Tuesday, October 15, 2013

A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving

A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving

A Prayer For Owen Meany is one of those books my husband used to "decorate" our dining room.  I don't know why he might have chosen it, other than it was thick, more than 500 pages and has a picture of a dressmaker's dummy on the front cover.  I have to admit even I was intrigued by the dressmaker's dummy.  It had been on my mind that I needed to read my way through the dining room books. Owen Meany was the one that called to me. 

Owen Meany is a small, odd looking boy with an irritating voice.  His father owns the granite quarry in the small New Hampshire town of Gravesend.  His best friend, John Wheelwright narrates the story. The boys come from different backgrounds yet their lives become intertwined in the most unusual ways. John's mother, Tabby is the owner of the dressmaker's dummy.  She keeps it next to her bed,at least until she doesn't need it anymore.  Then it becomes Owen's.

I never like to reveal much about the plot and A Prayer For Owen Meany is no different. As a reader I like to be surprised as I turn each page.  The joy of the story is lost if I know what to expect.  This story has alot of laugh out loud moments and those that will bring a tear to your eye.  All you need to know in advance is be prepared to watch the lives of two young boys, one thought to be odd and the other his friend, mature and grow under the watchful eye of God. But don't think this story is preachy or falls under the genre of Christian fiction.  It doesn't.

I adore John Irving novels but I have to be in the right frame of mind to read them.  His stories require a substantial investment of time and thought.  The time seemed right for me to immerse myself in a story of substance.  And I found exactly that.  To anyone who ventures into this book, the reward is great.  The book is now back in its place in the dining room waiting to spark some interesting dinner conversation. A Prayer For Owen Meany is a story I will always remember. 

1 comment:

  1. Hey Jhon the prayer is very well written and contained some good hopes and points.Good work bro...
    Prayers For Deliverance

    ReplyDelete

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