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)

Bravo!!

This was a wonderful story and the reader made it even better!! Wish I could start it new again!!

Well worth the time

Would you consider the audio edition of A Prayer for Owen Meany to be better than the print version?

yes, the narration was amazing, and part of the central story is the sound of Owen Meany's voice, which the narrator portrayed beautifully.

What other book might you compare A Prayer for Owen Meany to and why?

Possibly The Goldfinch, I say this because the story IS the story, I wasn't racing to the end to find out what happened, I was completely engrossed in the characters and their lives,

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

I don't think so

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I am not a writer, but it would have to be something like "It's not always in our hands to decide the work we do with them" or something about "Faith and Prayer, Faith and Prayer..."

Long but great story.

I loved this story. If I were to offer any criticism, it would be that the story sometimes lagged due to great time & detail spent on politics, war, etc. But it was nevertheless worth it to see this story through to the end.

Fantastic narration!
Memorable moment: The Volkswagen Incident.

favorite book of all time

I've read this book several times, and I predicted that no narrator could do justice to Owen Meany's voice. I was proven wrong. I might listen to it again!

No struggle to finish just a struggle to start .

In the end, I really enjoyed this book, but it took til about half -way to become really involved with the characters to the point that I cared what happened to them. But when I reached that point, I found myself returning again and again to see where they were headed. John Irving is, of course, a very skillful author but was surprised at how his skillful use of foreshadowing keeps the reader engaged without revealing the plot twists too soon. I especially enjoyed the social, religious and political commentary. I NEVER read an abridged version of a book , but found myself wondering several times if this book should have been an exception.

One of the best books I have ever read or heard.

If you want a book that is engrossing, poignant, and funny with surprises you never saw coming, this is the book. When it was over, I wanted to immediately read it again. The narrator was incredible.

Amazing!

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

The voices. You've gotta hear Owen Meany's voice!! It makes the whole listening experience that much better. A well performed story!

A Very Different Book

The story is interesting, but at time it meanders and, thus, it frustrated me as a reader. The discussion with the author after the book concludes helps to explain the underlying themes. This is a different style of read.

Outstanding performance of the greatest book ever.

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

I would rank this as tied for my favourite audio fiction with Deliverance,

What other book might you compare A Prayer for Owen Meany to and why?

The only books that I could compare this to are other John Irving masterpieces: The World According to Garp and Cider House Rules.

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

It's hard to chose a favourite. Owen and his weird voice, John the best friend or even the grandmother were all so believable.

By far the best audiobook I have listened to

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

The narrator really gets into all of the characters, and makes a fantastic story come to life. The grating voice of Owen Meany, the little old lady voice of John's grandmother, and all the others. Most other stories would have used different voice actors for the parts, but this way of doing it is remarkably effective.

What about Joe Barrett’s performance did you like?

He can seamlessly transition between the different characters in the story. Really amazing.

If you could rename A Prayer for Owen Meany, what would you call it?

"How I learned to hate the Vietnam war"