The Imaginary Girlfriend Audiobook By John Irving cover art

The Imaginary Girlfriend

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The Imaginary Girlfriend

By: John Irving
Narrated by: Joe Barrett
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About this listen

Dedicated to the memory of two wrestling coaches and two writer friends, The Imaginary Girlfriend is John Irving's candid memoir of his twin careers in writing and wrestling. The award-winning author of best-selling novels from The World According to Garp to In One Person, Irving began writing when he was 14, the same age at which he began to wrestle at Exeter. He competed as a wrestler for 20 years, was certified as a referee at 24, and coached the sport until he was 47. Irving coached his sons Colin and Brendan to New England championship titles, a championship that he himself was denied.

In an autobiography filled with the humor and compassion one finds in his fiction, Irving explores the interrelationship between the two disciplines of writing and wrestling, from the days when he was a beginner at both until his fourth wresting-related surgery at the age of 53. Writing as a father and mentor, he offers a lucid portrait of those - writers and wrestlers from Kurt Vonnegut to Ted Seabrooke - who played a mentor role in his development as a novelist, wrestler, and wrestling coach. He reveals lessons he learned about the pursuit for which he is best known, writing. And, as the Denver Post observed, "in filling his narrative with anecdotes that are every bit as hilarious as the antics in his novels, Irving combines the lessons of both obsessions (wrestling and writing)...into a somber reflection on the importance of living well."

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Art & Literature Authors Combat Sports & Self-Defense Entertainment & Celebrities Sports Wrestling Celebrity Combat Sports Funny Witty
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Critic reviews

"Laugh-out-loud moments abound in this writing and wrestling memoir…Narrator Joe Barrett affects an empathetic tone and pleasing rhythm that allows listeners to relive the moments that turned a dyslexic reader and mediocre athlete into a celebrated author and successful wrestling referee and coach." ( AudioFile)
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If you enjoy one book by John Irving, then you love everything he writes. This book gives you insight into where so many of his novels stem from, his life.

Irving Is A Legend

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Loved the story and narration, but when listening in a loud environment, the narrator's voice get's easily swallowed.

great story, narration too soft

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Joe Barrett reads John Irving in the most wonderful way. I love listening to him read anything Irving. This book is like sitting down and listening to John tell you the story of his life. Amazing, enlightening, and enchanting. I loved it.

amazing

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I love every bit of it John Irving is one of my most favorite American authors where this Memoir is autobiographical to so many of his fiction lies books with fantastic imagination and characterizations funny whip with cynical and sardonic tones always a must-read for him

John Irving did it again memoir nonfiction and to

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