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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. Fi...
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 pa...
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 i...
It was Owen Meany who taught me that any good book is always in motion – from the general to the specific, from the particular to the whole, and back again. Good reading – and good writing about reading – moves the same way. John Irving is a great believer in the power of opening and closing lines. The one I have chosen above comes from the middle of the novel, but it explains both my fascination with the hero of the story and my goals in reviewing – connect the universal with the individual. I
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 gre...
I can honestly say that this is one of the worst novels I've ever read. John Irving's writing was terrible and his rambling, seemingly unedited style was the death of A Prayer for Owen Meany. The novel is about two boys growing up as best friends in New Hampshire in the '50s and '60s. One boy is John, the narrator, who is telling the story looking back from the 1980s. The other boy is Owen Meany, whose small size, high-pitched voice, and uncanny religious fervor make him an outsider. Owen, as Jo...
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 h...
“…belief poses so many unanswerable questions!”I first read “A Prayer for Owen Meany” about 20 years ago, and loved it. Having just reread it at age 40, I liked it. The others in my book club who read it in their younger days and were returning to it had the same feelings, so I’m not the odd man out.The reasons I like this text are numerous. First off, John Irving writes the hypocrisy and contradictions of human nature very well, and in a manner that does not judge, just acknowledges. Our narrat...
WOW! OWEN MEANY...YOU ARE THE MAN!OWEN MEANY IS ONE OF THOSE LITERARY CHARACTERS YOU WILL NOT SOON FORGET.THIS BOOK RUNS THE GAMUT OF EMOTIONS AND IS VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING.I'M WRITING THIS REVIEW IN ALL CAPS IN HONOR OF OWEN MEANY AND JOHN IRVING FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL READING EXPERIENCE. IF YOU HAVE READ THIS BOOK YOU WILL UNDERSTAND. AND IF NOT, YOU SHOULD READ THIS POWERFUL STORY.THE WRITING IS RICHLY TEXTURED.AMAZING!
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 - p...
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. No...
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....
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...
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, Owe...
“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 co
5 starsI 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 voic...
"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."How is it that some people can write so well that you're reeled in on the very first page? How is it that some books grasp you so tightly, with just a sentence or two, that there's no way you can possibly move on with your
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 sen...
A unique book about fate, destiny, and faithOwen 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 i...
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 ab...