The Hotel New Hampshire

novel by Irving

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July 16, 2026

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The Hotel New Hampshire is a 1981 novel by John Irving. The story centers on a family of unconventional personalities who experience a series of tragedies. Like many of Irving's works, it explores themes of feminism, infidelity, and macabre humor, while also addressing contemporary issues such as abortion and rape. The novel was adapted into a film in 1984.12

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John Irving
The Hotel New Hampshire, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and The Cider House Rules
In The Hotel New Hampshire (1981; film 1984), concerning a family of unconventional personalities beset by tragedy, and A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989; adapted as the film Simon Birch, 1998), about the effects of a diminutive boy with messianic qualities on the life of the…
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In The Hotel New Hampshire (1981; film 1984), concerning a family of unconventional personalities beset by tragedy, and A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989; adapted as the film Simon Birch, 1998), about the effects of a diminutive boy with messianic qualities on the life of the…
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Tony Richardson
…New Hampshire (1984), from a novel by John Irving. Richardson’s final film, the drama Blue Sky (1994), for which Jessica Lange earned an Oscar, was released three years after his death from complications of AIDS.
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…New Hampshire (1984), from a novel by John Irving. Richardson’s final film, the drama Blue Sky (1994), for which Jessica Lange earned an Oscar, was released three years after his death from complications of AIDS.
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