A Prayer for Owen Meany

Nick G

Rating: really liked it
I'm short on time for this review, but man, this is the closest thing to "a perfect story" as anything I've ever read.

***I'm back a few days later to edit my review, because I can't stop thinking about this book. It might be my favorite. I might be in love with this story. As the first sentence of the story starts out, "I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice...", well, I am, too.

***SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON IN THE REVEIW***

I think I fell in love with book as I read one specific sentence. It's at the end of the story, when Owen and Johnny are in the "temporary bathroom" with the children, and his dream is starting to unfold.

I thought I had it all figured out - the lunatic kid has the grenade and he's going to try and blow them up. But then I read the sentence when Owen looks to Johnny and says something along the lines of "WE'LL HAVE ABOUT FOUR SECONDS". Maybe I was a little slow to catch on, but it was right then that I realized the reason they had always practiced "the shot". It blindsighted me and I loved it. Irving had made their routine practice of "the shot" so commonplace in their time together, that I forgot about even asking what purpose it served being in the story.

But the sentence carries so much more power than that. At the same time I realized the purpose of "the shot", it also hit home how Owen had lived his entire life for that momemt. He had known his fate, his moment, and not only did he embrace it, he had prepared for it. And when it came time to act and live this moment, he didn't flinch. Just as Owen had lived his life for one specific point and time, the power of this story was revealed to me in one perfect sentence.

It gave me THE SHIVERS.

Emily May

Rating: really liked it

“I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice. Not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God.”

I've opted for the 3-star approach, but you shouldn't give it much weight where this book is concerned. Some people are really hung up on ratings - does it really only deserve 1 star? you seemed to like it, why not 5 stars? - when in truth, this book is so complex, smart, multilayered and slow as fuck that it's impossible to rate.

A Prayer for Owen Meany is a strange and interesting book about faith and doubt, with Owen himself representing an embodiment of the relationship between the natural and supernatural - everything from his physical description to the events of his life seem halfway between this world and the next.

This is my first Irving book. I don't know if that's a mistake or not - I probably will check out his other work but I'll definitely save it for a time when I'm ready for a slow plot. In A Prayer for Owen Meany, the narrator is John Wheelwright but he fades into the background, offering a perspective that at times feels like third-person.

John details the lives and habits of the characters surrounding him - most notably, of course, Owen Meany - making it a book about them and not himself. In fact, it seems like the author deliberately kept the novel's focus off of its narrator (who is perhaps a stand-in for himself?).

As I said, the story moves slowly and sometimes has a rambling quality, going on and on in exhaustive detail, exploring every aspect of a scene so that we get a lot of character and thematic depth (and also, it must be said, a bit of a headache). But it's hard to deny that Irving has a way with words and storytelling, working up to an important moment gradually and effectively, even if with a painful slowness.

The story spans many years and sometimes jumps a lot of time within a single page, before coming back again. As with many non-linear narratives, it offers a different and fascinating approach, while not being without confusion. It runs alongside many important events in American history (Kennedy's assassination, for example), which allows John to express his disdain for the Reagan administration, as well as his general anger toward America.

I'm not exaggerating when I say it's strange - John's account of his and Owen's childhood is odd to begin with, but the novel becomes increasingly nuts towards the end. I can't say I fully enjoyed it, but I thought the themes were interesting and incorporated well. John's running criticisms of America and American life manifest in ways big and small - the "big" being assassinations and the Vietnam War, the "small" being such as his mother's death by a baseball, an important American symbol.

It's not the kind of book you read for enjoyment (or I personally don't think so, but then I never fully got that guy in college who refused to go to any social events because he wanted to read Marcel Proust), but it is the kind you save for when you want a clever, thoughtful read with many layers and themes to uncover. I am glad I finally read it.

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Lisa of Troy

Rating: really liked it
A unique book about fate, destiny, and faith

Owen Meany and Johnny Wheelwright are best friends, growing up in Gravesend, New Hampshire. Owen Meany is special - he never grows taller than 5 feet tall, and he has a very high pitched voice. However, what really sets him apart is his intellect and faith. In 1953, Owen hits a foul ball during a Little League game, instantly killing Johnny's Wheelwright's mother. What will happen to Owen Meany and will Johnny Wheelwright ever find out who his father is?

When I went into my heart surgery, I selected to read A Prayer for Owen Meany. While slipping in and out of consciousness, I wanted this book to be running through my thoughts. The central theme of this book is destiny or fate. Owen knows what is his purpose, and he wholeheartedly pursues it. That is what is so endearing about this book. Slowly, the reader discovers what Owen already knows, and we discover how Owen was truly brave and faithful.

A Prayer for Owen Meany was published in 1989, well in advance of the internet and the 5-second attention spans of today. In terms of reading this book in 2021, it was far too long. The best parts of this book are the first two chapters and the last chapter. The parts of the book from 1970 and the 1980's were really boring and mainly consisted of Johnny Wheelwright complaining about Vietnam. If you are really into Vietnam, perhaps you will enjoy the middle section of the book more than I.

Overall, a book definitely worth reading at least once. This was my third time through. John Irving also has a new book, The Last Chairlift, coming out October 18. You bet I'm reading it!

100 Books To Read Before You Die (According to the BBC) (39/100):
https://www.listchallenges.com/bbcs-t...

2022 Reading Schedule
Jan Animal Farm
Feb Lord of the Flies
Mar The Da Vinci Code
Apr Of Mice and Men
May Memoirs of a Geisha
Jun Little Women
Jul The Lovely Bones
Aug Charlotte's Web
Sep Life of Pi
Oct Dracula
Nov Gone with the Wind
Dec The Secret Garden

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Mario the lone bookwolf

Rating: really liked it
There are not many happenings and outer plots in any of Irvings´novels, but the language, the thoughts of the characters, and the precise working towards a final conclusion throughout the whole novel is a trademark of this unique writer I would name in a row with Dan Simmons and Stephen King, because he has this unique writing style. And while there is much more action in Kings´ works and Simmons´ is dancing at each genre wedding, Irving keeps it minimalistic and totally character based, the greater setting around, the world, nothing really matters, it are the characters he writes for and loves.

That could be a reason why some readers may find it more boring than ingenious, it strongly depends on if one likes the style, but if it´s a match, boy, those are novels never to forget again.

It´s possibly his darkest novel, dealing with death, guilt, and sacrificing in a cruel and hypocritical society, criticizing many of the evils still lurking under the dangerously thin and still very young patina of the achievements of the human and woman rights movements in Western countries, that are still omnipresent in many other societies.

Owens` strong belief in predetermination is contrasted by Johnnys´strong skepticism regarding anything supernatural and the two friends are used for many philosophical and ethical discussions and reflections that are smoothly and logically integrated into the brilliant main plot.
One must have read Irving to understand the mesmerizing effect of his writing, very few authors have the ability to create in such an inimitable way and this is definitively his grim masterpiece. Oh, and there are some innuendos and connotations about US politics of the last century too.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

Marty

Rating: really liked it
A long time ago, I came across a story that my grandmother recommended. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I definitely hadn’t expected to read what would become my favorite book. The story begins as many do, giving background on the area that will provide the setting for our tale, a history as reference, but quickly catches up with the main characters and the supporting cast. And we quickly learn of Johnny and Owen Meany, two friends who forge an eternal bond despite their obvious mismatches - physical, social, cultural and religious differences. And a tragic consequence of a baseball game.

GOD HAS TAKEN YOUR MOTHER. MY HANDS WERE THE INSTRUMENT. GOD HAS TAKEN MY HANDS. I AM GOD'S INSTRUMENT.

Big words for an eleven-year old who can almost sit in his friend's lap. But Owen is so self-assured that whether John believes him or not, he knows that there is something special about Owen. They all know that there is something different, but no one but Johnny knows how different - or special - Owen really is.

Through their years together, Owen grows closer to Johnny than a simple friend: He becomes a brother, an aide in the search for Johnny's unnamed father, an influence that will guide Johnny's throughout his life. From helping to search for the identity of Johnny's father to keeping him out of the Vietnam war, Owen has written the script for Johnny's life although Johnny never realizes it until the end of the story - only then does he know that Owen knew the script for his own life as well, but never revealed it.

Each action in his short life was a test to help him fulfill the one part of his destiny that he couldn't see - the final act. Johnny faithfully helps Owen in these tasks, things that he can't possibly know the reasons for. But to Owen, even Johnny's mother's death had a purpose. Everything had a purpose to Owen. Even if he was the only one to seem to know why things happened the way they did.

He had sunk the shot in under four seconds!
"YOU SEE WHAT A LITTLE FAITH CAN DO?" said Owen Meany. The brain-damaged janitor was applauding. "SET THE CLOCK TO THREE SECONDS!" Owen told him.
"Jesus Christ!" I said.
"IF WE CAN DO IT IN UNDER FOUR SECONDS, WE CAN DO IT IN UNDER THREE," he said. "IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE MORE FAITH."
"It takes more practice," I told him irritably.
"FAITH TAKES PRACTICE," said Owen Meany

Irving uses Owen Meany to analyze faith, not only as in a single religion sense, spirituality as a whole. Despite everything that he endures, Owen Meany never loses his faith, his knowledge that he is an INSTRUMENT OF GOD, as he reminds Johnny on many occasions. It is this faith, through the threat of expulsion, through the lean & hard teen years, and into his enlistment into the army, that keeps Owen going, knowing that he has a mission that he has to fulfill, and not much time to do it. Along the way, he changes Johnny, filling him with confidence and self-reliance and even religion, infusing all of those characteristics that Owen has an abundance of and is loathe to leave behind.

Irving's narrative is uniquely captivating, as is the way that he chooses to depict characters, to breath life into them. Although Owen and Johnny are by far the main characters, they live among a expansive cast, who all have their own place in this tapestry. Owen touches everyone in some small way, leading up to his grand fulfillment.

A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favorite books, and many other's that I have lent it to have found a fondness for the story as well. Owen grabs you the way he grabs the other characters in the novel. There is something so strong, so compelling about him that you have to find out what is going to happen.

"NOW I KNOW WHY YOU HAD TO BE HERE," Owen said to me. "DO YOU SEE WHY?" he asked me.
"Yes," I said.
"REMEMBER ALL OF OUR PRACTICING?" he asked me.
"I remember," I said.

And you will remember it, too.

Always Pouting

Rating: really liked it
I mostly read this because I really loved The Cider House Rules, definitely one of my favorite books, and I wanted to read more of Irving's writing. Not sure I enjoyed this one as much. I did enjoy the writing but the book felt long and it was a little slow moving and took me a while to force myself to get through. I didn't find myself eager to keep reading to find out what happened next. It also jumped around a lot which isn't necessarily bad but I think it just added to this languid reading pace. I think I couldn't enjoy it in part because I've moved past being religious at this point in my life so a book whose central theme is one of faith is going to not be something I feel viscerally invested in. I enjoyed the characters and clearly Owen and Hester are fantastic but I think as someone who isn't religious it still feels hard to empathize with what Owen did. The choices he makes to see things through at the end, he didn't have to do that and he didn't even try to change the outcome and it was kind of frustrating to be quite honest. I don't think the book is bad, I think mostly my rating relates to my own lack of enthusiasm about reading a book centered around faith and religion to be honest, and a feeling that the pacing of the book was slow.

Diane

Rating: really liked it
This is the book that made me want to be a writer. I read it in high school, thanks to my favorite English teacher, Mrs. B, who had written down the title on a Post-It note and said, "You need to read this." I immediately went and found a copy and had it finished it by the end of the week.

There is no way I can write a review that is worthy of this novel, but I shall try. It is the story of two boys in New Hampshire in the 1950s: the narrator is Johnny Wheelwright, whose family is wealthy; and his friend, Owen Meany. How to describe Owen? He was small and light, and he had a loud, high-pitched voice. He was smart and a loyal friend. Owen's parents were a bit odd, and his family was poor enough that the Wheelwrights often helped Owen with tuition and clothing.

The first chapter brings a tragedy: Johnny and Owen are playing baseball. Owen, who doesn't usually get to bat because he was so small, was told by the coach to go ahead and swing. Owen hits a foul ball that strikes Johnny's mother and kills her. Johnny is devastated and has trouble forgiving Owen, but they eventually make peace, thanks to a stuffed armadillo toy. (Thus explaining the armadillo pictured on some editions.)

The rest of the chapters cover the boys as they grow up and go to prep school. Owen has a gift for writing and pens some inflammatory columns in the school newspaper. There is also a hilarious prank that Owen pulls on a teacher he doesn't like, which involves a car, some athletes and a stage.

One of my favorite sections of the book describes a church Christmas pageant that goes horribly awry. Owen, who can be a bit bossy, takes over the pageant and assigns himself the role of Baby Jesus, even though in previous years it was just a doll. It's a laugh-out-loud disaster, and almost every year at Christmastime I'll pull out this book and reread the chapter.

When the boys turn 18, the Vietnam War is escalating and Owen signs up for the Reserve Officers Training Corps, which will pay for his college tuition while he serves. Owen even comes up with a plan to spare Johnny from having to go to Vietnam. Owen always has a plan, you see.

The plot slowly builds and builds, and I would describe it as a crescendo. There is a purpose to everything in the story, and by the end of the book, we understand why things had to be exactly what they were.

If you are a first-time reader of this novel, I need to warn you that there is a difficult passage at the beginning. Johnny, who is now an adult and has left the United States and moved to Canada, discusses his feelings about religion. I think this is the point where some readers get frustrated and abandon the book, but I urge you, I implore you, I beg you -- do not give up. There is a reason for it. If you can power through the discussion of churches, you will break through to a wonderful story.

Speaking of religion, I would be remiss not to mention the comparison to Jesus that Irving made. Whenever Owen speaks, his dialogue is in ALL CAPS. Bible readers will note that Jesus' words were printed in an all-red font in many editions. There are other similarities to Christ, but the less said on this, the better.

I have reread this book many times since I first read it in 1990, and each time, it moves me again. Some novels are easy to explain -- this one is not. It's a marvelous mix of comedy and drama and bildungsroman and the meaning of our lives, and I am grateful to have it in my life. I am not a religious person, but I became so attached to the character of Owen that thinking about him can make me a bit misty-eyed. He is complex and fleshed out in a way that few fictional characters are.

Note: This book meant so much to me that I was horrified to hear that Hollywood made it into a movie. There is no way this book could be captured on film. Luckily someone had the good sense to change the title -- probably a demand of Mr. Irving -- but I have no intention of ever seeing it. Some of you may know that I have a hobby of comparing movies adaptations with the source material, but this book is the exception. I want to remember it in its pure form. Owen would want it that way.

Lisa

Rating: really liked it
Being in a melancholy mood, I was trying to think of a book that made me laugh tears. And the first one that came to mind was Owen Meany. I couldn't stop laughing, except for when I cried buckets.

Rarely do I read books that shake my emotional equilibrium in the same entertaining way. Owen Meany in all his absurdities will stay with me forever, just like the other characters, which I learned to love despite (or because of) their highly constructed lives, all serving the "big purpose" in the end.

Some say this is a novel proving the inner truth of faith. I say this is a novel that shows a reader the literary basis of any myth. The creator of stories moves his characters to the grand finale with a purpose, and the reader knows it and cries and laughs anyway.

In my adolescence, I went through a John Irving phase, reading most of his tragicomedy novels in one go, loving his sad humour, his strange plots, his social message and his unique characterisation. Of all his novels, this one touched me most, and it is the one I have kept in my heart over 20 years. I can still see that baseball flying in slow motion. And I can still feel that rage against the author. How dare you put me through this emotional collapse, between laughter and tears? I can still hear the voice of Owen, and feel his incredible determination. The airport scene still breaks my heart, the sheer beauty of the practised sacrifice is just "l'art pour l'art" at its best.

When the narrator sums up his doom, I feel with him:

"I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice. Not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God. I am a Christian because of Owen Meany."

Owen Meany didn't make me a Christian, quite the contrary, but he certainly made me a believer in the power of fiction. I am also doomed to remember his voice.

Matt

Rating: really liked it
To begin the year, I tackled one of John Irving’s classic novels that found me laughing throughout, while also extracting some of the serious themes. Owen Meany is a small child, much tinier than those his age. With this, he has the most grating voice one could imagine. Some attribute this to the family granite company, while others prefer to keep the mystery alive. Owen is unlike many other children his age, as his best friend, John Wheelwright, has come to discover. One summer day in 1953, Owen hits a foul ball on the baseball field and ends up killing John’s mother. Owen attributes this as an act of God, one in which he is a vessel for the Almighty. The rest of the novel is set in a number of vignettes involving John and Owen, surrounding by a number of other characters who cross their paths throughout this complex friendship. From a number of interactions with the Wheelwright family through to stunning decisions that could significantly shape his adult life, Owen Meany finds a way to make his impact felt by all those around him, sometimes in a saviour-like manner. This storyline is contrasted nicely with the adult John Wheelwright who has left his native New Hampshire and settled in Toronto, exploring some of the goings-on in modern (1987) America. Having been a resident of Canada for over twenty years, it would seem Wheelwright is unable to accept his new home and struggles significantly with the political foibles in the US, things he superimposes his own Owen Meany perspective upon. Stunning in its delivery and slow momentum build, the story is a lot more than it seems on the surface. Recommended to those readers who love tales that take their time but leave literary breadcrumbs throughout, as well as the reader who enjoys a meandering tale full of messages.

While he has penned a number of great pieces, I have never read John Irving. Even this book was not familiar to me when placed on my reading challenge list. I was not entirely sure how I would feel about it when I read the dust jacket blurb, but I cannot say enough now. Layered between a religious undertone and preachy child who seems to know it all, the story developed in a meandering fashion, but always seemed able to push forward. I found Owen to be as annoying as ever from the opening pages, but I stuck with him and noticed that he has some redeeming moments, even though he seems too pompous and pious for his own good. His prophetic ways and odd obsession with older women—both in admiration and an odd sexual manner—leaves the reader wondering about him, yet also transfixed by his oddities. Even with John as the narrator, Owen seems almost takes centre stage and does not defer at any time. I did enjoy John’s character, as he comes of age alongside his best friend and seems never to hold animosity for the accidental death of his mother. Inseparable for most of the book, John and Owen seem to grow together and experience life through many of same experiences, though their lenses differ greatly. The flash-forwards to John’s 1987 life show that he remains committed to being Owen’s narrative protector and seems unable to divorce himself from his American roots, refusing the conform to the Canada he accepted as his new home. With strong religious ties to his Episcopalian (Anglican) upbringing, John Wheelwright sheds some of that on the reader as well. With a full cast of wonderfully diverse characters, the story moves forward and is flavoured repeatedly as things take many a tangential turn. Irving is a master at this type of colourful depiction, never losing the reader, no matter how far off the beaten path things get. The story appears to be a quilted collection of memories and vignettes, but soon finds its groove and the reader is able to see the themes that Irving embeds within the narrative. These gems slowly come to create a larger masterpiece that the patient reader is able to see for themselves by the final few pages. I am happy that I was able to last this lengthy piece, as its rewards surely outweigh the non-linear nature of the story at times.

Kudos, Mr. Irving, for a stunning piece well worthy of a five-star rating!

This book fulfils the January requirement of the Mind the Bookshelf Gap reading challenge.

This book also fulfils Topic #3: Children Matter, in the Equinox #9 reading challenge.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Jason

Rating: really liked it
I've been on a huge John Irving kick recently, and man, am I glad I didn't start with this book because I might have aborted the whole thing before I had a chance to read some of his better works.

This one just didn't do it for me. Whereas I left other Irving novels feeling recharged and alive, I left this one pissed off and ready to drink cheap tequila until I blacked out and woke up in a new world where there are no books or stories or any sort of entertainment derived from the written word.

First of all, I think Irving has a habit of using his novel's narrators as a stand in for himself, which is fine, since he seems like and incredibly interesting dude, but here I felt like he was just going through the motions "Oh, ok, here's my main character, and he's different than me, uh, because we have different names and um...different parents...anyway, yeah, that's how we're different ok story time now!!!" it was a thin disguise at best and didn't work for me at all.

My second problem was the structure. The book takes place over the span of about 30 years, and sometimes events from all thirty were addressed in a single page. Which is fine, if it works, but I felt like he was trying to go for an "omni-present" narrative that ended up being muddled.

I also think the book might work better for people who are a little older than myself. A large part of the story deals with the Vietnam war and it's relation to the Iran Contra scandal. While these passages were in no way "lacking" it did seem like they were aimed for people who were alive during that time, and could share in Irving's (obvious) outrage. Side note - I found myself finding a bazillion (yes, a bazillion) similarities between the national atmosphere in '68, and now.

Oh, and while I love Irving's knack for the unusual, here it seemed like every other page he was trying to force a "classic" situation, wherein unusual characters meet in an unusual situation that illuminates their nature in the most unusual of ways. It got so bad that at times I felt like I was reading a sitcom.

There were a few bright spots. I was genuinely moved by Owen's character, and I thought he served as a wonderful example of how Christ could have been at once holy, and flawed.

Gah - The thing is, Irving is a new love in my life, and like any new love, I wanted it to be perfect. But he isn't and that's fine because who wants perfection anyway but goddamn I wanted to love this one.

Um, yes. Ok, well, I'm giving it two stars - but two stars for Irving is four for most other authors.

Christine

Rating: really liked it
5 stars

I must start by saying this is by far the most unique book I have ever read! All I knew going in was that this is billed as a phenomenal character study, and the protagonist hits that baseball where it shouldn’t have gone. But Lordy, this tale is far more than that.

The story is narrated by Owen’s best friend, Johnny Wheelwright, who has his own story to tell as well. Owen is an irritating little fella who stands just under 5 feet, is light as a feather, and has a whiny, screamy, baby voice. And what a spitfire he is! For a great portion of this tome I wondered how he was going to come out of this looking good. But gradually I warmed up to him and ultimately fell in love.

Sometimes (OK, a lot of times) I was uncertain where the book was going, and the timeline jumps about. The story, set for the most part in New Hampshire, begins in the early 1950s and moves forward through the years until the mid 1960s. It then hops to the late 80s, catching us up on Johnny’s life. From that point it moves back and forth between the past and the 80s. Throughout all this we wade through quite a few philosophical soliloquys, mainly about the Vietnam war and about religion. But be patient. As the end approaches all the little vignettes, the musings, the “seemingly nonsense” are all weaved together into a powerful, monumental, and emotional ending, leaving the reader totally wrecked and with enough to think about for years to come. I had never read John Irving before, but his works are now square in the middle of my radar. This man is stunningly brilliant!

Not only did this book give me so much to think about, but it also made me laugh louder and longer than any other book I can recall. I always read while eating breakfast and lunch and nearly choked several times while reading the chapters entitled “The Angel”, “The Little Lord Jesus”, and “The Ghost of the Future.” Priceless!

I dreamed about this book. That has never happened before. And how ironic that it was THIS book that was the first I ever dreamt about. You will understand if you read the book.

Do I recommend A Prayer for Owen Meany? Does the sun rise every morning? But you must commit to it. It is nearly 700 pages, it can meander, and it is not action packed. But boy, is it profound and oh, so rewarding. It will without a doubt be on my top ten (or five or three or better) list of all time when I ultimately make my way to the big kindle in the sky.

Andrew Smith

Rating: really liked it
It’s a while since I finished this book – I felt I just needed a little time to gather my thoughts on it; there’s a lot to take in. For those who have yet to experience this amazing book I’ll quickly summarise the set-up. The two main characters are Johnny Wheelwright (through whose voice the tale is told) and his best friend Owen Meany. Owen is small in stature (possible less than five feet tall, fully grown) but big in character. His voice – we’ll come back to that – dominates the novel. Set in a small New Hampshire town in the 1950’s and 1960’s, it opens with the catastrophic news that Owen was the cause of the death of Johnny’s mother. A mishit baseball shot struck her on the head and she died from the resulting trauma. How this individually affects the pair of them and impacts the relationship between them is one element of this novel, but just one element. The book can be seen as an anti-Vietnam War rant, which I believe it is - in part. It can also be considered the musings of a non-religious man (the author professes that he can accurately be described in this way) on the teachings of the bible and the way in which these lessons can guide people’s thoughts, behaviours and the relationships they forge. It’s also a rites of passage tale of of two boys growing up amid the confusion of everything that’s going on in their lives.

Aside form his height (or lack of it), Owen’s voice is his standout feature – it’s a nasal scream that is captured in the written version by being shown, throughout, in full capitals. In the excellent audio version I listened to the reader produced what I can only describe as a compellingly accurate rendition of the author’s description. It’s a haunting, screeching and slightly disturbing voice that absolutely stood out from the crowd. And Owen himself stands out in so many ways – he’s wise, loyal, challenging, outspoken and kind. He’s the kind of friend I believe we all wish we’d had when we were growing up.

There’s humour here too. Some of Owen’s verbal tirades had me smiling and sometimes laughing out loud. And there’s a mystery to be solved concerning the identity of Johnny’s father. This is a book that entertained, informed and challenged my perceptions in so many ways. I can only say that I was so sad to finish this tale that it’s taken me a week or so to get over the loss of it. Is it the best book I’ve come across this year? It’s more than that – much, much more than that. I know we all experience these things in our own way and I’ve no doubt some will be frustrated and switched-off by elements I found compelling here, but I’d urge anyone who fancies a thoughtful and possibly memorable journey through the lives of two people growing up to grab a copy of this book. With luck, you’ll find it as wonderful a journey as I did.

Edward Lorn

Rating: really liked it
Solid four stars. This is book seven in my John Irving Challenge. Let it be known that I'm an idiot. Irving's books shouldn't be read this close together. He takes upwards of four years to write these fucking things, and reading them back-to-back only highlights the little repetitive details that an author will forget about in four-plus years. I do not suggest being an idiot like me. Take your time with this author's back catalog. I'd say, they would be best read a year apart from each other. Now we digress for a while. This is going to be a lengthy diatribe followed by a review that will upset some people. You've been warned.

If you're only here for my thoughts on this book, skip ahead to paragraph four, the following paragraph being paragraph #1. Thanks.

I love the Goodreads community. There are authors who stay away from what they call the "Shark Tank of the Reading Community," where dastardly, trollish reviewers circle, waiting for a badly-behaved author to cut themselves, inciting a feeding frenzy. There are authors who literally believe Goodreads members have nothing better to do than to sit around waiting for authors to show the first sign of weakness. Then there are authors who use this site for marketing and what people in the restaurant business call table-touching. They hone their craft based on input garnered from reviews, and come to be active members who are here to help you with whatever questions you'd having regarding their latest book, or to host a giveaway, or maybe sometimes they also read and rate books, but never do they review because they don't want to cause waves. Then you have authors like me. I will always be a reader first. A reader who has his own opinions, his own likes and dislikes, his own views of the world. I don't write reviews to sell books. I don't write reviews to gain fans. In fact, I feel that sometimes my honest opinions damage me in the public eye more than they'll ever help me (right, MommaCat?). But, again, I write these for myself, or to give warnings to readers who enjoy or dislike the sames things as I. You will only ever receive my genuine feelings about a book. I don't participate in circle-jerk review swapping, I don't carpet bomb rivals or request that my fans do so, and I don't put on a happy face when someone pisses in my review corner in order to save face and keep acquaintances happy. I'm not that kinda dude. Don't like my opinions on books but like the stuff I write? Fine. Don't read my reviews. Better yet, don't follow me. Pretend I don't exist here on Goodreads, or social media in general. Wouldn't bother me a bit. I'm not here for a popularity contest. I'm not on Goodreads for any reason other than discussing books with friends. If you don't like when I don't fangirl over your favorite books, that's none of my concern. If that twists your underwear in a knot and gives you a hemorrhoid, oh well. Because I'm not some dancing monkey here solely for your entertainment. I'm a human being with his own thoughts and tastes, and guess what that means? It means that, sometimes, ladies and gentlemen of the internet, we are going to disagree. But, if you're only here to tell me how wrong I am about your favorite book, or that I should shut up and write books instead of reviewing them, I will kindly ask you right now to stay the fuck off my grass.

I know I'm the enemy of some of you simply because I am an author. I get that, and I try to keep my distance from you. For the most part, you keep your distance from me, too, and I appreciate it ,and this site remains a pleasant place for both of us. Simply put, I know where I'm not wanted and I stay away, lest I welcome your hellfire. But, again, FOR THE MOST PART, this website fucking rocks, as do the users who populate it. It's full of my favorite type of person in all the world--Readers. Because I'm a reader myself, a lifelong lover of books, and all I want to do is discuss books and share my favorite books and rage over the ones that piss me off. If I shit on your favorite books, it's because I didn't like them, not because I think I'm better than anyone else. I get that I'm a scrub, fighting his way to the top, and that some authors have been more successful than me, and for good reason. You're watching me learn. You have front-row tickets to my literary education. But the simple fact of the matter is, sometimes, I'm not going to like what you consider to be amazing works of literature. And if you take my reviews personally, well, I just gotta say, the fucking world doesn't revolve around you. It doesn't revolve around me either. The difference between me and you is that I realize that opinions are subjective, and that your negative review of a book I like is not a personal attack on me, just like my negative review of a book you love is not a personal attack on you.

But someone recently took it personally, which is why you're reading this stupid fucking diatribe. I was concerned that, by not giving A Prayer for Owen Meany a perfect score that I might summon down the wrath of some of you. Not all of you. Some of you. Maybe one or two of you. You know who you are. I shouldn't have to say this. It should be simple common sense that a stranger's opinion is not a slight on the temple of You. It's really that simple. I like a lot of you whose taste in books boggle my mind. I hate stuff like erotica or romance or YA, but loads of my friends on here love that shit. You don't see me in their comments section raging out over their tastes. So what if I don't like the books you read? Life goes on. And I think that's my point here. LIFE GOES ON. Stop taking everything so fucking personally. They are books, for fuck's sake. They're meant to be enjoyed. They're meant to be escapes. Stop getting so bent out of shape and go love whatever and whomever you want to love. Go on. No one's stopping you. Now, let's talk about THIS book...

THE ACTUAL REVIEW STARTS HERE

A Prayer for Owen Meany is beautifully written. I could quote whole chapters to you, it's that good... in places. Pay close attention to those two words, though. "...in places."

That being said, I still think The World According to Garp is the better all-around experience. I know, I know, many of you will disagree with me. I know how many of you love this book. It was the single most requested book for me to read and review once I announced I was doing this John Irving Challenge (I'm attempting to read all of his books in a year and am currently on track to do so), and I feel some of you will be let down by my critique. But I'm not apologizing for how I feel. No one should have to apologize for liking or dislking or just feeling meh about a book. Ever.

While the level of writing in this book far exceeds the level of writing in GARP, GARP was consistently good. This book tends to ramble about meaningless, literary stuffs, like the background of character who pass in and out of the story only once. And the constant America-hate got old. Irving's right. This country has long been fucked. But beating a dead horse does not become him, and that's what the majority of this book is; Irving beating a dead horse. A horse that died on page 256.

I appreciate that Irving was trying to make Owen Meany's voice aggravating, but I found nearly everything about the kid annoying. He was too much of a know-it-all in my book, and because I am not religious in any way, shape, or form, I found a lot of his views sillier than a fucking clown orgy. People who talk to their god of choice or claim to hear His voice are no different to me than the wino outside the liquor store discussing quantum physics with the long-dead Carl Sagan. He's not talking to anyone but himself, and neither are you. You're both off your nut. Just my opinion. But crazy can be fun, and in places, Owen Meany is fun. But nowhere is he more fun than during the church performance and his part in A Christmas Carol. Which brings me to my number one complaint with this book.

The novel peaks at the 200-page mark and is never as entertaining as it was in those first 200 pages. Once the boys grew up, I lost interest. I knew Owen's fate, I knew John's fate, I knew everyone's fate, whether from my own guessing (which turned out to be accurate, and I hate when that happens) or because the author spoiled his own book. No reason I needed to know Owen's fate at page 200. No reason whatsoever. Fuck you for telling it, Irving.

My final word on the book is this:

There is never a good reason for 100-page chapters. Screw any author who does it. I'm the type of reader who takes breaks only when a chapter has concluded. If your chapter is 100-pages long, I MUST read all 100 pages in one sitting. If not, I feel like I've done the book a disservice by stopping where it never intended for me to stop. I know I'm fucking weird. You're not telling me anything I don't already know. Thing is, I'm not a quick reader. I peak at 100 pages a day. Not moving all day seriously fucks with my mobility, so I was forced, numerous times, to put the book down and walk around when I didn't want to. But that's just my bitch. You likely won't notice, nor will you likely care if you do.

In summation: If you read this entire review, it's very likely you are not happy with me. I know some of you will take offense where no offense is meant, but you'd do that anyway. Some people are professionally bothered. Nothing I can do about it. But if you feel guilty about something, or feel the need to defend someone, that's on you. I'm not pointing fingers. I'm making observations, and these observations are the way I see things. And what I found in this book is an author who has fallen in love with his own voice, and rightly so. The writing is sexy as fuck. But, at some point, you have to learn when to kill your darlings for the sake of the reader's enjoyment. And I feel too many darlings were spared in the writing of this book. And, in parts, too much was spoiled far too early. Take care of each other, and on to the next Irving!

Final Judgment: Pretty but bloated.

Nathan

Rating: really liked it
I gave this book three stars because I figure that's the average of five stars and one star. Some of the things about this book were great; others were really terrible.

Irving's strong-point is definitely his ability to draw interesting characters in vivid--sometimes painful--detail. Owen, of course, is the central and most interesting character. He's a little runt of a boy with a bizarre voice, a sarcastic wit, an iron will, and an unwavering faith in God and in the fact that he is an instrument of God's will. In stark contrast to Owen's miraculous life stands Owen's best friend and the narrator of the story, John. We get two views of John. Most of the book consists of John narrating his childhood and telling the story of Owen Meany. The childhood John is self-conscious, indecisive, and unmotivated. The other view comes from periodic scenes of the middle-aged, mundane John who now lives in Toronto and invariably launches into long and bitter rants against the United States and its foreign policy. The reason for the rants becomes clear by the end of the book, but that doesn't make them any more enjoyable.

Many of the supporting characters are also interesting. I really liked John's grandmother, Mrs. Wheelwright, who is a sort of New England, old-money royalty. John's sexually charged and extremely rambunctious cousins are usually comical, and Reverend Louis Merrill is sort of tragically lovable.

The plot, on the other hand, is incredibly long and wandering. Though parts of the narrative are moderately gripping, often the story drags along. Irving keeps you reading not with intense plot development, but rather with an intense curiosity to find out what the big deal is about Owen Meany. While the ending is good--very good, in my opinion--Irving has built up your anticipation so much, that by the time it finally happens, it almost doesn't have a prayer (pardon the pun) of meeting your expectations.

While there are several themes in the book, the most important, in my opinion, seems to be that of faith vs. doubt. Owen's incredibly strong faith is contrasted with John's lack of faith during his childhood, and his passive, "church-rummage" faith during his adult life (which, we are told on the first page, John credits to the "miracle" of Owen Meany). The Reverend Louis Merrill also seems to be a more important character than his relatively small role would suggest, and his self-admitted personal philosophy is the paradoxical "doubt as the essence of faith." In one of the more ironic passages of the book (slight spoiler warning...), Rev. Merrill's doubt is finally dispelled not through the miraculous events surrounding Owen Meany, but through a very mundane and spiteful prank.

The problem is that none of the book's myriad of themes and symbols was particularly interesting to me. The central theme discussed above seems to hold such potential, but in the end I didn't feel any more enlightened than I started. Often with books I find myself identifying with one particular character. That didn't happen with this book, and I think that impeded my ability to glean insight from the story.

Overall, I'm glad I read it. I'd be interested to hear what other's have to say about it.

Tom

Rating: really liked it
I'm sure you can read a million reviews about this book. It seems to be many people's favorite. Let me just say that I have read 5 or 6 John Irving books, and this is the only one that is much more than a good story. About 10 years ago I was assisting a photography class for adults, and one of the particpants, a minister, saw that I was reading this book. He said that A prayer for Owen Meany had more to say about the nature of God than anything he had ever read. We had a fabulous conversation about the book. I am basically an atheist, without the anti-god feeling that sometimes implies, yet despite our religious differences, we took exactly the same things away from this story. It's a powerful narrative.