Avenue of mysteries torrent download

Books Video icon An illustration of two cells of a film strip. Video Audio icon An illustration of an audio speaker. Audio Software icon An illustration of a 3. Software Images icon An illustration of two photographs.

Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses. Avenue of mysteries Item Preview. EMBED for wordpress. Want more? Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Her name is Lupe, and she thinks she sees what's coming--specifically, her own future and her brother's.

Lupe is a mind reader; she doesn't know what everyone is thinking, but she knows what most people are thinking. Regarding what has happened, as opposed to what will, Lupe is usually right about the past; without your telling her, she knows all the worst things that have happened to you. Lupe doesn't know the future as accurately.

But consider what a terrible burden it is, if you believe you know the future--especially your own future, or, even worse, the future of someone you love. It's long, it's often repetitive he re-uses the same phrases, or tells us the same piece of information several times, often multiple times in the same chapter or on the same page, as if we've forgotten, and he's reminding us So this makes four of Irving's last five novels that haven't even approached the level of his most famous and best works, like A Prayer for Owen Meany, which is still one of my Top Five favorite novels of all time.

The Fourth Hand was okay, but just sort of odd, and a bit thin. Until I Find You was long and repetitive — my second least favorite of the 10 of Irving's novels I've read.

Last Night In Twisted River , however, was fantastic. I really loved it, and I thought this heralded a return to form for Irving. But then In One Person was decent, but uneven, and then with Avenue of Mysteries , Irving just went off a cliff. Is this it for him? It's definitely a conspicuous downwards trend. Indeed, I can't even say for sure that Irving, one of my erstwhile favorite writers, is a must-read for me anymore if he publishes anything new. All I do know is that reading this made me really sad, and if you're on the fence about reading it, my recommendation is to read something better.

View all 12 comments. Jul 18, Snotchocheez rated it did not like it Recommends it for: no one. Shelves: nuh-uh. Has enough time passed to discuss this travesty yet? To a dyed-in-the wool Irving fan, the experience is way too painful to relive. Oct 13, Ron Charles rated it really liked it. Now 73, John Irving is clearly in a retrospective, if not autobiographical, mood.

The complex response evolves from two distinct, but mingled story lines. In the present tense, we follow the beloved teacher and novelist Juan Diego Guerrero a Now 73, John Irving is clearly in a retrospective, if not autobiographical, mood.

In the present tense, we follow the beloved teacher and novelist Juan Diego Guerrero as he travels from Iowa to the Philippines to fulfill a promise made years ago to a young draft dodger. View all 5 comments. Sep 30, Jaksen rated it really liked it Shelves: giveaways. I won this book through a GR giveaway, and I read every word. I am mentioning this only because some of the reviews I've read here are from those who didn't finish.

I did. Now not saying this is one of Mr. Irving's finest novels, because I don't believe it is. It has a little of everything in it: writer as MC; worries on dying and death; when to take a Lopressor or a Viagra. The past, present, and ruminations on all those who come and go - mostly go - as we move through life.

And sex, of course. Take all those elements, throw them in a blender, put it on high and see what comes out. You get a kind of soupy mixture that's a little about a lot of things The story is about writer Juan Diego and his reflections on his past, the things he remembers most, the way his life twisted and turned, his ultimate fate, and basically, how to get through each day.

He's on a trip to Manila, in the Philippines and along the way he meets two women who step in - and out - of his daily routine. Who they are and why they're there, that's a mystery.

It's also a travelogue as Juan Diego flies to Hong Kong, then Manila, and back and forth in time as he recalls significant events and people in his past. He starts out as a boy living in a dump in Mexico, where he rescues burned books and reads them. Never mind that the books are the throw-aways from a religious library.

His sister can read people's minds; his mother is a cleaning woman and prostitute; his father might be the dump boss. There is lots of religious imagery and history, and a chief focus on Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Juan Diego gets involved with a novice priest, a transvestite, and the many members of a traveling circus. As a child Juan Diego lives in the dump; he lives in an orphanage; he briefly joins that traveling circus. Altogether, It's a convoluted story, one in which Juan Diego is the anchor. If you ever get lost reading this, look for Juan Where is he? How is he? How's his health? Should he take the Viagra or the beta-blockers? How does he feel about the Church? About fate and destiny? About making choices, the big ones and the small?

What about sex? Yes, no, maybe, why not? There's also a lot of sex in the book, often described, frequently mentioned.

I doubt there was one major character who didn't have sex, or talk about, or think about it - A LOT. What are his thoughts on writing? And here is where Mr. Irving gets to expound on a topic he knows a lot about. Writers live in their imaginations and even when not physically writing, there is almost always writing going on in their heads. It's almost a struggle to step out of that world and into the real one. All throughout the book are references to the subject, including the 'big question' that writers often argue about and grapple with: Do writers write from personal experience?

Or do they simply use their imagination to 'make things up? Shakespeare is the huge example often cited on both sides of this argument.

I found it to be an interesting read. I put aside other books I'm currently reading to focus on this one. Not bad overall. View all 4 comments. Nov 11, Lorna rated it it was amazing Shelves: signed-by-author , mexico , magical-realism , asia. Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving was a beautifully written novel not only about mysteries but faith, family, loyalty, and the miraculous. When we first meet Juan Diego and his sister Lupe, we are reminded of the revered and beloved Our Lady of Guadalupe, with legend being that she appeared many times to Mexican peasant Juan Diego in on the Hill of Tepeyac outside of Mexico City asking for a church to be built at that site in her honor.

After a series of apparitions, Juan Diego returned to Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving was a beautifully written novel not only about mysteries but faith, family, loyalty, and the miraculous. After a series of apparitions, Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac Hill finding Castillian roses, not native to Mexico, blooming on the hillside to take to the Archbishop of Mexico City.

The Virgin of Guadalupe arranged the roses in Juan Diego's cape. As he opened his cloak before the Archbishop, the roses fell to the floor, revealing the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe on the fabric. This cloak has become one of Mexico's most popular religious and cultural symbols. It is within this context that we first meet fourteen year-old Juan Diego and his younger sister Lupe, who is believed to have the ability to read minds but because of her garbled speech only Juan Diego can understand her.

These children have grown up in the basuero , known as the "dump kids" and scavengers on the outskirts of Oaxaca. However, there were books found in Spanish and in English among the trash items and rescued by Juan Diego, teaching himself to read. Two old Jesuit priests referred to him as "the dump reader. Not them. Just us. We're the miraculous ones," she said. Most dump kids are seekers of miracles. At least Juan Diego wanted to believe in the miraculous, in all sorts of inexplicable mysteries, even if he doubted the miracles the Church wanted everyone to believe--those preexisting miracles, the ones dulled by time.

It is during this time that Juan Diego's life growing up in Oaxaca, Mexico and later in Iowa, is told through a series of dreams, memories and flashbacks. It is a magnificent piece of literature by one of my favorite writers. While there have been mixed reviews of Avenue of Mysteries, I loved the book, particularly the relationship between Juan Diego and Lupe.

View 2 comments. Feb 24, Helene Jeppesen rated it really liked it. I didn't think I was going to like this book as much as I did, simply because of the vague synopsis as well as the fact that I wasn't really in the mood for a heavy and complicated book.

It turns out that I was after all, or maybe it's just because it was written by John Irving that I loved it so much. John Irving is slowly becoming one of my favourite authors. If you've read him before, you know that he writes unique characters and well-crafted stories that questions things and phe 4.

If you've read him before, you know that he writes unique characters and well-crafted stories that questions things and phenomenons in life. It's got a sense of life experience to it which I really appreciated despite only being in my 20s myself.

Basically, this story follows Juan Diego who's on his way to India. Juan Diego thinks back on his childhood and we get to know him, his sister Lupe and his peculiar life through these flashbacks. The story becomes hilariously absurd at times, but it worked perfectly for this novel! Furthermore, it contains symbolism and quite a lot of references to Shakespeare, so I wouldn't call this novel one of Irving's easiest reads.

Nevertheless, I loved it so much because of the characters and the vibe it has to it, and I managed to get through it with a smile on my face, simply because John Irving is an amazing writer and an amazing storyteller. Oct 26, Maxine rated it it was amazing. Among the things Diego had rescued from the fire were books, many in English, which were thrown out by the Church.

Diego learned to read both Spanish and English with these books. Now, half a century later, Diego is an established and respected writer. All of his friends from his days as a dump kid are dead including Lupe and he has health problems. He is on a pilgrimage in the Philippines to honour a promise he made to a friend all those years ago in Mexico. On his journey, he meets two women, a mother and daughter, who claim to be fans and quickly seem to take over his life including sharing his bed but who may not be what they seems.

As Diego travels around the country meeting old friends and visiting shrines, and as he mixes his beta blockers with Viagra, he dreams about his former life and how it led him to here. Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving is a beautifully written book containing many of the motifs and themes of his previous works: the circus, orphans, and, of course, the Church and sex.

But this is John Irving and because he revisits older themes does not make this a rehash of earlier books. This is a story about the importance of dreaming and imagination not only in youth but perhaps especially in old age. It is about sacrifice and love and mystery both in the secular and the religious and it is full of empathy, humour, and just a touch of the mystical.

It will make you laugh in parts and frustrate you in others but the story and its many quirky characters will stay with you long after you finish reading.

Sep 18, Tom rated it it was ok. It's lots, I guess - the tone, the dialogue, the characterization, the length, the pathos. There is still some here to enjoy, but don't expect the 'classic' Irving of the 80s and early 90s I would wager Irving wouldn't want you to expect that Irving!

I read one reviewer say that no one under fifty would understand this novel Avenue , and perhaps there's some validity here. Maybe this is simply the kind of novel an older novelist writes, and again that's fine. Irving deserves to write whatever the hell he pleases, because he's given his readers so much. I hope there's still a couple more novels in Irving's tank. I hope he keeps passing the open windows.

Jul 17, Allison rated it liked it. I am really so done with this book, as it took me for. It was Irving-ian through and through with the same types of characters and tropes we've seen in Irving's novels before. This isn't my least favorite novel of his but it almost is, however I gave it three stars because the setting is fascinating and unique.

Overall, I just don't know that I'd recommend this to anyone but die hard Irving fans. View all 7 comments. Dec 27, Greg Dhuyvettrr rated it it was amazing Shelves: Though I have read every novel John Irving has written, I no longer believed that he had the capacity to write a novel with the scope, humanity, and heartbreaking beauty of Garp, Hotel New Hampshire, Cider House, and to a much lesser extent Owen Meany. I enjoyed a few of the later works, but I thought that the writer had lost the ability to make me love a novel.

Avenue of Mysteries has proved me wrong, to my great joy and tears while reading. For a novel about death, it is filled with joy; fo Though I have read every novel John Irving has written, I no longer believed that he had the capacity to write a novel with the scope, humanity, and heartbreaking beauty of Garp, Hotel New Hampshire, Cider House, and to a much lesser extent Owen Meany.

For a novel about death, it is filled with joy; for a novel about children raised in a dump, it is filled with beauty; and for a novel that has an unalterable tragic thread, it is a novel about choices. Juan Diego is the vessel through which the tale is woven and through whose eyes, the characters are seen.

The mind-reading, yet unintelligible younger sister, Lupe a Cassandra who both sees and changes fate is a character who has been missing since the early novels. The other characters are a rag-tag collection of individuals on the outside of society who are shown as in all of Irving's novels to have dignity, value, and the innate ability to form family. Reading this and the other great Irving novels feels like Hemingway described the feeling of watching a bullfight I am not endorsing bullfighting!

Every action points to the coming disaster, and every act makes the viewer feel the disaster more profoundly, but the action is so beautiful and the stakes are so important, you are drawn to watch it through to the conclusion.

I loved this book! View all 3 comments. Jan 18, Barbara rated it really liked it Shelves: adult-fiction , book-club-read. John Irving does enjoy poking fun at religion, especially the Catholic Church. The children live in the dump and are self-educated. They love their lives at the dump. Destiny versus free will is a huge theme throughout the novel. Lupe thinks she sees the destiny of Juan and herself, John Irving does enjoy poking fun at religion, especially the Catholic Church.

Lupe thinks she sees the destiny of Juan and herself, which she does not like, and does everything she can to change their futures. The local Jesuits notice the children and have ideas of their own for the children. In Irving fashion, he writes comically and with compassion. This novel is filled with eccentric characters, crazy situations, endearing characters, and horrific circumstances.

He writes deftly, so the farcical and ghastly scenes are almost melded together. What some readers may find a bit taxing is that the story is told in alternating times. The story is told in the way that all of us are: we are present, but thinking about the past; reliving events of our lives. Although the present is linearly told, the past is spotty in recollection.

Lupe is a riot. She tells it like it is; is at times a bit vulgar, but is always funny. Her character makes the novel. There are many other endearing characters that add to the story and are entertaining.

I saw the silliness in it. Not everyone enjoys and appreciates his humor, but I certainly do. Dec 15, Elaine added it. No star rating, because I just couldnt bring myself to finish this one. John Irving has always been one of my favourite authors. I have absolutely adored everything I have ever read by him, savoured every word and devoted whole days to just sitting and reading his books.

I have read about a third of this one and found myself heartbroken because I just cannot bear to pick it up again. Admittedly, I was scared off a little by the reviews, but they are correct. This is a bit of a stinker. Our main ch No star rating, because I just couldnt bring myself to finish this one.

He and his sister were brought up by the dump boss and live alongside an army of children who survive by scavenging off the dump. His sister Lupe is a mind reader. Now an adult, Juan is taking a trip to the Philippines to fulfil a promise he made as a child to someone whose name he cannot even remember which in itself is a bit weird.

I think he is supposed to be in his mid 50s but comes across as being quite feeble and much older, certainly not like anybody in his 50s that I know. In a nutshell, he comes across as characterless and, I have to say it yet again, just dull. It does seem to ramble somewhat, particularly about religious virginal icons with pages and pages devoted to describing a shop which sells statues and Lupe in particular being obsessed by them.

I was skimming pages almost from the start and that is not a good sign. I am sorry to be blunt and distasteful, but how could anyone be that articulate and coherent during sex, especially with a mouthful. I am gutted to say that I hated what I read, I feel like one of my idols has just been revealed as having feet of clay.

Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the review copy. View all 9 comments. John Irving is an excellent writer and except for his short stories I've enjoyed everything he ever wrote - until now. I'm afraid I have to say that I really didn't like this book. This is strange in fact because it had all the classic Irving elements - orphans, prostitutes, flatulating dogs, a circus, the playing-around with the "autobigraphical" elements etc.

There were characters dying in absurd situations but I didn't laugh at them as I normalley would. The childhood part is usually the part John Irving is an excellent writer and except for his short stories I've enjoyed everything he ever wrote - until now.

The childhood part is usually the part I love best about Mr Irving's books. In Avenue of Mysteries it was much longer than usual and so the book should have entertained me but sadly it didn't.

The Mexican setting sounded great too: The protagonist, Juan Diego, spends his childhood in Oaxaca, a town in the south of Mexico which I visited a few years ago. I loved this place and I found the story with the two Marys Mary mother of Jesus and the Madonna of Guadalupe very fascinating. All these elements should have made Avenue of Mysteries a great novel - but they didn't. I'm still not sure why. Maybe it was because the story unlike the previous novels wasn't told in chronological order: the childhood part was dreamed by the protagonist.

The changes from past to present were very abprubt and I sometimes hade to make sure where in the story I actually was. From Mr Irving's previous books I'm used to a lot of sex but then it always made sense. This time it didn't. I can't tell you. All I can say is that I'm disappointed by this novel and that it is the first Irving I can't recommend.

Thanks for the opportunity! Jul 10, Sharyl rated it it was amazing Shelves: reads. Juan Diego left before I was ready. I'd come to like him very much and will miss him. He was a writer who started life in Oaxaca, Mexico, but then spent most of his life in Iowa.

He was a man who rejected the tag Mexican-American because he felt he'd lived two distinctly different lives; his American self was not shaped by his Mexican childhood. He was either an American from Iowa, or a Mexican from Oaxaca, but not both at the same time.

He was a man who had suffered many losses. It's best to let h Juan Diego left before I was ready. It's best to let him tell those stories. He was a precocious boy who taught himself to read in both Spanish and English. He was also the only one who understood his unusually gifted sister when she spoke. He was her translator. These children's talents are the first sign of magical realism in this story, but not the last.

There is much more to come. By now, it's apparent that Juan Diego was a serious thinker from an early age, as was his sister, Lupe. Their conversations with each other and the adults around them have much to do with religion, especially the Catholicism that was imposed on native Mexicans by the Conquistadors and European missionaries.

It's interesting that Juan Diego and Lupe interact mostly with adults, rarely other children. Indeed, they both seem too old for children their own age. Vargas, and their mother Esperanza--have very different ideas about life and religion. Lupe and Juan Diego can hold their own with any of them. But this is all in the past.

Right now, Juan Diego is on a trip to the Philippines, a trip he'd promised someone a long time ago to take. Juan Diego will go back and tell that story, too. Now, it's forty years later and he's sitting in an airport, when he meets Miriam and Dorothy, mother and daughter, fans of his novels. They are very take-charge ladies pushy. Who are these women? One of them shrugs in a way that reminds him of Lupe-- Lupe: After being disillusioned by the Virgin of Guadalupe, she makes things happen herself.

That's quite a story. It's a curious friendship, and sticking with Clark could get boring, but wait--Miriam and Dorothy are suddenly back in the picture These women appeared in his life as suddenly as Edward Bonshaw did.

Except Edward and Flor stayed in his life Come to think of it, perhaps Juan Diego did tell me everything. I'm beginning to think he knew precisely when to stop telling stories. A novelist would plan that perfectly, would draw me in deeper the more I'd read until he was finished. And there are some familiar John Irving themes, too. Dec 28, Kathy rated it really liked it. The parts set in the past are certainly the most interesting, and where the real story lies. Juan Diego and his sister Lupe are characters who will stay with me, just like many other Irving creations.

She had a way of cutting through all pretense perhaps that is what mind-reading does for someone? Of course, we are all products of our past, so Juan Diego's present is just that - a product of his past. And therein lies the truth of the story.

It's always fun to read Irving's books to see when he will slip in themes he has used before the circus, the transvestite, the abortion clinic, etc as it's like waiting for Alfred Hitchcock's cameo in one of his films. But if the references don't mean anything to you because you've not read other Irving books, don't worry.

It doesn't matter as this book stands on its own. View 1 comment. May 13, Alicia Brooks rated it really liked it Shelves: arc.

John Irving is back with a wonderful book full of all the magic you would expect A writer relives his past in Mexico as he takes a trip to Manila and meets a few interesting folks along the way. Familiar themes such as the Catholic church, fatherless kids, and "inappropriate" mothers all live in this wonderful novel.

I laughed and I cried. Feb 08, Michael Robotham rated it liked it. I'm a huge John Irving fan and there were scenes and characters in Avenue of Mysteries, which proved yet again what a wonderful writer he has been. Unfortunately, the story and premise didn't hold together for me. I loved the childhood material, but wasn't engaged in the present day story. I will continue to read Irving because he has always been a literary hero to me.

Sep 07, Anna-Marie Mackenzie rated it it was amazing. He revisits similar themes, but with new and surprising characters and stories.