A prayer for Owen meany

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Is it worth sticking with. I'm about a quarter of the way in and I'm struggling

Yupp, it lacks momentum. Read like a few pages a night and read other books too.

It doesn't have the usual ''arc'' of a plot but i"m glad I finished it.

I loved it. But I love all of John Irving's books, so I might not be a fair judge.

I want to love it and I like the characters. Just feels like it's going nowhere

Ditto.

I couldn't tell you. I got about a quarter of the way through and gave up. That was about 15 years ago.

I am almost finished and have not enjoyed it. I liked it up to a point and then all the objectification of Hester got to me and really made me think Irvine is a perv. I like Owen and am just fast forwarding to all the capitalised bits and reading his dialogue. I found references to Vietnam interesting too. Other than that I won’t read another Irvine again.

I found it slow at first but by the end it was one of my favourite books ever. Stick with it!

Fantastic ending. Perfect. Stick with it.

I really enjoyed it (another John Irving fan!). There were bits where my interest lulled a bit but still think it’s one of my favourite books.

My favourite book ever. By the end everything is explained. Even things I didn’t think needed explaining e.g. the reason for Owen Meanys voice. I love most of John Irving’s books. Such complex plots.

I can’t remember if I found it slow-going at first. I do know that I often cite it as one of my all-time favourite books. The end is extraordinary, actually spine-tingling. It played on my mind for a long time afterwards…and yet, as with most books, I can’t remember a lot of it now. I read most of John Irving’s books at that time.

Well I will give it a bit longer.

It’s wonderful. Possibly my favourite novel - close run thing with An American Wife.

I am going to force myself to finish it properly. I have about 150 pages that I didn’t read properly. I know what happens as gleaned it from my skim read but now so many ppl have supported it I think it deserves a proper send off. Am sure Owen has sent me a sign by sending this thread my way just at the exact moment I was waning!

Also one of my favourite books, and I don't always like Irving's work. Worth rereading too, as so much small detail that's easily overlooked in the early chapters has resonance layer on.

*resonance? I meant to type relevance, although resonance sort of works too!!

Has been about 30 years since I read it and can remember barely anything about it but I absolutely loved it and rated it as up there with my favourite books, if not the favourite. Bought it again recently so must get around to reading it again.

I had it on audible and absolutely loved it.

Owen Meany is definitely one to stick with. I have enjoyed quite a few of John Irving's earlier books. Hotel New Hampshire is well worth reading and I loved A Son Of The Circus.

Recently read Avenue Of Mysteries though and really disliked it. Laboured, repetitive, long winded and pointless.

I totally get why you're waning OP, I found it a slow burner but am so glad I stuck with it, it's been on my top 10 list ever since!

I skim-read all the religious stuff as I didn't find it relevant, but honestly by the time you've got to the end you'll be blown away! It is definitely worth finishing. Hope you enjoy it

Thanks everyone. Still plodding along. Just at the part where they are casting the nativity play

By coincidence I have just started this.

Will read on...

And I have finished it. Really wonderful read. Hard going in places but worth it

John Irving at his finest.
I haven't liked his latest as much.