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Original poster

A Prayer for Owen Meany

59 replies

Illhaveawhitewineplease · 17/11/2010 20:38

My first post on MN and thought I would start here rather than the scary AIBU...
So, based on rave reviews and a personal recommendation, I started reading the above. Am now on page 132 and have so far not been drawn in.

I am finding the lack of chronology quite trying i.e. his mother was alive, then she was killed, then she was alive again, then there were a load of statistics about the Vietnam War, then it was back to the aftermath of the mother's death.
Is it like this all the way through? Why should I persevere?

OP posts:
FairyArmadillo · 17/11/2010 21:43

Read this back in 2003 and loved it. Was my first experience of Irving. I couldn't get into his other stuff.

Rindercella · 17/11/2010 21:42

A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favourite books ever. It can be hard going at first, and Irving does get drawn into Vietnam stats, but despite this it is utterly, utterly brilliant.

I am finally, after a few years in baby madness book wilderness, ready to start reading again. I would love to re-read this before I read anything else.

bosch · 17/11/2010 21:38

Heard it dramatised/serialised on radio, meant to read it after but forgot, thanks for the reminder. I LOVED it on the radio.

lalalonglegs · 17/11/2010 21:37

Like prudence, it was a long time ago but I remember loving it (and reading several other Irving books after that one and not enjoying them less and less - got fed up with buxom women and German interludes).

silverfrog · 17/11/2010 21:25

it is utterly fabulous.

one of my most favourite books ever.

keep going a bit more, it really does get better

dearprudence · 17/11/2010 21:22

It's a long time since I read it. I remember it being odd in structure, but it's really an amazing book. It was one of those I kept thinking about for ages afterwards.

Persevere.

Beamur · 17/11/2010 21:21

Keep going a bit more...

iloveblue · 17/11/2010 21:21

I also found it hard to get into but it is worth it, i promise.

thesecondcoming · 17/11/2010 21:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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