A Prayer for Owen Meany

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  I read this on recommendation from a friend, and had had it praised to the skies before I started it. For the first half, it was hard to see why - it is well written and perfectly easy to read, but not outstanding. Somewhere in the middle, that changes, the characterisations start to take over and you begin to really, really care what happens to the narrator and his friend, Owen Meany. I would happily lavish the same praise upon it.

  It is an incredible story, not just about faith, which did... (show more)

  I read this on recommendation from a friend, and had had it praised to the skies before I started it. For the first half, it was hard to see why - it is well written and perfectly easy to read, but not outstanding. Somewhere in the middle, that changes, the characterisations start to take over and you begin to really, really care what happens to the narrator and his friend, Owen Meany. I would happily lavish the same praise upon it.

  It is an incredible story, not just about faith, which did not strike me, in actual fact, as the primary message of the book, no matter what the blurb says, but about friendship and the way people's peculiarities can affect those around them. To me, it is not the particulars of the plot that make this a great book, but the way they are revealed. As some others have said, not all the ideas hold up to scrutiny, but the way they are hinted at, and then exposed is masterful. Come the end, you know something momentous is going to happen, but not exactly what. I haven't cried while reading a book since I was about twelve, but I knew I was going to be lost before I got within fifty pages of the end.

  Read the beginning as a slightly unusual, but perfectly standard piece of fiction, then be prepared to set aside some serious time to finishing it, because the second half is un-put-downable. (show less)

   

  by Lydia Dockray on Jun 14, 2009 at 04:42PM

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  I can't believe how much I LOVE John Irving's writing. He continues to amaze me with his originality. Owen Meany is one of the most poignant and engrossing stories I have ever read. As it all comes together, I think Irving must have written it from back to front, rather than the other way around. I suppose that's how mystery writers work, but then shouldn't all novels be mysteries, really, in their ability to keep you turning the page to see what happens next? The good ones do, and this is... (show more)

  I can't believe how much I LOVE John Irving's writing. He continues to amaze me with his originality. Owen Meany is one of the most poignant and engrossing stories I have ever read. As it all comes together, I think Irving must have written it from back to front, rather than the other way around. I suppose that's how mystery writers work, but then shouldn't all novels be mysteries, really, in their ability to keep you turning the page to see what happens next? The good ones do, and this is among the best.

  The way Irving works up to the climax, investing you in the characters as he goes along, is just amazing, and little details you may have forgotten in the early part of the book prove their relevance at the end. There are no wasted words with Irving...every sentence counts, and he doesn't waste a moment of the readers' time. I know this is a novel I will come back to again in years to come. Funny how my small shelf of perennials is becoming crowded with John Irving books. (show less)

   

   

  by Maura on Jun 10, 2009 at 10:11PM

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