{"product_id":"the-imaginary-girlfriend","title":"The Imaginary Girlfriend","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“The nearest thing to an autobiography Irving has written . . . worth saving and savoring.\"—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSeattle Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDedicated to the memory of two wrestling coaches and two writer friends, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Imaginary Girlfriend\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e is John Irving's candid memoir of his twin careers in writing and wrestling. The award‑winning author of bestselling novels from \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe World According to Garp\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn One Person\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAvenue of Mysteries\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e, Irving began writing when he was fourteen, the same age at which he began to wrestle at Exeter. He competed as a wrestler for twenty years, was certified as a referee at twenty‑four, and coached the sport until he was forty‑seven. Irving coached his sons Colin and Brendan to New England championship titles, a championship that he himself was denied.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn an autobiography filled with the humor and compassion one finds in his fiction, Irving explores the interrelationship between the two disciplines of writing and wrestling, from the days when he was a beginner at both until his fourth wresting-related surgery at the age of fifty‑three. Writing as a father and mentor, he offers a lucid portrait of those—writers and wrestlers from Kurt Vonnegut to Ted Seabrooke—who played a mentor role in his development as a novelist, wrestler, and wrestling coach.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Fiction","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44863827640532,"sku":"","price":26.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0673\/2431\/3812\/files\/The_Imaginary_Girlfriend_from_readmoredxb.com.jpg?v=1714131177","url":"https:\/\/bluebooks.ae\/products\/the-imaginary-girlfriend","provider":"Blue Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}