The Last Chairlift
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
The Last Chairlift
Buy Now for $39.63
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Written by:
-
John Irving
About this listen
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
One of the world’s greatest novelists returns with his first novel in seven years—a ghost story and a love story, spanning eight decades of sexual politics.
John Irving has written some of the most acclaimed books of our time—among them, The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and A Widow for One Year. TIME magazine describes his work as “epic and extraordinary and controversial and sexually brave.” Now Irving has written what he calls his last long novel—only shorter ones ahead.
In Aspen, Colorado, in 1941, Rachel Brewster is a slalom skier at the National Downhill and Slalom Championships. Little Ray, as she is called, finishes nowhere near the podium, but she manages to get pregnant. Back home, in New England, Little Ray becomes a ski instructor. Her son, Adam, grows up in a family that defies conventions and evades questions concerning the eventful past. Years later, looking for answers, Adam will go to Aspen. In the Hotel Jerome, where he was conceived, Adam will meet some ghosts; they aren’t the first or the last ghosts he sees.
If you’ve never read a John Irving novel, you’ll be captivated by storytelling that is tragic and comic, embodied by characters you’ll remember long after you’ve finished their story. If you have read John Irving before, you’ll rediscover the themes that made him a bard of alternative families—a visionary voice on the subject of sexual freedom. The author’s favourite tropes are here, but this meticulously plotted novel has powerful twists in store for readers. The Last Chairlift breaks new artistic ground for Irving, who has been called “among the very best storytellers at work today” (The Philadelphia Inquirer); “the American Balzac” (The Nation); “a pop star of literature, beloved by all generations” (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich); and “the voice of social justice and compassion in contemporary American literature” (The Globe and Mail). With The Last Chairlift, readers will once again be in John Irving’s thrall.
©2022 John Irving (P)2022 Knopf CanadaWhat the critics say
“[Irving's] enormous imagination, his storytelling gifts, and his intelligence are all on display.” (Publishers Weekly)
“Powerfully cinematic. . . . Irving’s portrayal of a shooting in a crowded venue, for instance, is rendered with such visual acuity and kinetic energy that I’d swear I saw it rather than read it. . . . Whenever The Last Chairlift is actively expanding the boundaries of what a family can be—the story feels vital and exciting.” (The Washington Post)
“Irving’s majestic latest . . . is a multigenerational portrait as colorful and varied as it is complex and quirky as it echoes and pays homage to the author’s own rich literary history. . . . Irving infuses the narrative with countless comedic set pieces, some farcical, others wistfully tender. The emotionally resonant result is sweepingly cinematic, reminding the reader that Irving has a screenwriting Oscar. Autobiographical snippets and splashes of brilliance buttress the themes of death and aging, memory and identity, in an elegiac testimony to the many facets of familial love. . . . A big, immersive novel.” (Booklist)
What listeners say about The Last Chairlift
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sharon
- 2023-03-27
Loved it!
This book is the quintessential John Irving. Loved every minute of the 32 plus hours!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mayland McKimm
- 2023-05-28
Great read
My wife and loved this latest from one of the greatest character storytellers of our times.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Dr. Geoffrey M. Holdway
- 2022-12-24
Not his best
Long, too long. Good ideas, excellent character development. Ghosts a bit over done . Too much sex. Skiing medical and Canadian stuff well explained. I really do like his books and this may well be his last. I like his politics and his early books were his best.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- ellen boyce
- 2023-11-04
Took me long time
Found it quite boring. Nothing to really like about story. Beginning better than the end.
Read better books
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-02-02
Typical John irving
I love his writing. His characters are so unique and easy to love and xare about
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Donna
- 2023-08-04
Insightful characterization, but tedious listen
I love Irving’s characters and this book does not disappoint, but it suffers from being narrated. This story needs to be read not listened to. Listening to this book is tedious!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- lumpyP
- 2023-01-01
Thought provoking
John Irving has such a way at looking at the world that it makes one question your own values and prejudices. Thank you
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- cj
- 2023-02-09
Tedious
Could barely get through it. Skipped several chapters as there was too much unnecessary content. It might be because I just finished reading Prayer for Owen Meanie, so thought I’d try this since it was free ( thankfully). But one can only take so much telling of a young boy obsessed with his attractive single mom and on and on. Appreciate the unique characters but again too similar to Owen Meanie.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-12-23
Very different and long
not what I expected. good but very different. not great. the main characters think and discuss a lot about unusual personal encounters,puberty, etc. One of those books that seem better when you look back at its entirety vs each chapter and the characters thoughts and actions. the readers are good.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Leona G
- 2023-04-12
Amalgamation of all his books
I’ve read all of JI’s books over the past 40 years. I like the characters, but the story was familiar because I’d already read these characters and their life stories in the other publications. It did ramble but I’m a trooper. I didn’t like the screen play portions of the book nor did if find the singing cowboy or the stand up act funny. I’ll go back and reread some of his old novels I suppose. The narrator sounded just like the guy who used to lip sync a dog begging for food on YouTube, which I did find funny.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!