A Prayer for Owen Meany

By: John Irving

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Length: 27 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

Of all of John Irving's books, this is the one that lends itself best to audio. In print, Owen Meany's dialogue is set in capital letters; for this production, Irving himself selected Joe Barrett to deliver Meany's difficult voice as intended.

In the summer of 1953, two 11-year-old boys – best friends – are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary and terrifying.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of John Irving's book, you'll also get an exclusive Jim Atlas interview that begins when the audiobook ends.

Why we think it's a great listen: For 20 years, John Irving believed that his ambitious novel could never be adequately executed in audio – and then he met narrator Joe Barrett.... In the summer of 1953, two 11-year-old boys - best friends - are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument.

This production is part of our Audible Modern Vanguard line, a collection of important works from groundbreaking authors.

©1989 Garp Enterprises Ltd (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This moving book comes across like a concerto in this audio version, with a soloist—Owen's voice—rising from the background of an orchestral narration. This book, one of the finest of its time, gets the narration that it deserves." ( AudioFile)

“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 Meany is a rare creation in the somehow exhausted world of late twentieth-century fiction—it is an amazingly brave piece of work . . . so extraordinary, so original, and so enriching. . . . Readers will come to the end feeling sorry to leave [this] richly textured and carefully wrought world.” (Stephen King)

"Roomy, intelligent, exhilarating, and darkly comic...Dickensian in scope....Quite stunning and very ambitious." ( Los Angeles Times Book Review)

A Modern Classic with a Phenomenal Voice

Where does A Prayer for Owen Meany rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top five. And that's not just because the book by John Irving is a wonderful, spellbinding read. Joe Barrett is a narrator who is perfectly matched to the material.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The titular Owen Meany is at the novel's center, and provides an absolutely enchanting focus point for the narrative.

What does Joe Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I had some reservations going in about my tolerance for Owen Meany's "wrecked" voice. How would I manage to listen to it on and off for more than a day's worth of audiobook? Joe Barrett gives Owen a voice that is distinctive, vaguely unpleasant, and yet something I was still able to listen to. Barrett's Owen is now the Owen I hear in my head when I think of the book, and that's a major accomplishment.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A Prayer for Owen Meany might make you cry (it did me). It will definitely make you laugh. John Irving has a talent for the sort of elaborately set up farce I can't get enough of, and a production of the Nativity around the novel's midpoint provides seemingly endless material-- a funnier pageant than the one in Bless Me, Ultima, and that's saying something.

Any additional comments?

If you haven't read it before, read it now. And Barrett's sublime performance is worth getting the audiobook.

One of my my all time favorites.

#1 Aud Bks: T Help, T Darling, All D Sedaris A Prayer for O Meany All G Flynn Lang. of Bees Bel Canto 11/22/63 H2O fr Elephants Dog Stars Pi

The list above notes my favorite audio books, limited to 140 characters. I would like to add more, and also add a short list of what I did not like (particularly Ken Follett) so that fellow scanners of reviews would have a quick sense of whether to follow a particular reviewers myriad thoughts.

As for Owen Meany, I had read the book twice before I listened to it, which I have now done twice.
It swept me away. John Irving has his quirks, but the compassion in this book is quite moving. Most highly recommended.

Excellent narration and classic story

The narrator brings the"Voice" of Owen to life. A compelling story that my husband recommended as it was one of his favorites. John Irving doesn't disappoint.

Recommended without reservation.

A coming of age story on par with Huckleberry Finn. I laughed, I cried, and I fell in love with Owen Meany.

It gave me the shivers.

What did you love best about A Prayer for Owen Meany?

This book wasn't like any other I have listened to, or read. It took me a while to start getting into it but I am so glad I did. I was annoyed by Owen through most of the book, and I was curious becauseI did not know how the protagonist felt about him either! I wasn't sure about how I felt about the book through most of it, for that matter. All this talk about religion... I really wasn't sure about how everything was meant to come together. But it did indeed. This book is intriguing and the characters so distinct. John Irving is so clever, I just love it.

What about Joe Barrett’s performance did you like?

Outstanding performance.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Towards the end of the book, when everything starts to definitively come together. I cannot say any more without spoiling it.

This is a very funny book

What made the experience of listening to A Prayer for Owen Meany the most enjoyable?

The entire story, while lengthy is captivating.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Principle character Owen Meany

Have you listened to any of Joe Barrett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

None

Any additional comments?

I loved the book and I'll listen to another of the authors tomes to compare

A Prayer for Owen Meany

It's a very powerful story. I think that I would have missed some subtleties if I had not read the book first.

Not easy to start but stay with it! BRILLIANT

I found this epic tres formidable and after several false starts became glued, mainly because of Mr Barrett's consistent narration particularly with the voice he gave to Owen. It must have been a difficult decision to find and maintain this important ingredient. I did read somewhere that John Irving did not believe it could be narrated satisfactorily - well, he needn't have worried.

I replayed the final chapters over and over again and was an emotional mess by the end. How brilliant is Mr Irving to thread the lifelong lives of his characters through such a maze to this outstanding climax. All I can say is Bravo!

You will not be disappointed!!!!

If you could sum up A Prayer for Owen Meany in three words, what would they be?

Funny, Poignant, Awesome

Who was your favorite character and why?

Owen Meany was my favorite. The way John Irving fed us information about his character was well done. He never revealed too much but allowed us to learn about this individual.

Which character – as performed by Joe Barrett – was your favorite?

My favorite character had to be Owen Meany. The voice of Owen Meany was unique in many ways and exactly how I pictured Owen Meany talking.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were times I received strange looks from drivers in others cars when stopped at a traffic light. It had to look pretty strange from their perspective as I was laughing out loud at what I was hearing. Totally made me smile many, many times.

Great listen!

The narrator is fabulous. The characters are complex and endearing. Irving’s story-telling draws you in wonderfully. I laughed out loud and cried real tears. I loved it.