A Prayer for Owen Meany

[Demented]

I was so looking forward to reading this book after the good write up it had on Mumsnet. I have got to about page 420 (630 ish pages in the book), I am so close but I don't know if I can take any more. Help!!!!!

I'm not saying the story isn't interesting, the characters are intriguing, I really do want to find out what happens to them all, the only thing is nothing terribly interesting seems to have happened in the book for ages and when something interesting does happen you get so little then it goes back to hum-drum again.

I know there are a few on MN who love Owen Meany, so please, without spoiling the plot encourage me to finish. Tell me I'm about to get to the bit where I can't put the book down!

Come on! WHERE ARE ALL THE OWEN MEANY FANS?

weird all the comments are back again!!!

Moomin - so what were your feelings at the very end?

You will enjoy it even more second time around as you can;t help but look for clues!
A very clever book in my opinion!!

I knew the ending would be tragic, given that you're more or less told as you go along that Owen is dead; you just don't know HOW it happenes and how everything fits into the finale. I did feel that the ending (the death) was a contrived and I get the feeling Irving thought of this as an initial idea and then kind of worked backwards, building up the characters of John and Owen and also the subplots about Johnny's mum/Dad, etc. This isn't a criticism, as such, because I admire the way it's been done so expertly and in such a detailed way. I agree with other comments from reviews on Amazon, that you feel that you KNOW Owen and Johnny, and that the end of the book is sad for the reader in that it makrs the end of a 'relationship' with the characters. That's the mark of a bloody good book, IMHO!
DH wants to re-read it again now (it's been 5 yrs since he last read it) and I've promised myself that I'll revisit it before the end of the year, so I can regard it with seasoned eyes!