This is my first John Irving book. I'm sorry, but it is surprising to me that this book was written by a 77 year old man. It reads more like the inner world of a 27 year old man. The female characters are not believeable - except perhaps for the elusive Marion. She was smart she disappeared in the middle of the first of the three part story. None of the characters kept my sympathy for very long, the one character who had promise was Eddie - and he made impotent by the author because ... he didn't drink or he respected women? This indeed is self-indulgent writing with little depth and, like the characters, no courage. Does John Irving always write such unbelieveable women characters?