Yikes! I couldn't believe I was reading John Irving and not Danielle Steel with this one. I mean, A Widow is basically a "contemporary romance", and I do NOT in any way mean this generously or kindly. This "novel" was in fact quite disturbing, coming from such a revered, quintessentially literate and insightful American heavy-weight. I only rate it two-stars instead of one because Irving still knows how to string sentences together in ways that are not totally pulpy and degenerate.