Fiction

The Last Chairlift

The Last Chairlift

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-10-25 02:21:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：John Irving
  • ISBN：1501189271
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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。

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Reviews

Phyllis ，

I know I can't be objective about John Irving's writing， because I've been reading and loving his novels for all of my life。 I was 17 years old when I first picked up The World According to Garp in my college bookstore， and what a wild ride it took me on back in the 1970s。 I was thrilled when my kids were assigned to read The Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany in their high school english classes in the 1990s。 Through all the decades of my adult life， I've known the next Irving book w I know I can't be objective about John Irving's writing， because I've been reading and loving his novels for all of my life。 I was 17 years old when I first picked up The World According to Garp in my college bookstore， and what a wild ride it took me on back in the 1970s。 I was thrilled when my kids were assigned to read The Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany in their high school english classes in the 1990s。 Through all the decades of my adult life， I've known the next Irving book would take me places I've not been before and stretch my heart in new ways。 This novel， The Last Chairlift， feels to me as if it might be the last ride I get to take with Irving， but gosh darn I sure hope it isn't。This is the life story of Adam Brewster， born at the end of 1941 to his 19-year-old unwed mother Little Ray who was a competitive slalom skier from New Hampshire。 Adam grows up to be a writer of novels and screen plays， and at the end of the story he is in his 80s and still writing -- "We knew we wouldn't retire; writers can't stop writing。 。 。 。 [N]o last chairlifts for Em and me， only last sentences。" The themes here are familiar from all of Irving's novels。 Of course there is wrestling and attending an all-boys school in New Hampshire。 Of course there is the mom -- "We're alone in the way we love our mothers， or in the way we don't。" Of course there is an array of extraordinarily interesting family members and the ways in which childhood fashions us -- "You are never over your childhood， not until you are under the train --unter dem Zug。" There are ghosts， dementia， a zither player or two， sex & gender in every possible form， Melville's Moby-Dick， pantomime & comedy， the war in Viet Nam， the horrors of the AIDS epidemic， the plots of a series of noir movies， murder & mayhem & tragedy， two complete screenplays， skiing and snowshoeing and hiking， favorite children's books including Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans and My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett -- and those are just a few of the highlights。 It's easy to see how this book grew to 889 pages。 I would have read twice that many if Irving had seen fit to include them。 Mostly， this is a story about deep & abiding love， being there no matter what for those who matter to us and for those to whom we matter， and the contemplation of death; as Melville wrote in Moby-Dick and Irving returns to here: "Death is only a launching into the region of the strange Untried。" 。。。more

Charles ，

At the end of my life， I will be glad to say that I read John Irving in real time。 God help me， this is good。 Classic Irving and not one of the 900+ pages is wasted。 Instead of a “story within a story” we get a screenplay within a story。 His themes are ever present and his politics （which I adore） are written in a loving and thematic way。 He is our Dickens and our greatest contemporary novelist。 Thank you John Irving。

Andrew Shaw ，

This feels very much like a John Irving Greatest Hits collection。 You’ve got the son of a single mother who grows up to be a writer， New England， wrestling， sexual politics， Vienna， incest， unusual families， a host of eccentric Dickensian characters， only the lack of a bear means you won’t complete your John Irving bingo card。And it’s long， very long。 In fact there are times when I thought it would be the last book I ever read。 It feels like the publishers thought ‘ah well， it’s John Irving。 Let This feels very much like a John Irving Greatest Hits collection。 You’ve got the son of a single mother who grows up to be a writer， New England， wrestling， sexual politics， Vienna， incest， unusual families， a host of eccentric Dickensian characters， only the lack of a bear means you won’t complete your John Irving bingo card。And it’s long， very long。 In fact there are times when I thought it would be the last book I ever read。 It feels like the publishers thought ‘ah well， it’s John Irving。 Let him write what he wants to write， it will be fine’ and then just printed whatever he sent them。 But while there are passages that feel like they will go on forever， they are many that are brilliant too。 The chapter exploring the AIDS crisis in the 80s is particularly effective， and there are several death scenes which are deeply moving。 Politically， it’s very astute though，seamlessly drawing parallels between the politics of the time and the present day。 It’s pretty obvious where the author’s sympathies lie， but it’s very effective and provocative nonetheless。If you’ve never read Irving before don’t start here。 But if you want to dive into something that ticks all the familiar boxes， and you’ve got plenty of time on your hands， then you could do a lot worse that The Last Chairlift。 It’s certainly a big improvement on his last novel， the rather dreary Avenue of Mysteries， and had there been a bit of judicious editing， it could have been a classic。 。。。more

Ron Vaughn ，

BAD， BAd， badDon’t waste your time， really slimy and a bad story。 One of the worst I have almost read， couldn’t finish it。

Tfalcone ，

Garp like in its story telling， but so long and drawn out。

Thomas ，

The Last Chair Lift is a book only obsessed John Irving fans will finish， and I wonder why they would find it interesting。 A good editor would destroy this novel。 Rambling， repetitive， and plodding are a few words Publisher's Weekly and the New York Times share。 I forced myself to read the first part because I spent $16。00 on an electronic version—a profound waste of time。 I've never felt so robbed。 The Last Chair Lift is a book only obsessed John Irving fans will finish， and I wonder why they would find it interesting。 A good editor would destroy this novel。 Rambling， repetitive， and plodding are a few words Publisher's Weekly and the New York Times share。 I forced myself to read the first part because I spent $16。00 on an electronic version—a profound waste of time。 I've never felt so robbed。 。。。more

Diane Karpus ，

DNF。。sooo disappointing

Oldmanneill ，

DNF。 Got 300 pages in and bailed。 Absolute snooze。 As a huge fan his big three and Hotel NH， this was shockingly dull。

Dianne ，

When I received this ARC I decided to save it to read closer to the publication date。 Plus， I wanted to savor it like some fine chocolate。Imagine my surprise and disappointment to find that Edelweiss only sent me one very long chapter！ Reading this chapter was interesting; actually， it was fascinating to see what skiing was like in the 1930s and 1940s。 As per Mr。 Irving's usual fare， this lengthy chapter was rambling and sometimes confusing， and I am sure as the book goes on it must have gotten When I received this ARC I decided to save it to read closer to the publication date。 Plus， I wanted to savor it like some fine chocolate。Imagine my surprise and disappointment to find that Edelweiss only sent me one very long chapter！ Reading this chapter was interesting; actually， it was fascinating to see what skiing was like in the 1930s and 1940s。 As per Mr。 Irving's usual fare， this lengthy chapter was rambling and sometimes confusing， and I am sure as the book goes on it must have gotten better。 I'm not so sure from what I read。 The prose was lovely， but the rambling was just annoying。I'm disappointed and will be taking this out of the library to see if the rest of the book lives up to the hype or to my first impressions。 。。。more

Gordon ，

3。5

Brett Benner ，

With his first novel in seven years， and according to him his last long book， writer John Irving takes the mantra， “Go big or go home” and raises it another level。 This is the story of Adam Brewster， an inquisitive affable kid who becomes an inquisitive affable man， as well as an inquisitive affable writer。Irving mines his own biography once again to create a story that skids somewhere between truth and fiction。The parallels between our protagonist and Irving are numerous but include:education a With his first novel in seven years， and according to him his last long book， writer John Irving takes the mantra， “Go big or go home” and raises it another level。 This is the story of Adam Brewster， an inquisitive affable kid who becomes an inquisitive affable man， as well as an inquisitive affable writer。Irving mines his own biography once again to create a story that skids somewhere between truth and fiction。The parallels between our protagonist and Irving are numerous but include:education at Phillips Exeter in New Hampshire， a missing father， wrestling， writing， the avoidance of the draft， and time spent at the Iowa Writers Workshop among others。 For those familiar with Irving many of these themes or ideas are ones that have surfaced multiple times throughout his literary career， and it seems by length alone that any or all of them have been reimagined here as we follow the life of Adam and his extended family。 Speaking of family， Irving was always one to break the non-traditional model and that holds fast here as well。 His Mother is a lesbian who lives with her girlfriend， and also her husband， an English teacher of Adam’s who begins the process of transitioning。 Adam’s cousin， also a lesbian， lives with her girlfriend， both of whose parents are gay。 The characters live and love and fight and die beginning in the late sixties and working through the present day so a lot of ground is covered。 Irving makes the most of the AIDS crisis and Ronald Reagan’s silence in the face of then tens of thousands of gay men dying。 The book is epic and feels like it and as engaging as the characters are there were times I was exhausted by the weight of it all。 Irving takes two rather large chunks of the novel and presents them as a screenplay， the idea being this was the only way our protagonist could remember the things that happened at that time。 Okay。 Does it add anything？ I didn’t think so， but at least the formatting moved the plot along。 And as much as I genuinely grew to love many of the characters， and to be clear this is a character-based novel first， I wanted something more at the end。 I wanted the same kind of moving catharsis that happened at the end of “Owen Meany’， ‘The Cider House Rules’ or even ‘A Son of The Circus’。 Would I recommend the book？ For diehard Irving fans of which there are plenty， I would say yes; Personally I liked this more than his last few。 But for someone new to his work I would stick to the three others I’ve mentioned above as a start。 You’ll certainly have less pages to get through。 。。。more

Christy Martin ，

Adam doesn't know who his father is。 He was conceived， he thinks， sometime when his mother was on one of her skiing adventures。 She had been， in her youth， a world-class competitor and for some of his growing-up years， she would still spend the "season" teaching and working in the business of skiing。 She becomes interested in a small man that eventually she marries and Adam finds the surrogate father in him but still wants to know the details of who his father is and what kind of relationship hi Adam doesn't know who his father is。 He was conceived， he thinks， sometime when his mother was on one of her skiing adventures。 She had been， in her youth， a world-class competitor and for some of his growing-up years， she would still spend the "season" teaching and working in the business of skiing。 She becomes interested in a small man that eventually she marries and Adam finds the surrogate father in him but still wants to know the details of who his father is and what kind of relationship his mother had with him。 With this in mind， he goes in search of just that。 Meanwhile， the characters that surround Adam have weddings， parties， and celebrations where sexually inappropriate behavior seems to reign。 The plot of the book is relatively simple and is a good story。 The side activities I found to be distracting。 Good characters and an interesting setting make the book worth reading。 Thanks to #NetGalley#TheLastChairLift for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more

Monnie ，

It's been a long while since I've read a book by this author， but I remember enjoying those I did and looked forward to diving into this one。 It took awhile， but it's well worth it - interesting and well-written。I'm not even going to try to provide many details; basically， it's a life story told by Adam， the son of slalom skier Rachel Brewster。 Back in 1941， in Aspen， Colorado， to participate in championship downhill and slalom races， Rachel ends up with no medals but instead a euphemistic bun i It's been a long while since I've read a book by this author， but I remember enjoying those I did and looked forward to diving into this one。 It took awhile， but it's well worth it - interesting and well-written。I'm not even going to try to provide many details; basically， it's a life story told by Adam， the son of slalom skier Rachel Brewster。 Back in 1941， in Aspen， Colorado， to participate in championship downhill and slalom races， Rachel ends up with no medals but instead a euphemistic bun in the oven - Adam， born in 1942。 Years go by， and Adam returns to Aspen and the Hotel Jerome （where reportedly he was conceived by a still-unknown father）。 Despite a reasonably supportive rest of the family and friends， Adam understandably wants to know who his father was; the story follows Adam's experiences and observations （told as only this author can do） over a period of 80 years and many， many intriguing characters， not a few of whom are ghosts。 As with many lengthy books， it gets repetitious in spots， but that really doesn't get in the way of enjoyment and awe of the author's considerable writing talent。If you enjoy a really good story and have plenty of time， this book really is worth the effort。 I thank the publisher， via NetGalley， for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy。 。。。more

Michael Tedin ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am a big fan of John Irving's。 This book， despite it's size at 889 pages， doesn't disappoint。 He is the master of creating memorable characters as well as the use of foreshadowing。 a previous review for the book pointed out that he has also used alternative family arrangements in many of his books。 This one seems to take that to the extreme。 He treats his LGBTQ characters with compassion and love。 The main characters in his books always have a loving relationship with those characters。 In this I am a big fan of John Irving's。 This book， despite it's size at 889 pages， doesn't disappoint。 He is the master of creating memorable characters as well as the use of foreshadowing。 a previous review for the book pointed out that he has also used alternative family arrangements in many of his books。 This one seems to take that to the extreme。 He treats his LGBTQ characters with compassion and love。 The main characters in his books always have a loving relationship with those characters。 In this case， it is his own parents， other relatives， and their lovers。 While those characters are supporting the main character's story， they are central to that story。 I would recommend this book， especially for those who like John Irving's writing。 。。。more

Natalie Boyd ，

While The Last Chairlift by John Irving might not be for every reader （check StoryGraph for content warnings）， this novel covers a lot of story at a nice pace。 In this literary fiction， narrator Adam Brewster tells the story of growing up in a nontraditional family in Vermont。 The characters in the story are a mix of charming and sometimes silly。 Irving manages to effectively communicate how there is often a combination of funny and serious emotions happening in life events。 （This story has one While The Last Chairlift by John Irving might not be for every reader （check StoryGraph for content warnings）， this novel covers a lot of story at a nice pace。 In this literary fiction， narrator Adam Brewster tells the story of growing up in a nontraditional family in Vermont。 The characters in the story are a mix of charming and sometimes silly。 Irving manages to effectively communicate how there is often a combination of funny and serious emotions happening in life events。 （This story has one of the funniest sex scenes I have ever read。） As Adam learns about family members' personal struggles to find themselves， he shapes the personality of the man he ultimately becomes。 In the end， this novel is a celebration of choosing to life life by one's own terms， refusing to compromise who you are and who you love to satisfy anyone else。 。。。more

Vicki ，

“The Last Chairlift，” by John Irving， Simon & Schuster， 912 pages， Oct。 18， 2022。In 1941 in Aspen， Colorado， Rachel Brewster is a slalom skier at the National Downhill and Slalom Championships。Her nickname is Little Ray。 She doesn’t place in the event。 When she gets pregnant， Little Ray goes home to New England。 After giving birth to a son， Adam， she becomes a ski instructor。 She drops out of college。 Adam lives with his grandparents because his mother spends six months a year skiing。 He and his “The Last Chairlift，” by John Irving， Simon & Schuster， 912 pages， Oct。 18， 2022。In 1941 in Aspen， Colorado， Rachel Brewster is a slalom skier at the National Downhill and Slalom Championships。Her nickname is Little Ray。 She doesn’t place in the event。 When she gets pregnant， Little Ray goes home to New England。 After giving birth to a son， Adam， she becomes a ski instructor。 She drops out of college。 Adam lives with his grandparents because his mother spends six months a year skiing。 He and his older cousin Nora are mutually resistant to learning to ski in a family of avid skiers。Adam’s family won’t tell him about his father。 He begins seeing ghosts when he is a teenager。 From the start， they look like black-and-white photographs of people he didn’t know and places he hasn’t been。Years later， looking for answers as to who fathered him， Adam goes to the Hotel Jerome in Aspen， where he was conceived。 Adam is a novelist and screenwriter。Irving’s publisher said he has called this his last long novel。 It is his first novel in seven years and the first he’s written that he would call “a ghost story。” It is also a love story and a story of sexual politics。This is much too long-winded and the plot is weak。 I found that his continued use of terms for people， like “the snowshoer，” instead of their names， to be annoying。 While this was not my favorite of John Irving’s novels， two of his， “The World According to Garp” and “A Prayer for Owen Meany，” are on my list of the best books that I’ve ever read。 His novels are a plea for tolerance。 Between the length and the repetition in the writing， many readers will want to pass on this one。In accordance with FTC guidelines， the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for a review。 。。。more

Preeti Mahatme ，

I was very excited when I was approved for this book on Netgalley。 It is the first book by John Irving I have read and he is a highly acclaimed author。 Turned out to be a massive tome of almost 1000 pages。 The story follows the life of Adam Brewster as he navigates his way through the women in his world。 And there are a lot of women to navigate for sure。 Starting with his single mom Rachel Ray Brewster， the Moby-Dick obsessed grandmother， Mom's trans-husband Elliott Barlow， Ray's love the indomi I was very excited when I was approved for this book on Netgalley。 It is the first book by John Irving I have read and he is a highly acclaimed author。 Turned out to be a massive tome of almost 1000 pages。 The story follows the life of Adam Brewster as he navigates his way through the women in his world。 And there are a lot of women to navigate for sure。 Starting with his single mom Rachel Ray Brewster， the Moby-Dick obsessed grandmother， Mom's trans-husband Elliott Barlow， Ray's love the indomitable Molly， his cousin Nora， the lovable Em， a host of incompatible girlfriends and finally his wife Grace。 I loved them all。 I really enjoyed the initial part of the book which was like a coming-of-age story。 Thereafter I skimmed through bits， especially the parts written as screenplay。 I persevered to the end though。 This is not a book to read if you love thrillers or fast stories。 It is not even a book with any real story This is a book to be read in slow motion， soaking the prose and the meandering narrative。 I suspect the book is semi-autobiographical （seems to be a trend nowadays with authors in their advanced years）。 Parallelly， the book also deals with the politics of the sixties especially surrounding the Vietnam War and the prejudices of gender and sexuality。 Definitely curious how this would sound as an audiobook or maybe a movie！！Thank you Netgalley， Simon & Schuster and John Irving for the privilege of an ARC。 。。。more

andrea v。 （andrea’s galley） ，

“Screenplays are written in the present tense， as if what you see is happening for the first time。 That’s why what happened to me in Aspen is a movie; it’s always happening， again and again， for the first time。 I will always see it as a movie。”Genre: FictionActual Rating: 4 starsSpicy Meter: Very disturbingContent Warnings: Describes （sort of） incest， infidelity， death， sickness， mental deterioration， dysfunctional families， having children out of wedlock in conservative families， and hiding you “Screenplays are written in the present tense， as if what you see is happening for the first time。 That’s why what happened to me in Aspen is a movie; it’s always happening， again and again， for the first time。 I will always see it as a movie。”Genre: FictionActual Rating: 4 starsSpicy Meter: Very disturbingContent Warnings: Describes （sort of） incest， infidelity， death， sickness， mental deterioration， dysfunctional families， having children out of wedlock in conservative families， and hiding your sexuality and gender identity。 This is overall a very troubling and dark read， these content warnings don’t encompass that too well。“The Last Chairlift” is a 889-paged novel， so it’s understandable that the blurb doesn’t really describe what it’s all about。 But， essentially， throughout this book， we live the life of Adam Brewster， the bastard child of a prominent skier known as Little Ray， as he is， honestly， heavily traumatized by his mother and somewhat rescued by his stepfather。It is also fair to note that when they talk about ghosts on the blurb， they’re literally talking about ghosts as in dead people， not as in people Adam hasn’t seen in a long time。 Maybe keep that in mind when grabbing this book—it is a bit surrealistic and odd。I am still not sure how I feel about this read， other than heavy， weighted down。 Not necessarily in a bad way， just in a very real way。 This book not only touched on a fictional or fantastical world， it takes from our history and inserts a group of characters that are living through it too。Something very unique about “The Last Chairlift” is how some parts are told through screenplay。 When Adam goes to Aspen in search of answers about his origins， this is all told through a script， which was hard to adjust to， but also kind of welcomed， as it broke the narrative for a while—gave you a break through a very long novel。I found some of the things about this book to be extremely disturbing。 Things like Adam’s fascination for his cousin Nora， how Little Ray kissed Adam， how the sweet angel of Adam’s step father （Elliot， the little snowshoer） was treated at times， and then bring in how some people are pointing out how some things are practically autobiographical。 It makes me wonder where fiction and reality become one。This book reminded me of one of my favorite reads last year， “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara， but I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing， because I will never be reading that book again。 It was just too heavy （and perhaps this book is too）。Overall， if you’ve read other John Irving books and you’re up to reading this chunk of a novel， then might as well grab it。 It’s not bad， it just maybe didn’t have to be almost 900 pages long。ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review。Publication Date: October 18， 2022 。。。more

andrea v。 （andrea’s galley） ，

The following review will be posted on my blog on Tuesday， October 18th， the day of publication。 It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram that same day， and has already been posted on Goodreads。 The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page， so readers can add it to their to-be-read books。“Screenplays are written in the present tense， as if what you see is happening for the first time。 That’s why what happened to me in Aspen is a movie; it’s always happening， again The following review will be posted on my blog on Tuesday， October 18th， the day of publication。 It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram that same day， and has already been posted on Goodreads。 The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page， so readers can add it to their to-be-read books。“Screenplays are written in the present tense， as if what you see is happening for the first time。 That’s why what happened to me in Aspen is a movie; it’s always happening， again and again， for the first time。 I will always see it as a movie。”Genre: FictionActual Rating: 4 starsSpicy Meter: Very disturbingContent Warnings: Describes （sort of） incest， infidelity， death， sickness， mental deterioration， dysfunctional families， having children out of wedlock in conservative families， and hiding your sexuality and gender identity。 This is overall a very troubling and dark read， these content warnings don’t encompass that too well。“The Last Chairlift” is a 889-paged novel， so it’s understandable that the blurb doesn’t really describe what it’s all about。 But， essentially， throughout this book， we live the life of Adam Brewster， the bastard child of a prominent skier known as Little Ray， as he is， honestly， heavily traumatized by his mother and somewhat rescued by his stepfather。It is also fair to note that when they talk about ghosts on the blurb， they’re literally talking about ghosts as in dead people， not as in people Adam hasn’t seen in a long time。 Maybe keep that in mind when grabbing this book—it is a bit surrealistic and odd。I am still not sure how I feel about this read， other than heavy， weighted down。 Not necessarily in a bad way， just in a very real way。 This book not only touched on a fictional or fantastical world， it takes from our history and inserts a group of characters that are living through it too。Something very unique about “The Last Chairlift” is how some parts are told through screenplay。 When Adam goes to Aspen in search of answers about his origins， this is all told through a script， which was hard to adjust to， but also kind of welcomed， as it broke the narrative for a while—gave you a break through a very long novel。I found some of the things about this book to be extremely disturbing。 Things like Adam’s fascination for his cousin Nora， how Little Ray kissed Adam， how the sweet angel of Adam’s step father （Elliot， the little snowshoer） was treated at times， and then bring in how some people are pointing out how some things are practically autobiographical。 It makes me wonder where fiction and reality become one。This book reminded me of one of my favorite reads last year， “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara， but I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing， because I will never be reading that book again。 It was just too heavy （and perhaps this book is too）。Overall， if you’ve read other John Irving books and you’re up to reading this chunk of a novel， then might as well grab it。 It’s not bad， it just maybe didn’t have to be almost 900 pages long。If you click here， you’ll be redirected to Goodreads， so you can add the book to your TBR list。Or you could click here， and be redirected to Amazon， so you can order the book。ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review。Publication Date: October 18， 2022 。。。more

Elaine ，

I was a huge John Irving fan but his last book and now this one have ended it for me; this book is so bad that if I didn't know better I would swear that someone else had written it and just slapped his name on the cover。 I was a huge John Irving fan but his last book and now this one have ended it for me; this book is so bad that if I didn't know better I would swear that someone else had written it and just slapped his name on the cover。 。。。more

Joyce Hamel ，

Brilliant Reboot of Irving’s Theme of ToleranceThere is no author like John Irving， his often-shocking characters， unmanageable plots and affection for those of us who are different。 It’s a monster of a novel in length， over 900 pages。 I stopped reading a few times and then felt I was disrespectful to Irving and plowed ahead。Once again， the plot focuses on wrestling， a fatherless boy with a strong mother， on a quest to find his father and deal with his obsession。 However， it is not “The World Ac Brilliant Reboot of Irving’s Theme of ToleranceThere is no author like John Irving， his often-shocking characters， unmanageable plots and affection for those of us who are different。 It’s a monster of a novel in length， over 900 pages。 I stopped reading a few times and then felt I was disrespectful to Irving and plowed ahead。Once again， the plot focuses on wrestling， a fatherless boy with a strong mother， on a quest to find his father and deal with his obsession。 However， it is not “The World According to Garp” or “The Cider House Rules”， which endeared me to Irving’s quirky characters in powerful prose。It's the story of Adam， an illegitimate child born to Little Ray， a ski instructor who never attained an Olympic medal。 Adam is small in stature with very small hands that are emphasized quite often by his mother and aunts。 Adam grows up to be a novelist but finds greater success writing screenplays。 This is a dense novel that is often repetitive in characterizations。 Apparently， this is Irving’s swan song， and he includes uncomfortable scenes。 Adam recalls sleeping in one bed with his mother and loves it。 It is not sexual， but I wasn’t sure。A first-time Irving reader will be introduced to Irving’s favorite themes: wrestling， sexual intolerance and suppression。 Despite Adam’s longing to know the identity of his father， he is raised by caring， intelligent women who support his ambitions but are critical and protective of him at the same time。The time span in this giant novel ranges from the end of World War II to the Trump era。 The recycled issues revolve around sexual connections， sometimes conventional and other times， uproariously funny。 This is not an easy book to read， it is often sad and scary。 I recommend any Irving book， but to really understand this master， read “The World According to Garp” first。My gratitude to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this pre-published book。 All opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more

（Energy） ，

“When you love someone who’s different， you worry about them more-you’re always looking out for them。”I don’t think any review I may write could do this book justice。 The Cider House Rules and The Hotel New Hampshire are two of my favorite reads。 I love John Irving’s storytelling style and that his books are near where I live。This monolith comes in at over 900 pages， so it won’t be a quick read。 Heavily character driven， with a meandering style of storytelling， it can take some time to get used “When you love someone who’s different， you worry about them more-you’re always looking out for them。”I don’t think any review I may write could do this book justice。 The Cider House Rules and The Hotel New Hampshire are two of my favorite reads。 I love John Irving’s storytelling style and that his books are near where I live。This monolith comes in at over 900 pages， so it won’t be a quick read。 Heavily character driven， with a meandering style of storytelling， it can take some time to get used to how the book unfolds。 Sometimes， screenplay takes up portions of the chapters， which can range from 11 minutes long to 44 minutes， which can be maddening when you’re trying to find a place to stop。 I didn’t much care for the screenplay portions of the story; they didn’t work for me。The characters are what work。 Adam’s family， both the ones he was born with and the ones he’s added over time， are truly special。 It is in their nicknames， their actions， and their words that you come to love every one of them。 We take a veritable walk through history through Adam and the eyes of the loved ones intertwined with each moment we traverse。 We get an intimate look from the Vietnam War to Regan， the AIDS epidemic， and beyond。“Not even the people you love in your own family tell you everything， and there are always the things you miss。”I think that’s all I can really say。 This is such a beautiful read。 Have patience; it won’t go where you think it will and not at the pace you imagine。 I read it deliciously slowly because it gave me time to absorb every moment。 Thank you， Simon & Schuster， for sending this along。 。。。more

Laura Scheer ，

There are 3 main things that prevented me from rating this higher。 It is too long （900+）。 I don't mind long books， when it is necessary。 It was not。 The second， I don't love series or sequels generally for a reason - too much repetition。 Well this stand-alone felt at times like parts were a sequel due to all the repetition。 If you are going to publish something this long， trust your readers that they can handle it - the repetition was just a chore to get through （and helped make it too long）。 La There are 3 main things that prevented me from rating this higher。 It is too long （900+）。 I don't mind long books， when it is necessary。 It was not。 The second， I don't love series or sequels generally for a reason - too much repetition。 Well this stand-alone felt at times like parts were a sequel due to all the repetition。 If you are going to publish something this long， trust your readers that they can handle it - the repetition was just a chore to get through （and helped make it too long）。 Lastly， I didn't care for the parts that were the script。 Otherwise， this was a character driven novel that true Irving fans will likely love。 Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my advance e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion。 The Last Chairlift will be available on 10/18/22。 。。。more

Mary Lourdes ，

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy。 of this title。 Many years after I read "A Prayer for Owen Meany" and "Cider House Rules，" I still remember the engrossing prose and sweeping stories that drew me in and resonated for years。 THIS IS NOT THAT！ I began reading with such high hopes as I have previously loved everything Irving has written。 The story begins with Adam， the illegitimate son of an avid skier。 Adam lives with his mom （but not during ski season） and grandparents a stone's throw Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy。 of this title。 Many years after I read "A Prayer for Owen Meany" and "Cider House Rules，" I still remember the engrossing prose and sweeping stories that drew me in and resonated for years。 THIS IS NOT THAT！ I began reading with such high hopes as I have previously loved everything Irving has written。 The story begins with Adam， the illegitimate son of an avid skier。 Adam lives with his mom （but not during ski season） and grandparents a stone's throw from Exeter where his grandfather was the principal before turning mute。 It is the 1950s， and the mystery of who his father is seems to be the trajectory of the story。 It goes off the rails with WAY TO MANY TANGENTS and ALL THE SOCIAL ISSUES of the 20th century thrown against the wall to see what will stick！！！ There is even an odd screenplay imbedded in the second half of the novel。 The book is entirely TOO LONG， and after I while， I ceased caring about any of the characters。 If you are or are not a fan of John Irving， do not read this book！ 。。。more

BookNerdsBrainDump ，

Short Take: It’s probably me， not you， Mr。 Irving。 But I think we need a break。（*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。*）Well Duckies， after nearly three years of avoiding it， I managed to catch covid。 I’ve had all four vaccinations， so it’s not terrible， but it’s also making me quite tired， so I’m going to keep this one short。I’ve been a fan of John Irving since my college days， when I discovered Garp and the Hotel New Hampshire， and Short Take: It’s probably me， not you， Mr。 Irving。 But I think we need a break。（*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。*）Well Duckies， after nearly three years of avoiding it， I managed to catch covid。 I’ve had all four vaccinations， so it’s not terrible， but it’s also making me quite tired， so I’m going to keep this one short。I’ve been a fan of John Irving since my college days， when I discovered Garp and the Hotel New Hampshire， and A Prayer For Owen Meany is one of the best books I’ve ever read in any genre。 So when Netgalley approved me for an advance copy of The Last Chairlift， I was over the moon。 I cleared my schedule， loaded my kindle， and prepared to settle into the kind of warm bliss that only a charming novel from a beloved author could bring。Alas， it was not to be， and I am saddened and ashamed to admit that I only made it to the halfway point before giving up on this one。 And I don’t know if it is that the book just doesn’t work the way his older ones do， or if I just don’t have the patience for him anymore， but there was just more that I didn’t like than I can remember in any of his books before。 For starters， the narrator （Adam） is so so so repetitive， and fixated on using twee nicknames for the people around him instead of their names。 So his stepfather Elliot is “the snowshoer” or “the little english teacher” （Elliot is very short， which is important for reasons）， his mother Rachel is Little Ray， his dementia-addled grandfather is the Diaper Man， and so on。 It’s just obnoxious after a point， especially when， for example， Elliot hasn’t been snowshoeing in a few hundred pages。Next: the obsession with “small”。 Adam’s mother has a definite fetish for men who are petite， or， more accurately， for barely pubescent boys， up to and including her own son。 Mr。 Irving’s families are often quirky and open about sex to an uncomfortable degree with each other， but I guess for me， a mother straddling and kissing her teenage son - with tongue - is just a bridge too far。And speaking of sex… it’s a given that there will be at least one uncomfortable scene in a John Irving book。 I’ve never been upset by them， because they are usually funny， poignant， or some mix of the two。 Not so in Chairlift。 Adam decides early on that he doesn’t want to date a girl who he might get overly attached to， so he only goes out with girls that he feels sorry for （read: better than）。 These encounters invariably end with the girl utterly humiliated， and maybe it’s supposed to be funny？ Maybe it would have been if it were a one-time thing， but it’s an ongoing thing with Adam， and it’s decidedly unfunny and pretty gross。 While I’m on the subject of unfunny， that was the last straw for me。 There was none of Mr。 Irving’s trademark humor。 This book is a grim， cheerless slog， and it feels like my favorite ornery uncle has gone full Q-anon and now just wants to rail against… something。 There’s more to the story， sort of， as Adam tries to find out who his father is， and wrestles with the （sometimes literal） ghosts of his past， and there’s some really fascinating commentary on the LGBTQ community in the 70’s。 But it’s all so buried in endless Moby-Dick discussion， nicknames， the word “small” （dear god I’ve never been so sick of a single word）， everything I’ve never wanted to know about wrestling， and so many gross bodily function scenes - did someone force-feed the author a copy of Everybody Poops？I really wish I could have loved this book。 I don’t know whether it’s the book， or if I’m just not smart enough to appreciate it。 The Nerd’s Rating: TWO HAPPY NEURONS （and some more popsicles， please。） 。。。more

Farrells Bookshop ，

With all 900 pages of it， the books is quite dense， with small text and long chapters but it is a worthwhile commitment to see it through。 The characters are quirky， the plot line entertaining and the conversational storytelling tone is quite accessible。 I’m sure it could have been tightened into a much shorter book， but it felt like I was being taken on a haphazard journey and I was happy to go along for the ride。Read by Suzie

Lindsay Harris ，

This was incredibly disappointing。 I love John Irving。 My favorite book in the world is A Prayer for Owen Meany。 SI was excited to hear he was coming out with a new book。 I got about 14% into this book and decided I just couldn't read any more of it。 It was incredibly long and boring。 There was nothing to grab my attention and urge me to read more。 It does not have any of the masterful writing that I associate with John Irving。 This book just wasn't for me。 It could have used some serious editin This was incredibly disappointing。 I love John Irving。 My favorite book in the world is A Prayer for Owen Meany。 SI was excited to hear he was coming out with a new book。 I got about 14% into this book and decided I just couldn't read any more of it。 It was incredibly long and boring。 There was nothing to grab my attention and urge me to read more。 It does not have any of the masterful writing that I associate with John Irving。 This book just wasn't for me。 It could have used some serious editing。 Perhaps if they had done a significant edit， it could have been readable。 。。。more

Amy Sunshine ，

Thank you to #SimonandSchuster and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #TheLastChairlift。I've read and enjoyed several John Irving novels。 In fact， A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my all time favorites。 So I was excited to get an advanced copy of his latest book。 Unfortunately， I was really disappointed and DNF'd around 50%。There are so many similarities with his other novels - only child/boy， independent mother， absent/unnamed father， lots of quirky characters， New England setting， LGBTQ themes Thank you to #SimonandSchuster and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #TheLastChairlift。I've read and enjoyed several John Irving novels。 In fact， A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my all time favorites。 So I was excited to get an advanced copy of his latest book。 Unfortunately， I was really disappointed and DNF'd around 50%。There are so many similarities with his other novels - only child/boy， independent mother， absent/unnamed father， lots of quirky characters， New England setting， LGBTQ themes， wrestling。 While I found most of the characters moderately interesting， the various nick names for each character got really annoying along with the shifting between time periods。 When the main character - a writer - name checked John Irving （come on！） and I realized I still had 450+ more pages to go， I just couldn't go on。I know there are rabid John Irving fans who will love this book。 I'm just not one of them。 。。。more

Meghan ReadsBooks ，

Thank you Simon & Schuster for the gift of The Last Chairlift。 Let me start。。 yeah it's long。 umm have you read other Irving？ He takes his time letting you get into his world， his characters' lives， and he goes on tangents and weaves and it all comes together。， it feels very much like you live in the world he creates and like any world it is filled with unexpected paths and characters and little sideways dips into backstories and events/people that all come together if you sit with it。 If you do Thank you Simon & Schuster for the gift of The Last Chairlift。 Let me start。。 yeah it's long。 umm have you read other Irving？ He takes his time letting you get into his world， his characters' lives， and he goes on tangents and weaves and it all comes together。， it feels very much like you live in the world he creates and like any world it is filled with unexpected paths and characters and little sideways dips into backstories and events/people that all come together if you sit with it。 If you don't like long books then take a pass。 If you are a fan of Irving you know that this is character driven work with themes on coming of age， identity， loving but complicated family and relationships， and a quest to understand the self in a constantly shifting world。 I loved it， took my time with it throughout Sept and Oct， and am glad I could read at that pace。I promise， as the editor's note states the meaning of the title and cover， of Adam's story， and the length of the story all do come together。 。。。more

Erica ，

I wanted to enjoy， or at least appreciate this book。 John Irving is one of the masters of the contemporary novel， and I had heard so many raves about this novel that I expected it to be profound and brilliant。And maybe it is profound and brilliant， but it really， really， really isn't the novel for me。 I found the writing verbose and vague。 The coarseness with which Irving treats his characters， especially their physical differences， was off-putting， and the sheer length of the book means that an I wanted to enjoy， or at least appreciate this book。 John Irving is one of the masters of the contemporary novel， and I had heard so many raves about this novel that I expected it to be profound and brilliant。And maybe it is profound and brilliant， but it really， really， really isn't the novel for me。 I found the writing verbose and vague。 The coarseness with which Irving treats his characters， especially their physical differences， was off-putting， and the sheer length of the book means that any payoff or purpose is hundreds of pages later。 The numerous scenes of physical and sexual humiliation - some of which seem intended as humor - were the final straw。 I read only a quarter of this book - over two hundred pages - which was more than enough。[I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher。 Opinions are my own。] 。。。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