Rating: 
Summary: This book deserves nothing less then 5 stars!
Review: This book deserves nothing less then 5 stars. I'm a bibliophile, and read darn near every book that I can get my hands on.....all types of books, and this is by far one of the best books ever written, if not THE BEST! It has everything you could possibly want: it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will make you ponder LIFE ITSELF. The characters are easy to get to know, and hard to ever forget. The ending is phenomonal, even though it is no surprise and you know what will happen, you will not want to ever say goodbye to Owen......will NOT want the book to end!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I Have Ever Read
Review: When people ask 'what is your favourite book', I unhesitatingly answer A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving. I finished this book in bed late one night in 1993 and I could not sleep afterwards. So my advice is finish it in the daytime! I have never read a book that was so sad and yet made me laugh so much. And the conclusion of the book is like the emotional equivalent to falling off a cliff. You know what is coming and you hurtle towards it. To say anymore would be to give away too much. I recently rebought this book for a gift and randomly flicked open a page and read a paragraph or two. And it all came back. It had been at least 5 years since I read it, but the rush of memory came roaring back to me. I knew then I could never re-read this book. It left me so gutted the first time, I couldn't do it again. While many Irving fans proclaim Garp as his artistic peak (certainly his financial one!), I believe Owen Meany is indeed 'the most heartbreaking character he has ever created' - as the blurb says. For me, Owen Meany, without a doubt, Irving's unrivalled masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: god help me
Review: I have not finished this book yet as I have been struggling to get through each page (I am on page 195). I have never not finished a book but I am tempted to put this piece... down every second I am reading it. This is so horribly boring. I HATE OWEN MEANY!!!! I can only hope that as the book goes on he suffers a horrible fate! Now that's a prayer for ya!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good read
Review: I found this to be a solid and entertaining work without being really exceptional in any dimension: though a generally engaging story, it dragged a bit in the middle, especially around the various Christmas pageant scenes. These were among a number of symbolic "set pieces" in the narrative which seemed overly contrived. Irving's wordcraft is intelligent but not truly poetic or so brilliantly accurate (like, say, John Updike) that each descriptive phrase could be framed for posterity. What he does beautifully is create a world and a group of characters that deeply absorb the reader. I loved the friendship between Owen and John, which culminates so powerfully at the end of the chapter entitled "The Finger". Owen is a heroic, inspiring character, and would be memorable whether or not he was burdened with the sometimes awkward predestination theme. Overall, I felt this was more successful as a straight friends-coming-of-age story than a Christian allegory, but permit a good writer his indulgences.
Rating:
Summary: best book ive ever read
Review: I just read A Prayer for Owen Meany, the second time in the 2 weeks since i recieved the book....i just keep reading the ending over and over again and nearly cry each time. i guess because im a lazy high school student i havent read very much worthwhile liturature, but reading this book has given me the drive to read more...to learn more. I was at my job 2 weeks ago, and a customer came in at started a conversation with me...he asked me if i had ever read A prayer for owen meany, or anything by John Irving...i said no, and i had never heard of John Irving before. He said "oh my gosh you really gotta read this book, its just really really great" so...i said i'd pick it up...but..i forgot. a week later the same guy came in and asked me if i got the book yet, and i hadnt....the next day...he came in again...and gave me a copy, to keep. Thats how important it is to read this book. It changed my life
Rating:
Summary: Best novel ever
Review: This is the best novel I have ever read. The characters are unique and poignant. I have re-read it multiple times and have been considering reading it again. I enjoy it immensely every time. I've heard rumors of a Nobel Prize nomination. This book should win the prize.
Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable; I've read It Many Times Over the Years
Review: I've read this book 3 times over the years and each time is a joy. It is heartwarming, heartbreaking, funny and totally encompassing. You can't help but get sucked into this story. It's rare you find a book that you're willing to read again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Perfection
Review: I read this book last summer, when I went into my annual reading frenzy. I was amazed. Before this, I had only read 'Garp', and since then have read3 of his other books. None of them have managed to live up to this. I was simply amazed how close I felt to the characters, especially Owen. It all fit so perfectly together. There were no overly coincedental plot twists, except for 'the ball'. I amjust so amazingly intrigued by this masterpiece, even 6 months after reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book
Review: This is the book I tell people to read even if they don't normally enjoy John Irving novels.
Rating:
Summary: This book is always close to me
Review: When I was a freshman in high school, my friend threw her tattered hard cover copy of "A Prayer" in front of me and told me she would give me a week to finish it. She couldn't bear to be away from it for any longer than that. After reading it, I understand why.10 years later, I am the same way. For a book to change your life SO MUCH at such a young age and continues to draw you in time after time truly must be an amazing piece of literature. I have passed one of my copies on to 15 different people, who in turn buy two copies- one to keep for themselves, and another to loan out to people. If you are a skeptic on life, love and the world in general, A Prayer For Owen Meany draws you in to assure you that you are not alone in your thoughts, then magnificently shows you how to change your outlook. It is a book of epic proportions, but flies by, resulting in the desire to read it again and again and again.
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