The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving

The story is narrated by John who is the middle child of Win and Mary Berry.  The family consists of Frank, Franny, John, Lilly and Egg.  

Win and Mary meet and fall in love one summer when working at the Arbuthnot-by-the-Sea hotel in Maine.  Whilst working there they meet and befriend Freud who spends the summer at the hotel entertaining guests with his bear called State O'Maine.  By the end of the summer Freud decides to go to Europe and he sells the bear to Win.  

Many years later, after marrying Mary and having a family Win decides that he wants to buy the old, empty local girls school and turn it into a hotel.  This becomes the first Hotel New Hampshire.  He then hears from Freud who asks him to come to Vienna to help him run the Gasthaus Freud.  Win moves his whole family to Vienna to take up residence in another hotel - which in time will become the second Hotel New Hampshire.  Not all the family make it to Vienna due to a plane crash, but those who do have to try to make a go of a new life in a new town in a very run down hotel which has one floor dedicated to the local prostitutes for their business and on another floor there is a group of radicals who spend their time writing and plotting.  Freud now has another 'smart' bear called Susie.  

They are a bizarre and eccentric family.  Frank, the oldest, is quite studious and helps everyone with translations of the language when they move.  Franny takes over the role of mother to her siblings and the family is guided by her.  John takes up weightlifting to build up his body so that he can protect his family.  Lily is very small in height and tries to find ways in which she can grow. 

This is a strange story about an odd family.  The father never really seems to know what the rest of the family are up to.  They are generally guided by Franny and Frank.  They do all love each each other, stick together and take care of each other.  John and Franny spend most of their lives resisting their attraction to each other.  

Many years ago I read 'A Widow for One Year' and I have seen the film 'The Cider House Rules' although I have not read the book.  I have 'The fourth Hand' on my bookshelf.