- Paperback: 244 pages
- Publisher: Sceptre; 1st edition (7 May 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340693096
- ISBN-13: 978-0340693087
- ASIN: 0340693088
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 731,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Sunday Times
‘This impressive debut is lit with a real spark of the Irish comic grotesque'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Irish Times
‘Mightily impressive'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A small Irish town called Killeeny, with little or no life in it is home to Patrick Scully. He has a girlfriend, Francesca, who appears disinterested in him and a best friend, "Balls" O'Reilly, who is the personification of everything Patrick strives to be: confident, charismatic and a natural leader. O'Hanlon crafts a compelling and often hilarious journey through the agonies of adolescence, exploring self doubt and sexual awakening through the pubs and student discos of early Eighties Ireland. Patrick attempts to overcome his inadequacies and the growing sense that his life is crumbling to nothing, while witnessing the triumphs and success of a cruelly raucous peer group. A palpable sense of tension permeates his tentative attempts at conversation with girls, the boy finding himself socially outgunned by the charming O'Reilly, whose own confidence sends his friend further into self-introspection. The immediacy of O'Hanlon's prose brings to life this twilight world of sex, drugs and self loathing: you can almost smell the beer in the local night clubs and the aroma of perfume on these short skirted girls as they tease and torment. Conveying a growing mental frailty in the young man's train of thought the author builds sympathy for him while restoring a sense of balance from the divulged entries of Francesca's diary. Her comments on Patrick's increasingly erratic behaviour contain the secret at the heart of the story that finally tip her boyfriend over the edge. His final act is both shocking yet perversely understandable, exacerbated by the revelations from Francesca's written indiscretions that cruelly provoke him to a denouement that acts as a sting in what is a hugely enjoyable and ultimately tragic tale of thwarted hopes in a small town.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Fan's of Ardal's comedy may not find this book to their liking. In fact, it's difficult to believe sometimes that the dark humour and 'difficult' subject matter could be from the very mind of the same man who many know as the perma-bewildered priest Father Dougal Maguire. You'll enjoy this book best if you put the authors past works out of your mind. The different viewpoints of Patrick and his girlfriend Francesca are very cleverly done and the characters are carefully and skilfully drawn. I really did come to feel that I had known them by the end. This book is one of my favourites and I return to it time and time again. If you're looking for idealised Ireland in this book then you will not find it, but if you're looking for a story that will make you think and haunt you for a long time afterwards then you can't really do much better.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Coming from the same county as Ardal, I found it very easy to relate to the characters in this book. Believe it or not these people do actually exist. I found the plot a bit weak but the detailed and humourous situations make up for this fault.
A quick and easy read perfect for travelling with, it will brighten up your day and make your life seem less mental.
A quick and easy read perfect for travelling with, it will brighten up your day and make your life seem less mental.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
great read
I was lent this by a friend who had recommended it. I have to admit that as it is in two voices I skipped forward when first reading it to pick up the thread of the story as told... Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2008 by Lottie
A true Irish novel it may be, but also an accesible one
Not coming from Ireland, and having read the many reviews proclaiming it a "true Irish novel", I did wonder whether I'd be able to relate to the characters or whether every thing... Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2008 by helen
hilarious
an incredibly good debut novel. witty, moving, insightful and ultimately heart-breaking. the plot centres around the early 1980s and concerns a young scally and his feckless... Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2007 by Hambletta-Maud
Not sure
I was really looking forward to reading this book, and don't get me wrong, I did kind of enjoy it. It's always a challenge to carry on with a book where the main character is so... Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2005 by Miss V Brown
its a snore a thon
i made it my aim to get to the end of this book because it was hard going, not in its writing or words but its sheer non-eventness. Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2004 by R. Keightley
Very Unusual
Ok, so I amsitting here writing a review for this book. I have it next to me because I'm reading it at the moment. It wasn;t what i was expecting at all. Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2004 by "davids_odd_socks"
A nadir in modern Irish writing
The characters are cliches and the structure is hackneyed. The characters are all "Oirish", all have nicknames, and none of them has a past. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2003 by The Sword of Truth
Unmemorable
Irish comic O'Hanlon has written a largely unmemorable coming of age novel starring the entirely unsympathetic and creepy 18-year-old Patrick. Read more
Published on 27 Nov 2001 by A. Ross
An true Irish novel
Despite some of the terrible reviews this book has been given here it is actually an very impressive first novel. Read more
Published on 22 Oct 2001
what a load of rubbish!
... I was very disappointed with this rather half-hearted attempt at writing. The characters are weak and unimaginative and the plot is virtually non-existent. Read more
Published on 7 Sep 2001 by Abigail Pepperell
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