Rating: 
Summary: Quite simply, it's my favorite.
Review: My daughter and I live only a few miles apart however, we both have Cider House Rules in hard cover as we know we will read it over and over through the coming years...
Rating:
Summary: Writing and Research that earns its respect and interest
Review: Not quite as intertaining as A Prayer For Owen Meany, still Cider House Rules impresses both with Mr. Irving's incredible research and knowledge as well as displaying a fine-tuned ability to tell original, captivating stories. These are real people in real times, dealing with tough issues. They are everyday men and women whose lives fascinate. John Irving does not lead the reader to the expected nor the impossible. It is a sad book to finsh and leave the in-depth characters behind. One can hope that this book teaches the history behind abortion issues, to make us think carefully before we jump to righteous conclusions--it is presented factually, historically, thoughtfully, and personally. When abortion issues are shown lived rather than simply professed in ivory towers, it shows how it effects the lives of the people who must live within such restrictions. Cider House Rules, Five stars for research, writing, and story-telling.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Irving
Review: This is the third Irving book I've read in a row. Think I'd rate this one higher than owen meany, but lower than Garp. Cider House is better written than Garp and certainly is more fully realized, but Garp had this great energy that exploded from every page. So maybe for me Garp and Cider House tied. You don't hear about this one as often as Garp or Owen Meany, but it's still great.
Rating:
Summary: Exactly what a book should be.
Review: I can't believe that there was even one person who thought this was a poor book. It was without exception the best book I have read in a very long time. Irving's writing skill stopped me cold many time. There were simple sentences that took my breath away. I purposely limited the amount of pages I read in a day. I never wanted it to end. Like all books that I think are good, I have no plans to see the movie. I have yet to see a movie do justice to the written word.
Rating: 
Summary: Five Things I learned from The Cider House Rules:
Review: 1.Everyone has their own set of rules. These should be respected.
2.You can only wait and see for so long.
3.Abortion should remain legal.
4.Sometimes loving someone isn't enough to make a difference.
5.Sometimes it is.
Rating:
Summary: It's So Perfect, This is My Second Review
Review: I wrote once before that this is my favorite book of all time. It still is in fact. But I'm actually writing to ask if anyone out there knows anything about the movie version of THE CIDER HOUSE RULES which is in the making? I know John Irving is writing the screenplay himself, and I also heard another rumor that Leonardo diCaprio is scheduled the play Homer (Heaven deliver us; let's hope that, if this is true, it won't turn into another "TITANIC" and make millions of dollars because teenage girls can't control their prepubescent puppy love for an untalented poster boy.) Whew. Anyway, if anyone has any info on the movie, please e-mail me.
Rating:
Summary: Tangy like good cider!
Review: Although I closed the back cover on Owen Meany and opened the front cover of Cider House, I found myself loving Homer with similar warmth to my feelings for Owen. Religious themes were a strong undercurrent to both books. In Cider House, the diversity of approaches to the issue of abortion was presented within the context of love, concern and respect for the participants. Refreshing!Different than Owen, I had some difficulty feeling connection to the characters who were presented in the latter part of the book. Although they were useful in fleshing out the theme that all of us have rules in our lives which we circumvent and/or change, I found myself feeling unsympathetic to some of their lives. Cider House was still a good read and boosted me on to perusing other Irving novels.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully woven tale of love and self-awareness
Review: wonderfully woven story of the orphan Homer Wells and the orphanage in St. Cloud's, Maine run by Dr. Larch, Nurse Edna (who adores him) and Nurse Angela, and how Homer finds a place at the apple orchard with Wally and Candy. One too many chance encounters when Melony decides to show up at the orchard long after she had given up her quest, begun 15 years earlier. Abortion is a prominent theme throughout the story and is the alternative purpose of the orphanage. The "rules" refer literally to rules intended to govern the conduct of the apple pickers who live in the cider house during the season. These rules, like mostly everyone else's rules in the book for living, are rarely adhered to. All people have rules of one sort or another, but who really abides by them all the time?
Rating:
Summary: This is one of the best books I have ever read!
Review: John Irving is a master. He is able to present both sides of the abortion debate in compassionate and heroic way. This is truly one of the best novels I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest American novels of all time
Review: In my copy of Cider House Rules (a special edition signed by the author), the cider house rules are finally revealed at the exact center of the book. I thought this was intentional and thought-provoking, given all of the other before-and-afters and either-ors of the novel. How delightful it is to learn that almost none of the cider house workers can read the rules, but they get the job done anyway. This is a story of common sense and personal responsibility, often revealed through tragicomic circumstances, lack of common sense, and selective personal irresponsibility. It is far, far beyond storytelling. It is the best discussion of abortion versus adoption I have ever read. Bravo!
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