A Prayer for Owen Meany

Rating:
Summary: This is NOT "Simon Birch!" (Thank God)
Review: Ten years ago, I read a "Prayer for Owen Meany" for the first time. Since then, I have re-read the book 20 maybe 30 times and, even now, it still manages to impress and move me. (Note: "Owen Meany" is the only book with a religious theme that does not disgust me. Agnostics and athiests need not fear this work; it is neither preachy nor possessing of a saccharine-sweet sentimentality.) Now, "Owen Meany" is indeed the kind of book that people seem to either love or hate. Very few show ambivelence towards this work. I believe, however, that most of those who dislike this book simply lack the patience necessary in order to fall in love with it.

Standard Complaints Made By Many: It's slow to start, has too much detail, not enough "action," blah blah blah. My response to skeptics is this: John Irving is a writer strongly influenced by Dickens and, as such, his storytelling has a leisurely, near-Victorian quality to it. His is old-fashioned writing but never BAD writing. The first chapter of "Owen Meany" consists mostly of historical details. This high level of detail sets up the events outlined in the remainder of the book and is absolutely essential to the storytelling. Having trouble getting through the first 75 pages? Hey, take your ritalin and remember that books require a committment on the part of the reader and are supposed to move at a different, slower pace than that of television or of the movies.

And speaking of movies, if you loved "Simon Birch," you will hate "Owen Meany." That nauseating film--that travesty of a movie--bears as much resemblance to the book as Demi Moore's "Scarlet Letter" does to Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterpiece. "Simon Birch" manages to demistify everything that is magical in "Owen Meany," robbing the story of its power, its unsentimental beauty.

One of the wonderful things about "Owen Meany," is its wealth of images and symbols. Anyone who has read other works by John Irving will be familiar with the way in which he uses symbolism and repetition of motifs in order to express his ideas. The Undertoad. The Mole Man. The way sorrow floats. In "Owen Meany," John Iriving has refined his employment of symbolism and with it has managed to permeate every page of the work. The armadillo, the dress maker's dummy, the armless totem, the Nativity, and the Christmas Carol are not only vivid symbols but necessary elements of the plot.

"Owen Meany" is a funny, intelligent, life-changing book. Every time I finish the novel, I wish the work were twice as long as it is.

Rating:
Summary: Shut up, Mr. Narrator, and tell me more about OWEN MEANY.
Review: Irving is a talented storyteller and this novel, the first of his I've read, is compelling - whenever the narrator gets off the subject of himself and tells us something about Owen Meany.

I loved the title character. He was a wonderful creation. He was worth a novel twice the length.

But Jeez, the narrator's obsessive whinging about the putative wrongs of the various American administrations he's lived through (the last few as an expat in Canada) - what does that have to do with the story? I mean, the Vietnam War was a huge part of

the story, but the Ollie North and the Contras? Owen's long dead by then already! Give it a rest! In order to hear more about Owen, we have to sit through the neverending complaints of the narrator, who was blessed to be befriended by Owen and yet never learned anything from that friendship except that he has faith of some sort. Of what sort, I am not sure.

All I can think is that Owen must have been Christlike to put up with John Wheelwright.

I pay hard-earned money for my books. I don't like being used by authors who use their craft to deliver gratuitous political opinions that have nothing to do with the alleged story (opinions which I am forced to assume are those of the author, and which will further the book's fortunes on campus curricula). It would be nice if readers got more respect for their money.



Rating:
Summary: A Prayer for Owen Meany
Review: Riveting, exciting, mere words cannot describe the kind of book that A Prayer for Owen Meany is. Written by John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany won the international number one best seller.
Even Playboy Magazine had commented on this extraordinary piece of work. "A Prayer for Owen Meany leaps off the pages with an imaginative passion that is startling...This is John Irving at full throttle: riveting narrative, a cast of richly developed characters, and a story as complex and unbelievable as life itself...[A] joyous, provocative read!" It is simply miraculous that even Playboy of all magazines could comment on this book.
A Prayer for Owen Meany is definitely my favorite book that I have read. The length of the book did not matter to me even though it was approximately five hundred pages because I simply could not put the book down. Before I knew it, I was starting another chapter or turning another page. This book made me happy and sad both at the same time and even brought tears to my eyes. This book began with a bang and ended in the same manner, literally. Nothing in this book was boring, in fact, it made you want to read on and on to see what would happen next. A Prayer for Owen Meany kept on the edge of your seat.
John Irvings style of writing is not only great but also unique. IN certain parts of the book he skips from the past to the present, not meaning to confuse you but to help you better understand what he is trying to say or also to help you see the point that he is trying to make. Irving bases his story around religion which in most cases would be very controversial due to the obvious reason that not everybody shares the same religion or belief for that matter. I believe that John Irving took a risk by publishing this book, but it was definitely a good one.
There are so many different types of elements that his writing included, such as the element of surprise. When John, who is Owens best friend, found out who his father was. Never did John think that the minister of his church would turn out to be his father. Owen Meany knew who his father was but told John that he would find out when the time was right. Even though Owen Meany was four feet tall, he thought he could conquer the world and believed that he could accomplish anything that he set his mind to do. Owen loved to play basketball and he would always practice a trick called "the shot." He would practice with John for hours after school or until John got tired. Owen would set a timer to see how long it would take him to jump in the air and have John throw him up towards the hoop, and slam the basket ball into the hoop. They both perfected this shot and got it exactly in three seconds. Little did they know that "the shot" would save the Johns life but also the lives of Vietnamese children.
Children who were being escorted by nuns to be taken to the Catholic Relief Services and then would be taken to new families and homes in Arizona. Owen was to escort the children and the nuns to their new families to make sure that they would be safe. The nuns asked Owen if he take the little boys to the men facilities and that herself and other nuns would escort the little girls to the ladies bathroom. Owen had no problem complying with her. Seconds later an outraged young man, Dick Jarvits kicked opened the bathroom door. Owen had met Dick before but only briefly; and for that brief amount of time that he knew him for, Owen knew he was up to no good and was only looking for trouble. "This is just the place for you to die, With all these little dooks- with these little dinks" (612). Some of the children began crying but Owen had learned a word or two in Vietnamese and one of those was "doong sa". "Doong sa" Owen would tell the children. It meant stop crying. Dick Jarvits threw a Chicom grenade which seemed to have landed right into Johns hands. It wasn't as easy to handle as a basketball, but immediately John and Owen Meany both knew what had to be done. Here is where "the shot" came into play. John threw the grenade to Owen and John lifted Owen up into the air. The bomb detonated.
It was know that Owen realized what his destiny was. It was now that he realized why he was so small and light, it was to have John be able to lift him up to practice and actually put into play, "the shot." Owen now knew why his voice sounded like a five year olds. It was to calm the children down when they were crying. Owen Meany literally saw his whole life flash in front of him. He knew he was going to die a hero but before this incident, he just did not know when or how he was going to die. Even though his future scared him, he knew that this was God's plan for him and he was more than willing to accept his destiny.
Unfortunately, Owen Meany had died. But he died heroically which was what he would have wanted. Owen knew that he was going to die a hero, but he just didn't know how or when. Owen Meany was Gods instrument and thus will never be forgotten.

Rating:
Summary: Irvings most powerful book
Review: This book has everything that makes John Irving's novels great but probably isn't the best of his novels to read first. It has a little less of the thick, complex characterization and oddballs than some of his other books, but of all his books, I do consider this the best yet. The opening chapter, The Foul Ball, is so well written that it is humbling just to read it, which is true of much of John Irving's writing. There's a forshadowing throughout the entire book, of Owen's entire life and existence tied to a single, impending event at the end of the book, that is awesome. It is that element of the book, that really distiguishes it, in my mind, apart from his other novels. The imagery is fascinating to read. I remember finishing this book, closing it, and just saying "Wow." It was the most powerful ending of any of his books, which says a lot.

Rating:
Summary: Best Book I've Ever Read
Review: My title says it all; this is the best book I have ever read, and I've read quite a few. This is my favorite of John Irving's books, although the others are very good as well. I was not able to put this book down, and was a little depressed when it ended and I had to leave the wonderful world Irving has created.
Drop everything, and read this book now.

Rating:
Summary: Deserves more that 5 stars; 5 starsstarestares!
Review: I've read about four books a week all my life. I enjoy literary books,non-fiction, genre: western, sci fi, short stories and poetry by "good" poets. In my 47 years as a reader, few books have made me slllllllllllowwwwwwwwwww dddddoooowwwwnnnn reading them because I didn't want to finish the book. I DID NOT WANT THIS BOOK TO END.

Rating:
Summary: Put 'Reading this book' on your MUST DO list
Review: The best book I have ever read. There, I said it. This book has so many twisting, turning, touching and - quite simply - delightful aspects, that you will read it in less than 2 days and wonder why Irving just didn't keep writing. You are mesmerized by trying to predict Owen's next contrivance, or in wondering why some of the thoughts that come so easily to him, have never dawned on you.

But be warned - you will find yourself reading a paragraph and then thinking 'wait a minute - I need to dwell on that for a second before going on.' Irving not only makes you think and question, he also makes you laugh every other page and sets up the beautiful disaster better than any fiction writer either before him or after. I am not a prolific reviewer, but thought I would share how deeply I believe that if you read this book, you will NOT be sorry. I can say unequivocally that it will stay with you for as long as you control your mental faculties. It's that good.

Rating:
Summary: This book stuck in my head for the longest of time.
Review: John Irving's most memorable characters are those with disfunctions. Those with distasteful gossip surrounding them. Owen Meany is that most mentionable, of a long list of characters that include Homer Wells, that sleeps with his best friends girl. A widow for a year includes a proctagonist who witnesses, at the age of prepubescence, the act of extramarital intercourse. That of her mother and a teen boy.
Owen has a voice. He has a story belonging to him. True to the style of John Irving, Owen is surrounded by satire and horror. The horror plays into a voice that would not grow. A voice that stereotypes the young man, and would drive him to be a passionate man later in life. He would never grow to a respectible height, only the cruel demensions of a young boy. This would be his shell, as John writes. The sympathy that revolves around him, adds an attractive element to the story. But the characters are the finest I've read in a long while, from any writer. It has the feel of Cider house rules, but the attatchments of long relationships, and the complex inner turmoil of the accountants introspective opinions of himself and of Owen, Whom he grew with and is "honoring" in recounting.

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary
Review: I haven't ever written a review before but, this book really got to me. I found the last three pages very difficult to read; my tears obstructing my view. Irving gives us a wonderful story with a true feeling for humanity. This work touches on faith, love, friendship, purpose and placing America in the Vietnam War era. And, Irving once again provides many English Teacher "teachings" throughout, quoting passages of great text (all selections are right on the mark) and playing the writer as writing about writing.

I was not prepared to be moved, to laugh often and to reflect several times on Irvings messages. I treasure this novel and am so grateful we have such a thoughtful, skilled, multi-dimentional writer producing works like this during my lifetime.

Rating:
Summary: The Mystery of Faith
Review: This is only the second novel I've ever read by John Irving and he is fast becoming one of my favorite writers. A Prayer for Owen Meany is a long, sprawling, coming-of-age epic. I don't mean "coming-of-age" in the usual, puerile American sense of "making time with girls." It is about the loss of innocence suffered by two boys and by a country. It is told in the first-person by Johnny Wheelwright, and the book is a prayer for his lost best friend, Owen Meany. Owen was the smallest person he ever knew, with a voice that sounded like a permanent scream, who believed he was God's instrument. Don't let the subject-matter fool you - this is a warm, and often funny book. The only reason to put it down is that it is too long to be read at one sitting.

Irving is very critical of America in this novel. He portrays the United States as a stupid, arrogant, international bully that is rightly hated by other countries. Agreeing with him is not essential to enjoying the book, but - readers be warned - his opinion is there. (Fans of the late President Reagan will have issue with it.) However, the book is really about friendship, growing up, and the mystery of Faith. This is a book that will stay with you.