--- product_id: 43010416 title: "Setting Free the Bears: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)" price: "124.47 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/43010416-setting-free-the-bears-a-novel-ballantine-readers-circle store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # Setting Free the Bears: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle) **Price:** 124.47 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Setting Free the Bears: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle) - **How much does it cost?** 124.47 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/43010416-setting-free-the-bears-a-novel-ballantine-readers-circle) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description “Truly remarkable . . . encompasses the longings and agonies of youth . . . a complex and moving novel.”— Time “Astonishing . . . a writer of uncommon imaginative power. Whatever [John Irving] writes, it will be worth reading.”— Saturday Review It is 1967. Two Viennese university students, Siggy and Hannes, roam the Austrian countryside on their motorcycles—on a quest: to liberate the bears of the Vienna Zoo. But their good intentions have both comic and gruesome consequences in this first novel from John Irving, already a master storyteller at twenty-five years old. “Imagine a mixture of Till Eulenspiegel and Ken Kesey . . . and you've got the range of the merry pranksters who hot rod through Mr. Irving's book . . . tossing flowers, stealing salt shakers, and planning the biggest caper of their young lives.”— The New York Times Review: John Irving writes such beautiful sentences. - This is a fairly long book, the middle section of which reads like a history text - not my favorite form of writing, but I think that I will always be happy reading an Irving book. I have friends that give up on his books. I think that they loose patience with him. I find his work to be tremendously enjoyable. So many authors use sloppy language. Sentences where you understand what is intended, but not what has actually written. Maybe that is the fault of the editing but surely the responsibility falls first directly upon the author. When you encounter a sentence in an Irving test that you find confusing, you have likely read it incorrectly. This author does not write sloppy sentences. His mastery of written English language is a delight. Review: Irving did best later but this one is quite good - I read many of Irving's books before this one. I did like it a lot, although sometimes it sounds a bit to "didactic" on the story of WWII. It would have gotten more stars if hadn't read "The World Acoording to Garp" and "In one Person: A novel" among others before this one. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #354,101 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #284 in Humorous American Literature #2,839 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction #14,133 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.0 out of 5 stars 237 Reviews | ## Images ![Setting Free the Bears: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71xSrXJvDQL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ John Irving writes such beautiful sentences. *by A***R on January 18, 2019* This is a fairly long book, the middle section of which reads like a history text - not my favorite form of writing, but I think that I will always be happy reading an Irving book. I have friends that give up on his books. I think that they loose patience with him. I find his work to be tremendously enjoyable. So many authors use sloppy language. Sentences where you understand what is intended, but not what has actually written. Maybe that is the fault of the editing but surely the responsibility falls first directly upon the author. When you encounter a sentence in an Irving test that you find confusing, you have likely read it incorrectly. This author does not write sloppy sentences. His mastery of written English language is a delight. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Irving did best later but this one is quite good *by M***Z on July 18, 2014* I read many of Irving's books before this one. I did like it a lot, although sometimes it sounds a bit to "didactic" on the story of WWII. It would have gotten more stars if hadn't read "The World Acoording to Garp" and "In one Person: A novel" among others before this one. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Just, no. *by R***R on May 16, 2020* I liken my response to this John Irving Novel--his first--to undergoing a delicious seduction, only to be suddenly repulsed by a seal-like belch. All I love about JI is in abundance here, but the story's climatic arc is so off-putting, wrong-headed, and uncharacteristically charmless, that it really downgraded my enjoyment of an otherwise beautifully constructed tale. That said, sometimes understanding a character's motivation escapes me--and maybe I am missing something here. In any case, If I am not mistaken I have only two more John Irving novels to read--158 Pound Marriage and Trying to Save Piggy Sneed, and it has been a wonderful journey indeed. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/43010416-setting-free-the-bears-a-novel-ballantine-readers-circle](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/43010416-setting-free-the-bears-a-novel-ballantine-readers-circle) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-06-01*