Rating: 
Summary: ragged and wonderful
Review: Having met John in Iowa City before Garp was published, BEARS was all I knew of his work. I just re-read it. Despite some lack of polish, it still moves me the most. Could be I love motobikes, could be I know Austria, but mostly it captures the ridiculous intensity and bittersweet nature of relationships at that age.
Rating: 
Summary: A Forgotten Masterpiece
Review: Having read Garp, Owen, Hotel NH, and Widow, I decided that I should read some of Irving's earlier stuff. I tore through 158-lb., but not because it was any good. It was, in fact, one of the most poorly-written novels I've read in a long time. Setting Free the Bears, on the other hand, was absolutely marvelous. The zoo-diary interspersed with the 'highly-selective autobiography' was pure magic, and the end, with the Rare Spectacled Bears loping across a field together after Gallen had just left the hero (I'm blanking on his name) was an exquisite, classic Irving irony.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Worry, Irving Gets Better
Review: I am a huge John Irving fan, and have been ever since I read A Prayer for Owen Meany several years ago, unfortunately this book is a disappointment. As always Irving does a wonderful job creating his characters and making the reader interested in their lives, but Irving was not at his best this early in his career. I am never a fan of Irving's short stories that he puts in the middle of his novels (Pension Gripalzer etc.) and a majority of this book is a journal written by ine of the characters, so that upset me. He also does not include wrestling and does not make any of the characters writers, which I always like in his novels because he knows the subjects and writes about them so well. I think if you are looking for an introduction to Irving or are just looking for a good book A Prayer for Owen Meany, The World According to Garp, or Cider House Rules would be much better bets.
Rating:
Summary: Annoyance - Not so bad - Annoyance
Review: I don't want this to be a running theme, but in concurrance with the other reviewers, this book is definitely not for the Irving connoisseur. It is broken into three sections, of which the second is the only one worth reading as it foreshadows Irving's later-to-flourish talent of weaving together storylines and plots from various sources into a meaningul synergy. If you can make it through the first two hundred pages, don't stop because there is a kernel of beauty to be found; however, if you don't make it that far, nobody (including me) is going to blame you. As a final note, I did appreciate the lengths to which Irving was able to prorogue the title's implied theme throughout all of the story's happenings and not just in the zoo break itself (not to spill the beans).
Rating:
Summary: Not for lovers of later Irving
Review: I first read Irving's later books, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Garp, Hotel New Hampshire and Son of the Circus. I loved those books and only wish that I had more of John Irvings to read. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by Setting Free the Bears. As one of his earlier works, I could see where he was headed, but it does not compare favorably to his more mature work.
Rating:
Summary: First Novel Topic: Pain in Passion, Passion in Pain
Review: I have always felt that John Irving is a literary idealist of very respectable stature. This book is vintage Irving in terms of its outrageous story line, cast of soul-searching characters, and witticism-infused style of prose, but it lacks the formality which is the inescapable inheritance of a Writer of Major Recognition. This being his first novel, it seems to be the one written with the greatest freedom, and as a tale of misguided, wayfaring characters bound to their less than idyllic fates, it still manages to be heartbreaking in its portrayal of innocent idealism. This is a great book; I consider it Irving's best. I can't say many bad things about _A Prayer For Owen Meany_, either, but the manner in which it is told is much different than this story about the reckless spirit of youth.
Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: I have to give this book two stars for being a John Irving novel, and one star for the story of Siggy's mother and father. However, the rest of the story leaves much to be desired. I'm not surprised that this turns out to be his first novel. In fact, in Trying to Save Piggy Sneed, Irving states that he doesn't believe that this novel would even be published today as a first novel. If you're a huge Irving fan this is worth a read as it contains the common Irving themes of Vienna and bears, but don't expect the quality of his other novels. If Irving's work is something that you either love or hate, you'll love all his other works but hate this one.
Rating:
Summary: pure Irving storytelling
Review: I suppose that if you liked Robin Williams as Garp or laugh at Pepsi commercials, this book may not be for you. Hoever, if you liked the imaginitive "lunacy and sorrow" of Garp and Hotel New Hampshire, and/or the rich world of Owen Meany, you will probably like Setting Free the Bears. I agree with readers who feel the zoo part of the story is slim and not very compelling, however, I disagree with those who say this is too unpolished and immature. Instead, the highly recommended flashback sections I think foreshadow the essence of "Pension Grillparzer", and show that Irving does have in him enough talent and imagination to write a novel on the order of "Confederacy of Dunces". Unfortunately for my tastes, I think that his later books relect more reminiscing and moralizing, although I am hoping for more farce and less political correctness in his future books. Bottom line: you MUST read the flashback chapters, but skipping the main story is optional.
Rating:
Summary: pure Irving storytelling
Review: I suppose that if you liked Robin Williams as Garp or laugh at Pepsi commercials, this book may not be for you. Hoever, if you liked the imaginitive "lunacy and sorrow" of Garp and Hotel New Hampshire, and/or the rich world of Owen Meany, you will probably like Setting Free the Bears. I agree with readers who feel the zoo part of the story is slim and not very compelling, however, I disagree with those who say this is too unpolished and immature. Instead, the highly recommended flashback sections I think foreshadow the essence of "Pension Grillparzer", and show that Irving does have in him enough talent and imagination to write a novel on the order of "Confederacy of Dunces". Unfortunately for my tastes, I think that his later books relect more reminiscing and moralizing, although I am hoping for more farce and less political correctness in his future books. Bottom line: you MUST read the flashback chapters, but skipping the main story is optional.
Rating: 
Summary: Pure Torture
Review: I've been a great fan of John Irving, but I was not able to appreciate this book - at all!! A real disappointment! DO READ The World According to Garp & The Cider House Rules.
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