into the book about a quarter of the way along。 He is called ， Elliott， Mr Barlow， the snowshoer， and the little English teacher interchangeably， and several times in the same sentence。 It becomes annoying after a while。 The familiar storylines for Irving books are there:wrestling， LGBTQ characters， strong mother and absent father figures。 The book is especially strong in the storyline set in the 80's， during the Aids Epidemic。 The blurb talks about it as a ghost story， and while there are ghosts， there are long stretches where that storyline is absent。 There are a lot of death scenes， often in bizarre ways。 There are uncomfortable sex scenes（ex the old girlfriend called the limper） 。 There is also a lot of discussion about the novel Moby Dick。It is quoted so often that I feel like read it as well as this book。 I really wanted to like if not love this book， however I found it too long and convoluted for my taste。 。。。more
Jo Dervan
，
This is the story about Adam， a straight man， who was born to a gay woman， Little Ray in 1942。 Little Ray， an expert skier， seduced a 14 year old in the Jerome Hotel in Aspen Colorado and then returned home to Exeter， New Hampshire to raise the baby boy。 When Adam was 14， Little Ray married a man who eventually became transgender。 Then Little Ray moved her lesbian lover in with them。 The book touches on all the struggles of the gay community from the 1940s up through AIDS， Reagan’s ignoring that This is the story about Adam， a straight man， who was born to a gay woman， Little Ray in 1942。 Little Ray， an expert skier， seduced a 14 year old in the Jerome Hotel in Aspen Colorado and then returned home to Exeter， New Hampshire to raise the baby boy。 When Adam was 14， Little Ray married a man who eventually became transgender。 Then Little Ray moved her lesbian lover in with them。 The book touches on all the struggles of the gay community from the 1940s up through AIDS， Reagan’s ignoring that epidemic， the Catholic Church’s opposition to homosexuality and gay marriage legislation。 It continues through to the 2016 election。 Although this is not an autobiographical novel， Irving uses many facts from his own life （e。g。 an Exeter resident who attended the prep school and taught there， his participation on the Exeter wrestling team，his job as an assistant wrestling coach at the school， moving to Canada， etc。） for different characters in the story。I am a John Irving fan and enjoyed the book but felt that at over 900 pages， it was too long。 If one third of the material was edited out， it would have been an easier read and still kept the basic story。I received this ARC from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mary Beth
，
I’ll start with the good news: Irving comes through with his talent for creating characters that stuck with me after I read the last page， characters I wished could step out of the pages and be my friends in real life。 The book at times pulled hard at my emotions， centering on the close-knit group that surrounds our narrator Adam， who as a child doesn’t know his father and longs for his often-absent mother。 With the book spanning many decades， readers are likely to connect deeply with the themes I’ll start with the good news: Irving comes through with his talent for creating characters that stuck with me after I read the last page， characters I wished could step out of the pages and be my friends in real life。 The book at times pulled hard at my emotions， centering on the close-knit group that surrounds our narrator Adam， who as a child doesn’t know his father and longs for his often-absent mother。 With the book spanning many decades， readers are likely to connect deeply with the themes: embracing love in its sometimes surprising forms and sticking close together to keep the ones you love on the right side of the cliffs， to use a moving analogy by one of the characters。 I loved the use of ghosts， who appear more in the latter part of the book and add both interest and emotional resonance to the workUnfortunately， the strong moments in the book frequently get lost as the narration veers into long side stories that take attention away from the main plot。 Because of this and other reasons， I didn’t feel I got as deep a look into some of the main characters as I would have liked。 In addition， there is a lot of repetition of phrases and descriptions。 Brief scenes and dialogue are repeated in ways that seemed unnecessary， which also slows the pacing of this lengthy book。 While some of the humor is wonderful， some of it fell flat for me。 Plus， my enjoyment of the early scenes was spoiled by some of the subject matter， including humor that revolved around a character’s dementia。There is a lot to love， and I found myself really caring about what happened to the characters as their lives changed throughout the decades。 But the unevenness and slow pace kept me from getting lost in the world of the story like I wanted to。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance read in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Justin
，
Irving fans will quickly notice the regular elements here: wrestling， New England， small people， sexual nonconformity， unusual families， non-speaking characters， the draw of Canada， writers and screenwriters， etc。 As the book begins， it's easy to expect him to retread old ground and， while there's some truth to that idea， he does enough new work here that the novel does feel like a fresh entry into his bibliography。 It sits most naturally next to Owen Meany and Garp （I haven't read his two previ Irving fans will quickly notice the regular elements here: wrestling， New England， small people， sexual nonconformity， unusual families， non-speaking characters， the draw of Canada， writers and screenwriters， etc。 As the book begins， it's easy to expect him to retread old ground and， while there's some truth to that idea， he does enough new work here that the novel does feel like a fresh entry into his bibliography。 It sits most naturally next to Owen Meany and Garp （I haven't read his two previous novels yet so I'm not sure how it fits in with the recentish stuff）。 In many ways， it's a look at the politics （particularly the gender/sexual politics） of the US since about 1940， viewed through the history of one strange family， and suits this particularly moment。At times， it's quite enjoyable and hard to put down （reading a digital ARC， I didn't realize how long it is， though it clearly felt long）， but at times， it feels as if Irving is trying to write an Irving novel。 Some of the wackiness -- particularly the wedding scene -- feels forced and some of the humor falls flat。 It struggles， too， in its lack of a strong central storyline （one line， the mystery of the protagonist's parentage， just isn't that interesting or useful）。 Irving has no problem with episodic storytelling， but this book reads as if it's just a recounting of a bunch of stuff， the usual Dickensian coincidences and formal influences don't make for a strong as structure as in Irving's best work。Too many of the characters aren't quite rich enough （as with Zimmerman， the narrator's good friend， who we don't even realize was such a good friend until he becomes a useful political argument） or are a little overdrawn， such as Ray， with her giggling and her uncritiqued inappropriateness （no spoilers， but the characters cover up some awful behavior）。 By the end of the book， they do have enough weight to provide some truly moving moments， even if the book winds down feeling more sad than profound。The book's also too long for its own good。 It doesn't have either the scope or the weight to warrant 900 pages。 Some of the editing could have been full scenes or tangents， but much of it could have been just the trimming of repetitive phrases。 Neither Irving nor his editor trust us to remember key moments from earlier in the book， so we sometimes get them verbatim to make sure we can connect all the dots。 If some of the politics are heavy-handed， so is some of the writing。If that's heavy criticism， it's because we've seen the heights Irving can reach throughout his career。 But it's also true that this book does contain some wonderful moments， some unique and memorable characters。 There's always empathy in Irving's novel， and that comes through in abundance here。 The core of the book works better than the rest of my review might suggest， but it still remains one for hardcore Irving fans。 I can think of a half dozen of his books better than this one， and some of the early ones that might not be "better，" but are more enjoyable。 It's a worthwhile entry in an important catalog， but it does have its issues。 。。。more
Anne Wolfe
，
Where do I begin to write a review about the first John Irving book in 7 years that runs for 900 pages and took me three weeks to read？ Perhaps I should get the negative comment over with first: There was SO much repetition， sometimes even word for word， that it became annoying。 （And， perhaps， could have made the book considerably shorter and possibly earned five stars。）But it showed John Irving at his best。 No other writer has that particular humor that has you laughing out loud right from the Where do I begin to write a review about the first John Irving book in 7 years that runs for 900 pages and took me three weeks to read？ Perhaps I should get the negative comment over with first: There was SO much repetition， sometimes even word for word， that it became annoying。 （And， perhaps， could have made the book considerably shorter and possibly earned five stars。）But it showed John Irving at his best。 No other writer has that particular humor that has you laughing out loud right from the beginning。 As always， the characters are quirky and not ordinary in any way but three-dimensional， nevertheless。The Last Chairlift begins with Adam， first person narrator， novelist and screen writer。 We meet his mother， Little Ray and her lover， Molly， both of whom are involved in skiing， Ray as a former Slalom competitor and Molly， a snow groomer。 Adam's grandmother， who reads Moby Dick to him， starts his love of literature - and makes you want to go back and re-read Melville， although not so soon after The Last Chairlift。Has anyone ever written a character like Adam's demented grandfather， who wears diapers？ I think not。 The multiplicity of characters include the little snowshoer， his mystery-writing parents， bad comics and very bad girlfriends， as well as Adam's Cousin Nora， her mother and Aunt， his uncles， and Nora's loudly orgasmic but mute girlfriend， Em， as well as the little snowshoer who becomes Adam's stepfather figure prominently throughout。The novel can be read as a history， dating from the forties to the present。 It includes changes in our society brought about by politics， wars， protests and the AIDS epidemic， and changing sexual norms。 Irving does NOT like Ronald Reagan， the Bushes or Donald Trump。 （Neither do I。）And then there are the ghosts， a continuing theme throughout。 They are black and white photos or sometimes long and sometimes recently departed， some who interact and some who don't。 The ghosts alone could inspire a graduate thesis。 Wrestling？ Comedy clubs in the 60's？ Yes， they're here？ Publishing and author readings？ Yup。 And noir movies and so much more。When you get to the end， you will feel as if you have re-lived the last 70 years。 You will have laughed and grieved， and you will have rejoiced in the experience of a new John Irving novel。Thank you， thank you to Simon and Schuster， the author， and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel to read， and read and read and experience。 。。。more
Kami Boley
，
I truly admire this seasoned author's skill， technique， and commitment to these characters。 They live and breathe in all of their awkward glory。If you have a hard time empathizing with gender-diverse people or those that live a much different life than your own I would skip this one。 As I have no staunch political leanings and tend to enjoy stories that some might consider off-putting 。 。 。 I have a true soft spot for the struggles of underdogs and this story has more than one to choose from。 Th I truly admire this seasoned author's skill， technique， and commitment to these characters。 They live and breathe in all of their awkward glory。If you have a hard time empathizing with gender-diverse people or those that live a much different life than your own I would skip this one。 As I have no staunch political leanings and tend to enjoy stories that some might consider off-putting 。 。 。 I have a true soft spot for the struggles of underdogs and this story has more than one to choose from。 This story focuses on Adam Brewster and his Mother Rachel who shows him how to be true to himself and brave enough to live his life fully and without apology。This novel is a long one folks， but I enjoyed it even when the narrative became slow and meandering 。 。 。 it was a winding path of discovery and a road much less traveled。I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Last Chairlift for my unbiased evaluation。 4 stars 。。。more
Casey Wheeler
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This is the first book by this long established author that I have read。 It was hyped as his first novel in seven years so I thought I would give it a try。 Hopefully， his earlier works are much better than this。 It was dull and a slog to read。 The characters were not interesting and the writing style reminded me of someone trying to make a possible interesting story dull and lengthy。 Other reviewers have loved the book so I will leave it to you to decide if it is for you。 It definitely was not f This is the first book by this long established author that I have read。 It was hyped as his first novel in seven years so I thought I would give it a try。 Hopefully， his earlier works are much better than this。 It was dull and a slog to read。 The characters were not interesting and the writing style reminded me of someone trying to make a possible interesting story dull and lengthy。 Other reviewers have loved the book so I will leave it to you to decide if it is for you。 It definitely was not for me。I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley， Goodreads， Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog。 。。。more
Kevin Halter
，
The Last Chairlift by John Irving is a genre blend of satirical wit and another quirky look at life。If you are a fan of John Irving this book will appeal to you in a similar way as The World According to Garp or Cider House Rules。John Irving， at 80， has not lost a literary step but this book can sometimes be a little heavy-handed in the author's views of family and sexual politics。I have a feeling that this book will be one of those books that people either love or hate with little to no middle The Last Chairlift by John Irving is a genre blend of satirical wit and another quirky look at life。If you are a fan of John Irving this book will appeal to you in a similar way as The World According to Garp or Cider House Rules。John Irving， at 80， has not lost a literary step but this book can sometimes be a little heavy-handed in the author's views of family and sexual politics。I have a feeling that this book will be one of those books that people either love or hate with little to no middle ground。This book is one of my favorite John Irving books。Thank you to #NetGalley， #SimonandShuster， and John Irving for the ARC of #TheLastChairlift。 。。。more
Sara
，
I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley。I've been a fan of John Irving since at least college so I was excited to see he had a new book out。 This book is quite the behometh around 900 pages so I was glad to read the e-book version。 This book is mostly told from the POV of Adam from when he's a youngster to when he's in his 70s。 He tells us about his mom， Rachel， or "Little Ray" as everyone calls her who is petite， but fun-loving。 Everyone loves her。 There is a large cast of charac I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley。I've been a fan of John Irving since at least college so I was excited to see he had a new book out。 This book is quite the behometh around 900 pages so I was glad to read the e-book version。 This book is mostly told from the POV of Adam from when he's a youngster to when he's in his 70s。 He tells us about his mom， Rachel， or "Little Ray" as everyone calls her who is petite， but fun-loving。 Everyone loves her。 There is a large cast of characters from a diaper-wearing grandpa to a mute， pantomining lesbian named Em， to aunts and uncles and other family members。 There are a lot of secrets in this family， but there is also a huge amount of love and community。 I wished it was shorter at times， but it tells a full story。 。。。more
Tammy
，
Generally， I like Irving but this over blown novel about a small skier and her son left me cold。 Irving revisits familiar territory; wrestling， small town New England， small mindedness and so on。 It was just too much， too obvious， and entirely too long。 It’s too bad。
Mary Fabrizio
，
I was so excited to receive an ARC of John Irvings "last" novel to be released in October。 He's always been one of my most admired writers。 There's still lots to be admired here but its bogged down in way too many extraneous ramblings。 I came to know the first person narrator - Adam - well and enjoyed his character greatly。 But he meanders so very much that I found myself skimming great swaths of the book - namely his detailed accounts of other books and movies。 I felt truly engaged with the sto I was so excited to receive an ARC of John Irvings "last" novel to be released in October。 He's always been one of my most admired writers。 There's still lots to be admired here but its bogged down in way too many extraneous ramblings。 I came to know the first person narrator - Adam - well and enjoyed his character greatly。 But he meanders so very much that I found myself skimming great swaths of the book - namely his detailed accounts of other books and movies。 I felt truly engaged with the story only when when it occurred at the Hotel Jerome， written in screenplay format。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Last Chairlift
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Last Chairlift&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Last Chairlift&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0