Rating: 
Summary: ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOK
Review: I have read countless numbers of books and many by John Irving. But I can't express in words how much this book outrates all of them. Owen Meany is a very peculiar boy with a unique relationship with his best friend. Especially considering the circumstances that he killed his best friend's mother. In the end will you find yourself questing fate and your own destiny. This is the only book that I was sad when I finished it, I wish I hadn't read it so I can expierence it all over again. THIS IS A MUST READ!
Rating:
Summary: Best Book I've Read This Year
Review: I started reading A Prayer for Owen Meany at the urging of a friend, part of our on-going reading program. She had just started the novel, and said it was funny and I would enjoy it. I never expected that it would move me so. John Irving has written a profound novel of faith, friendship, and fate.It took me one or two sections to understand Irving's style. He likes to jump around a lot, and as the story is written as a memoir, that is certainly understandable. But Johnny Wheelwright (the narrative voice of the story) wants to tell us too much, too fast, and it doesn't all make sense at first. Only one thing is clear from the beginning: Owen Meany is destined to change Johnny's life. Owen and Johnny are friends in New Hampshire in the 1950s. They have a unique bond which due in part to Owen's extraordinary presence. The dwarfed child has a strange voice that chills most people (including Johnny's grandmother), but he also has an adult-like wisdom and understanding. The bond between Owen and Johnny is sealed by a freak accident when Owen hits a baseball, killing Johnny's mother. As they grow up, it becomes clear to Johnny that Owen thinks he is guided by God. The accident with Johnny's mother is just one incident that ultimately will lead Johnny to find his own faith. There are moments of biting humor in the novel as well as moments of sadness. Although the majority of the story centers on Johnny's childhood, it continues through his high school and college years. As expected for the setting, Kennedy and the Vietnam War become important themes throughout the story. There are also moments when Johnny -- writing the novel in 1987 -- steps out of character to tell the reader in a diary-like fashion about his life in the present as a teacher. These "present day" episodes were the only thing about the novel I didn't like. Irving seems to be using the novel to criticize American politics (certainly a theme throughout the novel), but it never quite fits with the main plot, that of Owen and his influence on Johnny. I think the story would have been less bitter - and certainly shorter - if Irving had left out this editorializing. I will always remember the stunning foreshadowing of the novel and the beautiful imagery that Irving writes. The story not only challenged me on an intellectual basis, but also on a spiritual one.
Rating:
Summary: Owen Meany is the reason I believe in John Irving
Review: In 100 years, I hope school children have to read "Owen Meany" in the same manner we had to read "Silas Marner" and "To Kill a Mockingbird." This is possibly one of the greatest novels of the latter 20th century. It deserves the highest accolades.
Rating:
Summary: Defending Owen Meany
Review: I think it is a travesty that Amazon has allowed what was obviously an entire St. Petersburg, FL high school class to post reviews of this wonderful novel. It is apparent by the number of times the reviewers alluded to the novels 600 page length that this book was a must-read assignment for them. It is not a fair evaluation of the book which I strongly feel is representative of the best modern novels. Irving has a way of character development, dialogue, comedy and plotting that is truly magical. He brings all of these literary talents to A prayer for Owen Meany. It is a poignant life-changing read. Be prepared to laugh, cry and question your state of beliefs. I've read this novel many times over and it holds the same visceral impact with every revisting. I have ennthusiastically shared this literary jewel with a number of friends throughout the years.
Rating: 
Summary: I've never liked John Irving much, but I do like Owen
Review: For years, I've thought of John Irving as a one-trick pony. Garp, Cider House, Hotel New Hampshire, they all felt the same to me. Funky New Englanders experience wild passions, all too briefly, then resume forging their tiny lives of quiet desperation. In many ways Owen Meany is just as fantastic as other Irving stories, but instead of dithering over one contemporary topic after another, Irving endorsed old fashioned values like faith and friendship. Corny as it sounds, Owen gave me hope.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Irving
Review: To those of you who've tiptoed into Irving's better known works and are now looking for the next one to tackle, here's my advice. I've devoured Garp, Hotel New Hampshire, the movie of Cider House Rules (obviously not the same as reading the book but it served as my introduction to Irving) and now Owen Meany, all in two months time. Owen Meany is the equal of all that came before, perhaps even better. The story carries the familiar longitudinal aspects of the others: one boy's story told over many, many years, against a backdrop of the times as he experiences them. Yet this one is unique. The story moves forward and backwards, too. The narrative focuses on a relative handful of events that Irving lovingly details in his darkly humorous and bittersweet way. The theme of Vietnam underlies the book, sometimes bitterly jabbing through the narrative; I was expecting a sour diatribe on the foibles of our exercise there and was pleasantly surprised to find these sections very human and so very effective. Also, Irving lays on the foreshadowing thicker here than in the others but with wonderful effect. Events hinted at in the very beginning of the book are not finalized until the next to the last page (i.e., don't read ahead!). While some authors use foreshadowing smugly as a way of suggesting that they know something we don't, Irving uses it delicately, although often, and we don't tire of it: it pulls rather than pushes you through the book. Pick up Owen Meany, it will reward you many times over.
Rating:
Summary: Just short of brilliance
Review: John Irving falls just short of brilliance in his book, "A Prayer of Owen Meany". This novel is filled with well-developed characters, humorous occurances, and dramatic episodes that naturally make for a good novel. Sadly, this book is also filled with horribly verbose and boring retellings of historic events and the worst use of symbolism the literary world has ever seen. Also, the main story is often interrupted by the present day rambling from the now-grown John Wheelwright. I understand that John Irving is trying to show how Owen Meany shaped EVERY ASPECT of John's adult life, but it slows the progress of the story and does little more than show us how pathetic John's life has become. There is also a religious aspect to this novel, so if you are not a religious person(as I am not), you may find yourself shakiing your head at some of the religious referenced made during the course of the story. With the exception of these flaws(however large they may seem), "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is an excellent book. And as one of my contemporaries put it, "You definately have a sense of accomplishment when you finish this book".
Rating:
Summary: A deserted island must have
Review: I laughed out loud (alone and in public)and cried so hard I had to stop reading (but only briefly). I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end. I LOVED this book! I've read and re-read it countless times and enjoyed it every single time. It's definitely one of my three favorite books of all time and the first one I would pack for a deserted island sojourn. Even if you don't like Irving you'll enjoy this one. Please read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Owen Meany My Hero!
Review: The book A Prayer For Owen Meany is a great book, full of adventure and excitement. Owen and Johnny have a friendship that cannot be broken. Owen is very faithful to his friendship with Johnny. They stick by each other through thick and thin. I really like how the author combines religion with politics, but doesn't make them conflict with each other. I highly reccommend this book. Owen Meany is very brave. Owen Meany will win your heart. He is truely a great character. Owen Meany is a HERO! Watch how you will grow with Johnny and Owen through triumph and tragedy. You"ll want to read this story over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: A Prayer is Answered
Review: The book A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY was captivating. I think the book was put together like a European sports car, it can handle the lengthy plot twists that derail other books and can speed on from past to present and back again without the stagnant pause that most traditional "by the numbers" best sellers reek of, which is surprising for a book with 600 plus pages. The length of the book does present some dull parts while you are reading them but when all is said and done and the book is nothing but a memory you come to a realization that those "dull" parts where more like growing experiences that help you to appreciate the characters more. I have always felt that a sign of a good book is when you are done with it you feel a little empty inside because it feels like a good friend just moved away but, at the same time, you feel a little richer inside for having known that friend. This book does that in a BIG way. It makes you think that the story told to you seem less like a story and more like memories that you just forgot you had. I think I will read this book again so I can see my friends again and relive all of those forgotten memories.
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