Comments on Women of Mystery: FBF: A Prayer For Owen Meany

df Bag Lady, You certainly are not old!! Perhaps ...

2009-11-28T10:21:15.270-05:00

df Bag Lady,

You certainly are not old!! Perhaps you were just not that interested in Irving's work, or perhaps, like me, you are not retentive when it comes to authors and titles.

Terrie

Thanks for the review, dfTerrie! I know I have rea...

2009-11-28T09:31:34.585-05:00

Thanks for the review, dfTerrie! I know I have read some of John Irving's work, but none of the titles come to mind right now (does that mean I'm old? Or just wasn't impressed?).

Thanks for your thoughts, Richard and George. I h...

2009-11-27T17:20:13.054-05:00

Thanks for your thoughts, Richard and George.

I have to agree that some of Irivng's work could be shorter.

Terrie

A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY was made into a movie call...

2009-11-27T15:08:08.481-05:00

A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY was made into a movie called SIMON BIRCH. The book is better, but the movie is much shorter. My main quibble with most of John Irving's work is that the books would be better if they were a 100 pages shorter.

I have had mixed responses to Irving's novels. I l...

2009-11-27T14:24:04.999-05:00

I have had mixed responses to Irving's novels. I liked GARP well enough, CIDER HOUSE wasn't a favorite, and I liked SETTING FREE THE BEARS quite a lot. I've always believed with Irving, the reader's age, situation and state of mind have a lot to do with liking - or not - his books. Iguess maybe BEARS just struck a chord with me.

OWEN MEANY was one I started and didn't finish. Truth is, I was just bored. At about page 100 I found myself wondering why I was reading the book when there were so many more interesting ones on the shelf. So I put it aside and never got back to it. I think I may have donated it to the library a few years back.

Hi David, I recall enjoying New hampshire as well...

2009-11-27T14:13:37.006-05:00

Hi David,

I recall enjoying New hampshire as well. Didn't like Garp, tho'.

Hi Evan,

Glad to be of help.

Terrie

Nice review. I've forgotten John Irving altogether...

2009-11-27T13:13:51.004-05:00

Nice review. I've forgotten John Irving altogether. Thanks for the reminder.

I haven't read this one but I enjoyed The Hotel Ne...

2009-11-27T11:51:00.383-05:00

I haven't read this one but I enjoyed The Hotel New Hampshire.

Kathy, I had read that Irving always has his endi...

2009-11-27T11:08:20.171-05:00

Kathy,

I had read that Irving always has his ending in mind and works toward it. That's an interesting way to write. I tend to think I know the ending and sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't.

Laura,

I am not a huge Irving fan, but I think A Prayer is very representative of what he tries to achieve.

Terrie

I've never read this book, though I've liked much ...

2009-11-27T10:47:36.385-05:00

I've never read this book, though I've liked much of Irving's work. Maybe I will have to give it a shot.

Thanks for the background and review of A Prayer f...

2009-11-27T09:56:25.727-05:00

Thanks for the background and review of A Prayer for Owen Meany. John Irving was the keynote speaker at the AWP conference in NYC in Jan '08, and I was so impressed. He says he ALWAYS has the ending in mind when he starts writing. He practically writes the last sentence, and works towards it.
Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, Terrie!