"Owen Meany" is breaking our hearts again....
My wife and I are listening to a superb audio book (on CD) of Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany". We each read it years ago, and this is the third time in the past 10 or so years that we've listened to it.
This is the recording (read by Joe Barrett) - http://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Owen-Meany-John-Irving/dp/1423391659/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362282013&sr=8-1&keywords=a+prayer+for+owen+meany+audiobook
I am sure all who love this book have in their minds their own version of what Owen sounds like....Barrett nails it, or at least carries it off in amazing fashion. We forgot how much politics there was in this book; indeed, the comments on Reagan and Nixon and Vietnam and the government's desires to spy on those who disagree with the war all ring so true today in this post 911 environment.
....but it is the love in this book, the quirky characters, the amazing gift that Irving has for dialog and relationships and loss that just stand out more and more each time we listen to it.
You may be able to find it at your local library (we borrowed it from there, then eventually purchased it - it is that good).
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and its treatment of religion and politics is completely up to our own individual interpretations of them, and how they may or may not apply to each of our own aspirations and lives.
but there are many things I love in all of them. I actually love the Water Method man as well - some drop dead belly laugh parts in that one, as well as tears.
I think the only truly successful film adaptation has been Cider House - really well done, though no way it could fit in everything that comes through in the book.