This book is excellent in every regard. The story always moves at an interesting pace. I love the way Irving organized events for context and impact rather than a straight chronology. The characters are all intriguing, yet real enough that believe them and the extraordinary events that occur throughout. I especially appreciate how masterfully Irving achieves suspense and humor in a story that is as often deep in religious and social commentary. ( )

This is my favorite of Irving's books. I see it as an allegory, a story of religion or at least a spiritual story of a boy whose story eerily follows that of Christ -- or perhaps another religious figure. if read without that interpretation, it is also very interesting. ( )

Every human being on this earth should read A Prayer for Owen Meany.

This isn't about being or not being a John Irving fan. (I'm a being) It's about reading a novel that reaches you at your humanly core. I'll grant you that Irving writes some truly bizarre, unique, one-of-a-kind stories, and that his writing isn't everyone's cup of tea. But this book is so special, I can't sing its praises loudly enough.

If you've seen the movie, Simon Birch and then made the assumption that you've all but "read" A Prayer for Owen Meany, you're wrong, wrong, wrong. I didn't hate the movie, but I'm disturbed that it was touted as being "loosely based" on the novel. But then I feel the same about Cider House Rules. The book is SO much more than the movie on virtually every level. I don't mean like when they can't include everything from the book into the movie. I mean like when they change critical aspects of the relationships, important details, the PLOT, for cryin' out loud.

Anyway, do yourself a favor and put it on your list of books to read before you die. ( )

Life is fair, only those who feel cheated out of life have to the most part never lived one...Owen was unstoppable in his Faith... ( )

If you've seen the film Simon Birch, you've experienced the family-friendly bittersweet parts of A Prayer For Owen Meany. But, as the case tends to be with books and their film adaptations, the book is far superior.

Taking place in a New England town, the narrator befriends a rather small boy with a very strange voice. The boy's name is Owen Meany, and he is the son of a granite quarry owner. Owen, while just a boy, and treated as much younger than he actually is, on account of his size, is always surprising others with his wisdom beyond his age.

The novel chronicles the friendship of the two boys, through thick, thin, tragedy, and comedy, in a story that makes the film feel somewhat incomplete.

John Irving paints an amazing picture with his words as he gives us an amazing slice of life gives us a thing or two to think about regarding spirituality and fate.

A must read for fans of heartfelt, well-planned writing. ( )

Faith and doubt, pre-destination and choice, symbols and reality, truth and deception: These could easily be the themes of an author writing in the 1800s, but this novel is quite decidedly a product of the late twentieth century (e.g., protracted musings on the Viet Nam war and the Iran-Contra affair).

While "The World According to Garp" and "The Cider House Rules" appear to be Irving’s more popular works (or at least the ones that have inspired larger cult followings), this is arguably his most personal and profound book. Despite the persistent allegories—both obvious and subtle—there are no easy answers to the novel’s central religious and moral questions.

Is Owen truly a miracle and an 'instrument of God' or just someone elevated to messianic status by people around him who are desperate to believe in something? I am still not sure, but he is easily one of the most charismatic, hilarious, and altogether memorable fictional characters I have encountered. ( )

Took me a while to get hooked on this one and, consequently, a while to finish it. Owen Meany was surely an unforgettable character, but I found many of the climactic moments a bit strained. The enviable friendship between John and Owen was really what drew me in.

Knowing nothing of the book before I picked it up, I will admit to a bit of disappointment at the prominence of religion in the novel. I appreciated, however, the discussion of the varying natures of faith. I also found the political commentary, passages which could easily have been pulled from a current publication, to be remarkably relevant. In sum, an enjoyable read, but no fervent raves here. ( )

I absolutely hated this book. I only got about 100 pages in before I couldn't force myself to read any more. I literally wanted to gouge my eyes out. *shudder* I thought it was far too preachy, I didn't like Irving's writing style—bouncing around in time, mentioning an event that hadn't happened yet saying "we'll get to that later"—ugh. Some people have told me that I didn't make it far enough into the book, that it gets funny and great, but I just couldn't do it. He's not for me. ( )

This book had such a high rating I was very anxious to read it. My disappointment was great! I found the first 90% tedious and preachy. I found very little I considered "Christ-like" about Owen, which was the basic premise of the book (I guess). Nor did I find it funny, as some have indicated. (maybe a faint smile, never a laugh) I did struggle through to the end and was somewhat interested in how it all turned out, but the last 10% of the book hardly made up for the boring tedium of the first 500+ pages. ( )

Complex story with a cast of characters you will fall in love with. Funny, absurd, tragic, educational, Irving has it all and brings it all together for an amazing book. ( )

This is probably the best book by John Irving. A kind of American version of "The Tin Drum" by Guenter Grass (whose hero Oskar Matzerath is as small as Owen, has an equally strange voice and bears the same initials), this story revolves around a vision that Owen has of his own tombstone with a date of death engraved on it. Topics like faith, responsibility of one's own deeds and the Vietnam war are masterfully intertwined as the narrative leaps backwards and forwards in time to its inevitable conclusion. ( )

My favorite book EVER. It was well-written, creative, and came together beautifully in the end. ( )

A Prayer for Owen Meany is a very inspiring read. The story is told from the perspective of a man named John Wheelright, who tells a story of his past through flashbacks. The story consists of how his life was changed by his lifelong friend Owen Meany. Owen is a crippled boy who has several physical problems which prevent him from living a truly normal life. The truly amazing thing is that John and Owen remain friends even after Owen hits a baseball badly which strikes John’s mom resulting in her death. Owen who can never forget this tries even harder to help John out as he has helped him. He eventually does by slowly showing John the power that faith can provide. The story is an incredible journey of these two boys’ lives as they go through many experiences, some funny some sad.
This book is a perfect one for our theme of ‘the hero’. Owen Meany acts like a hero figure in the eyes of John. As well, I feel that John acted like a hero in some ways to Owen as well; he was one of the few people who really spent a lot of time with Owen. There are a lot of family and religious themes in this book, all of which are major support system for both of these characters. That support is what the true definition of a hero is in this kind of book.
I liked this book a fair amount, it was not my particular kind of story; but it was very well written and a very unique story. I think that someone who likes to hear people’s stories or inspirational accounts will like this book quite a bit. The one problem that I really had with this book is the occasional personal outbursts from the ‘modern’ John, there were a lot of random political ideals tossed into the story which caused a lot of interruptions in my mind flow. ( )

It's a habit of mine to pick up books recommended by others without knowing much if anything about them beforehand, and it hasn't done me much wrong ever. It's good to know that people around me know me well enough to point out good books to me, or maybe I've just got similar taste to my friends'. I read the back cover after it was recommended to me and decided it sounded good.

And good it was to be honest. The story follows the lives of Johnny, the narrator, and his best friend Owen Meany in their small New Hampshire town of Gravesend. Owen is a very small child and is quite strange and is of course picked on regularly. The novel follows a very Forrest Gump-like path through the years as world events kind of happen around them until eventually they are swept up in them. This book also deals heavily with religious opinion and existence and purpose as a whole, which is always fun to read about. I shan't give any of the stories away, as the book is loosely broken up into individual recounts of memories, but this reads similarly to East of Eden in that it's a bit of an epic through the years, and by the end you've nearly forgotten the little boys from the beginning of the book.

I'd certainly recommend this book to my friends, it's a fun read if you have patience for books of this length. My only warning is that the book is written from the point of view of a heavily religious, liberal draft dodger who moved to Canada during Vietnam and criticizes the politics of the late 80s very heavily sporadically throughout, all of which was unknown to me when I started. For me this got tiresome a lot of the time, I felt like a lot of it was just unnecessary commentary for the sake of itself. In my opinion it's best to just go write yourself an article. If you're fine with commentary (and I have nothing against it, it just feels out of place), then by all means dive right in. Even if you think you'd be bothered by it (he can be rather whiney), give it a shot because in the end it is a great novel. ( )

The story is told from John’s point of view looking back thirty years later. He recalls the loss of his motherhood and spending his youth with his best friend Owen. Owen Meany is a small, squeaky voiced, anti-Catholic, blonde boy who practically in love with John’s, mom. Owen has always been the one to be picked on because of his small size and inability to fight back. His friendship with John becomes more like brotherhood as the book progresses and even after Owen accidentally kills John’s mom with a baseball when they’re eleven years old. They go through high school together, Owen actually becoming the more popular one, but also getting in much more trouble than John, causing problems that jeopardize his future during his senior year. During the Christmas pageant one year, Owen swears that he sees his name and future date of death on Scrooge’s tombstone and is haunted with it for the rest of his life, constantly dreaming about how he would die saving a bunch of Vietnamese children when he entered the Vietnam War. Owen is convinced that he is an instrument of God, thinking this must be the task he had for him. Thirty years later, upon reflection, John was finally able to see how Owen must’ve been God’s instrument and how Owen Meany changed his life.
A Prayer for Owen Meany relates to the hero theme through the character of Owen Meany. He is influencing the lives around him significantly unintentionally and does some heroic things in his later years. He doesn’t fit the typical hero description which makes him that much more of a hero because he is so unsuspecting. His obsession of his seeing his death in his dreams and his personal let down of not dying in the war as he had thought he would lead to a day so heroic, John couldn’t but help believe he truly was an instrument of God.
Overall, I liked this book. It was not my favorite because I think it may have dragged on a little much, giving more detail than necessary. I think that the storyline was strong but I didn’t really like Irving’s writing style because of the large amount of detail he used. I think that if you have a lot of time and enjoy John Irving’s writing style, you would enjoy this book. It is a long book and you need to have a lot of time dedicated to it to be able to fully take it in. When I first started reading it, I hadn’t known that the movie Simon Birch was based off of it, but it was nice to be able to put an actual face to Owen Meany since I had seen the movie a few years ago....But overall, I think it’s a good story and a good read as long as you’re ready for a long book. ( )

This is truly one of the most fantastic books I have ever read. John Irving lays out the plot so intricately that everything has a meaning by the end. I mean it is so incredible to see Owen and John go on their journey of faith, so life like to read about how adamant Owen is in his own faith. Words can't really do this book justice, I mean it was so inspiring faith wise, it just felt so real. Owen Meany is a little odd so say the least he has a series of unusual traits, his voice is very high pitched, is extremely short for his age and most importantly has the most incredible faith in God. From a young age Owen believes that he is meant to be an instrument of God and that he is supposed to do something very important with his life. Even at a young age Owen has the intelligence of a philosopher and tries his best to impart his knowledge on his friend Johnny to help him in school. Owen's faith sometimes annoys some people and nobody believes in his visions. Owen has had a dream of what he thinks to be his death shortly after seeing his own tombstone (with the date), so Owen believes where he is going to die, when he is going to die and how he is going to die is all part of a greater cause. Owen's faith is so rock solid that by the end of the book even his mixed religious friend John believes it all, only wishing that he had believed it sooner. Obviously I can't give away most of the plot because it will ruin the book for you but suffice to say that this is a book you should read and if this site allowed you to give ten stars out of five i would give them. But what's great is that this book isn't just about faith, it is one of the most hilarious and real books I have read, the characters just seem so naturally even though the plot is a little super natural. ( )

Owen Meany is not your typical boy. His voice box is disabled, causing his voice to be high pitched and the tone. He is a little person, and his size astounds those around him. Owen Meany is intelligent, outgoing, opinionated, and most importantly, he is religious. He seems to believe that he is a messenger of God, and it is his purpose to help others define their faith.
Owen does not come from a very nurturing family and he has been somewhat taken in by his best friend, Johnny Wheelwright, and his family. Johnny’s mother, Tabby, expresses that she loves Owen like a son, and Owen has a unique love for Tabby as well. Owen’s story is told through Johnny’s point of view. Owen and Johnny have been best friends since they were in grade school. After Owen hits a foul ball at a Little League game, he kills Johnny’s mother. Owen never forgives himself, but he believes that it happened for a reason; to lead Johnny to his father and for Johnny to discover his faith. Their friendship becomes a brotherhood and after events happen in Owen’s military career, Johnny begins to piece together the messages that Owen taught him.
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving applies to our theme of “Who is the hero?” because Owen is unlike a typical literary hero. He is not physically strong or attractive. He doesn’t know how to fly or win a perilous military battle. Owen is a hero of faith. He never backed down from his beliefs, nor did he force others to believe in what he did. Owen wanted desperately for his best friend to have faith in God, no matter how he did it. He influenced so many people in their small New Hampshire town and he never took no for an answer when it came to something that he strongly believed.
Overall, I though the novel was ok. I didn’t think it was the best thing I have ever read, but it certainly wasn’t the worst. I feel this way because I didn’t feel a deep connection with the characters when I finished reading, which is a disappointment. I would recommend this book, but I would definitely tell whomever I recommend it that it isn’t the greatest book ever though. ( )

This was a thoroughly enjoyable, transporting read about the lives of a generation of people (from the early 50s - mid 80s) in a small town in New Hampshire. Of course, the main person we learn about is Owen Meany, told through the eyes of his best friend, Johnny Wheelright. The characters are rich and fascinating, with one glaring exception, the narrarator, Wheelright. I was really tepid on him as he was so apathetic, wishy-washy and well, pretty boring to read about. So the mechasim of the modern-day "flash forwards" (to his life in the 80s, looking back on his childhood-early adult years) had me struggling at times. However, at its core, this is Owen Meany's story and what a wonderful story it is. He is easily my favorite literary character in a decade or more of voracious fiction reading. Owen is a tiny person who has a voice impediment, both of which he overcomes in amazing ways. He is sweet, honest (to the point of being incredibly funny), perhaps a genius; and he thinks he is the instrument of God. By by the end of his story, one has to wonder ~ or at least you might look a bit differently at life and faith. It is impossible to give too much of a review in specifics without giving away the novel's magic, so I will just say it is wonderful and when I usually groan about the "pulling all the pieces together" end portion of most books, this one held some real surprises. This is a weaving of many different plot lines that come together in a really cool way. Highly recommended for so many readers ~ the book visits topics such as the loss of the Vietman War, academic life an all boys acadamy, the humorous nuances of structured religions (Episcopol vs. Catholic vs. Congregationsists, etc.), the genesis of television and the beauty of a non-traditional family.; and the lifelong impact of having an amazing "best friend." The only reason I did not give this one 5 stars is because of the tedious narrarator. But it was a very entertaining read and well worth the time. ( )

For me one of those inspiring novels that I loved. John Irving is witty and clever and puts together a fantastic story that always stays just on the right side of credibility. ( )

Memorable. Worth repeated readings. ( )

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It was recommended to me a couple of times before I finally read it, but once I did, I loved it. It's really beautifully written, and the character of Owen Meany is at once intriguing, creepy, and inspiring. The end of the book, especially is really touching, and it's one of the few books that has ever made me cry. Owen is supposed to be based on Oskar Matzerath, the protagonist from Gunter Grass's book 'The Tin Drum', but I haven't read it yet. ( )

;For January 2009 book club. Owen Meany, the only child of a New Hampshire granite quarier, believes he is God/s instrument ; he is. A funny and yet heartbreaking story.
Owen Meany, the only child of a New Hampshire granite quarier believes he is God's instrument; he is. Funny and yet heartbreaking. ( )

In many ways, this is a very enjoyable book. John Irving's style is pleasantly unadorned. His characters are fairly interesting, and they have some pretty entertaining adventures. But overall, I felt this was a flawed though enjoyable work.

Prayer is the story of two boys growing up in New Hampshire, the narrator and his friend, Owen Meany. The narrator has a very sweet and beautiful mother but he doesn't know who his father is. Owen Meany is small and has a funny voice, but he's very smart and serious and knows he's destined to serve God in some meaningful way. The story is actually told in flashback by the narrator, who has grown up to be an English teacher in Canada.

And if this were a novel about two boys growing up in New England, it would have been pretty enjoyable. But this is a novel about FAITH and GOD and the MORAL EXHAUSTION of AMERICA and its FOREIGN POLICY. Which is really too much baggage for the narrative to carry. The foreign policy angle is in some ways the weakest. It comes from two equally dull angles: much action takes place during the troop buildup in Vietnam, and the adult narrator comments on the Iran-Contra affair. The Vietnam material really doesn't offer anything new. Vietnam was a misbegotten foreign policy adventure, and the counterculture response to it was largely overblown, self-serving, and ineffectual. It's a perfectly reasonable position, and perfectly dull. Dull would be acceptable in an essay about Vietnam, not in a novel. The commentary on Iran-Contra is even deadlier to the novel, as it contributes little to the story. I generally agree with the narrator on Reagan and Iran-Contra; that doesn't make me interested in hearing him opine.

The spiritual elements are more integral to the novel and overall handled in a better manner. The main problem is that the issue of faith in the novel revolves around a miracle, one which we do not learn about until the very end. This miracle, which takes a tragic form, gives meaning to Owen Meany's life and leads the narrator to become religious. The miracle is heavily foreshadowed: heavily and somewhat obviously. I had a pretty good idea of what the miracle would be over 100 pages before it comes about, which made those pages particularly dull and robbed it of whatever impact it may have intended to have. The effect was less of a sense of mysterious forces at work and more of an author going through plot machinations to achieve an effect.

So, I overall enjoyed the story, especially the first half or so before the author really tries to bear down with those heavy themes that his novel is not really set up to handle. ( )

I waver between this an The Hotel New Hampshire as my favorite Irving novel. A Prayer for Owen Meany is a great book about many things: family, friendship, religious belief, childhood, the Vietnam War, illusions gained and lost. If there's one flaw in this book is that the center part drags on a bit too long with much to much buildup to the ultimate conclusion. But the beginning and end of this book are stellar. ( )

If you have never read this book, read it. I suggest you read it every five years over again. Irving has more talent for writing then I have in my pinkie. I won't spoil it, read it. ( )