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The Last Chairlift

The Last Chairlift

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  • Create Date：2022-10-16 10:51:34
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：John Irving
  • ISBN：0735276196
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Summary

One of the world's greatest novelists returns with his first novel in seven years--a ghost story and a love story， spanning eight decades 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; they aren't the first or the last ghosts he sees。

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Reviews

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

Jerry ，

Irving's latest and announced last long novel is truly epic in scope， characters， social commentary all while focusing on a somewhat familiar story of a man searching for his origin while balancing a complicated family and social life。 The familiar themes that appear in other Irving works; wrestling， ghosts， tragedy， sexual/gender identity and associated politics all appear in the The Last Chairlift。 However he manages to bring a fresh approach and perspective in the plot progression。 Without gi Irving's latest and announced last long novel is truly epic in scope， characters， social commentary all while focusing on a somewhat familiar story of a man searching for his origin while balancing a complicated family and social life。 The familiar themes that appear in other Irving works; wrestling， ghosts， tragedy， sexual/gender identity and associated politics all appear in the The Last Chairlift。 However he manages to bring a fresh approach and perspective in the plot progression。 Without giving too much away， the main character is a screenwriter/novelists as an adult and thus large portions of the book are told in screenplay format （like reading a script）。 At first I thought this might be disruptive to the flow of the book but Irving very cleverly weaves these scripts into the actual plot and I found it actually quite easy to read and understand as well as easy to return to the more "normal" pages of the book。 If you're a fan of John Irving's earlier works in particular The World According to Garp and Cider House Rules， I believe you'll like The Last Chairlift as there are similarities but told in a fresh and unique manner。 Finally I can't recall ever having a lot of laugh out loud moments in reading Irving's other books but I did The Last Chairlift to have more than a few very funny moments。 It is a great last work for Irving and I highly recommend this for both fans and newcomers to his work。 。。。more

Maureen Carden ，

When I downloaded my ARC of The Last Chairlift I felt as if Christmas had come early with ten trees and the attendant presents。 I was exhausted when I finished opening all of Irving’s gifts。 I think for most of his life， John Irving has been a gift to those who read him; sometimes puzzling， sometimes generous， always loving。 I can immediately think of three Irving books that are on many people’s top ten list， or said to be the most influential book they have read， or the book of their generati When I downloaded my ARC of The Last Chairlift I felt as if Christmas had come early with ten trees and the attendant presents。 I was exhausted when I finished opening all of Irving’s gifts。 I think for most of his life， John Irving has been a gift to those who read him; sometimes puzzling， sometimes generous， always loving。 I can immediately think of three Irving books that are on many people’s top ten list， or said to be the most influential book they have read， or the book of their generation。 I’m not sure where The Last Chairlift will fit into these accolades。 First off， readers might be defeated by the size， or some of the oddities of writing， or even the eccentricities of many of the characters。I give this book as an easy five stars。 All of the possible negatives above I mention， they are all part of the charm of The Last Chairlift。Adam Brewster is born to a competitive slalom skier， Little Ray。 Little Ray is a young single mother， a mother from an old family in Exeter， NH; a mother who will not divulge the identity of Adam’s father。 The search for Adams father becomes a central theme of Adams life。 Adam’s grandmother mostly raises Adam as Little Ray goes north every winter to work as a ski instructor with her best friend， Molly， a ski patroller。 He also has unpleasant aunts but lovely uncles and a few cousins-one of whom， Nora， becomes one of his closest friends and central to his life。 Elliot Barlow， Adam’s beloved small English teacher， stepfather， and eventual book editor is another character who becomes central to Adam’s life。 I will always love Elliot Barlow。 Possibly one of the loveliest， and loyal characters I have read of in years。Adam sees ghosts。 He sees them often and strongly， whether he is home or visiting the luxurious and venerable Hotel Jerome in Aspen。 Adam goes to the Hotel Jerome looking for his past。 Others in his life see the same ghosts， most do not。 The scenes of Adam reading children's stories to the ghosts of the Hotel Jerome were tremendously touching。 John Irving is also an award winning screenwriter， so it makes perfect sense the Aspen scenes of this book are presented as a screenplay。 Perfect sense， but a touch difficult to get used to as a reader。 Then I shudder to think about how much longer the book would be without this device and I am fine with it。 The screenplay scenes also help blunt some of the more emotional moments， yes， this can be good。This book covers 80 years， so people die。 Irving writes of death better than any other writer I have read。 Sometimes in The Last Chairlift ， it is shocking and heartbreaking， sometimes so very tender and gentle。 Sometimes both。 There is always a bit of foreshadowing so that one is not caught totally unprepared as has happened in Irving’s other books。 Sobbing， smiling， sometimes at the same time。 Yeah， Irving can write about death。 He writes just as tenderly of love， the other side of the coin。Irving is also a master of the comic， of the zany。 He believes that humor is one way we can console ourselves。 However， when he delves into horror of the AIDS crisis， he has to forgo his humor。 He makes up for it with his empathy and his rage。 Irving revisits the horrors of the 1980’s， a time of unmitigated tragedy at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic。 President Reagan’s inability to admit the deadly disease even existed helped the epidemic to explode。 Irving writes the most graphic and explicit descriptions of the deaths，both the physical and emotional， that I have ever read。 It's difficult not to turn away from the pages。 Don’t。 Just don’t。 He also writes of the people who refused to recognize reality， people who would only admit to AIDS as God’s punishment for homosexuality。So here we come to it， the sexual politics of The Last Chairlift 。 There are gay characters， some lovely gay and queer characters who die for their lifestyles。 There there is a transgendered character as glorious a character as Garp’s Roberta。 There is a married couple， one a self-hating gay and the other a self-hating homosexual， with a gay daughter， Em， who stops speaking and becomes a pantomimist because of shock and heartbreak over the behavior of her parents。 There is a comedy show in NY where Adam’s cousin Nora acts as the translator for Em， her girlfriend。 Parts of The Last Chairlift are disturbing。 As in Garp， Adam is conceived through the rape of his father。 This remains unacknowledged in both books。 Understandable in Garp because this was the 1970’s， not so understandable here。I also found it troubling how long Adam sleeps with his mother， although there was nothing of a sexual nature about it。 Maybe I am jealous， maybe I still miss having the comfort and feeling of a parent lying next to you or child clinging to your back。 Or， maybe it really is a very weird family dynamic with Little Ray and Adam。 I look at this review， then I remember the reviews I have read。 It is almost as if each of us is reviewing a different book。 The Last Chairlift is so massive in size， so epic in scope， it would be almost impossible to review the same book。 I apologize for all I have left out， go read the other reviews。 If you are a fan of John Irving or intrigued or intrepid enough to read this book， you will understand， you will be rewarded， and you will be left shaking your head。 One last thing， I still have no plan to read Moby Dick。 Ever。My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Simon and Schuster for an ARC。 。。。more

Kelly Young ，

This was the first book by John Irving that I have read， although I did see and love the movie adaptation of The Cider House Rules， which led me to jump at the chance to get #TheLastChairlift from #NetGalley。I am so glad that I did！ This book and Irving's exquisite style of writing kept me fascinating from beginning to end。 I was so engaged in the story of Adam and his unconventional family that I was loathe to put the book down，What I appreciated most about the writing of the characters was tha This was the first book by John Irving that I have read， although I did see and love the movie adaptation of The Cider House Rules， which led me to jump at the chance to get #TheLastChairlift from #NetGalley。I am so glad that I did！ This book and Irving's exquisite style of writing kept me fascinating from beginning to end。 I was so engaged in the story of Adam and his unconventional family that I was loathe to put the book down，What I appreciated most about the writing of the characters was that they were portrayed first and foremost as both flawed and genuine; the main characters were loving and passionate， dedicated and loyal， yet capable of mistakes and at times less-than-admirable behaviour。 The issues of their gender and sexuality were not something that came across as stereotypical; these were people first， and I felt for them and their challenges。 Even the intolerant and callous characters of Adam's aunts came through as realistic; they are likely characters that everyone recognizes from their own families。Irving doesn't shy away from issues - be they political or social - and I ended up learning things about the political landscape in the 70's and 80's that I had missed out on as a teen and young adult。 The manner in which those issues affect his characters， and their reactions to those issues， fascinated me。The story of Adam's life - from the regular absences of his mother and the reading of Moby Dick to him by his grandmother， to his connecting with what he called the best father he could have asked for and the discovery of his birth father， to his 'unmarriageable' girlfriends and falling in love， to his acceptance of those he loves without question， and to his experiences with death - is riveting。 While the book does bog down in spots， the little details do come full circle， making for a complex and wonderful narrative。I did find the screenplay segments to be lacking in some of the emotion that is present in the rest of the book， but understand the reason for their inclusion。As I read through this whale of a book， the size of which was intimidating at the beginning and throughout as the percentage read on my Kindle seemed to barely budge at all， I found myself wondering how I could have missed out on this author up until now。 At no time in high school or university - where I studied English literature - did Irving's work come up。 Nor did Moby Dick， which is still waiting for me to open it。 Both， I think， are a shortfall in my reading history。This is definitely one of the best books I've read this year。 It is superbly written and will stick with me for a long time to come。 I do anticipate， however， that the 'book banners' out there will gleefully target it， which only means that it is worth reading。Finally， I have to say that the synopsis I read for the book does it no justice at all， making it sound like a simple story about ghosts， with no reference or hint of the depth of feeling and breadth of events it actually contains。 The Last Chairlift is so much more than the synopsis suggests。 。。。more

Krissy ，

Thank you to Netgalley， Penguin Random House Canada， and Knopf Canada for providing an eARC copyAdam was born to a single mother and always wanted became a writer， and has always wanted to know who his father was。This book was not for me， I get 100 pages in and I could not continue。 The writing was not for me， and the family relationships made me very uncomfortable。

Ron Charles ，

At 889 pages， John Irving’s new novel， “The Last Chairlift，” is an imposing brick of paper。 This is， in every way， Irving cubed。I have no objection to long books。 My favorite novel last year was “The Love Songs of W。E。B。 Du Bois，” by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers， which also clocks in at more than 800 pages。 But Jeffers has a lot to say。 Irving has a lot to say again。That sense of deja vu stems from Irving’s devotion to a particular set of themes and motifs: hotels， wrestling， absent fathers， sexual g At 889 pages， John Irving’s new novel， “The Last Chairlift，” is an imposing brick of paper。 This is， in every way， Irving cubed。I have no objection to long books。 My favorite novel last year was “The Love Songs of W。E。B。 Du Bois，” by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers， which also clocks in at more than 800 pages。 But Jeffers has a lot to say。 Irving has a lot to say again。That sense of deja vu stems from Irving’s devotion to a particular set of themes and motifs: hotels， wrestling， absent fathers， sexual gymnastics， etc。 But the familiarity of those elements also speaks to his mountainous presence in contemporary literature since the late 1960s。 Over a dozen years， starting in 1978， Irving published four remarkable novels in row: “The World According to Garp，” “The Hotel New Hampshire，” “The Cider House Rules” and “A Prayer for Owen Meany。” Popular and critically acclaimed movie adaptations have sewn Irving’s stories even more broadly into American culture。Now， at the age of 80， Irving has published his 15th novel， another persistently familiar， partially autobiographical epic about a man enduring a series of erotic and violent episodes。 Fans of the author’s work may appreciate the invitation to survey this vast rearrangement of his cherished tropes。 Who， after all， isn’t cheered to see the old Christmas decorations brought down from the attic one more time？ But everyone is likely to sympathize with the narrator of “The Last Chairlift，” who confesses on Page 856， “It seemed to me I was reading forever。”To read the rest of this review， go to The Washington Post:https://www。washingtonpost。com/books/。。。 。。。more

Lori L （She Treads Softly） ，

The Last Chairlift by John Irving is the highly recommended， albeit long-winded， story of the life of Adam Brewster。 This one is best for fans of Irving who will already be delighted to see a new novel。Adam Brewster shares an account of his life in this first person narrative。 In 1941 Adam Brewster's mother， Rachel （Ray） manages to get pregnant in Aspen， Colorado， at the National Championships where she was competing as a slalom skier。 The Brewster's live in Exeter， Vermont where Ray is a ski in The Last Chairlift by John Irving is the highly recommended， albeit long-winded， story of the life of Adam Brewster。 This one is best for fans of Irving who will already be delighted to see a new novel。Adam Brewster shares an account of his life in this first person narrative。 In 1941 Adam Brewster's mother， Rachel （Ray） manages to get pregnant in Aspen， Colorado， at the National Championships where she was competing as a slalom skier。 The Brewster's live in Exeter， Vermont where Ray is a ski instructor， but she leaves Adam with her mother and sisters during the ski season。 His grandmother really raises Adam。 All of Adam's family members are a progressive group of women and this is reflected in the plot。 Basically， the is the story of Adam's life。Certainly Irving covers all the topics that one expects him to cover in a novel。 These topics include: New Hampshire， unusual mothers， absent fathers， writers， ghosts， prep schools， dysfunctional family relationships， wrestling， sexuality， politics， cultural changes， etc。。 Following Adam's life from 1941 to the present， this is a novel that will celebrates unique families and the affection they share。 It exhibits tolerance and understanding for those who are different。The major drawback is that The Last Chairlift is simply too long。 Honestly， this is a novel that will exasperate many reader because it is so rambling and the plot is weak。 About a quarter of the novel is a screenplay written by Adam。 This is really a novel for fans of Irving's writing。 If you haven't read any of his novels， go back and start with The World According to Garp， A Prayer for Owen Meany， or Cider House Rules。 Between the length and the repetition in the writing， many readers will want to pass this one。 Irving has penned much better works， but he has said that this is his last long novel。Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Simon and Schuster。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2022/1。。。 。。。more

Kathleen Gray ，

I've really struggled with what to say about this novel- this huge sprawling novel that hits all the themes we've seen before in Irving's books- and the most praise I have is for the editor（s） who worked with him。 The basic plot- Adam's hunt for his father， the man who impregnated his mother Ray， ebbs and flows and is sometimes forgotten as we're taken down various rabbit holes， including pages and pages about her wedding to the small （4 foot nine） man she ultimately marries。 There are the paten I've really struggled with what to say about this novel- this huge sprawling novel that hits all the themes we've seen before in Irving's books- and the most praise I have is for the editor（s） who worked with him。 The basic plot- Adam's hunt for his father， the man who impregnated his mother Ray， ebbs and flows and is sometimes forgotten as we're taken down various rabbit holes， including pages and pages about her wedding to the small （4 foot nine） man she ultimately marries。 There are the patented Irving odd deaths （the grandfather struck by lighting and so on）， the pairings， the relationships。 It's set in Exeter， on ski slopes， in Toronto。 There's wrestling。 There's skiing。 Adam's family， his aunts uncles， cousins are all larger than life but the one to pay attention to is Nora and her partner Em。 It's exhausting。 So much happens and then nothing happens。 It's so Irving-esque and I found myself wondering if I felt this way about his earlier books。 Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC。 Fans of Irving （and I counted myself among them） will want to give this a chance because， with patience， there are rewards among the words。 。。。more

eyes。2c ，

Irving can do no wrong for some fans。 I however， found this novel so_o_o long。 At times I was deeply involved， the words and ideas fantastic， and at others， I was so over it， it was a struggle to continue。Love it or hate it， it’s still the latest word from a giant of a writer， and that’s enough to make a start。A Simon & Schuster ARC via NetGalley。 Many thanks to the author and publisher。

LoneStarWords Deb Coco ，

Everything was about sex and secrets。The Last ChairliftJohn Irving•First， I have to say that John Irving wrote two novels that are among my favorites of all time: A Prayer for Owen Meany and The Cider House Rules， so I feel a certain allegiance to him。 And because my mom grew up with him in Exeter， NH and years later， our daughters attended a school he helped to found in Vermont， there's a lot caught up in my consciousness。•Honest thoughts: If you have never read Irving， please don't start here。 Everything was about sex and secrets。The Last ChairliftJohn Irving•First， I have to say that John Irving wrote two novels that are among my favorites of all time: A Prayer for Owen Meany and The Cider House Rules， so I feel a certain allegiance to him。 And because my mom grew up with him in Exeter， NH and years later， our daughters attended a school he helped to found in Vermont， there's a lot caught up in my consciousness。•Honest thoughts: If you have never read Irving， please don't start here。 Not only is this 900 pages， but the two I cited prove his worthiness as one of our greatest novelists and highlight his talents。 And of course there is The World According to Garp and the accompanying movie that heightened his fame。 I believe he's penned 18 novels in total - a remarkable achievement。•Much of this is autobiographical - an author from Exeter who is a wrestler and later lives in Vermont。 And for me， so much of my reading experience felt like going home not just because of having lived in this setting too， but because his writing style feels familiar。 That said， this is much more "off color" than all his other novels， IMO。 I admit I had to skim parts because it was too much。•And unfortunately， the storyline gets caught up in personal politics and religion and the feeling of falling into a story became the agony of being lectured to by an author - it's very heavy handed and repetitive。 I gave a ton of wiggle room here and saw the entire 900 pages through because I wanted to be fair but this needed a solid edit。 I would not have made it through the entire book without the #gifted audio from @simon。audio so a huge thank you and also to @simonandschuster for the gorgeous finished copy。•This does not change my adoration for Irving and his books will always sit proudly on my shelves。 I've gifted Owen Meany more times than I can count and have a cat named after his infamous character Homer Wells。 If you want to know what original storytelling with a meaningful side of current events looks like， grab those two books。•If you've always loved Irving， most likely you can't look away from this one and I would never stop you。 Out 10-18。 Rounded up to 2。5。 。。。more

Sharon Umbaugh ，

I adore John Irving's novels and The Last Chairlift glows with humor， compassion and depth。 When I read the first page， it was like meeting old friends， Irving's voice is so familiar。 A pure joy to read。 Thank you Mr。 Irving。 I adore John Irving's novels and The Last Chairlift glows with humor， compassion and depth。 When I read the first page， it was like meeting old friends， Irving's voice is so familiar。 A pure joy to read。 Thank you Mr。 Irving。 。。。more

=^。^= Janet =^。^= ，

NOTE: this is a quick review as I was reading a fellow librarian's ARC when I was approved by Netgalley。Publication Date: October 18， 2022Thank you to NetGalley， the author， and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 （FTC compliance met with this statement。） This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own， are not a result of compensation and may be affected by the fact that I currently have nothing better to do than read multiple b NOTE: this is a quick review as I was reading a fellow librarian's ARC when I was approved by Netgalley。Publication Date: October 18， 2022Thank you to NetGalley， the author， and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 （FTC compliance met with this statement。） This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own， are not a result of compensation and may be affected by the fact that I currently have nothing better to do than read multiple books a day as you would be AMAZED at how much reading you can get done when you are up 90% of the night due to anxiety！SYNOPSIS*****************One of the world’s greatest novelists returns with his first novel in seven years—a ghost story and a love story， spanning eight decades of sexual politics。John Irving has written some of the most acclaimed books of our time—among them， The World According to Garp， The Cider House Rules， A Prayer for Owen Meany， and A Widow for One Year。 TIME magazine describes his work as “epic and extraordinary and controversial and sexually brave。” Now Irving has written what he calls his last long novel—only shorter ones ahead。 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; they aren’t the first or the last ghosts he sees。 If you’ve never read a John Irving novel， you’ll be captivated by storytelling that is tragic and comic， embodied by characters you’ll remember long after you’ve finished their story。 If you have read John Irving before， you’ll rediscover the themes that made him a bard of alternative families—a visionary voice on the subject of sexual freedom。 The author’s favourite tropes are here， but this meticulously plotted novel has powerful twists in store for readers。 This is a bloody long and bloody mess of a book 。。。 I am really not sure if I "got it"。 I kept asking myself why I was TORTURING MYSELF reading this book 。。。 but I needed to make a stab at it for book club。 What did I get out of OVER 900 pages？？THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY TO LOVE A PERSON。。okay。 I think。 I am so ambivalent about this book that I cannot even write a review stating anything much more than if you love Margaret-Atwood-type books， you will love this。 I am moving on as there are too many great books out there to read。 。。。more

Judy ，

A new book by John Irving？ Yes， please。 I was happy to be able to read this new novel because I have loved some of John Irving's ealier works: A Prayer for Owen Meany， The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules were all great books。 John Irving turns 80 this year - what an accomplishment to be releasing a new novel at age 80！ This tome is 912 pages and follows the life of Adam Brewster。 I can't begin to explain this book， so you'll have to read the book blurb for a description。 Suffic A new book by John Irving？ Yes， please。 I was happy to be able to read this new novel because I have loved some of John Irving's ealier works: A Prayer for Owen Meany， The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules were all great books。 John Irving turns 80 this year - what an accomplishment to be releasing a new novel at age 80！ This tome is 912 pages and follows the life of Adam Brewster。 I can't begin to explain this book， so you'll have to read the book blurb for a description。 Suffice it to say the book is good， the characters are memorable and funny at times。 There are ghosts in the story that some can see and others cannot。 There are a lot of sexual politics and the characters are a mix of diverse gender identities。 The book is character driven and the characters are fully developed so I felt immersed in their lives - and I think I have a better understanding of various gender identities because of that。 This is not a traditional family Adam Brewster has spent his life with， but it is a family filled with love and caring。 There is a screenplay within the book as well。 One of the central themes was Adam's quest to find out who his father is and since his mother won't tell him， it's not an easy quest to undertake。 This book is very long and at times repetitive。 Sometimes I was bored and other times I was interested。 There is never any great action going on to keep me glued to the page， but yet there was something about the book that kept me reading。 There is a screenplay within the book as well。 One of the central themes was Adam's quest to find out who his father is and since his mother won't tell him， it's not an easy quest to undertake。 The Last Chairlife is not my favorite book by John Irving but I am glad I read it。 Some of the characters will stay in my mind for along time。 Thanks to Simon & Schuster through Netgalley for an advance copy。 This book will be published on October 18， 2022。 。。。more

Carol Werner Harris ，

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of John Irving's book， "The Last Chairlift" to be published Oct。 18， 2022。"The Last Chairlift" is about Adam's life。 He's the son of an unwed single mother。It's a very long read about his life， his beliefs over almost 80 years。I personally did not love the book as there was a lot of repetition。 I believe the book could have been half as long and still told the same story。I just reviewed The Last Chairlift by John Irving。 #TheL Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of John Irving's book， "The Last Chairlift" to be published Oct。 18， 2022。"The Last Chairlift" is about Adam's life。 He's the son of an unwed single mother。It's a very long read about his life， his beliefs over almost 80 years。I personally did not love the book as there was a lot of repetition。 I believe the book could have been half as long and still told the same story。I just reviewed The Last Chairlift by John Irving。 #TheLastChairlift #NetGalley 。。。more

Laurie ，

John Irving has been one of my favorite authors for a long time。 I remember reading The World According to Garp when I was in my 20s and knowing I'd found an author I would follow。 And for many years I did。 He slipped off my radar for some reason a few years ago so I was excited to see this， his first book in seven years。This is the life of Adam Brewster。 It begins in early childhood with his skiing obsessed and mostly missing mother in New Hampshire and carries into late in his life living in T John Irving has been one of my favorite authors for a long time。 I remember reading The World According to Garp when I was in my 20s and knowing I'd found an author I would follow。 And for many years I did。 He slipped off my radar for some reason a few years ago so I was excited to see this， his first book in seven years。This is the life of Adam Brewster。 It begins in early childhood with his skiing obsessed and mostly missing mother in New Hampshire and carries into late in his life living in Toronto。 All along the way Adam is surrounded by interesting and somewhat quirky characters and although there are six main characters who are prominent， there are a number who sneak in and influence him in some way。 For the most part I thoroughly enjoyed riding along with Adam and his cast of characters on his life's journey。 I do feel， however， that similarly to a few other established authors， editing was an afterthought。 The story grabbed me from the beginning but it did drag a bit in places and at over 900 pages， I'm not surprised。 If you're also an Irving fan， I think you'll enjoy this book。 It has all the hallmarks of a good Irving novel: brilliant writing， unusual characters and a story line that captivates。Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book for review。 The publication date is October 18， 2022。 。。。more

Anya Leonard ，

In classic John Irving fashion， this book was beautifully written， engaging， and drew me in almost immediately。 The story follows Adam， a young man who was conceived of his "tiny mother" who was a ski racer and continued throughout his life to teach skiing， but in a fit of rebelliousness， Adam chose to never learn to ski properly。 This was a beautiful tale of wonderful family drama， and I love John Irving。 Though a long book [912 pages - yeesh！] it was wonderfully woven and continued to draw att In classic John Irving fashion， this book was beautifully written， engaging， and drew me in almost immediately。 The story follows Adam， a young man who was conceived of his "tiny mother" who was a ski racer and continued throughout his life to teach skiing， but in a fit of rebelliousness， Adam chose to never learn to ski properly。 This was a beautiful tale of wonderful family drama， and I love John Irving。 Though a long book [912 pages - yeesh！] it was wonderfully woven and continued to draw attention despite its length。 We meet and are enchanted， as Adam grows and moves along in his life many different ghosts。 Additionally， the cast of characters grows and changes and you cannot help but love Nora， Adam's interesting and wonderfully written cousin。 I highly recommend this book， but understand that it is the sort of undertaking that requires a lot of time， as any 912 page book would do。 However， I know that true John Irving fans are with me on this one， and it is definitely worth the time you invest into it。 This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Stacie ，

This book was a letdown。 Although I enjoyed past books by Irving， this one recycled a lot of plot points， was repetitive within itself， and was hard to push through the 900 or so pages （way too long！）。

Thomas Lambe ，

I am 7% of the way through this。 While John Irving is likely my favorite all-time fiction writer and many of his books are absolutely gems （Owen， Garp， Cider。。。etc）， this one thus far is so disappointing。 Lack of a plot thus far has me ready to put this down for a while。 I may come back to it at some point but my TBR list is very exciting and this one is just blah thus far。 Maybe it gets going？

Lisa of Troy ，

An Anthem For Our TimesThe Last Chairlift isn’t a perfect novel。 In fact， it is an awful mess at times。 But it speaks to me， and it moves me。Don’t read the book blurb。 It doesn’t accurately describe The Last Chairlift。So what is The Last Chairlift about？Well…。if it was easy to explain， the book blurb would be more accurate， but I’ll do my best。。。。On the surface， The Last Chairlift is about Adam’s life。 He is born to an unwed single mother， Little Ray。 He grows up with an eclectic family includin An Anthem For Our TimesThe Last Chairlift isn’t a perfect novel。 In fact， it is an awful mess at times。 But it speaks to me， and it moves me。Don’t read the book blurb。 It doesn’t accurately describe The Last Chairlift。So what is The Last Chairlift about？Well…。if it was easy to explain， the book blurb would be more accurate， but I’ll do my best。。。。On the surface， The Last Chairlift is about Adam’s life。 He is born to an unwed single mother， Little Ray。 He grows up with an eclectic family including a grandmother， aunts， uncles， and cousins。 We follow Adam through his life including how he navigates the sexual politics of those he loves and also his journey to discover the identity of his father。 At first glance， The Last Chairlift is horrible。 It is character driven， and it doesn’t have a strong plot。 It should have been broken up into various books as it is almost 1，000 pages。 Some of the topics aren’t that interesting （like wrestling…snooze fest）。 About 25% of the book is a screenplay which just doesn’t work （if you are really interested in a mixed media book that works check out Maddie Mortimer’s Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies）。There are also many， many similarities with A Prayer for Owen Meany。 Adam even lives on Front Street with his grandmother， the exact same street as in A Prayer for Owen Meany。 John Irving is a talented enough writer to create a different setting for The Last Chairlift。So all of that sounds awful right？ Why in the world did you rate this book 5 stars？ Have you lost your mind？Probably。 But that’s beside the point。The Last Chairlift felt like home: the little snowshoer， the little English teacher， Little Ray， the ski patroller， Em， Matthew， Adam， Nora。 These characters will stay with me for a long time。The Last Chairlift feels like what Lessons by Ian McEwan should have been。 Irving was able to elevate Adam’s problems from just Adam’s life to societal problems as a whole。 The Last Chairlift is much more than just the troubles of one man。But let’s talk about the symbolism， the deeper meanings of the book。In The Last Chairlift， Adam talks about editing his book， that when you put forth your work， you can’t be afraid of ruffling a few feathers。 He also talks about his small hands。 It reminds me of the song by Avicii， Wake Me Up。 “I tried carrying the weight of the worldBut I only have two hands。”Adam is one person。 He wants to make changes in the world， but how much can one person do？In the book， there are two characters who don’t speak: the grandfather and Em， the pantomimist。 This really moved me。 Aren’t there a whole bunch of people just talking， talking away？ Isn’t that essentially Twitter？ A whole bunch of people just talking and no one listening。 In fact， these days corporations direct us to chat bots and to leave voicemails that will never be returned。 Why try to engage when no one is listening？ People just don’t try anymore。 They retreat。 Em is incredibly interesting， and she has Nora who “interprets” her pantomime。 However， Nora is not always faithful in representing Em’s thoughts。 How many voiceless people groups are out there？ Many groups have an advocate， but that message being conveyed by the advocate might become garbled or not truly represent the underlying voiceless or powerless group。There is an event that happens， and Adam shows great bravery。 However， the press doesn’t consider Adam a hero。 For all of the people advocating for others without a voice or power， should they just give up？ Even if they are successful， they usually don’t get any credit， and they don’t even know if what they are doing is working。One of the characters in The Last Chairlift is Jasmine。 She is one of Adam’s girlfriends。 She is always calling her ex-boyfriends/husbands on the phone and chewing them out。 Why was she in the book？ Have you ever been caught up on something？ You just can’t move past it。 Is that our country？ Is that our society？ Are we caught up on the past so that we can’t move forward？In The Last Chairlift， there is also a lot of piggybacking between two characters。 At one crucial moment， one character carries the other。 Is that what we， as a society， need to do？ Do we need to carry each other？ *Thanks， NetGalley， for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion。Connect With Me！Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta 。。。more

Kate Downey ，

This book is monumental， an ode to care and to love in all its guises。 It is a careen of a novel， a long-stepping shape-shifting giant of a thing， a sprawl， a whale of a tale。 tWhenever my mother would tell a story， an anecdote from the family history or what might have happened out on a walk， it would become a hairy sort of adventure。 Her delivery was no succinct plotline; it was a back and forth of connections， backstories， snippets of gossip， repetitions， commentary， etc which— when we learne This book is monumental， an ode to care and to love in all its guises。 It is a careen of a novel， a long-stepping shape-shifting giant of a thing， a sprawl， a whale of a tale。 tWhenever my mother would tell a story， an anecdote from the family history or what might have happened out on a walk， it would become a hairy sort of adventure。 Her delivery was no succinct plotline; it was a back and forth of connections， backstories， snippets of gossip， repetitions， commentary， etc which— when we learned the patience to listen—made the story， explained and enriched it， gave it breadth and detail。tIrving’s novel is like my mum’s storytelling。 Hers is a very Irish ‘tracing’ of connections between people， the fascination with who is an aunt of whom and married which one of those brothers/uncles etc。 A feel we also get from The Last Chairlift and decorated with all the pithy， snippy judgments and commentaries on the ‘actors。’ It occurs to me that Irving is very much interested in how we tell our stories， assuring us that all methods are valid be it through mime like Em， through novel， song， picture story， screenplay， acting and he is interested in how lives， like stories， endure—like the ghosts populating the Hotel Jerome。tYes， this is a BIG work with BIG themes and the reader is asked to invest。 We start out having to herringbone/sidestep our way up that ski slope so that we can then get all the thrills， the downhill rush of Irving’s words。tI’ll put in another metaphor here for good measure。 It feels like Irving is knitting a very long and wide， colourful blanket; he seems to drop and pick up stitches， repeat his patterns （mirabile dictu！） and is consummate in his casting off of characters。 This drop-and-retrieve of thread enacts， I feel， the manner in which you might read to a child， picking up from where you left off， repeating a bit of what came before just to put us all in the picture。tWhat I am left with on finishing this @900 page read is a sense of having belonged for a while to this family， this odd assortment of characters united in their love for each other and for Adam （our main character/narrator）， and of wanting to stay in that circle with Little Ray & Molly （my most favourite character）， Em & Nora， Elliott Barlow， Nana， the cousins， uncles ， the succession of Adam’s ghost-terrorised girlfriends， the Gallows Club performers， the wrestlers and the （visible to some） time-abandoned revenants at the Hotel Jerome。tI could reduce this huge narrative to Adam’s quest for a father， the quest for his writing voice and also for love， for that special love more exactly—never was a child through to grown man more loved than Adam Brewster—but that would be to unravel a single thread from Irving’s knitted blanket since this story， set against the political backdrop of America’s shift to conservative social policies including Reagan’s term of office， is a scathing critique of those who shun， abuse or actively work to exclude the queer and transgender population。 This is a sensitive chronicling of the political and personal trauma of the LGBTQI+ experience wrapped in the intricate stitching of the lovingly knitted blanket of Irving’s making。tIrving pins this blanket， this great tarpaulin of text down with the sharp pegs of his ideas。 There is the occasional gust and lift of a corner， the flap at the edge of your vision like an apparition。 There is the ripple beneath， the fear of a constantly giving ground but the stretch of Irving’s tale is sure—sometimes loose and vague， at times deceptively inert， in places pulled tight， shiny and metal-bright to the peg， or here a wrinkle， there a massive crease， its unevenness a testament to the dimension of a story， of a life。 。。。more

enjoyingbooksagain ，

My Thoughts:I finally finished The Last Chairlift （yeah） with 912 pages it took awhile。You will either like this or not。 This author has been writing for awhile now so when I seen this on netgalley I had to read it not knowing it was 912 pages。 I think I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn’t as long I kept having to take a break which would cause me to forget so I am sure I missed a lot of the story sadly。 I might go back and re-read some of it but Saying all that if you have the time this boo My Thoughts:I finally finished The Last Chairlift （yeah） with 912 pages it took awhile。You will either like this or not。 This author has been writing for awhile now so when I seen this on netgalley I had to read it not knowing it was 912 pages。 I think I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn’t as long I kept having to take a break which would cause me to forget so I am sure I missed a lot of the story sadly。 I might go back and re-read some of it but Saying all that if you have the time this book is a interesting story filled with a bit of everything from politics to ghost and Love。 Thanks @netgalley for letting me read this。 。。。more

Bam cooks the books ;-） ，

'There's more than one way to love people。'The legendary John Irving does it again with his latest massive work of fiction covering the lifetime of one man， the writer Adam Brewster。 He is the son of an unwed mother， Rachel， who is a ski instructor and gone every winter， so Adam is mostly raised by his grandmother in the bosom of their extended family in Exeter， New Hampshire。 Adam has a very unconventional family and through them， he learns to be very accepting of the many ways to live life and 'There's more than one way to love people。'The legendary John Irving does it again with his latest massive work of fiction covering the lifetime of one man， the writer Adam Brewster。 He is the son of an unwed mother， Rachel， who is a ski instructor and gone every winter， so Adam is mostly raised by his grandmother in the bosom of their extended family in Exeter， New Hampshire。 Adam has a very unconventional family and through them， he learns to be very accepting of the many ways to live life and express love。 'We have to be who we are--we can only do what we do'， says his mother Ray。 The name of Adam's father is her closely guarded secret: 'Everything [is] about sex and secrets。' Irving has been called 'a visionary voice on the subject of sexual tolerance' and it shows in the subject matter of this novel--'fabulist fiction with a social conscience。'The novel is not an easy read: it is extremely long， it is repetitive， with the story frequently circling around and back。 Adam Brewster loves the use of semicolons in his writing and so obviously does John Irving himself。 In fact， there seems to be a lot of John in his character， Adam--both born in 1942， raised in Exeter， New Hampshire， both became wrestlers and， I assume， skiers。 It's interesting to look for these similarities in the story。 John Irving， at 80， has supposedly said this is his last long novel。 I can understand that。 As my dad used to say， 'At my age， I don't even buy green bananas。' So if that is the case， this is an epic novel to treasure from a great master。 I received an arc of novel from the author and publisher via NetGalley。 My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own。 It is a great honor to read and review a novel from a favorite author。 。。。more

Michelle Smith ，

Full review to come

Lauren ，

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel！The Last Chairlift is John Irving's 15th novel and traces the life story of protagonist Adam Brewster through his childhood in New England， adult life as a writer in New York and Vermont， and his later years in Toronto， taking us through around 70 years of social and political history at the same time。 It's a sprawling family saga that will have tons of familiar hallmarks if you're a regular Irving reader: Phillips Exeter， small-town Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel！The Last Chairlift is John Irving's 15th novel and traces the life story of protagonist Adam Brewster through his childhood in New England， adult life as a writer in New York and Vermont， and his later years in Toronto， taking us through around 70 years of social and political history at the same time。 It's a sprawling family saga that will have tons of familiar hallmarks if you're a regular Irving reader: Phillips Exeter， small-town New England， wrestling， absurd character deaths， LGBTQ representation， a writer protagonist， political commentary， etc。 All this to say， if you like John Irving's past books， you'll probably find something to like here too。 The main ensemble cast consists of six characters for most of the book， and I found all but one of them （Little Ray， Adam's mom） to be likable。 There are a LOT of character deaths in this， so much so that many of them don't have much of an emotional impact， but all the main ones hit effectively。 Your mileage may vary， but as someone who likes Irving's writing style overall， the writing was generally easy and pleasant to read。 By far the biggest issue with this novel was simply the length （Goodreads lists the upcoming hardcover release at 912（！） pages-my Kindle didn't track page count in my ARC）。 The ARC opens with a glowing letter from John Irving's editor which I found sort of ironic because if the book is 900 pages it seems hard to imagine that there was much editing going on。 The novel took me about two weeks to get through （I finished three other books I was reading concurrently during this span） because of just how bloated it was-plot-wise it feels like there's a good deal that could have been trimmed or eliminated。 The two longest chapters in the book （which I think are significantly longer， around 20% of the total novel according to my Kindle） are written in screenplay style （the reason for this is clear when you read the novel）， and while I'm not sure how well it worked overall I did enjoy those sections just because it was something different to break up the length of the overall book。 I liked the novel overall， hence the three-star rating， and I think if you're a big Irving fan you'll probably find it worth the read; I've read about 2/3rds of his books and been mixed on them but this one does remind me more of the ones I've liked （Cider House， In One Person， Owen Meaney） than the ones I didn't。 The length aside， it's an interesting story; I'm just not sure we needed quite as much of it as we got。 。。。more

Linda Beilstein ，

This was my first book by John Irving and it will be my last。 The story sounded interesting enough and I think overall it would have been if I could just get into the writing style of the author。 First of all， it is an extraordinarily long book （over 900 pages in print or 15，479 locations in a Kindle version）。 I don't mind long books if they hold my interest。 But this book seems to be chock full of extraneous information and stories that seem to have little if any bearing to the main story。 I ju This was my first book by John Irving and it will be my last。 The story sounded interesting enough and I think overall it would have been if I could just get into the writing style of the author。 First of all， it is an extraordinarily long book （over 900 pages in print or 15，479 locations in a Kindle version）。 I don't mind long books if they hold my interest。 But this book seems to be chock full of extraneous information and stories that seem to have little if any bearing to the main story。 I just could not stay with it。 I read about 25% of the book and then skipped to the last 2 chapters to see how it ended and then stopped reading。 I know that this author is very well respected and several of my friends love his writing style。 It just isn't for me。 And that's ok。 We don't all have to like the same things。 Read through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Daphne Manning ，

A love letter to the old ski school。 Irving has managed to capture to lure of the slopes and the changes that have kept the sport thriving。 It’s early Aspen in the days where love was all around and you followed the snow。 Sex was unemcumbered， the writer of this tale is illegitimate， a familiar thread。 The search for who he is is bound by who was his father。 It a little torment for the ghostly reward of triumph。

Laura Pal ，

John IrvingThe Last ChairliftWow， the President and CEO of Simon and Schuster attested that this novel was among one of his personal favorites Mr。 Irving’s。 It’s been seven years since Irving wrote a novel and of course， all his fans should be chomping at the bit once his novel hits the airwaves。 The story involves ghosts， a cross-dresser， lesbian couples， transgender， dysfunctional families， life， death， and sex。 Alas- everything the world is made up of。 Yes， I’ve read several， but not all of I John IrvingThe Last ChairliftWow， the President and CEO of Simon and Schuster attested that this novel was among one of his personal favorites Mr。 Irving’s。 It’s been seven years since Irving wrote a novel and of course， all his fans should be chomping at the bit once his novel hits the airwaves。 The story involves ghosts， a cross-dresser， lesbian couples， transgender， dysfunctional families， life， death， and sex。 Alas- everything the world is made up of。 Yes， I’ve read several， but not all of Irving’s fifteen novels。 I’ve enjoyed them and would admit that he is an extremely creative storyteller， with crazy plots and themes。 I was very excited to read this novel， even though it contains 53 long chapters and 900+ pages。 I did not shy away and read every word。 Oh， then the trepidation set in for me as to how I would review this book。 I’m not one to usually write negative reviews， as I know how difficult it is to write a novel。 However， the final conclusion I came to was I just wasn’t a fan of the story and would not be able to recommend the book to anyone。 Don’t get me wrong， it was imaginative and there were some very well-written and thoughtful parts。 But overall it was too long and some of the scenes turned my stomach。 Ending on a positive note， the novel did seem to convey to me that love is a vital element in having a fulfilled and happy life。 。。。more

Amy ，

John Irving’s The Last Chairlift is overly long and could have benefitted from some judicious editing。 There are glimpses， here， of the brilliant and captivating writing Irving showed he was capable of in his earlier works - The World According to Garp， The Cider House Rules， The Hotel New Hampshire， to name a few of my favorites。 But mostly， this is a slog to get through， with so much filler and extraneous material thrown in that the thread of the story gets lost for pages at a time。 There are John Irving’s The Last Chairlift is overly long and could have benefitted from some judicious editing。 There are glimpses， here， of the brilliant and captivating writing Irving showed he was capable of in his earlier works - The World According to Garp， The Cider House Rules， The Hotel New Hampshire， to name a few of my favorites。 But mostly， this is a slog to get through， with so much filler and extraneous material thrown in that the thread of the story gets lost for pages at a time。 There are big themes here， an Irving hallmark， and some really good writing， but it is mostly lost in too much prose， too much digression。 A disappointing novel from a great novelist。 。。。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