• A Prayer for Owen Meany

  • By: John Irving
  • Narrated by: Joe Barrett
  • Length: 27 hrs and 19 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (10,664 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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excellent narration!

I really enjoyed this book and loved the way the way it was told - was really engaging.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Long but worth it

Owen's voice is a real treat for this book, you will enjoy the characters and really get to know them.

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A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving

I had trouble at first getting into it. But once I did it was pleased with the storyline.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I <3 Owen

Like every character in this novel, I too am in live with Owen Meany.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Slow start but stick with it!

The first half of the book I felt like I kept waiting for something to happen; outside of the death of his beloved mother, there was little to keep my attention. However I’m happy I stayed with it; the payoff was well worth it! All the little details, seemingly benign or silly at first, came together in the final few chapters to leave me with a deeply satisfying story rich with larger meaning.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

My favourite novel and now my favourite audio book. I will listen to this one at least as many times as I have read the book.

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Amazing Book

Incredible book, riveting characters and story, extremely well performed, I didn't want it to end.

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A truly wonderful story

Little Owen Meany, with all his quirks and aberrations, captured my heart and I hated to see him go. John Irving is a master storyteller and it is best if one simply straps in and enjoys the ride on the bus with all the human characters that form a great story.

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It all comes together in the end.

This is a long meandering story that at times, seems to have a great deal of detail about unimportant events. but it all ties to greater in the end. The voice of one of the characters was difficult to capture. One of the problems I had is that the voice did not change as the character aged. But it was still a commendable effort by Joe Barrett. I am glad I took the time to listen to this.

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owen .

and amazing roller coaster of emotions. I laughed one min at his story telling , but then crashed as the horror of the war. read this story and be open minded... it's a great ride through the history of the second greatest generation

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