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Summary: A Prayer For Owen Meaney
Review: In this day and age of crackerjack, slam-bang serial-killer thrillers, technofests and Grisham-movie-treatments of the week, it is hard to find a book that truly qualifies as a Masterpiece. "A Prayer For Owen Meaney" is definitely it. It is one of the 2 or 3 best books I have stumbled upon in my life, and I feel truly blessed for having found it. For this, I must thank John Irving, the magnificent mind responsible for this literary mind-blower. He has always been an impressive writer, but never quite at this magnitude. "Owen Meaney" will touch you like no other Irving novel has or probably ever WILL. It is completely worthy of every moment you spend engrossed in it and has none of the tinges of coldness that kept past Irving bestsellers like "The Cider House Rules" from achieving complete, 100% greatness. Simply stated, it is a revelation, and will leave you feeling almost wrung out with grief, however a little more optimistic about the possibilities of the world we live in. The Christlike figure of unnaturally small Owen is comprised of pieces of us all, and will leave no reader untouched. As far as popular fiction goes, you will find no single work more profound than this. As Owen himself might declare, "HALLELUJAH!!!!!"
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Summary: Americana re-invented
Review: I rarely stray from my "chosen" authors, but a close friend told me to read "Owen Meany." I had no choice- HE TOLD ME TO. I picked up the hardcover and entertained the thought of using it as a doorstop. The minute I opened it I reeled. The clarity and visualization of a smart lilliputian Owen Meany kept me smiling throughout. The book is relentless in its humor and delicately addressses the serious points- a baseball killing a mother, an armadillo without claws, a set of invaluable baseball cards. The theme is American life in New hampshire. The eccentricities that plague the close neighborhood only adds to the novel. Irving's magic to infuse Jesus, God and religion into this all powerful novel, lightly places the writer's finger on the pulse of this book. Read it with unabandoned joy, and after you have finished be sure to go back for seconds
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Summary: Owen Meany: he will change your life.
Review: If forced to choose between two pieces of vital information about yourself, which would you choose
to know? To know when you are going to die, or how you are
going to die? Owen Meany is one of those rare in-
dividuals who goes through life on a higher level
than the rest of us. He knows things we don't know;
he feels things we can't feel. He is that fey
combination of angel/devil, agony and ecstasy,
old man and eternal child. The Owens of this world
are put here for extraordinary purposes and only
the very lucky among us get to have one for a
friend. Read it. Savor it. It will change your life.
Rating:
Summary: Words can't describe...
Review: I can't put into words what my heart feels about this book. I finished it late last night, and I feel fulfilled and lonely at the same time...as if I've seen God, but will never see my best friend again. How I would LOVE to read Owen's diary for myself
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Summary: A testament to friendship
Review: I've just read all of the other reviews and LOVE seeing others as passionate about this book as I am. I just planned a retreat for 20 people and designed one of the exercises to have everyone discuss their favorite book so I could tell them all about Owen Meany and why they should read it. I also have on my desk a few small armadillo statuettes that have been given to me by friends to whom I've given the book. It's become a neat symbol of friendship and love for us -- and the inevitable comments these little creatures draw in my office give me the opportunity to tell the curious why they should read Owen Meany. I read Son of the Circus and really disliked it. I kept hanging in there, hoping it would grab me but it never did. (If you liked the quirky premise, read the book "Geek Love" by I-don't-know-who. Cool book.) I'm also afraid to read other Irving books, assuming they will pale in comparison to Owen Meany. I did enjoy "Trying to Rescue Piggy Sneed" but wish the editors would have talked John Irving into leaving out some of the wrestling stuff.
Rating:
Summary: A Faith Builder
Review: This book was one of the most exciting reads I have ever had. Irving is a master at weaving plot lines and then tying them all up in just a few pages. The final scene brought real tears to my eyes--a man who rarely cries. I'm glad for the reissue of what should become another great American classic
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Summary: An addictive piece of literature !
Review: I was sitting in a cafe in Amsterdam when I saw a fellow American reading A Prayer for Owen Meany. Having already read Garp and The Hotel New Hampshire, I felt compelled to engage my fellow American in conversation about this book with the odd sounding title. The Man, whose name I don't recall ( remember, I was in Amsterdam...) told me a friend recommended the book to him with the words " It was the greatest book I ever read ".
It was these words that came back to me as I was in search of a new book to read. I wasn't disappointed. 1 month after reading the book I am still digesting everything Irving encompassed and intertwined into this throughly enjoyable novel. I am looking forward to reading it again and my sincere thanks to my American friend in Amersterdam for the recommendation.
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Summary: A magical book about faith in an agnostic and cynical world
Review: A magical book about faith in an agnostic and cynical world. Through the improbable persona of a true 98lb. weakling named Owen Meany, John Irving explores the mysticism of faith. Owen Meany is presented almost as a 'negative print' of Christ, exploring the extraordinary weakness of the human condition, the fragility of life's experiences against a constant backdrop of inexplicable faith. One of the few books I have ever read that has the potential of changing one's life. The best Irving has ever written -- by a long-stretch
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Summary: An exceptional novel
Review: I read many of the other reviews and was not going to write one, but I changed my mind. This novel is too good to not write about it. It has the style and talent that will make this book a classic and one worth reading amongst the greats. It has amazing characters that create a wonderful and different picture for each reader. This is a book that truly will make you laugh and cry all at the same time. Everyone should read it
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Summary: Everyone should read this book!!
Review: _A Prayer for Owen Meany_ is by far the best Irving book I have read to date. I picked this book up and was hooked from the very first page. I read the book straight through, barely pausing to prepare dinner for my family, then immediately started over upon completion. I have read this book many many times in the last two years since I bought it at a used book store. My copy is tattered and dog-eared, but it is my favorite amongst a vast collection of books. Owen Meany is so real that you wonder how he can be merely fiction. I _heard_ rather than read his voice. I have never laughed so hard as when Owen dictated the direction the Christmas play was to take--I read this section aloud to my co-workers, my family, and anyone else who could be persuaded to listen. Whether you have no faith, are a person of great faith, or simply a person who has ever wondered about faith YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!
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