Attorneys of New Hampshire

The Hotel New Hampshire (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

Description

"The first of my father's illusions was that bears could survive the life lived by human beings, and the second was that human beings could survive a life led in hotels."

So says John Berry, son of a hapless dreamer, brother to a cadre of eccentric siblings, and chronicler of the lives lived, the loves experienced, the deaths met, and the myriad strange and wonderful times encountered by the family Berry. Hoteliers, pet-bear owners, friends of Freud (the animal trainer and vaudevillian, that is), and playthings of mad fate, they "dream on" in a funny, sad, outrageous, and moving novel by the remarkable author of A Widow for One Year and The Cider House Rules.

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-09-05
Summary: "Eccentric and Entertaining."

I first read this book many years ago when I was a teenager and I loved it. It is completely off the wall and eccentric while having a great storyline which covers different countries, different hotels (more Twin Peaks than Travelodges) and has a unforgettable family who are extremely normal in many ways but utterly unique and entertaining.
What I remembered loving about this book was it seemed to echo real life. Childhood seems to go on for ages, uneventful and then BAM some lifechanging experience happens and you are off down a different road. The shocks and events keep happening and are really extreme in many ways but it is a great family saga.
This is the only book so far I've ever read twice - so many books, so little time but after reading some relatively turgid books ('The Hour I First Believed' and 'Northern Clemency') it was really great to read a book which actually entertains again rather than being 'worthy' and dull.
I don't think you could ever call this book dull and the adult characters who I found less interesting years ago are now what I most enjoyed about the book. This is a wonderful story which deserves to be read more than once. If you want an original read which packs in lots of characters, history, family life, and exceptional events in a higly entertaining way then this is the book for you!
If you are wondering why there is an odd looking black dog on the front of this cover to give you a taste of this novel that is the family dog Sorrow who is put to sleep in old age because of his flatulence, he is then stuffed in a taxidermy experient by the oldest son. He causes a death. He catches on fire, is remodelled and finally ends up in the Ocean floating. He is only a very, very minor character in the story and a lot more happens to everyone else including the bears,
Anyone looking at the cover and thinking this would be a black dog, depression type story would be completely wrong.
Highly recommended.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-11-12
Summary: "Touching and Funny"

In my opinion, this is some of Irving's best work. Bears, Vienna, a real sense of New England, and some hookers. I love the way that Irving's books, this one in particular, manage to make me laugh out loud and also to feel very deeply for all the characters. There are unexpected twists and surprises, heartbreaking acts, and humorous events. The Berry family feels real to me - the kind of wacky family I didn't grow up in and (sort of) wish I had.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2009-09-13
Summary: "An Atypical New England Family"

The story of an interesting, dysfunctional family filled with eccentric characters. I enjoyed it very much.

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Rating: 1 / 5
Date: 2009-08-22
Summary: "Not funny"

I have read a few Irving books and enjoyed them, especially Garp and Ciderhouse Rules. This however, was horrible. I did not find it amusing in the least. Instead, it was extremely uncomfortable and redundant. I admire Irving for trying but in reality there in no way to make gang rape and incest funny.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-08-14
Summary: "wonderful writer"

i love his style of writing. liked this book 'almost' as much as The World According to Garp.