Literary
A Prayer for Owen Meany
A man looks back on growing up in a New Hampshire town with his best friend Owen, a tiny boy with a strange voice who believes he is an instrument of God. Their friendship is bound up with a freak accident.
Facts last checked 2026-10-16
- First published
- 1989
- Pace
- Medium
- Length
- Long
- Pages
- 720
- Format
- Standalone
Read this if you like big, comic and spiritual novels about friendship, faith and fate.
Skip this if you want a light read; it is long, digressive and has a lot to say about Vietnam and politics.
The feel
Content warnings
Quick answers about A Prayer for Owen Meany
- What is A Prayer for Owen Meany about?
- A man looks back on growing up in a New Hampshire town with his best friend Owen, a tiny boy with a strange voice who believes he is an instrument of God. Their friendship is bound up with a freak accident.
- Who should read A Prayer for Owen Meany?
- Read it if you like big, comic and spiritual novels about friendship, faith and fate. Skip it if you want a light read; it is long, digressive and has a lot to say about Vietnam and politics.
- How long and how fast is A Prayer for Owen Meany?
- It is a medium-paced, long read of about 720 pages, first published in 1989.
- Does A Prayer for Owen Meany have content warnings?
- Content we flag: Death, Child death, War, Grief.
- Can I borrow A Prayer for Owen Meany for free?
- Often, yes. Check Libby (OverDrive) to see whether your library lends A Prayer for Owen Meany; the borrow button above searches it for you.
- What should I read after A Prayer for Owen Meany?
- Readers who liked it often move on to The World According to Garp, The Book Thief, To Kill a Mockingbird.
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Where to get it
| Store | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Borrow free | ||
| Libby / OverDrive | Free with a library card | Borrow free with Libby from Libby / OverDrive |
| Print, new | ||
| Amazon | Check price | Buy new from Amazon |
| Ebook | ||
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| Audiobook | ||
| Audible | Check price | Buy audiobook from Audible |
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Because you might love it
If you loved A Prayer for Owen Meany
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The World According to Garp The author's earlier family saga, equally eccentric but more comic and wild.
-
The Book Thief
Another story about an unusual young friendship framed by fate and loss.
-
To Kill a Mockingbird
Another narrator reflecting on childhood in a small town and the one person who shaped his sense of right and wrong.
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