• A Prayer for Owen Meany

  • By: John Irving
  • Narrated by: Joe Barrett
  • Length: 27 hrs and 19 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (10,646 ratings)

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A Prayer for Owen Meany  By  cover art

A Prayer for Owen Meany

By: John Irving
Narrated by: Joe Barrett
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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)

Editor's Pick

They said it couldn’t be done in audio. Wrong!
"I read A Prayer for Owen Meany when it published in 1989. For (almost) my entire career in audio, I couldn’t recommend a performance of the audiobook; other publishers thought the distinctive VOICE of Owen Meany to be impossible to render in our format. Joe Barrett proves them wrong. I highly (and at long last) recommend Joe Barrett’s narration of the humor and heartbreak in this epic coming-of-age story."
Christina H., Audible Editor

What listeners say about A Prayer for Owen Meany

Average customer ratings
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Unforgettable

The narration by the writer himself is perfect. The story itself is amazing. There is so many layers to this story that it is hard to imagine how Irving went about constructing it. The only critique ( although I would say it actully adds to the story ) is that it is a bit slow at times with a fair bit of melancholy. Cannot recommend highly enough.

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Great!!

One of the best!! Owen Meany comes to life in a book filed with meaning.

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Mesmerising story and narration

Loved it, a wonderful story and perfectly narrated, I couldn't stop listening. This was my first book by John Irving, will definitely buy more.

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Excellent

Excellent writing and reading . I enjoyed it so much. The book touches your heart.

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One of my favorites

Great book. Great performance. Don’t miss it. It is a book you will never forget.

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Unbelievably good.

You can read all the recaps…. This is how the book made me feel… joyful, sad, hopeful, thoughtful, insightful, tolerant, intolerant, what a ride. The characters were rich and deep. The writing itself was spectacular. I hope we can all find our own Owen Meany. Please excuse me, I need to go ugly cry right now.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Delightful and intriguing

This story held my attention from beginning to end. Watching, the character, Owen, grow up was fascinating. The underlying themes in the book remain relevant. A pleasure to read.

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Beautiful story, skillfully narrated

Incredible narration! What a powerful, meandering, and simultaneously potent story that is deftly executed. What a gem.

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One of the best books I’ve ever read/listened to!

Loved loved loved this book. It touched me very deeply. It was transformative like few books I have known. I can’t really say why, but I love books about friendship, maybe that’s why.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Great story great narrative

Excellent story telling interesting premise. Will hold your attention to the very end which —-spoiler alert—-might not turn out exactly like you thought it would 

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