The Cider House Rules: A Screenplay [Paperback]

John Irving (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 1999

This acadamy-award winning screenplay by John Irving was written over a fourteen year period and is the companion screenplay to the Miramax film, co-starring Michael Caine, who won the Acadmy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr.Wilbur Larch.

The Cider House Rules is set in rural Maine in the first half of this century. It tells the story of Homer Wells, an orphan who is raised and mentored by Wilbur Larch, the doctor at the orphanage. Dr. Larch teaches Homer eveything about medicine. Yet though his capacity for kindness is saintly, Larch is also an ether addict. He and Homer come into conflict, which is typical of many father-son relationships, but in this case, their conflict is intensified by their disagreements about abortion. The result is Homer leaves the only family he has ever known.

Homer's new life provides more excitement than he could have imagined, especially when he falls in love for the first time. But, when forced to make decisions that will change the course of his future, Homer finally realizes that he can't escape his past. The Cider House Rules is ultimately about the choices we make and the rules that are meant to be broken.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"John Irving's sixth and best novel...He is among the very best storytellers at work today." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Witty, tender-hearted, fervent, and scarifying...This novel is an example, now rare, of the courage of imaginitive ardor." -- The New York Times Book Review

About the Author

John Irving is the author of The World According to Garp and the Hotel New Hampshire, both of which have been made into feature films, as well as A Prayer for Owen Meany, A Widow for One Year, and a number of other highly acclaimed novels.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Miramax Books (December 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786885238
• ISBN-13: 978-0786885237
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,305,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't be so hard on this screenplay, April 10, 2002

By 

"bohemian_storm" (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cider House Rules: A Screenplay (Paperback)

I have been reading some of the reviews of both the movie and this book, and the people who have read the novel all seem to feel that the heart is no longer in the movie. I read the novel, and it is one of my favourite books of all time, and I can safely say that what needed to be kept to keep the story beautiful was kept. True, many of the plotlines and characters are lost, notably Melony... I really missed her... but I think the biggest mistake that a person writing an adapted screenplay can make is to try to keep too much of the story in there. Books are meant to be read over long periods of time, so there are always many storylines happening at once, and many characters. But in a movie, there are two hours, three hours tops. The storyline has to be relatively simple, and the amount of characters has to be very few, or it becomes episodic and jumpy. What cutting out so much of the book allowed John Irving to do was spend more time on what he left in. He could go much more into depth with the storylines and characters that were kept. Imagine trying to jam everything that was in the novel into a two hour movie. You would end up with endless flat characters, and a bunch of even flatter storylines. Which would be a disgrace to the novel. This is not a disgrace. It takes the most important parts, the most important characters, and squeezes them into a much shorter period of time, and makes for a good movie. A great film and and a great novel do not consist of the same things.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rules Of Life, May 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cider House Rules: A Screenplay (Paperback)

"Entertaining and affecting" is how the San Diego Union- Tribune describes The Cider House Rules. "Irving is among the very best story tellers at work today"as described by the Philadelphia Inquirer and that is correct. A native of New Hampshire Irving depicts the scenery of Maine as if he has lived there forever. The story of a young boy falling in love over and over again will have you reading till the very end.
Homer Well, an orphan of St. Cloud's , has a irregular childhood. Since he is the child of St. Cloud's he is forced to be the "older brother". When he leaves he is forced to make a heart breaking decision between the woman he loves and his best friend. Along the way, he encounters people and place he has never see before.
Dr. Larch the "father" of Homer and physician of the orphanage, falls in love with Homer. He loves him like a son and encourages him to take over the orphanage after Larch has passed. Larch has to convince Homer and The Board to allow his to be the primary physician.
The Cider House Rules is a book for everyone. It has romance, action, and end of your seat excitement. It's a true masterpiece.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I'm so TORN!, March 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cider House Rules: A Screenplay (Paperback)

Oh, how to review this screenplay? While I am thrilled that Irving has finally adapted his own work, and seems very pleased with the result himself, I simply CANNOT bear to let my beloved Cider House Rules go! Where is Melody? Angel? It's impossible for Irving's script to have either the impressive scope or the attention to detail of his novel, and so much has to fall by the wayside in order to suit movie audiences. Sadly, some of what had to go was what kept this story from being sappy and muddled-- we're left now with a somewhat ambiguous discussion on abortion (a subject painted in clear black and white in the novel) and a LOT of exposition omitted or given half their due (as in Homer's continued returns to the orphanage). The characters are forced to be one-dimensional (Candy especially) and consolidated (Homer and Angel, various orphans).

I really do applaud Irving's effort, but I hoped for more from a man who seems so particular about his work. Stupid Hollywood.