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  • The Cider House Rules

  • By: John Irving
  • Narrated by: Jared Zeus
  • Length: 27 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (245 ratings)
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The Cider House Rules cover art

The Cider House Rules

By: John Irving
Narrated by: Jared Zeus
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Summary

The reason Homer Wells kept his name was that he came back to St Cloud's so many times, after so many failed foster homes, that the orphanage was forced to acknowledge Homer's intention to make St Cloud's his home.

Homer Wells' odyssey begins among the apple orchards of rural Maine. As the oldest unadopted child at St Cloud's orphanage, he strikes up a profound and unusual friendship with Wilbur Larch, the orphanage's founder - a man of rare compassion and an addiction to ether. What he learns from Wilbur takes him from his early apprenticeship in the orphanage surgery, to an adult life running a cider-making factory and a strange relationship with the wife of his closest friend.

©2020 John Irving (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group

What listeners say about The Cider House Rules

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American writing at its best

Do we all stretch the rules to suit our own agendas? The cider house rules are written and reprinted every year and every year they are ignored. The essence of this story is set round an ageing community in an orphanage, where illegal abortions can be obtained. Rules are broken every day and lives changed by the rules that are adhered to and those of society that are ‘bent’ or ignored. This story of the life of an orphan and the people who touch and influence his life is well written and you can imagine that Dickens may have been an influence in the tale. As enjoyable as Steinbeck for the storytelling but, much less descriptive in style. Excellent book.

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  • 23-01-22

Pro-choice essay wrapped up in a fabulous story

Whoops, my review headline is very off-putting but this is one of my favourite ever books. I always love John Irving's understated writing style as he tells overblown Dickensian tales. As in many other of his books, he wraps his message up in a compelling and entertaining read. Set about 100 years ago and written about 35 years ago, the book's central theme of women's right to choose abortions, is still a very current topic. I love the tenderness of many of the relationships between John Irving's characters, especially those between parents and children.

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Great US 1940-50s story woven around abortions

Great story, although the political mindset of the author feels like that of his 1940s Dr Larch character. Good intentions and radical in many ways, but fundamentally as bigoted as the times he grew up in.
So surprising that it was written in the rather more enlightened 1980s.

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Excellent

What a great book! It doesn’t really fit into any main genre. It is simply a good story, well told. The book is strong at the beginning, middle and end and is well paced throughout, developing plot and characters naturally and believably. There are some complex relationships that are interesting and the narration is excellent. Some books are hard to keep track of the characters but that is not the case here. Each character is well defined and separate. I really enjoyed this and will now read more by this talented author

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    5 out of 5 stars

SCOTUS essential reading

it's unbelievable that we are in a world that has made the subject of this great novel, a subject it had presumed was confined to history, relevant again.

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Stunning

I haven't read such a beautiful novel in a very very long time . It touched me profoundly. The reader was wonderful.

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Fantastic!

I have always loved this book but read by Jared Zeus its even better. Beautifully narrated, thank you

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everything you want a book to do

keeps you interested from start to end brilliant story. Full of individual character background story

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Brilliant!

One of my favourite books. Jared Zeus sounded like he really enjoyed reading it too!

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Amazing

I love every novel of John Irving. This was possible one of the best. Zeus reads with such a fantastic storytelling voice, I just loved everything about it.

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