A Prayer for Owen Meany: A Novel

· Sold by Harper Collins
4.3
227 reviews
Ebook
656
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

“A remarkable novel. . . . A Prayer for Owen Meany is a rare creation. ... An amazingly brave piece of work ... so extraordinary, so original, and so enriching. . . . Readers will come to the end feeling sorry to leave [this] richly textured and carefully wrought world.” —STEPHEN KING, Washington Post

I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.

In the summer of 1953, two eleven-year-old boys—best friends—are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary.

A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick

Ratings and reviews

4.3
227 reviews
Mark Lewanski
November 27, 2020
This book got so tedious, I quit half way through. When I read the summary on Wikipedia to see what I "missed," I was glad I wasted no more time with it. "The Shot" idea was equally as lame as Shayamalans "Swing Away" concept. I just can't digest this type of contrivance. I previously finished and liked "Garp" better, but not enough to read another Irving novel after this. Sometimes I feel I'm reading great writing, but the feeling comes and goes. This is all just my insignificant opinion, of course: Who am I to judge great writing?
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Peg Glover
October 20, 2017
3.5 stars A Prayer for Owen Meany is a unique and fascinating literary fiction read. I had a difficult time rating this book, because, although I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and found it captivating, humorous, and thought-provoking, it is bloated. The author could have easily shaved off two hundred pages and made this book not only easier to read but more enjoyable as well. The story itself, however, is unique, multilayered, controversial, and just plain fascinating. Owen Meany is an adult who has been teased since childhood. He is barely five feet tall and weighs less than one hundred pounds. Although Owen’s voice is strangled and screechy, whenever he speaks, people listen. Owen Meany is brilliant, witty, outspoken, and rebellious. He is also kind, loving and selfless. Owen is an enigma. Although Owen and John were two very different people, they have been best friends for forever. Owen came from a poor and depressed home where both of his parents were mentally handicapped. John came from a fatherless but loving home, where he lived with his mother and grandmother. Often, imperfect people, are used by God, to influence and teach others, life lessons. Owen was such a person, and he knew what his purpose was. A Prayer For Owen Meany is a book that will grip your heart, trigger your anger, make you think, laugh out loud and cry. It’s a fascinating book that will leave an imprint on your heart.
8 people found this review helpful
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A Google user
November 29, 2018
Claims to be a Christain book, that's a joke. Stopped reading before 3rd chapter. Tried to overlook the bad language but when he used the Lord's name in vain I could go no further. It was also incredibly slow and boring.wish I could get my money back on this one, and that's a first.
1 person found this review helpful
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About the author

John Irving has been nominated for a National Book Award three times—winning in 1980 for the novel The World According to Garp. In 1992, Irving was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He won the 2000 Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. In 2001, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Irving's most recent novel is In One Person (2012).

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