🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About John Irving
John Irving is a well known author and an Academy Award winning screenwriter from The United States who has written a number of novels based on the Literature & Fiction and Biographies & Memoirs genres. He was born on March 2, 1942 in New Hampshire, The United States. The first novel published by John Irving was the Setting Free Bears in the year 1968. His fourth novel won a National Award in the year 1980 and also went on to become an international bestseller. The novel was later made into a movie by George Roy Hill. The next novel written by John was also made into a movie which was written and directed by Tony Richardson in the year 1984. In all, Irving has written hundreds of novels, which have been translated into more than 35 foreign languages.
All Book Series by John Irving
A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound
Single-title series · published 2003
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is John Irving?
John Irving is a well known author and an Academy Award winning screenwriter from The United States who has written a number of novels based on the Literature & Fiction and Biographies & Memoirs genres. He was born on March 2, 1942 in New Hampshire, The United States. The first novel published by John Irving was the Setting Free Bears in the year 1968.
Which John Irving series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Cider House Rules series, the earliest of John Irving's multi-book series: it opens with The Cider House Rules (1985) and runs to 2 books across 1985–2025, ending with Queen Esther (2025).
How many books has John Irving written?
John Irving has 20 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1968 and 2025. 2 of them belong to 1 named series — the largest being the Cider House Rules series with 2 books — and 18 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should John Irving's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. John Irving's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Cider House Rules (1985–2025, 2 books).
How are John Irving's books organised into series?
This guide splits John Irving's 20 books into 1 named series and 18 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Cider House Rules (2 books, 1985–2025).