I love it when I laugh out loud in one chapter and cry in the next. This was my first John Irving and I will definitely read another. 
 The characters in the book are fascinating and I could relate to many of them. Owen Meany is a unique character - God's instrument or manipulative child or just really strange guy? Or all of the above? Owen is both brilliant and exasperating. He could be a victim, but instead he learns to harness his power - his intelligence, his voice, his ability to move people to do what he wants them to do. Although he would probably drive me crazy at times - his ability to "know" what was going on was unnerving - he also had a sweet and caring side. 
 Owen is a brilliant, damaged kid who becomes, at least externally, a normal guy - has a girlfriend, has a career, interacts with people. Internally, his reasons for choosing his career and his path is life is determined by "a dream" and he downplays his intelligence. On the other hand, Johnny is the "normal" kid who becomes a damaged man. As a child, he is likable and not a great student. As an adult, he has few friends, is angry and bitter, is unsure about what to do and has a somewhat stunted life, but he learns to embrace his intelligence and love of learning/reading. 
 That Owen and Johnny are friends is lovely. They really stick up for each other and are each other's best friends. The other characters in the book are well-drawn and nuanced. They have good qualities and bad. They seem like people I grew up with - neighbors, family, people I'd see in church. So many details that were interesting enough to be real - a little quirky but life has quirky elements. 
 The story is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny and other times, heartbreaking. It was a story that sometimes require suspension of disbelief ... or maybe just an extra dose of faith. I wanted to believe in something magical or something spiritual - and I was convinced to go along for the ride. 
 I give the book a 4.5/5. It almost gets a 5/5 but there are a few odd pieces (such as explaining Owen's parents) that took me out of the story a bit.