By turns antic and moving, lusty and tragic, A Widow for One Year is bursting with memorable moments. San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle
Wisely and carefully crafted . . . Irving is among the few novelists who can write a novel about grief and fill it with ribald humor soaked in irony. USA Today
Deeply affecting . . . The pleasures of this rich and beautiful book are manifold. To be human is to savor them. Los Angeles Times Book Review
A powerful tale to add to an already extraordinary body of work from a great American writer. Richmond Times-Dispatch
Masterful . . . powerful . . . Irving s best books are Dickensian in their rich characters, plotting and language and of course, in moving the reader. On the final page of A Widow for One Year . . . I literally burst out crying. Orlando Sentinel
A sprawling 19th-century production, chock full of bizarre coincidences, multiple plot lines, lengthy digressions, and stories within stories. . . . An engaging and often affecting fable, a fairy tale that manages to be old-fashioned and modern all at once. The New York Times
[Irving s] characters can beguile us onto thin ice and persuade us to dance there. His instinctive mark is the moral choice stripped bare, and his aim is impressive. What s more, there s hardly a writer alive who can match his control of the omniscient point of view. The Washington Post Book World
In the sprawling, deeply felt A Widow for One Year, John Irving has delivered his best novel since The World According to Garp. . . . Like a warm bath, it s a great pleasure to immerse yourself in. Entertainment Weekly
Enchantingly balances the haunting tug of grief with the lure of enduring love . . . Irving s rich narrative and his sense of play result in a delicious collusion between author and reader. Raleigh News & Observer
Wonderfully satisfying . . . [Irving] tells this story with so much delight that it s difficult for the reader not to be infected with the same kind of joy in the reading. The Dallas Morning News
As compelling as Garp . . . Which is to say it s terrific. . . . His most moving book . . . John Irving is one of America s great storytellers. San Jose Mercury News
Comic and tragic, brilliant, and moving . . . Crammed with all the wonderful characters, quirky situations and memorable coincidences that have made [Irving] so beloved by readers . . . A terrific read that will make you its willing slave, so captivating is its allure. Chattanooga Free Press
A feast . . . One of this storyteller s richest works. . . . A rich, resonant tale. Austin American-Statesman
Irving is a writer whose keenest sensibilities have always fallen somewhere between Dickensian verbosity and Mad magazine mischief. Rocky Mountain News
Full of humor, heartbreak and lust. Newsday
Powerful . . . a masterpiece. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
A Widow for One Year delivers everything John Irving fans have come to expect from the beloved author of The World According to Garp: a funny, sad, sprawling saga full of oddball yet believable characters. Glamour
There s only one thing wrong with John Irving novels: They have to end. Readers won t easily part with the characters in his latest work, A Widow for One Year. . . . [An] exhilarating talent. The Tennessean
Moving and memorable . . . This novel marks a return to the deep but gentle examination of human nature that made Garp so successful. San Diego Union-Tribune
May be Irving s best book . . . A remarkable achievement. Sunday Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)
