The Cider House Rules FROM OUR EDITORS
It has been said before, and it shall be said 1,000 times again: John Irving is the American Dickens. Rich in characterization, epic in scope, The Cider House Rules is the heart-wrenching story of orphan Homer Wells and his guardian, Dr. Wilbur Larch. With nods of affection to both David Copperfield and Jane Eyre, Irving's novel follows Homer on his journey from innocence to experience, brilliantly depicting the boy's struggle to find his place in the world. Irving also wrote an Oscar-winning screenplay for the 1999 film adaptation of the novel that starred Michael Caine, Tobey Maguire, and Charlize Theron.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
First published in 1985, The Cider House Rules is John Irving's sixth novel. Set in rural Maine in the first half of this century, it tells the story of Dr. Wilbur Larch - saint and obstetrician, founder and director of the orphanage in the town of St. Cloud's, ether addict and abortionist. It is also the story of Dr. Larch's favorite orphan, Homer Wells, who is never adopted.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
The point {of the novel] which is driven home with the sledgehammer effect that John Irving usually uses -- is that there are always multiple sets of rules for a given society. . . .Actually, this is a sharper point than Mr. Irving has made in any of his previous five novels. . . .[Cider House Rules is] funny and absorbing, and it makes clever use of the plot's seeming predictability. -- The New York Times Christopher Lehmann-Haupt