I heard a good quotation recently " I like a good story, as long as it doesn't go on too long", no idea whose  quotation it was. Sadly this is how I feel about John Irving's latest novel Last night in Twisted River. To be upfront I am a John Irving devotee and have followed his  work since I discovered Setting Free the Bears, and Garp when I was at college. I look forward to every new novel that he brings out, buying them as soon as I can get my hands on them, and devouring them.

John Irving is a master at developing characters and is one of the better storytellers it has been my privilege to read. I feel as he's getting older, his books are getting longer. In my humble opinion he would benefit from a good editor who would tell him to keep the page count down slightly which would keep stories more pithy. The length of the novel did not worry me with Until I Find You, which I still find to be a wonderful read, but in the case of Last night in Twisted River, for the first time I could put the book down.

As always the characters are just wonderfully developed, especially Ketchum the maverick woodsman. The story itself is a captivating. There are the usual John Irving references to wrestling, early-age sexual initiation, and hands being chopped off. As always there are moments of sheer comic brilliance – this time with a naked skydiver landing amidst the pig roast. The read is very enjoyable and I of course recommend the book, but rather than this being a full-on flat-out recommendation for once it comes with a slight rider, which is that 100 pages could have been taken out of this book is without there being any discernible effect on the story, the outcome, or the beauty of the writing.

I'm not a literary professor but I've read many many great novelists, and one thing that they all have in common is that every word counts, be they Dickens, Shakespeare, John Fowles or Dostoevsky. I will still await John Irving's next novel with bated breath but sincerely hope that next time around is more concise & I can get back to enjoying one of my favourite novelists.