The 158-Pound Marriage, author John Irving's third published novel, revolves around an unidentified narrator, a college professor, and a mediocre novelist. The narrator met his wife Utch, an orphaned survivor of WWII, in Vienna while doing research. They are a relatively happy couple; their family rounded out by two children. At a faculty party, they meet Severin Winter, a Viennese-born professor and coach of the college wrestling team, and his wife, Edith. The couple's interests (Edith is an aspiring fiction writer, and Severin has a commonality with Utch's upbringing in Austria) and resulting infatuations between the couples lead to after-dinner partner-swapping. At first, the swinging goes smoothly, but eventually, uneven feelings and obsessions throw the couples off track. The title, The 158-Pound Marriage , refers to the 158-pound weight class in wrestling, which Severin, the coach, feels is the most competitive. The book is small, only 176 pages, compared to Irving's later weighty tomes, like the 610 page The World According to Garp ( 1978) and The Cider House Rules (1985), which is 973 pages.

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Bookseller: Robinson Street Books, IOBA (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: FEB1093
Title: 158 Pound Marriage
Author: John irving
Format/Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Book Condition: Used - Very Good
Quantity Available: 1
Binding: Paperback
ISBN 10: 0671822535
ISBN 13: 9780671822538
Publisher: Pocket Books
Place of Publication: New York
Date Published: 1978-09-01
X weight: 6 oz

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New: A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
Mass Market: Mass market paperback books, or MMPBs, are printed for large audiences cheaply. This means that they are smaller, usually 4...