A Prayer for Owen Meany

[gratefultobelib]

After reading some glowing comments about this book (Skinner said: Best. Book. Ever.!), I bought it and plowed in. About two-thirds through this semi-massive tome, I was struggling a bit (come on, guys, John Irving is wordy!), but I hung in there and finished it. And well, it's been over a month, and I still smile fondly when I remember it. What a special story! (There was a movie, Simon Burch, based on the book, but it in no way captured the essence of Owen Meany, although it was a sweet little movie.) Anyway, just wanted to add another heartfelt recommendation for this masterpiece!

[think4yourself]

1. Read it too!

Loved that book. Read it years ago. Might be time to read that one again....

[kestrel91316]

2. I couldn't finish the book. I just got bored with his writing. But I loved

how Owen Meany called Catholics "mackerel-snappers", lol!

[Mythsaje]

3. Loved that book...

Was disappointed, but still pleased, by Simon Burch.

John Irving is wordy, but he's one of those authors whose wordiness doesn't get on my nerves.

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. I enjoyed it, but not quite as much as Cider House Rules, Garp,

and Water Method Man. Irving is one of my favorite authors.

[jackster]

5. agreed,

one of the best books I've ever read. My daughter agrees. Every once in a while, I have to reread it. John Irving is a master at weaving strange and powerful stories that reach out and grab you, pull you in, and hold you.

Garp and Cider House Rules are right behind...

[japple]

6. I loved A Prayer for Owen Meaney, and this

passage, which describes a visit to the Meaney household one Christmas, continues to be one of my very favorites:

"On the mantel above the constantly smoldering fire--wherein the logs were either chronically wet, or else the coals had been left unstirred for hours--there was a creche with cheaply painted wooden figures. The cow was three legged--propped against a rather menacing chicken that was almost half the cow's size, not unlike the proportions of Barb Wiggin's turtledoves. A gouge through the flesh-toned paint of the Holy Mother's face had rendered her obviously blind, and so ghastly to behold that someone in the Meany family had thoughtfully turned her face away from the Christ Child's crib--yes, there was a crib. Joseph had lost a hand--perhaps he had hacked it off himself, in a jealous rage; for there was something darkly smoldering in his expression, as if the smoky fire that left the mantel coated with soot had also colored Joseph's mood. One angel's harp was mangled, and from another angel's O-shaped mouth it was easier to imagine the wail of a mourner than the sweetness of singing. But the creche's most ominous message was that the little Lord Jesus was missing: the crib was empty--that was why the Virgin mary had turned her mutilated face away: why one angel dashed its harp, and another screamed in anguish; why Joseph had lost a hand, and the cow a leg. The Christ Child was gone--kidnapped, or run away.............

[saltpoint]

7. It's a great novel. One of the great regional novels of our history.

You're right about SIMON BURCH. Sweet film but not in the same league as Irving's novel.

I'm happy you liked A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY. It should be required reading for everybody.

[Crocodile Hunter]

8. It can be hard

It can be a bit hard to read at time, but mostly, I enjoyed it.

[saltpoint]

9. Agree. It's challenging, but on the other hand it pays the reader back

in rich dividends.

I love the humor in it also.

[hippywife]

10. Really excellent book.

I read it many years ago and it's one of the few books that, at certain parts, made me laugh out loud.