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Roddy Doyle ListingsIf you cannot find what you want on this page, then please use our search feature to search all our listings. Click on Title to view full description
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Roddy Doyle Oh, Play That Thing (Last Roundup)
Penguin (Non-Classics) 014303605X / 9780143036050 PAPERBACK Fine
014303605X Editorial Reviews n nFrom Publishers Weekly nDoyle stumbles somewhat in this sequel to his excellent 1999 bestseller, A Star Called Henry. Beginning with Irish revolutionary Henry Smart's arrival in New York City in 1924, the story follows Henry's subsequent adventures in advertising, bootlegging, pornography, unlicensed dentistry and keeping ahead of the former associates who'd like to see him eat a lead sandwich. After encroaching too much on a mobster's turf--and getting lucky with another powerful fellow's kept lady--Henry hightails it to Chicago, where he becomes the unofficial manager of a young Louis Armstrong. Though serendipitously reunited with his beloved wife and the daughter he's never met while trying to rob her employer's house, Henry soon heads back to New York to help Louis make it big. While just as brash and lively as Doyle's earlier novels, this one isn't nearly as focused; the dialogue-heavy narrative is interspersed with shifts in setting, time and plot, and characters appear and disappear with little consequence, their spoken parts hasty, repetitive and often perplexing. Worse, Doyle takes Henry Smart's charm for granted; readers unfamiliar with his previous adventures may roll their eyes at his arrogance and incessant sexual encounters. There's just too much material; any of the novel's numerous strands could have been fleshed out into its own book. That said, the novel is still a lot of improbable fun. nCopyright ? Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. n nFrom Bookmarks Magazine nBooker Prize-winning Doyle (Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha) has taken a few missteps with his latest offering, the second in a projected trilogy. In previous books, Doyle explored the lives of down-and-out immigrants (like those of parents; see Rory & Ita, **1/2 Mar/Apr 2003). Here, he's attempted a historical epic of early to mid-twentieth century America. Sure, there's a lot to celebrate: Doyle's comedic look at Depression-era immigrants' chaos, hardships, and excitement, his "combo jazzed-up sassy poetry" style (Chicago Sun-Times). Cameos by musicians, actors, and filmmakers add to the fun. But odd pacing, lack of focus, and the extreme extravagance of both characters and plot create an overly chaotic-if wildly fun-romp through Henry's America. n nCopyright ? 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Price:
9.08 EUR
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Roddy Doyle Oh, Play That Thing (Volume 2 of The Last Roundup)
Viking Adult 0670033618 / 9780670033614 Hardcover Fair
0670033618 Editorial Reviews n nFrom Publishers Weekly nDoyle stumbles somewhat in this sequel to his excellent 1999 bestseller, A Star Called Henry. Beginning with Irish revolutionary Henry Smart's arrival in New York City in 1924, the story follows Henry's subsequ
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4.84 EUR
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Roddy Doyle Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha
Minerva 0749397357 / 9780749397357 PAPERBACK Good
0749397357 Amazon.co.uk Review nIn Roddy Doyle's Booker Prize-winning novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, an Irish lad named Paddy rampages through the streets of Barrytown with a pack of like-minded hooligans, playing cowboys and Indians, etching their names in wet concrete and setting fires. Roddy Doyle has captured the sensations and speech patterns of preadolescents with consummate skill, and managed to do so without resorting to sentimentality. Paddy Clarke and his friends are not bad boys; they're just a little bit restless. They're always taking sides, bullying each other and secretly wishing they didn't have to. All they want is for something--anything--to happen. n nThroughout the novel, Paddy teeters on the nervous verge of adolescence. In one scene, Paddy tries to make his little brother's hot water bottle explode, but gives up after stomping on it just one time: "I jumped on Sinbad's bottle. Nothing happened. I didn't do it again. Sometimes when nothing happened it was really getting ready to happen." Paddy Clarke senses that his world is about to change forever--and not necessarily for the better. When he realizes that his parents' marriage is falling apart, Paddy stays up all night listening, half-believing that his vigil will ward off further fighting. It doesn't work, but it is sweet and sad that he believes it might. Paddy's logic may be fuzzy, but his heart is in the right place. --Jill Marquis --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Book Description nWinner of the 1993 Booker Prize
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4.84 EUR
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