so extraordinary, so original, and so enriching. A Prayer for Owen Meany is a rare creation in the somehow exhausted world of late twentieth-century fiction-it is an amazingly brave piece of work. Readers will come to the end feeling sorry to leave richly textured and carefully wrought world." -Stephen King, "John Irving, who writes novels in the unglamorous but effective way Babe Ruth used to hit home runs, deserves a medal not only for writing this book but for the way he has written it. Readers will come to the end feeling sorry to leave richly textured and carefully wrought world." -Stephen King From the Hardcover edition., "John Irving, who writes novels in the unglamorous but effective way Babe Ruth used to hit home runs, deserves a medal not only for writing this book but for the way he has written it.A Prayer for Owen Meanyis a rare creation in the somehow exhausted world of late twentieth-century fiction-it is an amazingly brave piece of work. So I guess rather than saying that I rated the book highly because it's a Christian novel (and I think it is, though it is also other things), I'd say it was because the grey areas the novel examines are the kinds of grey areas that I myself resonate with and like to ponder."John Irving, who writes novels in the unglamorous but effective way Babe Ruth used to hit home runs, deserves a medal not only for writing this book but for the way he has written it.
I liked that at the end of the novel John is imperfect but continues to believe that he will be better one day, which struck me as a contrast to the hopelessness I see in much contemporary fiction. My 5 star rating was based on the quality of the writing, the pleasure of reading Irving's descriptions of an American East Coast culture (parts of it reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird in a northern setting), his vivid characters, the intriguing pacing of the story, and (especially) the author's honest wrestling with issues of faith in a bleak, troubling world. There are probably too many variables to be able to say "Christians like this book more than non-Christians." Some of his ideas wouldn't sit well with a Conservative Evangelical American understanding of the faith. However, I also think that Irving's presentation of Christian faith is somewhat unorthodox, and might just as easily offend a Christian reader. It's possible that a Christian (or other religiously devout person) would be more likely than an atheist to regard the book highly. It's possible that a Christian (or other religiously devout person) would be more likely than an atheist to …more I rated it 5 stars, and I am a Christian. Coulter I rated it 5 stars, and I am a Christian.
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