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)

More than worth a credit!

I listened to this book because it was being read for a faculty book club. This was my first John Irving book and I found myself captivated - stopping occasionally to text someone else who had read the book to share I thought or question I had.

The narration is wonderful. I was worried at first that Owen's voice would become tiresome, but it doesn't.

This is one of those books that I'll seek out a hardcover copy of for my personal collection.

Really on the fence with this one…

If you're a John Irving fan, you might want to tackle this. Extremely drawn out with long essays of information (detailed reading of prayers, dates & names of battles in the VN War, along w/ other political minutia) that could have been presented in a much more truncated form. We would still have gotten the point.

The expected quirky characters Irving so capably brings to life are the good part. (Although the books narrator, & Owens best friend, is bland and forgettable.) There were times while listening that I just wanted the book to be over, but because I became so intrigued with Owen Meany, I was compelled to finish it.

That being said, this is a poignant story that will undoubtedly stick with me for a while.

a story told as a memory

A Prayer for Owen Meany is told like a memory. Out of sequence and not all at once. Memory as fragment intermixed with correlated memories and current observations. Like harmonics. Like arpeggios. It is a story about faith from the point of view of someone without faith. The layer upon layer of odd specificity of actions and characteristics can be somewhat irksome. It's like when reading Atlas Shrugged and each retelling of story doesn't actually add anything, but underlines it again and again. We see the predestination and the all the glaring oddity. It is obvious that these are not just character traits but cogs in a specific machine. A Rube Goldberg contraption which will damage each character in a specific way. Leave familiar scars. But it is our memory so it is perhaps obvious that we would remember the man he would be and underline again and again the harmonics. The omens. I don't know exactly how I feel about this book. I love when a story is told in pieces and I can assemble them and solve the story. But there was nothing to solve here. There are specifics that elude us until the end, but the clues are remembered over and over and underlined again and again. The outcome was never in doubt. We know the end before we ever remember the beginning. I don't think John ever finds faith, but it is obvious he still tries. John is an incomplete man. He was essentially created by Owen and left incomplete. That yearning plagues the reading. It is a little too long, too many memories, then ends all at once. I imagine that is how John feels.

Offbeat Gem

Worth every minute of the time I spent listening to it. It isn't likely that I would have picked it up and read it, but since Joe Barrett was narrating and the description and many of the reviews piqued my interest. I decided to get the Audible version. Made a great choice, this time. Maybe it helped that I am a native of small town New England, myself or that the
two main protagonists are within a year or two of being my age. Also the "major"
events that affected them, affected me, as well. The novel was a sort of personal homecoming. But, besides those elements, Irving seems to be a very good writer who
knows how to keep a reader involved in his work for hours and hours. Nor does
he ever disappoint with sloppy transitions, simpleton characters or artificial plot
contrivances. Not that some of his ideas don't stretch things more than a bit. But he
always manages to pull these bits off very nicely. How he tells the reader what happens
at the end before the book is halfway through and still manages to keep one in total
suspense is absolutely masterly. And Joe Barret is one of, if not the best American narrator I've ever heard. (Try "Streets of Loredo" by Larry McMurtry for another great
Joe Barrett narration.)
This novel will not be universally appreciated, I believe. But I thought it was
excellent.

Yes, listen to this book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

A Prayer For Owen Meany is both one of my favorite books, and one of my favorite audio books. It's the kind of book that reminds me why I read fiction, why I love stories. I think it's Irving's best book. Hilarious, sad, and very human. If you love good stories, you'll love this one. Barrett is an excellent narrator, and (as I believe) a quality book in the hands of a quality narrator becomes even better.

Superb, but..

I watched The Cider House Rules 1999 film but did read the book. Having watched the movie, I didn't feel especially inclined to read the book since I already knew the story and thought I had extracted all the takeaways from it. As someone who is anti-abortion in almost every case, I was not offended by the abortion in the book, given the story's circumstances, a story which I felt was trustworthy and moving. I did not like it enough to seek more from the Author, so you may wonder how I stumbled on a Prayer for Owen Meany? Well, I was reading through a list of recommended books for my Meyers-Brigg personality type (INFJ) and this book, with an Armadillo on the cover, jumped out at me. Yep, I am a sucker for Armadillos. I tracked the book down on Audible and, to my dismay, found it had a less exciting cover with a mustached man (who perhaps intentionally bears a remarkable resemblance to the Author). Anyway, I purchased it because it had excellent reviews and previous experience with the Author's work. I craved something deep and meaningful, something thought-provoking, something different from the tiring political books I was consuming. I was not disappointed.
Thankfully, this book started very well, the opening was engaging, and I was quickly content with listening to the story. The narrator Joe Barrett deserves so much credit; he is possibly the best narrator I have ever heard on Audible. His performance of the beautiful character, Owen Meany, made for a great listening experience. I quickly found myself lost in the story and the characters. The narrator is a dull character compared to Owen Meany, who steals the show and is the most interesting and likable person in the novel.

Another obnoxious thing about the narrator (this is the but) is his petulant moaning about Ronald Reagan, his intense Anti-Americanism, and his stupid obsession with newspapers informing him about America. Even though he lives in Canada as an expatriate, he does not understand Canada and never really fits in. He is will always be an American, and that is what bothers him. Otherwise, Wheelwright's politics served no real purpose to the story, other than to take up paper and perhaps vent some of the Author's views. I don't like to see political pontificating in fiction from any author on either side of political issues. Showing a character's perspective is one thing, but a different point of view should balance it out. Perhaps it is unavoidable for an author's views not to slip in, but I would prefer for it to be more subtle and less obnoxious and whiny than it was here. For some reason, no seems bothered when the politics take pro-abortion stances or when the Author spends half a book complaining about Ronald Reagan. Of course, authors who take different points of view are lampooned and called all kinds of names. I had to mention that on behalf of those of us who reached different conclusions about America, Vietnam, and probably everything else. I was more amused by the narrator than offended by him. I was not offended by the Cider House Rules, and I am not offended now by Johnny Wheelwright's hatred of America. And I am not letting my annoyance with the Author's politics soil my view of his undeniable ability and excellent story. However, I still maintain that writers should remain neutral and let readers come to their conclusions by themselves. This view may be romantic and not practical, but I shall cling to the idea a little longer. As for the overall story and Owen Meany, nothing I write here can do it justice. I finished the audiobook in four days, and what an experience it was. I highly recommend it.

Best book ever written

This book was the best book I've listened to so far. This book made me think, laugh and cry. The funeral scene was written so well I felt all the emotions as if I was actually participating In the event. I actually cried as if Owen was a close personal friend of mine.
I will keep this book in my mind and heart for a lifetime and will definitely listen to it again.
In my opinion John Irving is the best author I have ever read.
His attention to detail is spot on.
Don't miss out on this novel.

Languid

Any additional comments?

Listening to this book is like taking a leisurely boat trip down a beautiful stream. You never want it to end so you don't pick up the oars. Some may think it is too slow, but who cares how long it takes when it is so gorgeous.

Narrator brings a masterpiece to life

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

Powerful, redemptive, darkly funny

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Prayer for Owen Meany?

Owen's dual performances as The Prince of Peace and The Ghost of Christmas Future stand out as one of the most ingenious, hilarious, memorable,and celebratory literary experiences I have ever had. The narrator is masterful at conveying all of Irving's dark irony.

Any additional comments?

This book is an example of one of Audible's main benefits for me: allowing or "forcing" me to read fine, powerful books that, for one reason or the other, I never got around to reading. (Other examples include "The Poisonwood Bible" and "The Kiterunner.") It was obvious from the opening paragraphs that I was going to enjoy this reading of an American masterpiece.

Beware of books that start making you laugh aloud

This book will take you from laughter, worry, laughter, crying, gasping and laughter. The performance was fantastic and the voice for Owen Meany is priceless. The story is wonderfully written and, despite the heavy subject, it's told with a certain lightness that keeps it from being overbearing. This is a book to listen to, even if you've read it before, because the narration is so good. This one goes on my list of favorites worth multiple reads.