A Prayer for Owen Meany

Rating:
Summary: A Pulitzer Prize Worthy Novel
Review: I'm going to start this review with a rather dramatic, though absolutely true statement: I literally felt my heart twisting while reading this novel. (Why? Because Irving is a master at pulling at the heartstrings, but in the most INTELLIGENT of fasions.) Of Irving's pre-1990 work, this is his best novel, with "The World According to Garp" running a distant second, and "The Cider House Rules" and the lesser-known "Water Method Man" tying for third place. Irving was one of my favorite novelists of the 1980's, and this book was one of the oh, say, top five books I read during that decade (and I read about 500 books a decade). Since my tastes seem to change over time, I have not read any of Irvings's work in about a dozen years. Nonetheless, I implore you not to miss this book, for you'd be missing a unique literary epiphany.

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Summary: How To Enjoy Both a Great Book and a Great Movie.
Review: I would like to take the opportunity to undo some well intentioned advice in a Spotlight review advising people to read the book before seeing the movie on which the film is based, "Simon Birch". Anyone who has seen the movie has absolutely loved the film with the single exception of people who have read the book first. They universally hate the movie. This naturally signaled to me that if the movie was this good the book must be amazing. Having just finished the book I highly recommend watching Simon Birch before picking up "A Prayer for Owen Meany." I enjoyed both immensely. However if you have already read the book you can also enjoy the film if you go in knowing what to expect.
"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." These are the opening words from the book. The essential story is encapsulated in this one sentence of the book and is paralleled in the opening narration of the movie Simon Birch. Both stories are a warm unfolding of life of an ordinary boy and his exceptionaly and strangely gifted friend who believes he is an instrument of God, and will die as a hero. How we get from point A to point B is a question of scope. "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is like Forrest Gump in the way it carries its relationships through the quiet of the rural fifties through the Vietnam War and on into the 1980s. The book begins with innocence then matures as the boys grow dealing with how war affects the minds and everyday lives of living through these times. (The book is very politically opinionated and if you are a big fan of Ronald Reagan the book may be a little stinging at times as John seems to have thirty year axe to grind about the former California Governer.) There are some fascinating and shocking events that transpire over the span of these decades that make the book a much more adult and sophisticated experience. Where Owen Meany spans two continents and generations, Simon Birch wisely chooses to focus on the heart of the story and stay within the small confines of a lovely New Hampshire town and what I believe is most people's favorite part of the book, the friendship of the two young boys. Still it manages to tell the same basic story in a much more compact form. The story of Owen Meany is a story about an unusual boy who's life is defined by his unique ideas and how he responds to the events of his times. Since most of what happens to Owen occurs later in life I think the film makers thought it would be disloyal to the character to call him Owen. This is the story of Simon Birch but it is still faithful to Owen's personality and story but compressed into the span of their few years at Gravesend. The result is a much more compact and heartwarming story that avoids the wartime threads that occupy so much of the book. This will of course be disappointing to people who have loved the book for years have a hard time accepting Simon never attends Gravesend Academy, dates Hester, works in the quarry or in the ROTC. They feel robbed of these experiences. And its true some scenes like the Christmas plays and pageant are even funnier and add more levels of poignancy in the book. However focusing on what is not there is like staring at a missing limb. You miss what remains and fail to experience a really lovely film in the process. The film is very faithful to the spirit of Owen Meany and captures the flavor of his always serious mind and insistant ideas about faith and right and wrong. If you have seen Searching for Bobby Fisher or enjoy Frank Capra films you will find the film as touching and warm as much of the book. BUT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS IS ABOUT SIMON BIRCH AND NOT OWEN MEANY. ITS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE. People who have read the book will understand the caps. : )
Anyway enjoy both the book and the movie. They are two different yet similar magical experiences. Both rewarding in their own way. One is sweet, the other bittersweet.

Rating:
Summary: A Lengthy Book.....but well worth the read
Review: I enjoyed the story of Owen Meany. I almost felt like, while reading the story, that I grew up with him myself. John Irving creates very strong characters which allow you to feel a certain bond with each of them. The book does hit a few slow times, often historical time periods and the Christmas pagent was very involved with discription however the theme is very well laid out. It's easy to follow along and I am still laughing at the hilarious "closet games".

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't finish it...
Review: This book starts out slow and only gets slower. I forced myself to get half way through before I finally decided to quit (and it takes a lot for me to quit reading a book). Reading it felt like homework. I don't find Irving's characters interesting, and as I read his mindless rambles I find myself wondering "is he going anywhere with this?"
My friend insisted this is a great novel. I'm convinced it was a waste of eight bucks.

Rating:
Summary: Maybe I'm missing something
Review: I was surprised, but I didn't enjoy this book at all. I felt like I was being hit over the head with symbolism (hands being cut off, etc) and never understood many of the relationships (how did Owen and John become friends? how did Hester and Owen hit it off somehow?) Between this and Cider House Rules, I felt like the same characters were hitting me over the head: the weak father figures, the sexually ambivalent males, the strong-willed but sexually predatory and tormented women (either that or they were dumb-mute type women). I won't be reading any more Irving. Seemed to me the man needs therapy.

Rating:
Summary: Bad
Review: This was the worst book I have ever read in my entire life and I would never read it again even if the fate of earth depended on it. The only positive comment I have on this book is the ending; the book is so long and unnecessarily detailed that just knowing you're nearing the end is the only pleasure I can see that the reader could get out of this book. The characters, setting, and overall plot are unoriginal in the sense that they all seem to reflect upon much of the author's life.

Rating:
Summary: Left me breathless
Review: Irving's characters are always slightly off-kilter, and Owen Meany is no different. Although Owen seems "not of this world", his thoughts and feelings are very human and capture an essence very true to the human condition. The scene in which Owen's own prophecy comes true left me breathless. I often found myself holding my breath in those last pages, unaware of my real surroundings, totally enraptured by Irving's storytelling. I have recommended this book to every reader I know. As a long-time Irving fan, I feel that it's truly his best work (I haven't read The Fourth Hand yet.)

Rating:
Summary: NO MORE CAPITALS!
Review: Was Owen always YELLING or were the capitals just to emphasize his odd voice? O.K., I know it was the latter, but it still seemed to me like he was ALWAYS YELLING!! Very annoying and distracting from the book, although I didn't find it much to be distracted from...the shot, Hester throwing up, etc...

Rating:
Summary: Well-woven tale that never stops
Review: Overall great book. One of those books that comes together in the end...and what an ending! Irving's foreshadows have you racing through the final pages but frighten you enough to not want to know how it ends. I just finished it and all I can say is "wow"! Great read, but very sad. I now understand why all my friends said it is a "must read". I will never forget Owen.

Rating:
Summary: Just read it.
Review: This book is practically impossible to put down. Irving combines comedy, tragedy, faith, and destiny in the story of one tiny yet incredibly powerful person named Owen Meany. Owen is an extremely intelligent, extremely short, and extremely harassed child who puts his faith in front of all and does many people a lot of good. He is a "Voice" for his generation throughout the story and he is endearing and lovable through every scene. This book teaches lessons about life, love, and faith and it will definitely stick with you for a long time.