A Prayer for Owen Meany

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful
Review: The book is beautifuly written and the godly main character is absolutely enthralling. The deep issues addressed by juveniles in a small town setting makes religion and all great questions seem easier to handle. The masses will fall in love with Owen Meany

Rating:
Summary: An exhilarating book!
Review: This book takes place, largely, in the late 50's, early 60's, but that doesn't make the themes of the book (Friendship, love, religion, and morality) any less identifiable. It's a very funny book in parts (Just picturing the scene with the VW in the assembly hall is funny!) It's also very touching. All I can say is that, as Owen might say, "YOU HAVE TO EXPERIENCE IT FIRST-HAND TO KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE!" In other words, I could never describe the book to you, you just have to go read it!

Rating:
Summary: reasons
Review: I gave A Prayer for Owen Meany 1 star so that you'd read my review. There are so many 5 star ones that you tend to skip over them because they all say the same thing. Something different stands out, for instance; TYPING IN CAPS. hence, my rating. I loved the book and couldn't put it down. Truly thought provoking, but also hysterical and fun to read. Owen is a spiritual figure, but human enough to be a little more believable. Read it. It's sparked many discussions in my group of friends, who've all recently had the privelege of being forced to read it for class. You'll find yourself relating it to everything that happens and wondering what the purposes of your actions are. This wondering will help you to realize and give you more direction in the cloudier areas of your life. I hope you'll enjoy it in the way I did. 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: A Prayer For John Irving
Review: I don't quite know how I came across this book but I imagine it was recommended to me. It's funny, I do not like modern fiction and a Prayer For Owen Meany confirmed my distaste. I may be bias with this statement, because I had just rode off a tremendous high reading Gunter Grass' novel the Tin Drum before Owen Meany. The Tin Drum is a beautifully written example of classic fiction. Owen Meany follows Tin Drum's "born different-grew up small-possibly a genius" method of storytelling, except that Irving's perspective is hampered by his unoriginal, boring writing style. It seems Mr. Irving also has a problem with pace and keeping the story in a coherent continuim. His events are scattered, sketchy, and predictable at best. This could have become a great novel for him if he had took a more methodical approach to telling his story. As an idea it holds up well. I enjoyed the characters immediately, but somehow I lost favor with them as they grow older. The ending is weak, unbelievable, and difficult to get through, which will leave most readers with a dry mouth. I would not recommend this book to someone who is a fan of classic literature.

Rating:
Summary: Overpraised?
Review: Am I missing something here? I was anxious to read this book because I saw all the 5 star reviews on this site and because I admire Mr. Irving so much. So why do I find this work so lacking, so uninspiring? Maybe my expectations for it were too high. Then again, maybe I was just expecting a different type of story than what I found. But ultimately, I thought the book was an enormous bore. Mr. Irving certainly has a fine eye for detail and he writes well, but there are too many long passages where nothing of interest happens and you're just suffereing through it hoping to get to the good part which unfortunately never comes. Too, the narrator is a likeable (though whiny) character and Owen Meany does have an annoying charm, but these are not characters that you care about because there's really nothing compelling about them. I feel a bit guilty about this review because I do think that Mr. Irving is one of this country's best writers and there's something in the back of my mind thinking that maybe I just missed the point of the whole book, considering all the praise lavished on this work. But the bottom line is that the book became a chore to read and I'm eager to discover an Irving book that I'll enjoy as much as I enjoyed Garp.

Rating:
Summary: A nostalgic tale of frienship, love and faith in God.
Review: After watching the movie "Simon Birch", I just had to read the book that it was based on. What a surprise to find out that this "little" character was such a "big" person. I didn't want the book - or the character - to end. It was wonderfully written with such humor and wit, that I found myself laughing out loud! The friendship between Owen and Johnny lasts a lifetime and I'm still trying to decide which one loved the other more. I have added this book to my favorite top 5 (although this is only the 4th one), along with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, To Kill a Mockingbird, and I Know This Much Is True. This is a novel that will withstand the elements of time and will always have a meaning to whoever reads it during any era. Oh God - please give him back. I shall keep asking You! I will definitely read this again - and will try to get my book club to read this most heartwarming, heartwrenching, book of love.

Rating:
Summary: terrible book
Review: It's not really a matter of opinion. This book just plain stinks. What amazes me, looking at these reviews, is that so many people like it. I can't contest an honest emotional response. However, if such mediocre writing is praised so highly and almost universally then today's culture is more stratified than I feared. I now see that books like this are a dangerous blight that threatens quality writing. Avoid like the plague.

Rating:
Summary: I Loved It.
Review: I am a Christian and a happy United States citizen. I'm only 13 years old, so I can't relate too much to a lot of Irving's discussion on the American's mistake of the Vietnam War. I can relate to his topic of faith. I love reading about people's faith, and it didn't take long for me to discover that OWEN MEANY IS REALLY COOL. It's motivating how Owen is so dedicated to God's purpose for him that he refuses to correct, or really even try to look into, his unique voice. It's amazing how right he is about his belief of being the Lord's insturment. I reccomend this book to EVERYONE; everyone should relate to it in some way, even it you aren't a Christian. I hope you enjoy the book!

Rating:
Summary: Best Book of My Life!
Review: A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of the best books I have ever read in my life. Irving does an excellent job of exploring the hippie generation and its psychology. The reader can get a wonderful insight to history, much like Forest Gump except much more spectacular and opinionated.

Prayer for Owen Meany is a very emotional novel. I became very attached to the characters and cried at the end of the book. (The ending will leave you depressed for weeks, but that makes the book all the better.) Currently I am reading A Son of the Circus, and it is almost as good as Owen Meany.

Rating:
Summary: 1-star rating is even too much
Review: This book, despite all the acclaim it's received, is nothing but trash. Irving writes with a forced and awkward hand - there is no fluidity in this novel. It is incoherent and utterly ridiculous. The reader experiences no satisfaction at the end of the book, not even considering the untimely demise of the irritating Meany boy. Ugh, if burning books weren't frowned upon, guess which one would be roasting right now? Go on, guess.