Setting Free the Bears [Paperback]

John irving (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1979

It is 1967 and two Viennese university students want to liberate the Vienna Zoo, as was done after World War II. But their good intentions have both comic and gruesome consequences, in this first novel written by a twenty-five year old John Irving, already a master storyteller.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

8 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From the Inside Flap

It is 1967 and two Viennese university students want to liberate the Vienna Zoo, as was done after World War II. But their good intentions have both comic and gruesome consequences, in this first novel written by a twenty-five year old John Irving, already a master storyteller. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (February 1, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671822551
• ISBN-13: 978-0671822552
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,840,135 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

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars one heck of a wild ride, July 12, 2001

By 

NotATameLion (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Setting Free the Bears (Ballantine Reader's Circle) (Paperback)

While not the most important or most well written novel of all time, "Setting Free the Bears" is one heck of a wild ride.

I am blown away that this book is a "first novel." It is a clear sign of Irving's greatness as an author that he could write something this complex and entertaining his first time out. It seems that among those who have read at least two of Irving's novels, there is usually one that they pick and passionately cling to as their favorite. Most then judge the rest of Irving books as falling short of the glory of their favorite. How unfortunate.

"Setting Free the Bears," when taken by itself, is more than worth reading. However, far too many people seem predisposed to shoot it down without finishing reading it...usually because it's supposedly "not as good as" (insert favorite Irving novel here). People may well be extra harsh on "Setting Free the Bears" because Irving's style is not yet fully formed here (it is something along the lines of Irving plus Jack Kerouac with a dash of Tom Robbins thrown in to boot).

All this notwithstanding, I am glad to have read this book; to have encountered characters such as Siggy, Graff, Gallen and the rest of this unique cast. The literary device of splitting up the book with Siggy's notebook is pure genius.

One of the reasons I enjoy Irving so much is his great sense of humor. There is plenty of it here (though much of it is of a darker kind than later Irving). In particular, I laughed out loud upon reading the scene where Siggy gets his "shave".

All in all, I give "Setting Free the Bears" a most hearty recommendation. Though it is not perfect by any means (I only know of one such book), it has great moments of beauty and humor. Well worth reading.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pre-History, December 10, 2000

By 

Joel@AWS (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Setting Free the Bears (Ballantine Reader's Circle) (Paperback)

In all honesty, it's been years since I last read Setting Free The Bears, but I can still find the paragraphs that resonate:

"Some people are proud and some have their doubts. And I can look at how left out of these times I feel - how I rely on pre-history for any sense and influence - and I can simplify this aforementioned garble. I can say: all anyone has is their pre-history. Feeling that you live at an interim time is something in the nature of being born and all the things that never happen to you after birth."

If these words strike a chord with you, this is a book you should read. It is closer to "The Cider House Rules" or "A Prayer For Owen Meany" in character but is more cohesive; it is fantastic but wisely stops short of the extremes of "The World According to Garp" or "The Hotel New Hampshire". It is a novel full of ghosts, of surreal acknowledgement of the things that *do* happen to us after birth, even as we fail to recognize their importance.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Novel Topic: Pain in Passion, Passion in Pain, May 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Setting Free the Bears (Mass Market Paperback)

I have always felt that John Irving is a literary idealist of very respectable stature. This book is vintage Irving in terms of its outrageous story line, cast of soul-searching characters, and witticism-infused style of prose, but it lacks the formality which is the inescapable inheritance of a Writer of Major Recognition. This being his first novel, it seems to be the one written with the greatest freedom, and as a tale of misguided, wayfaring characters bound to their less than idyllic fates, it still manages to be heartbreaking in its portrayal of innocent idealism. This is a great book; I consider it Irving's best. I can't say many bad things about _A Prayer For Owen Meany_, either, but the manner in which it is told is much different than this story about the reckless spirit of youth.