John Irving's Best Books

For many years, when asked, I would say that "...Garp" was my favorite book. Why? The storytelling. The characters and character development. The use of words. Maybe I just love John Irving.

One memory from the book still comes into conversation many years after I read the book, especially when I go to the beach with my kids: "The Under Toad"

From "...Garp":

"It was Walt's fourth summer at Dog's Head Harbor, Duncan remembered, when Garp and Helen and Duncan observed Walt watching the sea. He stood ankle-deep in the foam from the surf and peered into the waves, without taking a step, for the longest time. The family went down to the water's edge to have a word with him.

"What are you doing, Walt?" Helen asked.

"I'm trying to see the Under Toad." Walt said

"The what?" said Garp.

"The Under Toad," Walt said. "I'm trying to see it. How big is it?"

And Garp and Helen and Duncan held their breath; they realized that all these years Walt had been dreading a giant toad, lurking offshore, waiting to suck him under and drag him out to sea. The terrible Under Toad."

Despite the somewhat controversial subject (abortion vs. adoption), this book shows the deep love and affection people can have for one another, and the lengths they will go to prove that love. It's a charming story that everyone should read.

I've read all of Irving's books after reading "...Owen Meany" in high school and falling in love with it, but I think "The Cider House Rules" is my favorite.

P.S. I've been know to quote "Goodnight my Princes of Maine, my Kings of New England" — to which I usually get strange looks!

I'm a huge fan of John Irving books and have read them all. "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is his best. From the first sentence, you're pulled into a classic, strange, bizarre story that is completely endearing.