The Hotel New Hampshire Book Summary

In 'The Hotel New Hampshire,' John Irving chronicles the eccentric and tumultuous life of the Berry family, who navigate through tragedy and triumph while managing a hotel that serves as a backdrop for their surreal adventures. Set against the fluctuating landscapes of New England and Vienna, their story weaves together themes of love, loss, and the quest for identity. With a cast of unforgettable characters, including a bear named Freud, the novel blurs the lines between absurdity and heartfelt realism. As the family endures personal and historical challenges, their bond is tested in ways they could never anticipate. Will the Hotel New Hampshire ultimately be a refuge or a prison for the Berrys?

By John Irving

Published: 2018

"In the end, we all need to find our own way home, despite the detours that life takes us on."

Book Review of The Hotel New Hampshire

The New York Times bestselling saga of a most unusual family from the award-winning author of The World According to Garp. “The first of my father’s illusions was that bears could survive the life lived by human beings, and the second was that human beings could survive a life led in hotels.” So says John Berry, son of a hapless dreamer, brother to a cadre of eccentric siblings, and chronicler of the lives lived, the loves experienced, the deaths met, and the myriad strange and wonderful times encountered by the family Berry. Hoteliers, pet-bear owners, friends of Freud (the animal trainer and vaudevillian, that is), and playthings of mad fate, they “dream on” in a funny, sad, outrageous, and moving novel by the remarkable author of A Prayer for Owen Meany and Last Night in Twisted River.

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In the end, we all need to find our own way home, despite the detours that life takes us on.

The Hotel New Hampshire

By John Irving