The darker vision and sexual ambiguities of this erotic, ironic tale about a ménage a quatre in a New England university town foreshadow those of The World According to Garp; but this very trim and precise novel is a marked departure from the author's generally robust, boisterous style. Though Mr. Irving's cool eye spares none of his foursome, he writes with genuine compassion for the sexual tests and illusions they perpetrate on each other; but the sexual intrigue between them demonstrates how even the kind can be ungenerous, and even the well-intentioned, destructive.
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"One of the most remarkable things about John Irving's first three novels, viewed from the vantage of The World According to Garp, is that they can be read as one extended fictional enterprise. . . . The 158-Pound Marriage is as lean and concentrated as a mine shaft."
—Terrence Des Pres
"Irving looks cunningly beyond the eye-catching gyrations of the mating dance to the morning-after implications."
—The Washington Post
—Terrence Des Pres
"Irving looks cunningly beyond the eye-catching gyrations of the mating dance to the morning-after implications."
—The Washington Post
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More About the Author
John Irving published his first novel, Setting Free the Bears, in 1968. He has been nominated for a National Book Award three times-winning once, in 1980, for the novel The World According to Garp. He also received an O. Henry Award, in 1981, for the short story "Interior Space." In 1992, Mr. Irving was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2000, he won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules-a film with seven Academy Award nominations. In 2001, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Last Night in Twisted River is John Irving's twelfth novel.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
"The 158 Pound Marriage" is another example of John Irving at his best. He masterfully explores the consequences of infidelity in a modern marriage through a story of two couples, each in love with another's spouse. Though the wrestling imagery can get tiresome after a while, it's a fitting theme for a book whose characters are wrestling with the choices they have made in their marriages. The characters are all well developed, and the non-linear plot flows with ease. The one warning I would give is not to pick up this book looking for another "Garp." There is, was, and will always be only one "Garp." Let "The 158 Pound Marriage" stand on its own merits and you will not be disappointed.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
John Irving is a mastermind for rich characters. From the get go, he engages the reader with the less than pleasing imagery of a young Austrian girl, Utchka, who experiences the torture and and murder of her family by Russians from inside the belly of a gutted-out cow. It kept me reading! By intertwining the disturbing pasts of two married couples as they embark on a menage a quatre, Irving leads you through the mindful manipualtions and selfishness that inevitably follow the couples in their quest for open sexuality...or is it? Extremely saucy, all characters are completely unique and interesting. Irving's use of the wrestling metaphors through the eyes of Severin Winter,the washed up wrestling coach, are completely obtainable to those,like myself, who are totally negligent of wrestling terms. And of course, like any long standing novel should, Irving leaves plenty of questions unanswered about marriage, fidelity, and the value of trust. This was my first introduction to Irving, mostly because "Garp" and "Owen Meany" were checked out at the Library. The 158-Pound Marriage truly lives up to his more well-known novels!
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By Jessica Lux
Format:Mass Market Paperback
After falling in love with Irving's more well known works, I went back to read his earlier novels. This is a decent read, but clearly less well developed that something like The World According to Garp, or A Prayer for Owen Meany. I wouldn't recommend it as your first Irving book.
We have some of the same plot elements that are seen again and again in Irving's works--life in Vienna, wife-swapping, wrestling, and prostitutes in Europe. The subject of Vienna is given a much more beautiful treatment in The Hotel New Hampshire, in my opinion.
Children are an afterthought in this novel. They were written in only when convienent and completely ignored when more adult matters were at hand.
The book is darkly tragic, more dark than other Irving novels. I didn't find the beauty of being human as a relief from the tragic undertones. Enjoy this if you are desperate for more Irving, but try some of his later works if you want a better read.
We have some of the same plot elements that are seen again and again in Irving's works--life in Vienna, wife-swapping, wrestling, and prostitutes in Europe. The subject of Vienna is given a much more beautiful treatment in The Hotel New Hampshire, in my opinion.
Children are an afterthought in this novel. They were written in only when convienent and completely ignored when more adult matters were at hand.
The book is darkly tragic, more dark than other Irving novels. I didn't find the beauty of being human as a relief from the tragic undertones. Enjoy this if you are desperate for more Irving, but try some of his later works if you want a better read.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
In The 158-Pound Marriage the narrator, a writer of unsuccessful historical novels, recounts the story of his ménage à trois. When on holiday in Vienna, he falls in love with Utch (short for Utchka, which is Russian for calf). Not much later they are married and get two children. Their relationship seems free from problems until by some magical coincidence they meet Edith and Severin Winter. Without much ado both couples dive into an unknown adventure when they decide to try switching partner for one evening. At first this positively influences their marriages, but then the truth enters the scene as a fifth player. Suddenly trust seeps away and leaves them all alone with their bizarre foursome.
The 158-Pound Marriage is surely a black and ruthless book. And that is exactly what you would never expect from the author of The World According to Garp and A Prayer for Owen Meany. Admittedly the novel starts with a crazy scene that only John Irving can dream up, but after the main characters are introduced the spirit of the story turns dark and moody. Irving keeps the irony alive, but gets hooked into the conflict between the two couples. Even the predominant playfulness between the sheets cannot lighten up the story. It drags the reader through a maze of moral questions and dilemma's.
The story is brilliantly written and again proof that John Irving is one of the greatest authors of our time. Personally I like the cheery and witty tone of his later novels (Marriage was his third novel) much more. This does not mean that they are not as deep and wicked as The 158-Pound Marriage, at the contrary, but they surely have less difficulties in keeping my attention focussed on the story.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By S. Ingle
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This book is full of dark, dirty little secrets. It's a wacky & crazy look into relationships. It brought out some emotions and was a quick and interesting read. If you are a first time reader of Irving however, PLEASE - read his all time best, first: Cider House Rules, A Prayer for Owen Meaning & Garp, then come back to this one (It's worth it)
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By JR Pinto
Format:Paperback
This novel is John Irving's Ur-Garp. As in The World According to Garp, two couples decide to openly and regularly change partners. That was a very small part of Garp however - here, it is the subject of the whole book.
The 158-Pound Marriage (the title refers to a wrestling class) is John Irving's third novel - the one right before his break-out with Garp. It has many of his staples: Vienna, a wrestling coach, etc. The difference here is that it is a New England university town instead of a boarding school town.
This is one of Irving's most sexually-explicit novels. The couples hop in and out of bed with each other, and what they do there is pretty well detailed. Considering that this is an early novel, it is very short for Irving's standards. Also, he allows himself to go off on tangents more. The story is told by a first person narrator who is more-or-less free writing - not everything comes in scenes. This makes it occasionally difficult to tell what is happening when.
Yet, Irving's strong voice and skillful characterizations are already fully intact here - as is his sense of the outrageous. Fans will not be disappointed.
The 158-Pound Marriage (the title refers to a wrestling class) is John Irving's third novel - the one right before his break-out with Garp. It has many of his staples: Vienna, a wrestling coach, etc. The difference here is that it is a New England university town instead of a boarding school town.
This is one of Irving's most sexually-explicit novels. The couples hop in and out of bed with each other, and what they do there is pretty well detailed. Considering that this is an early novel, it is very short for Irving's standards. Also, he allows himself to go off on tangents more. The story is told by a first person narrator who is more-or-less free writing - not everything comes in scenes. This makes it occasionally difficult to tell what is happening when.
Yet, Irving's strong voice and skillful characterizations are already fully intact here - as is his sense of the outrageous. Fans will not be disappointed.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
How to lose a marital match
This rather dark, short novel is set in a New England college town in the early sixties which focuses on a tortured wife-swapping arrangement involving the unnamed narrator a... Read more
Published 8 months ago by J. Grattan
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not one of Irving's best
After reading John Irving's A Son Of The Circus a few months ago and enjoying it , I decided to read another of his books. Read more
Published 8 months ago by ADAM
5.0 out of 5 stars
zoomania
The first of 3 novels in this john irving series was SETTING FREE THE BEARS @it was worth every minute it took to read it!John IRVING has such detail @imagination. Read more
Published on March 29, 2011 by am joy
2.0 out of 5 stars
just not an enjoyable storyline
John Irving is a good writer, self-indulgent at times, but very readable nonetheless. This book was recommended to me by my boss who absolutely loves it. Read more
Published on November 27, 2010 by G
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterful study of messy human emotion
Based on the reviews and the questionable subject matter, I was unprepared to actually *like* this book. What a pleasant surprise! Read more
Published on January 23, 2010 by Sheryl A. Lemma
2.0 out of 5 stars
Bland and Puerile
Beyond the obvious titillation of this novel, there is little to be said for this work. Irving masks his lack of skill as a writer by simply going over the top with his characters... Read more
Published on October 9, 2009 by Eric Maroney
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Master of Craft, Plot, and Characterization
This is the second book I've read by Irving, and I have to admit he's quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Read more
Published on October 22, 2007 by Scott William Foley
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lightweight Literature
"The 158-Pound Marriage" is Irving's third novel, but it bears the seal of his trademark conversational prose, his sleek sparsity. Read more
Published on July 12, 2007 by Mark Eremite
3.0 out of 5 stars
The weakest of Irving's early works.
If one views the works of John Irving as a whole, this novel stands out like a sore thumb. Published in 1974, it is, without a doubt, a product of its time - when sexual freedom... Read more
Published on December 20, 2006 by Jerry Clyde Phillips
3.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting novel of personal interaction
Being brand new to John Irving, I decided to grab the smallest novel he wrote to see what his writing style was like. Read more
Published on July 9, 2006 by sporkdude
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 13
books:
See all 13 books this book cites
8
books
cite this book:
See all 8 books citing this book
- The World According to Garp by John Irving in Front Matter
- Owen Meany (Roman)(German)(Deutsche) (German Edition) by John Irving in Front Matter
- The Cider House Rules by John Irving in Front Matter
- Son of the Circus by Irving John in Front Matter
- Trying to Save Piggy Sneed by John Irving in Front Matter
See all 13 books this book cites
- The World According to Garp by John Irving in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- The Cider House Rules by John Irving in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- A Widow for One Year by John Irving in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- The 158-Pound Marriage by John Irving in Front Matter, and Back Cover
- A Son of the Circus by John Irving in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
See all 8 books citing this book
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