It is 1967 and two Viennese university students want to liberate the Vienna Zoo, as was done after World War II. But their good intentions have bot...
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Jan 13, 2012
Noce
rated it: 
Autocertificazione di sana e robusta costituzione letteraria.
Salve a tutti.
Sono “Libertà per gli orsi”. Sì, il libro di Irving, proprio quello, sono io.
Sono approdato in casa di questa tipa con la testa un po’ per aria, che in Internet pretende di farsi chiamare Noce Moscata, quando io l’avrei chiamata invece Prezzemolo, data la continuità con cui me la trovo tra i piedi e la costanza con cui ha preteso negli ultimi giorni di essere accompagnata dappertutto: More...
Salve a tutti.
Sono “Libertà per gli orsi”. Sì, il libro di Irving, proprio quello, sono io.
Sono approdato in casa di questa tipa con la testa un po’ per aria, che in Internet pretende di farsi chiamare Noce Moscata, quando io l’avrei chiamata invece Prezzemolo, data la continuità con cui me la trovo tra i piedi e la costanza con cui ha preteso negli ultimi giorni di essere accompagnata dappertutto: More...
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Mar 15, 2011
Christopher
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For me the form of this novel is more interesting than the content; short scenes, almost vignettes with names like “Fine Tuning” and “The Beast Beneath Me” that are self-referential and also used as direct lines in earlier and later passages. Woven together. Brief (bad) poems appear, and also little half-truth phrases such as:
“Good habits are worth being fanatical about.”
The middle of book is interleafed notebooks of Siggy, one being “Highly Selective Autobiography” and More...
“Good habits are worth being fanatical about.”
The middle of book is interleafed notebooks of Siggy, one being “Highly Selective Autobiography” and More...
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Sep 24, 2010
Sandy
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May 07, 2010
Jim
rated it: 
John Irving is my favorite author. This may be surprising to some because I am not what I consider the L.L. Bean, preppy type, in my opinion anyway. I decided to read his first book after giving up on his last one. I decided why not start at the very beginning and start over again.
John Irving has some reoccurring themes in his books, bears, accidents, strange sexual behavior. There is a good illustrative graph if you Wiki John Irving. This book is no exception except for one theme, More...
John Irving has some reoccurring themes in his books, bears, accidents, strange sexual behavior. There is a good illustrative graph if you Wiki John Irving. This book is no exception except for one theme, More...
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Mar 13, 2011
wally
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Setting Free the Bears, by John Irving
good read. part I, meet siggy and graff and the beast, a motorcycle. they are in need of perpetual motion, perpetual emotion, living as they do w/o a war. this is the story of "How Hannes Graff was rendered inert."
too, others are rendered inert and then some. a fear of inertia, mayhap
"What worse awareness is there than to know there would have been a better outcome if you’d never done anything at all? That all small More...
good read. part I, meet siggy and graff and the beast, a motorcycle. they are in need of perpetual motion, perpetual emotion, living as they do w/o a war. this is the story of "How Hannes Graff was rendered inert."
too, others are rendered inert and then some. a fear of inertia, mayhap
"What worse awareness is there than to know there would have been a better outcome if you’d never done anything at all? That all small More...
Apr 14, 2009
Adam
rated it:
The perversion and absurdity of this story could only possibly mean one thing. That is is an Irving tale.
'Setting Free the Bears' was entertaining for exactly the same reasons that I have enjoyed everything I have ever read by Irving since first picking up Owen Meany in highschool (middleschool?).
The long, rather drawn out tale of Siggy's 'pre-history' as found in his notebook is, well, rather long and drawn out. Though it is tough to get through, this point is acknowle More...
'Setting Free the Bears' was entertaining for exactly the same reasons that I have enjoyed everything I have ever read by Irving since first picking up Owen Meany in highschool (middleschool?).
The long, rather drawn out tale of Siggy's 'pre-history' as found in his notebook is, well, rather long and drawn out. Though it is tough to get through, this point is acknowle More...
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Feb 06, 2011
Andy
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Well, yes, this is his first novel. And it's not Owen Meany. But it is a good story.
The typical Irving character development isn't so worked out here as it is in later works, and his prose is somewhat flavored in a way that kind of stumbles over itself, but I could definitely tell that this was an Irving work.
Irving uses the device of a work within a work to frame a story that spans three decades and many characters and a few of the sides navigating World War II. The sto More...
The typical Irving character development isn't so worked out here as it is in later works, and his prose is somewhat flavored in a way that kind of stumbles over itself, but I could definitely tell that this was an Irving work.
Irving uses the device of a work within a work to frame a story that spans three decades and many characters and a few of the sides navigating World War II. The sto More...
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Aug 28, 2011
Gemma
rated it: 
I'm gutted! I love John Irving. He is in my top three authors, undoubtably. So,I was excited about reading this, his first novel. However, after plodding away at it for weeks with some determination, I've had to give up on it, and I NEVER abandon books! I don't know if I'm just not in the right frame of mind or if I've not set aside enough long sessions to sit and absorb myself in this book, but I just can't get on with it! To be honest, I can't quite figure out what is going on half the t
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Apr 24, 2011
Scott
rated it:
I read it simply because it's the one and only English book ever set in Waidhofen an der Ybbs, Lower Austia, where I lived for 8 months. If you have no connection to good old Waidhofen, I'd recommend skipping it. Furthermore, there's really no indication in the book that John Irving has ever been to Waidhofen an der Ybbs - a major disappointment as the town has many unique characteristics.
It's John Irving's first book and you can tell he was still getting used to writing. Aside fr More...
It's John Irving's first book and you can tell he was still getting used to writing. Aside fr More...
Apr 04, 2011
Joell
rated it:
I had read this book 20 or so years ago. After reading "Garp" I remembered it as a charming coming-of-age story.
So either I was a different human being 20 years ago, or this is a different book. Like most Irving stories, I'm compelled to read on, as if I'm running down a hill and can't stop, even if I'd like to and even if it means crashing at the bottom of the hill.
Irving's characters dabble in madness and contemplate the absurdity of life and in between the More...
So either I was a different human being 20 years ago, or this is a different book. Like most Irving stories, I'm compelled to read on, as if I'm running down a hill and can't stop, even if I'd like to and even if it means crashing at the bottom of the hill.
Irving's characters dabble in madness and contemplate the absurdity of life and in between the More...
Jun 02, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
Mein Vater drückte mir dieses Buch in die Hand, als ich meinte, ich müsse jetzt erst einmal etwas eher aufmunterndes lesen. Er meinte, es sei witzig und sehr verrückt.
Sehr verrückt ist dieses Buch auch, nur witzig fand ich es nicht. Skurril ist ein besserer Ausdruck dafür, finde ich. Es geht um Siggi und Hannes Graff, zwei Studenten aus Wien, die sich zusammen ein Motorrad kaufen und aus der Großstadt flüchten, vor ihrem nicht sonderlich erfolgreichem Studium flüchten. In den eher lä More...
Sehr verrückt ist dieses Buch auch, nur witzig fand ich es nicht. Skurril ist ein besserer Ausdruck dafür, finde ich. Es geht um Siggi und Hannes Graff, zwei Studenten aus Wien, die sich zusammen ein Motorrad kaufen und aus der Großstadt flüchten, vor ihrem nicht sonderlich erfolgreichem Studium flüchten. In den eher lä More...
Jan 19, 2012
Ashley
rated it:
It's interesting, because SFtB is obviously Irving, but at the same time has a different tone than his later works (OM, HTNH, TWAtG, CHR, LNiTR, etc). There's tragedy, sure, and there certainly is heartbreak, but it's funny. I thoroughly enjoyed this book in a lighthearted, peppy sort of way. Yes, Gallen was absolutely obnoxious, but she had a purpose. I loved Siggy's diary, and could picture ever little thing (even poor Wut's forray into the men's room). I was pleasantly surprised, and tho
More...
Nov 29, 2010
Eric
rated it:
Setting Free The Bears is a road story in a way. We meet and follow two Austrian students at a turning point in their lives and soon follow along on their journey throughout Austria. Many antics ensue followed by some skulking, some pre-history, and a planned mission to free the animals at the Vienna Zoo.
All in all, the novel was a bit hard to get through. If you are new to Irving I would certainly advise you to start elsewhere.
All in all, the novel was a bit hard to get through. If you are new to Irving I would certainly advise you to start elsewhere.
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Jun 30, 2008
Remi
rated it:
Finally just finished it.
This is Irving's first novel and so as a first novel goes, its slow and maybe shooting a bit to high for great things in the beginning....but the middle section is really where the story and Irving's imagination shines....its magnificent and funny and sad in all the ways I expect from his writing. It wiped away my disappointment in the first third and made me curious about how the book will end.
Its basically about two guys in post WW11 Austria More...
This is Irving's first novel and so as a first novel goes, its slow and maybe shooting a bit to high for great things in the beginning....but the middle section is really where the story and Irving's imagination shines....its magnificent and funny and sad in all the ways I expect from his writing. It wiped away my disappointment in the first third and made me curious about how the book will end.
Its basically about two guys in post WW11 Austria More...
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Jan 21, 2009
Alyssa
rated it:
This book seemed a little more difficult to get into than most of Irving's books. The plot seemed to jump around a little too much for me and the characters weren't as rich or likeable as many of his others. That said, I still enjoyed this book, which I believe is one of his earlier works. I would recommend perhaps starting with this one before moving on to the longer ones.
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Jul 27, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
Irving's writing style is evident here in his first novel, although the theme of the lost children of the 1960s is not unique at all. It would have been decidedly more unique if more time was devoted to Siggy's story and less to Gaff's. Gaff is a typical character, whereas Siggy is not. It is an ambitious first novel, but not an amazing read.
Check out my full review.
Check out my full review.
Dec 16, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
Horribly flawed, tough to get through, but a very rewarding ending. You can definitely see when John Irving's style comes from although its not perfected yet. He also experiments with different forms, that being his ultimate downfall. The novel loses steam in the middle when he goes back in time in a diary setting. Some of it is insightful, some is just unneccessary to the plot.
However, Irving's strengths are still the same. He creates wonderful characters and brings them to lif More...
However, Irving's strengths are still the same. He creates wonderful characters and brings them to lif More...
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Aug 02, 2011
Maria
rated it:
The first half is brutal... sounds familiar? Disconnected, difficult to follow at times; too much information too quick! But then, everything comes together in a weird way. John Irving is famous for portraying his own childhood traumas into his work. This was his first novel. Definitely not my favorite, but interesting to read.
Dec 09, 2009
I've started this one twice. I love everything else I've read by John Irving, but this early effort isn't quite up to his usual standards. You can see glimmers of the great writer he'll become, but with so many good books out there, it's not worth wasting time on this one. Try A Prayer for Owen Meany or A Son of the Circus instead.
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Mar 30, 2010
Caleb
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I quit on this book. The first hundred pages, which involve an adventure through Austria by two young lads on a motorcycle is enjoyable, if a little vapid. The remaining 250 pages, which changes dramatically in tone and format, is excerpts from a diary of one of those two guys and is painfully dull to read. I struggled through 100+ pages of this, wanting to get back to the narrative but it didn't come and so I quit. There are too many good books around to waste your time on something as unremark
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May 05, 2010
David
rated it:
Irving's first novel. Probably the one Garp wrote reflecting his time in Vienna, if you want to compare Irving's real life with his fictional personas. I tried to read "Bears" several times, but couldn't get beyond the first twenty pages without being struck bored. All God's writers gotta start somewhere, I reckon, and apprenticeships seldom constitute fine art.
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Dec 30, 2010
Jenny
rated it:
Not the very very best, but John Irving's worst is still better than most books. I love the "notebook" portion and anything written from p.o.v. of Siggy. Can I name one of my kids Siggy, or is that too "What About Bob?" for normal people?
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Mar 29, 2009
Michael
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I was quite skeptical of this book for the first third or so, but it ended up being pretty good. This is Irving's first novel, and is definitely the weakest of his books I've yet to read, but it's still a memorable book.
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Aug 05, 2011
Laura
rated it:
I love John Irving, but this has been my least favorite of his books so far. This was his first novel, which I didn't know when I picked it up. It had redeeming qualities, but didn't come together for me like some of his other works have.
Jan 30, 2011
Robert
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In the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was into John Irving big time. I know this was one of the last of his books that I read. I do not recall much about it, but the bear theme and Vienna are repeated in other books of his.
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Nov 01, 2011
Jon
rated it:
It's probably very symbolic if you read literary criticism. Symbolic of what? Who cares? It's not super-exciting, but it incorporates a motorcycle and sex and zoo animals in a European setting.
Sep 30, 2011
Joakeson
rated it:
If you're going to read one John Irving book before you die, choose any of his other 11 novels. This was his first novel and he was apprently still trying to figure things out when he wrote it.
Sep 25, 2011
Rollin
rated it:
This is fun to read if you are a John Irving fan, because of course it is his first book. And you will recognize elements that will show up later, for example in Hotel New Hampshire.
Dec 06, 2008
Wendy
rated it:
I had high hopes for this book because I've loved everything else by John Irving. This book is bad, really bad. It was so bad I couldn't even finish it.
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Sep 05, 2011
Kind of a slow starter, I started it at the beginning of summer and have not picked it back up for a few months now. I will finish it, but not anytime soon.
