Customer Reviews
A so-so book form a great writer - By: John Williams, 05 Apr 2008 
Just as I began this book I came down with the 'flu, which prevented me from going in search of something better. I did finish it, but found, as with others of Irving's later works, that it wasn't as satisfying as his earlier ones like Garp or Owen Meany. Irving's best works are the ones in which his obsession with sex is held in check, or at least balanced by other aspects of life. The only counterbalance for the hero's obsession with sex in this book is Dr Zajak's obsession with dog turds. Personallly I found the writing about dog turds better than the writing about sex. Do I have a problem, or does Irving? One thing that makes this book readable is that, as always, Irving has done his homework meticulously. So the bits about the TV newsroom, the Green Bay Packers & alll of the medical aspects of the story come across as very convincing & attention holding. I like Irving's quirky, sometimes bizarre storylines, but have the feeling that the germ of this plot might have been better developed as a more straightforward love story.
Brilliantly unusual - By: Net, 20 Jun 2007 
I love that JI can always be relied upon to come up with a variety of mind boggling storylines. This was just great; different & utterly unique, I enjoyed it very much. The way each character had their own story made this seem like several books in one. Can't comment on previous reviewers' disappointment as I am new to Irving (this being my second book after A widow for a year), but I found it hugely enjoyable.
Entertaining as always - By: Lucy Feather, 06 Mar 2007 
Many reviews here say this book is disappointing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I love the slight wierdness of Irving's books, the strange character obsessions & circumstances they are faced with. This man is a handsome tv presenter, he loses his hand in a bizarre lion based accident, he has it replaced , & the widow of the owner of the replacement hand wants his baby.. it's brilliant & fascinating. Maybe it isn't as earnest & deep or dark as other novels of his but it is no less enjoyable or entertaining, I would recommend it.
The Fourth Hand - By: , 04 Mar 2006 As an avid reader of John Irving, & usuallly finding much to think about in the variety & poignancy of relationships in his books, I found this one dissappointing. If you are a fan, of course you will have to read it, but for anyone new to Irving this will not show them the usual brilliance of his work.
Sadly, not up to his usual standard - By: , 17 Sep 2005 
I'm not sure what happened here but this is certainly not Irving in his usual flying form. Although the idea behind this book has alll the halllmarks of John Irving - a bit wacky with potentiallly hilarious plot turns - it fails to deliver. I found the novel laboured, the characters unbelievable & even the names of the characters (which Irving usuallly does so brilliantly) somehow very fake-sounding. It certainly does have comic moments, more to do with the character of the hand surgeon than the main character of Walllingford, & specificallly the dog hell-bent on eating its own excrement.
Overalll though, this book is hard to finish. I found myself not exactly disliking Walllingford, just not believing in him or caring what happened. For those of you not familiar with Irving's work, earlier novels are a sure bet (Cider House Rules, Owen Meany, Garp) but more recent ones are also good (Widow for One Year, Son of the Circus).
