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erica_s's review against another edition
3.0
I couldn't finish this book. Why is it so long? I'm sure it's well-written, but it just went on & on, and I lost interest.
Actually, I'm glad I stopped reading it. I'm pretty sure I would have given it a lower rating if I wasted my time to get to the climax, which (reading other reviews here) is very likely to have bothered me even more than the first half of the book.
Actually, I'm glad I stopped reading it. I'm pretty sure I would have given it a lower rating if I wasted my time to get to the climax, which (reading other reviews here) is very likely to have bothered me even more than the first half of the book.
rcade0503's review against another edition
5.0
Without a doubt Owen Meany is taking the lead for best book read in 2009... It's not easily forgotten even after the final pages are complete.
deblaroche's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the few books that I've intentionally read more than twice, and will likely read again at some point. Best writing, best characters, best use of CAPS LOCK, and best ending. Seriously.
8/31/24: Reread this book just to see if it had aged well, and it still slays me to this day. I had forgotten how much faith and doubt play a role in each character’s role, and how brilliantly he weaves together the “spoilers” throughout the story. It will certainly stay firmly entrenched on my list of Top 10 Favorite Books of All Time.
8/31/24: Reread this book just to see if it had aged well, and it still slays me to this day. I had forgotten how much faith and doubt play a role in each character’s role, and how brilliantly he weaves together the “spoilers” throughout the story. It will certainly stay firmly entrenched on my list of Top 10 Favorite Books of All Time.
melissafoleyking's review against another edition
5.0
After savoring this for months, I finally finished A Prayer for Owen Meany. I just want to pick it up and read it again.
Honestly, no review I could write would do this book justice. The writing, the characters, the ending, everything, was extraordinary. It was weird enough to hold my attention but not so out there that it felt silly.
Honestly, no review I could write would do this book justice. The writing, the characters, the ending, everything, was extraordinary. It was weird enough to hold my attention but not so out there that it felt silly.
claraann's review against another edition
4.0
loved it the second time as much as the first. Irving's writing sucks me in. The story line is poignant, funny, and magical. I got a lot more out of Johnny's takes on Vietman and Reagan than I am sure I did in 1990.
azbeav's review against another edition
5.0
Another of my all-time favorites. This book makes me laugh out loud and cry every time I read it. I've read most of Irving's stuff and although I've enjoyed many of them pretty well, none have ever grabbed me like this one. Outlandish characters, but so believable and clearly drawn. Great book.
trevilu's review against another edition
2.0
The story started out great, but I really did not like how it ended, especially the two big secrets that get revealed at the end. The two secrets were just lame and awful, although Owen did warn us that we would be disappointed with the first secret. The story was redundant, and was told with the narrator going back and forth in time, several times within the same paragraph.
connie_rea's review against another edition
5.0
How does one review this book? Looking at near 250k ratings and over 10k reviews on Goodreads.com I reckon I don't have to. However, you all know I'm a glutton for punishment so I will say a few words...
With all the foreshadowing in the first 100 pages of the book you can pretty much figure out how it's to end...you might even think you know the whys. I mean it's all there...however, as in life, this book demonstrates that it's all in the details...and in perhaps what is never said as well...
This book made me laugh out loud in more than a few places. It's a wonderful telling about two boys growing up. How they help one another in ways that they are unable to even ask for. I found at times I was a bit irritated with the back and forth of the memories. The 1st person narrator would have a memory and then the novel would go back in time to expand on that memory. As the novel progressed and I became used to this, it really proved interesting. Especially since many of the memories were reminisced over a few times. Experiencing something vs looking back at a memory vs looking back at a memory after a traumatic event can all be very different experiences for the same person. "After the fact" we can all imagine how things might have been different if we had picked up on the clues we were given.
I should note that this is a novel full of wonderful secondary characters. Some of them truly do help make this an extraordinary read.
I admit, Owen really annoyed me during much of the novel...however, some part of me thinks that's part of the point.
I also leave myself wondering how different Johnny would be if Owen was still his best mate living down the street. Or if Owen hadn't thrown that ball...
Finally, I have to say that at times I might have wished greatly that this book would just move along faster. The slow pace was just as annoying as Owen was. Reading this book really was a test of my discipline. Some novels are just like that for me...My reward wasn't the ending....it was all the time spent with so many wonderful characters, getting to know them in a way that just wouldn't have been possible if the novel was written any other way...
With all the foreshadowing in the first 100 pages of the book you can pretty much figure out how it's to end...you might even think you know the whys. I mean it's all there...however, as in life, this book demonstrates that it's all in the details...and in perhaps what is never said as well...
This book made me laugh out loud in more than a few places. It's a wonderful telling about two boys growing up. How they help one another in ways that they are unable to even ask for. I found at times I was a bit irritated with the back and forth of the memories. The 1st person narrator would have a memory and then the novel would go back in time to expand on that memory. As the novel progressed and I became used to this, it really proved interesting. Especially since many of the memories were reminisced over a few times. Experiencing something vs looking back at a memory vs looking back at a memory after a traumatic event can all be very different experiences for the same person. "After the fact" we can all imagine how things might have been different if we had picked up on the clues we were given.
I should note that this is a novel full of wonderful secondary characters. Some of them truly do help make this an extraordinary read.
I admit, Owen really annoyed me during much of the novel...however, some part of me thinks that's part of the point.
I also leave myself wondering how different Johnny would be if Owen was still his best mate living down the street. Or if Owen hadn't thrown that ball...
Finally, I have to say that at times I might have wished greatly that this book would just move along faster. The slow pace was just as annoying as Owen was. Reading this book really was a test of my discipline. Some novels are just like that for me...My reward wasn't the ending....it was all the time spent with so many wonderful characters, getting to know them in a way that just wouldn't have been possible if the novel was written any other way...
psiloi's review against another edition
3.0
Weird book. Might try some more of his.
Might write proper review/comment when I really know what I think of it.
Might write proper review/comment when I really know what I think of it.
internetnomads's review against another edition
5.0
What seems to be a jumble of memoirs comes together like an intricate quilt. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to live inside Irving's mind, pinging around with all his crazy plots.