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John Irving box set: The Cider House Rules / A Widow for One Year / A Prayer for Owen Meany
A boxed set containing three beloved, New York Times bestselling novels by John The Cider House Rules , A Widow for One Year , and A Prayer for Owen Meany .
The Cider House Rules
Set in rural Maine in the first half of this century, it tells the story of Dr. Wilbur Larch--saint and obstetrician, founder and director of the orphanage in the town of St. Cloud's, ether addict and abortionist. It is also the story of Dr. Larch's favorite orphan, Homer Wells, who is never adopted.
A Widow for One Year
Richly comic, as well as deeply disturbing, A Widow for One Year is a multilayered love story of astonishing emotional force. Both ribald and erotic, it is also a brilliant novel about the passage of time and the relentlessness of grief.
A Prayer for Owen Meany
In the summer of 1953, two eleven-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.
The Cider House Rules
Set in rural Maine in the first half of this century, it tells the story of Dr. Wilbur Larch--saint and obstetrician, founder and director of the orphanage in the town of St. Cloud's, ether addict and abortionist. It is also the story of Dr. Larch's favorite orphan, Homer Wells, who is never adopted.
A Widow for One Year
Richly comic, as well as deeply disturbing, A Widow for One Year is a multilayered love story of astonishing emotional force. Both ribald and erotic, it is also a brilliant novel about the passage of time and the relentlessness of grief.
A Prayer for Owen Meany
In the summer of 1953, two eleven-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.
Paperback
Published October 29, 2002
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About the author
John Irving
159 books16.3k followersJOHN IRVING was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1942. His first novel, Setting Free the Bears, was published in 1968, when he was twenty-six. He competed as a wrestler for twenty years, and coached wrestling until he was forty-seven.
Mr. Irving has been nominated for a National Book Award three times—winning once, in 1980, for his novel The World According to Garp. He received an O. Henry Award in 1981 for his short story “Interior Space.” In 2000, Mr. Irving won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. In 2013, he won a Lambda Literary Award for his novel In One Person.
An international writer—his novels have been translated into more than thirty-five languages—John Irving lives in Toronto. His all-time best-selling novel, in every language, is A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Avenue of Mysteries is his fourteenth novel.
Mr. Irving has been nominated for a National Book Award three times—winning once, in 1980, for his novel The World According to Garp. He received an O. Henry Award in 1981 for his short story “Interior Space.” In 2000, Mr. Irving won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. In 2013, he won a Lambda Literary Award for his novel In One Person.
An international writer—his novels have been translated into more than thirty-five languages—John Irving lives in Toronto. His all-time best-selling novel, in every language, is A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Avenue of Mysteries is his fourteenth novel.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 14, 2025
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Good and often funny, but then I had read before
It is the second time that I meet Owen Meany.
This time, it is in the adapted dramatized for the BBC.
There’s a new formula that I am trying.
After reading the original, I try to listen to BBC productions.
There have also been a few plays offered by other theater companies, media companies and the L.A.Theater that I had the chance to listen to.
I understand that Owen Meany was based on Oskar from The Tin Drum.
And in a strange way, they seem to produce about the same mixed feelings, albeit they are different and operate on different meridians.
In some ways, I prefer Owen Meany, who can be much more fun, has more humor and is less obnoxious than Oskar.
Some of his ideas and actions are downright heroic.
He starts to write under the pseudonym VOICE, articles that criticize and eventually correct some wrong attitudes.
From the clothes that students have to wear, to the election of a new headmaster, then on to prudish attitudes towards the parties and rather innocent caressing and kissing that takes place there and other aspects.
Politics enters the frame.
And in a pleasant, humorous way.
As they watch a film with Ronald Reagan, the characters joke about him.
And then we hear that Ronald Reagan was supposed to be like the worst or dumbest president in history…
But that turned out to be wrong.
The author must refer to George Bush senior, as he is the only one to be elected before the book was published, after Reagan.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy benefits from a better treatment than Reagan.
In fact, there is a conflict in the plot, where Owen Meany is brought in front of the headmaster, because he was rude to a parent.
That mother said that John F Kennedy had intimate relations with Marylyn Monroe and many other women, while married and elected to the highest office.
Owen hated that and the manner in which this gossip- which turns out to be so true- was presented to him.
So he offered to have sex with that woman.
An analyst is presented in a funny way, with a German accent and asking stupid questions, even if the very idea of having to see a sort of doctor on account of making spelling mistakes is preposterous and properly criticized by the VOICE.
The war in Vietnam is in the news, taking place at the time of the action in the play and it is heavily condemned.
As I see it, a war against communist expansion must not be stigmatized ab intio.
In fact, if you ask me it had its merits, even if the results have obviously been disastrous, with a crushing defeat and a continuous reluctance to get involved in the world.
Then there is the armadillo…
In a very popular and appreciated story.
Good and often funny, but then I had read before
It is the second time that I meet Owen Meany.
This time, it is in the adapted dramatized for the BBC.
There’s a new formula that I am trying.
After reading the original, I try to listen to BBC productions.
There have also been a few plays offered by other theater companies, media companies and the L.A.Theater that I had the chance to listen to.
I understand that Owen Meany was based on Oskar from The Tin Drum.
And in a strange way, they seem to produce about the same mixed feelings, albeit they are different and operate on different meridians.
In some ways, I prefer Owen Meany, who can be much more fun, has more humor and is less obnoxious than Oskar.
Some of his ideas and actions are downright heroic.
He starts to write under the pseudonym VOICE, articles that criticize and eventually correct some wrong attitudes.
From the clothes that students have to wear, to the election of a new headmaster, then on to prudish attitudes towards the parties and rather innocent caressing and kissing that takes place there and other aspects.
Politics enters the frame.
And in a pleasant, humorous way.
As they watch a film with Ronald Reagan, the characters joke about him.
And then we hear that Ronald Reagan was supposed to be like the worst or dumbest president in history…
But that turned out to be wrong.
The author must refer to George Bush senior, as he is the only one to be elected before the book was published, after Reagan.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy benefits from a better treatment than Reagan.
In fact, there is a conflict in the plot, where Owen Meany is brought in front of the headmaster, because he was rude to a parent.
That mother said that John F Kennedy had intimate relations with Marylyn Monroe and many other women, while married and elected to the highest office.
Owen hated that and the manner in which this gossip- which turns out to be so true- was presented to him.
So he offered to have sex with that woman.
An analyst is presented in a funny way, with a German accent and asking stupid questions, even if the very idea of having to see a sort of doctor on account of making spelling mistakes is preposterous and properly criticized by the VOICE.
The war in Vietnam is in the news, taking place at the time of the action in the play and it is heavily condemned.
As I see it, a war against communist expansion must not be stigmatized ab intio.
In fact, if you ask me it had its merits, even if the results have obviously been disastrous, with a crushing defeat and a continuous reluctance to get involved in the world.
Then there is the armadillo…
In a very popular and appreciated story.
February 20, 2012
Not just stories...an experience. Each book spans decades. The characyers are wonderfully developed and the endings tie the entire meaning together. John Irving wrote far ahead of his time and these books are a must read. A Prayer for Owen Meany was my first, and I was blown away at the end. These books are definite must reads for book lovers.
September 23, 2020
I apologize for the short review. I am not a sophisticated reader. I enjoyed this book. It is not clear that I enjoyed it for the correct reasons. The story line and the subtleties are still being sorted. But it was an epic story line that kept one wondering to the end. It is the kind of story that you will continue to ponder for some time.
November 27, 2020
Wow!!!! Long book but work it! Great story!
May 20, 2014
"A Prayer for Owen Meany" is by far one of the most thought provoking pieces I have ever encountered. At times I scratched my head in confusion then found myself crying over the pain Johnny was feeling. The novel is controversial and profound. Just make sure someone you know is reading it along with you. During and after the novel, you will need someone to discuss it with!
March 12, 2012
I loved The Cider House Rules. A Prayer for Owen Meany is my fav. of all time. But I strongly disliked a Widow for One Year. I did not even finish it!
Read
July 6, 2012Read all of these. He's one of my favorite writers. Cider House Rules had an impact on me. Widow For a Year was sad in a quiet way.
Read
September 23, 2012beautifully written
March 11, 2013
Three of my favourite books; A Prayer for Owen Meany being #1. Always enjoy John Irving's novels and I know I won't be disappointed.
July 24, 2014
Great book!
October 16, 2014
Beautiful and rewarding reading. Enjoyed it till the last page.
Read
July 27, 2011Great John Irving book, Loved this one and enjoyed every page.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews