My Thoughts:
I SHOULD WRITE THIS REVIEW IN ALL CAPS. IF YOU’VE READ THE BOOK YOU’LL KNOW WHY. IF NOT, PLEASE GET YOURSELF TO THE NEAREST BOOKSTORE/LIBRARY AND GET YOURSELF A COPY.
Okay, enough of that. It’s annoying.
I think I read Owen Meany at just the right time for me. If I had read this in ’89, when it first came out, it wouldn’t have affected me as much as it did.
When Irving goes on about A Christmas Carol I got it. I’ve acted in the play and I recognized all of the lines. When The Great Gatsby was discussed I felt excited because I’ve recently re-read it. Johnny is a bit obsessed with politics and the news. Hey, me too! Etc., etc.
This quote pretty much sums up my life:
“Newspapers are a bad habit, the reading equivalent of junk food. What happens to me is that I seize upon an issue in the news—the issue is the moral/philosophical, political/intellectual equivalent of a cheeseburger with everything on it; but for the duration of my interest in it, all my other interests are consumed by it, and whatever appetites and capacities I may have had for detachment and reflection are suddenly subordinate to this cheeseburger in my life! I offer this as self-criticism; but what it means to be “political” is that you welcome these obsessions with cheeseburgers—at great cost to the rest of your life.”
I chuckled my way throughout the whole book. Owen is such a character. Is there anyone like him in the history of books? I think not. His views and shenanigans are priceless. There’s a scene involving the headmaster, a car, and a set of stairs that sent me over the hysterical edge. (Seriously. The BAHAHAHA kind of laughter that had my family wondering what was wrong with me.)
When I wasn’t laughing I was wiping away tears. There were so many moments when I felt choked up. This book is emotional and poignant. The end…oh sweet Jesus, the end!
The Relentless Reader 
Ha ha! This made me laugh 🙂 You must read every single book in the world, lol! Well, at least A Prayer for Owen Meany..that's non-negotiable!!
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I have never been drawn to this book, ever. But…maybe I should try?? (Seriously, it seems so unappealing but your all caps is also so appealing!)
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Oh yes! You really should! In my opinion anyway 🙂
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Guess I have to transfer this book from my bookshelf to my to be read bed-pile after reading your review.
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I guess you do! 😀 I think you'll like it!
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I'm so glad you liked it! I read this a couple years ago in Budapest. I ran out of books on a backpacking trip and found a little English language bookstore there and got a copy. I loved it so much and it always takes me back to that trip. The character of Owen, the intensity of the ending, so wonderful!
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Love that! Certain books are like scents or songs, they can take you back to a moment in time 🙂
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Love Love Love. And you are right, there is no character like Owen.
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I have a feeling I'll be re-reading this every couple of years 😀
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I keep putting this book off for one reason or another, but it does sound like it will be a good one when I am ready for it!
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I hope you're ready for it soon, it's just soooo darn good! 🙂
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Sounds Great!!
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It is, I promise!
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I love this book. I listened to it via audio, so I *really* got to know Owen's voice very well. The ending is just outstanding. My favorite Irving novel, by far.
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I keep hearing I need to read this! Looks like I need to get to it. But the poignant ending makes me hesitate!
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I've been curious about how it sounded on audio, lol. I hope it wasn't too annoying??
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It's so worth it Heather, I promise 🙂
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I've been waiting with anticipation for you to review this one! I haven't read it but it's on my Classics Club list, so maybe I'll bump it up a bit 🙂
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It was on my list as well. This book is ridiculously good, I think you'll love it!
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awww…I want to read this one. I saw the film years ago and I cried so much my throat hurt.
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The movie just looked horrible to me and my wife, who both love the book. From the reviews, it sounded like they changed a lot. BUT maybe some day.Agree with you, Jennifer, on the caps. Annoying, in hindsight. At the time I read it originally not so much, but since those CAPS ARE PRETTY DAMNED ANNOYING. Speaking of Blogger, on your blog, I would like an option to comment with my name and URL instead of having to use Google. It takes too long for others to find my blog that way since it's not a Blogger blog. Just something to think about adding.
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Please do read it! 😀 It's remarkable!!
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I would really REALLY like to have a different option for commenting but this is all Blogger has 😦 I can't have anonymous commenting because of the ridiculous amount of spam.
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This seems like such a great book! I've never read anything by the author, but I think I'll be ordering this one from my bookshop 🙂 It sounds like exactly what I need to read right now. Thanks!
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Oh my gosh, I could go on and on about Irving! I do hope you read this, it's fantastic!
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