Rating: 
Summary: Wowee!
Review: This was the latest book I read by Irving, and it was one of the few books that has sprung tears from this reader after putting it down. Owen Meany is a very compelling character, and the way the novel in the end comes together for a heartbreaking conclusion is simply great. The foreshadowing Irving uses throughout the book keeps you reading until the end; when you realize what Owen has been dreaming about and why the Shot was very important to complete in less than four seconds, you get hit on your head and shaken to your core.
There are also very poignant passages about the idea of religion and America's involvement in Vietnam. Full of memorable characters and events, "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is definitely one of Irving's finest books and a deep, thoughtful read for any fan of mature literature.
Rating:
Summary: A thoughtful masterpiece
Review: This book was: intense, ordinary, quirky, touching, simple, complex, compelling, stretching, deepening, down-home, out-there, honest, and bewitching. I distinctly found myself wishing that this long 617-page novel didn't have to end. It left me with a lot of wondering, about life, prayer, faith, friendship, love, meaning, hope, making a difference, trusting in a larger purpose, finding and following one's dream, forgiving, searching, dissapointment, family, human foibles, human goodness, and finding one's place in the large scheme of things. I loved this book. John Irving certainly knows how to tell a good story, though if I had one wish for Irving, it would be that he depict the relationships among his characters in as much depth as he does the descriptions and nuances of his main characters. I often find the relationships scarcely sketched.
Rating:
Summary: So much in one book
Review: Usually when an author attempts to tackle multiple themes in one work, everthing comes out wrong. John Irving manages to flawlessly dive into such themes as faith, destiny, politics, and war. This book will make you examine yourself and your own beliefs. It will take you places that most authors strive to get to, but never reach.Nowhere else will you find a character as intriguing and heartbreaking as Owen Meany. The roller coaster of emotions is going full-speed ahead in this novel. The characters are all so portrayed so brilliantly, and they all play off of one another, adding another level of insight into these themes that they wrestle with. No matter what level of reader you are, no matter what your beliefs in God are, you will love this book. It will make you believe something, and therein lies the beauty of John Irving.
Rating:
Summary: Very touching, absolutely brilliant...
Review: This book, "A prayer for Owen Meany", is the first book
that told me that books read as class assignments could be
so addictive.
I've never read such a book that is related to Christianity written in such a brilliant way, and this book is very touching as well, which adds to its brilliance...
As you read this book, you will find yourself crying at one moment,laughing at one moment, and thinking about your value system at the very next moment...you will find that you could have mood swings as well *wink
You won't be able to forget Owen Meany and his HIGH-PITCHED VOICE for your entire life, and this book is something you really want to remember, and fortunately, there's no way that you would forget about this book throughout your whole life:)
It's a book that will change your life permanently, of course in a positive way...
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable but flawed
Review: John Irving has always held Dickens in the highest esteem. Nowhere is this more apparent than in A Prayer for Owen Meany. Building his main characters and surrounding them in "Dickensian" situations, Irving constructs a compelling world that pulls the reader in spite of the fact that the political commentary seems out of place. The story is a wonderful, if flawed, telling of friendship, the meaning of God and of fate. As usual his characters are the strong point. He masterfully constructs them in front of you and in doing so creates a connection between the reader and the novel. Irving succeeds because Owen Meany is not-at first- a likeable character that you can sympathize with, but the strength of the writing is such that eventually you do. Unfortunately there are two flaws that keep this from attaining the status of clasic. First is the subplot about Vietnam adn Reagan. The works in effect to date the novel and puts the reader in several camps depending on their politics. While this isn't a drawback in some novels the partisan views of the main character seem inappropriate to the main storyline of the book. The main character, the narrator John, is the weakest in the book (as some reviewers have already mentioned). His subplot on Toronto and the exposition of his political views serve to detract rather than add anything. In the end this is a worthwhile read but not the stuff of classics.
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS THE REASON I LEARNED TO READ
Review: This is one of those rare finds... A Prayer for Owen Meany is indeed a gift.
To Mr. John Irving: Thank You!
Rating:
Summary: I am madly in love with Owen Meany
Review: This is a great book. You want to read it slow, because you become so attatched to the characters, you don't want it to end, but at the same time you can't put it down.
Owen Meany was the first John Irving book that I read, I've heard it was his best, so I'm not sure if I will read anymore of his work.
Read this though. I am not lying to you when I tell you it is good.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best books I've ever read
Review: What amazed me about this book (besides the richness and importance of each and every sentence) was that all the foreshadowing doesn't take away from the events when they finally play out. Irving handles this in a remarkable way -- a book everyone should read just to see how literary greats write.
Rating:
Summary: Hauntingly beautiful.
Review: Fiction is not my favorite genre, and what I do read of it tends to be the "classic" stuff: Hemingway, Dostoevsky, Dickens, etc. So, how is it that I'm writing a review of a John Irving novel? Well, I'll also admit a weakness for Irving. There is something wonderfully appealing about the unlikely characters he invents and brings to life. He latches on to the absurd, embraces it with both arms, sets it down before you, and impels you to forge an enduring relationship with it. You come to love his characters. There's something remarkable in what Irving does. He expands you by causing you to love the absurd. Enter Own Meany. Owen is my favorite among all of Irving's characters (Garp is perhaps second). It is as if Irving had been saving this one all his life, pouring into this one character every contradiction and absurdity he could conjure, then wrapping him up in an impossible little package; and you cannot help but love him. But this is only the beginning; literally. Irving pulls off something that I can only liken to Dickens in "A Tale of Two Cities". Ivring builds a rich and intricate tapestry around Owen Meany that would itself be worthy of high praise; then he reveals the meaning of that tapestry in a way that I can only describe as haunting. Haunting and beautiful. I literally had dreams about this book after finishing it, it had such a profound effect on me. Irving put magic into this book. Need I add that it is well worth reading?
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Novel
Review: John Irving once again has proved himself to be an enthralling author, with his novel A Prayer for Owen Meany. I read this book the summer before my Junior year. I immediatly was sucked in and felt myself a part of the novel and the character's lives. Although the book seemed like it would be a chore because of its length. I found myself not wanting this incredible story to end. I found myself thinking about my own life in relation to the lives of the characters in the novel. Irving's provactive writing left me questioning my own thoughts, morals, and ideals in life. This is a read I would reccomend to anyone looking for a compelling story.
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