A Prayer for Owen Meany

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Summary: The Best Opening Line This Century
Review: Owen Meany's voice still haunts me, the reader, all these years since the first time I read this masterpiece. Every friend I have made read this - - and there have been several throughout the years - - told me this book changed them. Are there miracles we can see if we just open our eyes? Yes!

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Summary: One Line? need only 2 words " Loved It:
Review: Not since The Grapes of Wrath have I been so stunned and astonished by a book. Will read again and again. Have told others about it but If they don't read it it's their loss.

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Summary: Owen Meany: A profound experience
Review: My mother handed me this book as I was about to take a vacation at Hampton Beach, N.H., in 1990. "Read it," she said, knowing that Hampton Beach has been among my most favorite places in the world since childhood. "It has all kinds of references to Hampton and the Casino." So, I parked myself on the couch in the sun porch of our cottage and read. And read. And read some more. I couldn't put it down. Everywhere I went, it went. It appealed to me on so many different levels. I loved reading about all the goofy things they did as kids to pass the time, because it reminded me that I, and my friends, did some of the same things. I am awestruck at John Irving's ability to juggle so many different subplots and, yet, weave them into a cohesive story. The plot resolutions were stunning, to say the least. And upon finishing the book, I looked for someone, anyone, who had read it so that I could discuss it. Seldom has a book has as much impact on me, and I read a lot. Owen Meany breaks your heart, yet you can't help but smile through your tears. Beyond any of the metaphysical aspects of this book (and there are many) I simply loved the fact that this apparent misfit was painted as a person who mattered -- at least to John and Hester (Hester, by the way, could be the subject of a book all her own!!!) Every so often, I reread passages of this book just to remind myself how much I love it.

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Summary: Probably the best book I ever read.
Review: John Irving can be a bit too much sometimes. His novels are long and at times tedious. His attention to detail can be excrutiating. However, it is this attention that separates "Owen Meany" from the rest of the pack. I didn't care for "Cider House" or "Hotel New Hampshire", but am a fervent lover of "Garp" and "Water Method Man" (a close second to this book as far as Irving novels go). Anyway, this novel is bittersweet--there are times I felt like laughing and simultaneously crying. Irving's voice is so effortless that it seems like we have known these characters forever. I have been trying to get my wife to read this forever, but she hasn't succumbed--yet! I'm currently rereading it now, and it'll be only the second Irving novel that I've been successfully able to reread (Water Method being the other). Everyone should read this book.

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Summary: be prepared
Review: this is definitely not the best book I have ever read, but its not terrible. there are many extremely far fetched scenes and the basic plot itself was something you'd see on the outer limits or something. be ready for some negative- realistic stuff.

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Summary: A Complex, Brilliant, Masterful Work
Review: I classify my reading life into categories of before and after--before reading Owen Meany and after reading it. I qualify my deepest friendships by asking people to read this book. Those who "don't get what the big deal is" are relegated to the back of the address book!! I was riveted the first time I read it, and have read it four or five times since then, digging into subtleties such as Irving's references to armlessness throughout the book and laughing hysterically each time I come to the part about the maid dying. The end of the book haunts me still. Irving is one of my favorite authors, and this book is, without exception, the best I have ever read.

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Summary: Irving's Prayer is Answered
Review: Owen Meany's best friend John narrates this epic tale of what it takes to be friends and remain headstrong in a sometimes cruel and challenging world. After John's mother is accidently killed during a softball game, John's search for answers about the incident and other life matters leads him to best friend Owen, who teaches him what it means to be a small boy with a strange voice and still make a big impression on an indifferent world. This book teaches the world to cherish each day and each person. Irving's humorous witticism is enlightening and cunningly pervasive. This book will always be my favorite.

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Summary: Heartwarming! Wonderful! Owen Meany is a Prayer for us all!
Review: A Prayer for Owen Meany is a book that doesn't come along often. And very few books of this caliber come after. Owen Meany is my favorite literary character of all time. Irving describes him early on in the novel that there was something about Owen that made you want to touch him. When it is in fact Owen who will touch you. You will fall in love with him. A truly enjoyable book. A wonderful, heartwarming story, and a GREAT read. Owen Meany is by far Irving's best work and my favorite Novel of all time!

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Summary: This is a unique and unbelievable, yet forceful story.
Review: This novel compels the reader to reflect on his own destiny. It makes us wonder if Owen Meany is a second Christ. He is certainly God's instrument, following what is predestined for him. There is much foreshadowing, and all the loose strings become tied together by the end of the book. But fault must be found, however, with the lengthiness of it. Too much needless detail bogs the reader down from time to time, lessening the impact of the story.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!!
Review: I read this book and was captivated. It must be the best book I have ever read. If you read nothing else-read this book, it cannot fail to have impact and keep you rivited until the last word. Keep the tissues handy!