Partly because of my love for this quote, it almost saddens me to admit that, thus far, The Cider House Rules has been a rather lacklustre read. Granted, this seems a rather unforgiving statement that may be arriving too early because I’m admittedly only 41 pages in, but I’m not of the opinion that it’s too unfair to consider passing on a book when the first forty pages have failed to pique your interest. The Cider House Rules hasn’t reeled me in like A Prayer for Owen Meany did from the get-go (Owen Meany, however, was an infatuation of sorts that went strong but tapered off near the end when it started to read too long), and, so, considering that my pile of books that must be read continues to grow, I may be placing this on hold for a later day.
Pity. I plan on getting something inspired by that quote inked on me somewhere some time. And that quote really was the main reason I picked up anything by Irving, too …
But, it must be said: A Prayer for Owen Meany has some beautiful, beautiful writing.