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 booth comic and gruesome consequences, in this first novel written by a twenty-five year old John Irving, already a master storyteller.
Reader from Evanston, IL
Debut book by John Irving is disappointing only when you have previously read all others, like I did. The story is about Vienna (a recurring theme in all of his prose) and misery of the postwar aftermath with foreign occupants. The Viennese Zoo animals were released and eaten at the end of the war. Irving fantasizes about this event. I could not manage to finish the book, however. He is a talented novelist, but I should have switched the order of reading and started with Bears. After all others, I am not able to recommend the book even to myself.
Reader from Seattle WA:
Easily the best Irving book that I've read. This is an especially good read if you're not a huge Irving fan. Much more complex underneath, it does take an appreciation of fine art to understand the subtle nuances in this book, and if you're used to mainstream (boring) fiction, you may not like it. But if you like to see how unreal reality can sometimes be, this is truly a winner.
