# A Prayer for Owen Meaney, and thanks the SDMB **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 26, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008 "2003-07-26T02:00:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/1 "2003-07-26T02:00:07Z")
This book gets so many recommendations on this board that I finally went and read it, and am I ever glad that I did. This book has instantly become one of my favorites. Therefore, I just wanted to give a big **Thank You** to everyone here who’s ever recommended reading this book. It was one of the funniest, well-written and most touching books I’ve read in a long long while. So…which of Irving’s books would you folks suggest I pick up next? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/2 "2003-07-26T02:11:32Z")
Given that _Owen Meany_ is far and away my favorite of Irving’s books, I’d probably just read that one again. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/3 "2003-07-26T02:11:55Z")
Glad you liked it. It’s one of my favorites as well. It’s the only book that I will recommend to friends and offer to buy the book back from them if they don’t like it. I haven’t bought one yet. Try _The World According to Garp_ next. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/4 "2003-07-26T02:16:19Z")
My other favorite is Cidar House Rules. ---
**Author:** ![Skillet38](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Skillet38](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skillet38)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/5 "2003-07-26T02:20:50Z")
If you loved APFOM, you’ll love… The Hotel New Hampshire, as long as you are just like me, that is er … ---
**Author:** ![Bandanaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@Bandanaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bandanaman)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/6 "2003-07-26T02:22:40Z")
OWEN MEANY IS A GREAT READ. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/7 "2003-07-26T03:44:56Z")
I am halfway through _Owen Meany_ right now and I totally agree. I’m already recommending it to my friends and family. But they can’t borrow mine just yet! ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/8 "2003-07-26T04:27:52Z")
Hotel New Hampshire, Cider House Rules, World According to Garp…heck, I’ll just read’em all. That solves that little predicament. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/9 "2003-07-26T04:53:28Z")
My first Irving novel was _The Water Method Man._ It’s not well-known these days, but it’s still my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/10 "2003-07-26T05:57:25Z")
Garp is imo his greatest novel; it’s also a good movie (for which John Lithgow should have won an Oscar). Cider House Rules is also good and has only passing relation to the movie; the movie covers about two years and the book covers several decades. (Tom “Amadeus” Hulce created a stage version that covers the entire book but it runs 7 hours.) ---
**Author:** ![meyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@meyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meyer)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/11 "2003-07-26T06:08:56Z")
I liked ‘A Prayer for Owen Meany’ (also read after hearing about it on these boards) - but I LOVED ‘The Cider House Rules’. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/12 "2003-07-26T06:47:26Z")
_A Prayer for Owen Meany_ always leaves me crying like a baby. I’d say _Garp_, then _Cider House Rules_ then _Hotel New Hampshire_. As far as the movies go, I don’t see how _Garp_ is a more faithful adaptation than _Cider House Rules_. I’m sure John Irving has no problems witht the _Cider House Rules_ adaptation. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/13 "2003-07-26T12:15:01Z")
Y’all that liked the book should track down a Jimmy Eat World song called _Goodbye Sky Harbor_. It’s interesting to listen to in the context of the book (as it is, quite obviously, based on the it). ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/14 "2003-07-26T12:20:15Z")
_A Prayer for Owen Meany_ is in my “top 5 best novels I’ve ever read” list. It’s simply staggering. It awes me that a writer can be that damn talented. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/15 "2003-07-26T12:39:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff \* > \*\*Hotel New Hampshire, Cider House Rules, World According to Garp…heck, I’ll just read’em all. > > That solves that little predicament. \*\* That’s a good plan. I loved all these books. However, I’ll warn you, _Son Of The Circus_ is the one Irving novel I just couldn’t get into. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/16 "2003-07-26T12:45:30Z")
Some great short stories in _Trying to Save Piggy Sneed_ (hope I remembered the title right – I can’t put my hand to it right now). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/17 "2003-07-26T12:53:11Z")
Avoid, by all means necessary, _Simon Birch_. The ill-fated attempt to bring Owen to the big screen. It was so far off base (read: bad) that John Irving took his name off the project other than the credit, “Inspired by the novel…”. I’ve seen about five minutes of and I agree with his decision. I don’t think anyone would be able to make this movie the right way. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/18 "2003-07-26T13:41:18Z")
Eewwww, yeah, second that, and third and fourth. I saw the whole movie and still have a bad taste in my mouth. Horrid. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/19 "2003-07-26T15:54:13Z")
Don’t forget “A Widow for One Year.” Excellent Irving. Ditto on the recommendation to avoid “Son of the Circus.” I wouldn’t bother with “The Fourth Hand,” either. I couldn’t even get halfway through it. With those 2 exceptions, everything JI has done is fantastic. It’s also interesting to read his books in the order he wrote them, to see his writing style emerge, and to notice the reoccurrence of certain themes. What was it with JI and bears, anyway? It took quite a while before he wrote a bear-less novel. I liked them all, though. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-prayer-for-owen-meaney-and-thanks-the-sdmb/191008/20 "2003-07-26T16:38:52Z")
MLS, you liked _Widow_? Seemed like Irving was in a rut on that one. Struggling writer, former wrestler, has a fancy for older women, New England, blah, blah, blah… But as mentioned above, _Hotel, Cider House Rules and Garp_ are excellent.