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The Talk of the Town
 
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The Talk of the Town (Hardcover)
by Ardal O'Hanlon (Author)
3.2 out of 5 stars 22 customer reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Product details
Product Description
Sunday Times
‘This impressive debut is lit with a real spark of the Irish comic grotesque'

Irish Times
‘Mightily impressive'

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Customer Reviews
22 Reviews
5 star: 27%  (6)
4 star: 18%  (4)
3 star: 22%  (5)
2 star: 13%  (3)
1 star: 18%  (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The toast of the town - what a corker!, 6 Dec 2001
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.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Very True, 26 Aug 2003
By A Customer
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.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An true Irish novel, 22 Oct 2001
By A Customer
Despite some of the terrible reviews this book has been given here it is actually an very impressive first novel. It does not fall in to the frank o'connor good oold clichéd ireland catagory which might put of some readers as they cannont relate to some of the situations.
The start of a novel paints a very accurate picture of rural Irish life while the remainder deals with alienation and the depression and anger it causes. The author has managed to combine both light and dark comedy in this novel and the representation of some characters immediately have resonace with the reader. It is a novel which will pass some readers by but to others it will remain one of the best novels they will ever read
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 		 Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 3 months ago by Lottie

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 4 months ago by helen

5.0 out of 5 stars hilarious
i thought this book was very well written, with a great plot that spans over a single weekend visit home, well observed characters and hiliarious dialogue. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Hambletta-Maud

3.0 out of 5 stars 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 29 Oct 2005 by vikki13lou

1.0 out of 5 stars 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 29 Feb 2004 by R. Keightley

4.0 out of 5 stars 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

1.0 out of 5 stars 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

2.0 out of 5 stars 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 28 Nov 2001 by A. Ross

1.0 out of 5 stars 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 8 Sep 2001 by misspepper

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad at All
A humourous overview of life in an overly homogenous Irish town. Although it shouldn't be taken too seriously and lacks a little in plot the characters and style make this an... Read more
Published on 22 May 2001 by the_duck@weedmail.com

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