Synopses & Reviews
John Irving's memoir begins with his account of the distinguished career and medical writings of the novelist's grandfather Dr. Frederick C. Irving, a renowned obstetrician and gynecologist, and includes Mr. Irving's incisive history of abortion politics in the United States. But My Movie Business focuses primarily on the thirteen years John Irving spent adapting his novel The Cider House Rules for the screen for four different directors. Mr. Irving also writes about the failed effort to make his first novel, Setting Free the Bears, into a movie; about two of the films that were made from his novels (but not from his screenplays), The World According to Garp and The Hotel New Hampshire; about his slow progress at shepherding his screenplay of A Son of the Circus into production. Not least, and in addition to its qualities as a memoir anecdotal, comic, affectionate, and candid My Movie Business is an insightful essay on the essential differences between writing a novel and writing a screenplay.
Review
"Humorously exploring the differences between writing novels and screenplays, Irving contemplates the movie world from the perspective of a fiction author. In addition, he writes candidly of his family, friendships in the movie business, and opinions on a woman's right to abortion as a theme of The Cider House Rules." Lisa N. Johnston, Library Journal
Synopsis
After two producers, four directors, thirteen years, and uncounted rewrites, the movie version of John Irving's acclaimed novel, The Cider House Rules, at last made it to the big screen. Here is the author's account of the novel-to-film process. Anecdotal, affectionate, and delightfully candid, My Movie Business dazzles with Irving's incomparable wit and style.
About the Author
John Winslow Irving was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1942. He is the author of nine novels, among them A Prayer for Owen Meany and A Widow for One Year. Mr Irving is married and has three sons; he lives in Toronto and in southern Vermont.
From the Hardcover edition.