A Prayer for Owen Meany

[Illhaveawhitewineplease]

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?

TSC - have you been to Quality Save? Soooo many bargains, I got loads or presents in there yesterday. A definite competitor for Wilkos (as per another thread).

Perhaps this is the wrong forum for such a discussion ;-). Back to Owen Meany...read about 6 pages last night. It's definitely a hard slog but I shall see it through. Might be finished by March.

One of my top 5 books ever Must read it again...

It's a very very good book. There may be an over-abundance of discussion on the virtues of Episcopaleans (sp?) vs other flavours of Christianity - but Irving is a genius at showing you how people work and making you care. He's also very funny at times :)

This thread has inspired me to reread it, one of my all time favourite books. I have enjoyed all the Irving books I've read but this one most.

So, I FINALLY finished Owen Meany and I have to say it did improve. The 2nd half was a vast improvement on the 1st. The pace picked up a bit and I managed to engage with the characters a bit more - particularly towards the end.

Overall, though, I have to say it was a bit of a disappointment and I don't think I will be revisiting John Irving. Based on that one book I just think he's not my bag.

I am now about 10 pages into The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Reubenfeld and I hope it delivers.

Thanks for all your input, ladies, and I hope to get more of your recommendations for some decent books.

I didn't like An Interpretation Of Murder but really enjoyed his next one.

Ten years on this is still my most favourite book I have ever read! Please keep going xxxx