- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Press (3 Feb 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0593045165
- ISBN-13: 978-0593045169
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 13.5 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 413,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
The Times
‘Goodwin writes consistently scintillating prose. The pages are peppered with sly references to Freud, Milton, the Bible, Irvine Welsh and Tarantino’
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Focusing on Danny, a 19 year-old junkie and thief, this debut novel explores the hellish drug- and crime-infested underworld of contemporary urban life.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a very assured and well-crafted first novel, especially impressive in that it is told by a 19-year-old heroin addict and was written by a mother of two. Here's the thing though, any book written about junkies and set in the modern UK is going to have to live in the very long shadow of Trainspotting. Which is not to say that this and Welsh's debut are the same, 'cause they're not—but they certainly have a fair amount in common. Both are about a group of junkies and their mates, both have detailed scenes of shooting up, withdrawal, and drug induced bliss, both contain serious black comedy, both feature a selfish antihero protagonist, both have a distinct use of slang and dialect, and both have the junkie friends leaving their familiar northern hometowns for London. All of which is by of explanation as to why I enjoyed the book, but couldn't read ten pages without Trainspotting coming into my head.
Anyway, the central character is Danny Mac, who is on top of the world—at least the small world of Doncaster. He's got mates (quiet, loyal Dekka and handsome, flashy Chico), birds (a few), and drugs to keep him happy. And anytime he needs cash, it's a quick trip to the posh part of town to burgle a home. When he and his friends are suddenly sought after by Doncaster's local psycho thugs, they decide to split and head down to London. Along the way they stop in Nottingham and get into various adventures and make a new friend before winding up in the Smoke. It's kind of a road trip morality tale, with a rather odd dose of Catholic magical realism mixed in that I couldn't ever quite buy into. Naturally there's a lot about guilt, and a whole lot about redemption and responsibility. In tackling all these themes, the book gets a bit overly sentimental at times, although it is quite touching and moving by the end. It's a very short book, and Goodwin might have spent some extra time to flesh out all the supporting cast, none of whom were more than the briefest of sketches...
Format:Paperback
...this is getting lumped in with all the other books in the current Trainspotting backlash. Sure, the story involves a young addict but so do Junkie by William S Burroughs and Fear and Loathing... by Hunter S Thompson and no one called Trainspotting a rip-off of them. The only connection between "Danny Boy" and Welsh's work is the drugs. Goodwin's book is told from a totally different perspective. Danny Mac is a good guy who is going through his "wild" phase. He isn't a killer; he's just [ ] self-centered... Everything he does is for his pleasure. He doesn't consider the ramifications of his actions until it is too late. He is taught some lessons and comes out a better person. "Danny Boy" is, in a way, a morality play. The book addresses his inconsiderate behavior by taking away the things he treats poorly. Once the things are gone, he realizes he had taken advantage. One moral problem with the book is that his egotistical bent is never addressed. Everything in the book happens for his benefit. He is the center of the universe and if something happens, it is to teach Danny a lesson. I enjoyed all the Catholic references in the story and the scene where he goes into the church through the sacristy is great. The ending reminded me of the Kevin Smith movie "Dogma" but was also fitting and original. I hope Goodwin wins the whitbread, but I have a feeling Zadie has a lock on that as well as the Booker.
Format:Paperback
I was given this book by a friend, and wasn't too sure that it would be quite right for me - perhaps it would be too similar to the rush of 'Trainspotting' wannabees. I couldn't have been more wrong! Despite the druggie context, 'Danny Boy' is one of the most truly original and ground-breaking works of fiction I have read in a long time. And when you consider this is Jo-Ann Goodwin's first novel, you realise what a stunning achievement it is. This is a novel that is entirely compelling - you are immediately drawn into the world of Danny and his rag-bag group of friends and associates. And dislike him as you may (he's a classic anti-hero), I challenge you not to care about what happens to him! Despite its dark themes - of junkies, murder, crime and guilt - this is ultimately a book about redemption and hope, imbued with a sharp wit and pacy narrative, that stays with you a long time after you've read the last page.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Danny Boy - Jo-Ann Goodwin
This book did not convince me at all. All of the details such as the character names reeked of an author trying too hard. Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2005 by "carolonion"
Danny Boy - Jo-Ann Goodwin
This book did not convince me at all. All of the details such as the character names reeked of an author trying too hard. Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2005 by "carolonion"
Best book I've read for years
Read it twice, passed it on half a dozen times (apologies for potential lost sales). Particularly liked the way it mixed the real and the allegorical. Gritty but uplifting.
Published on 18 Dec 2001
compelling reading
read this book in two days. couldn't put it down, its so sad and extremely easy to read. you will love it.
Published on 1 May 2001
A trip to remember
What a fine novel this is. Favourable reviews for this debut book are certainly not over egging the pudding!
After the first chapter you will be hooked. Read more
Published on 4 April 2001
An intricate web of drugs, love and God.
Go out and but it now, or if not, borrow it from the library or a friend, or nick it off a stranger if you have to. This is truly the best book i have read in a very long time. Read more
Published on 26 Jan 2001 by amysleeper@yahoo.co.uk
Compelling. Danny's voice was so real.
I was amazed. This book is much more than I thought it would be. Sure, it has the drug-cult gloss. But it has lots more besides - it's a kind or road-movie with bits of magical... Read more
Published on 23 Dec 2000
Dark, hilarious and thrilling
I thought this book was brilliant; a tightly structured psychological thriller which unnerves with its portraits of the disenfranchised junkies of Doncaster and even more so with... Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2000 by Stewart Hennessey
In the shadow of "Trainspotting" ...
Even the book cover is reminiscent of the over-hyped "Trainspotting". Goodwin has a good story to tell and writes it well. Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2000
An amazing, startling new voice. Hip, witty, heartbreaking.
Jo-Anne Goodwin has delivered on of the finest firts novels I have read in years. Through Danny Mac's eyes we stumble into a street tough world both Magical and real. Read more
Published on 31 Aug 2000
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