- Introduce
the concept of the story.
- Provide
a reaction/reflection based on what has surprised, delighted, and/or
disappointed you.
- Embed
a few quotes with analysis
- Make
predictions based on your inferences and analysis
- Incorporate
ideas from the recent reading workshop lessons
This novel is a struggle. I am in struggle city and I am the mayor. The book is about everything and nothing at the same time. The basics are listed below:
The relationship between childhood friends
A relationship with religion
Maturing
Familial Conflict
In a more specific way of describing it:
The narrator is reflecting on his younger life and his best friend Owen Meany. They grew up together and the narrator views Owen as holy, and as a godly figure. The struggles their relationship went through more trouble than most kid friendships. For example, Owen is partially responsible for the accidental tragedy of the narrator's mother.
Because the plot does not seem to be developed, I have no idea where the book is going. The novel is frustrating because I can recognize symbolism and yet I have no idea what it means. It is quite annoying.
I have chosen to take a break from the book. I'll come back to it (I hope) but for now I am going to move on to another novel which will hopefully be more enjoyable.
Struggle city sounds terrible! Some kind of combination between Detroit and conflicted parts of Jerusalem!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm a fan of John Irving, but I've only read Cider House Rules and The World According to Garp. Prayer for Owen Meany sounds really strange though, so I don't blame you for dropping it. Much as I enjoy Irving's writing, sometimes he gets a little over the top in his themes and makes them either too hidden or too obvious, so I understand the want to drop one of his books.
Hopefully your next books are more enjoyable!
~Max