In the April 30, 1978, edition of the Washington Post Book World, William McPherson wrote that The World According to Garp is: "A wonderful novel, full of energy and art, at once funny and horrifying and Heartbreaking. . . . You know The World According to Garp is true. It is also terrific.

Many of the initial reviews for The World According to Garp were equally enthusiastic. Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, in a favorable review published in the New York Times on April 13, 1978, recognized the book as "what is easily [Irving's] best novel to date." Mark Stevens, in a brief review published in the March 2, 1979, issue of the National Review, wrote that "The World According to Garp is the work of an extravagant imagination." In a review published in the April 23, 1978, issue of the New York Times Book Review, Julian Moynahan stated that "[Irving's] instincts are so basically sound, his talent for storytelling...