Recommendations from anyone who reads Anne Tyler and/or John Irving please

[Posey]

Last year on holiday I read A Prayer for Owen Meany and loved it. Which of John Irving's other books would you recommend?

Also have read a few of Anne Tyler's and liked them all (except not overly keen on Digging to America). Which was your favourite or recommended Anne Tyler please?

Thank you

[pagwatch]

If you liked Owen Meany you will like The World According to Garp. I loved them both.

[brimfull]

you would like mary lawson's crow lake

[Hassled]

The Hotel New Hampshire is very good. I've loved every Ann Tyler I've read, with the exception of The Patchwork Planet. Can't remember what my problem was with that one.

[paisleyleaf]

Hotel New Hampshire for John Irving
Ladder Of Years for Anne Tyler

[blueshoes]

John Irving: another one for Garp and Hotel New Hampshire.

[steaknife]

Until I Find You
A Widow for One Year

both John Irving

[Posey]

Thank you for those recommendations! Dh is doing an Amazon order later so I thought I might bung some holiday reading into his basket!
Any more Anne Tyler thoughts?

[DuchessOfAvon]

Saint Maybe, The Amateur Wedding & Accidental Tourist are my fav Anne Tylers.
Digging to America was my least favourite.

Owen Meany is awesome. I enjoyed Cider House Rules & Widow for One Year too.

[BikeRunSki]

Anne Tyler - The Accidental Tourist
John Irving - All of them, but especially The Cider House Rules. I hated The Hotel New Hampshire and Setting Free the Bears.

[brimfull]

Alice Hoffman is similar to anne tyler

[popsycal]

I am a huge JOhn Irving fan.

Hotel new hampshire is my favourite alonfg with owen meany

[ArcticRoll]

The Accidental Tourist, Saint Maybe and Ladder of Years

[Posey]

Brilliant, thanks very much. Holiday choices are so important don't you think?! I have read some dreadful stuff recently and really don't want to be disappointed on holiday.

[JammyQueenOfTheSewers]

Don't know Anne Tyler books, but I love (most) John Irving books. I really loved Owen Meany, and my equal favourite with that is Widow for One Year.

[londonartemis]

I enjoy Anne Tyler's books. Have also recently read Frankie and Stankie by Barbara Trapido which I really do recommend. It's (fiction)about a girl growing up in South Africa during apartheid. Great anecdotes about her school, best friends etc against hideous background of politics. Again like Anne Tyler's books, it's about ordinary people getting to grips with what life is throwing up at them.

[lilolilmanchester]

how odd, have just mentioned Anne Tyler on another thread!Have you read anything by Anita Shreve?

[Posey]

Have heard of both Anita Shreve and Barbara Trapido but not read any of their books. Its always good to have pointerswhen you go to the bookshop or library otherwise it really is a case of where to begin.
Thanks for the recommendations.

[mellifluouscauliflower]

I have read most of Anne Tyler's. I liked Ladders of the Years.

I too loved Meaney. Also enjoyed "The 3rd Hand" which was one of his later books and a bit shorter.

[stainesmassif]

i haven't read an anne tyler i didn't like, though i think she can be a bit 'samey' - though i find a lot of authors can be like that. not necessarily a bad thing.

i find that i like each new john irving more than the last, though i haven't finished 'until i find you' - but i think mostly cause my wrists are too weak for hard backs...

[stleger]

Try American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld if you like American stuff.

[brimfull]

When I said Aloce Hoffman I really meant Alice Munroe

[MamaKaty]

If you like Anne Tyler you might also like Carol Shields

[MamaKaty]

Sorry - I sent the post before I'd finished posting! I was going to recommend Carol Shields or Elizabeth Berg - they all write very character focused fiction

[suiledonn]

Another vote for Anne Tyler Ladder of Years.
I've liked all of her's that I have read so far. I love Anita Shreve but she does seem to be a love her or hate her writer. My favourites of hers are Strange Fits of Passion and Eden Close.
I love John Irving too. Owen Meany and A Widow for One Year are my favourites too.
We seem to have similar tastes so I would say give Anita Shreve a try.
Jane Smiley A Thousand Acres is excellent although haven't read any more of hers.
I love anything by David Guterson and Kent Haruf also.

[suiledonn]

Also meant to mention Kate Atkinson. I love Emotionally Weird and the Jackson Brodie ones Case Histories, One Good Turn and When Will There be Good News.