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Proud Patrick
In the tradition of Angela's Ashes, PROUD PATRICK is an Irish-Catholic saga of the Chicago Sullivan clan told over forty years as they assemble in Dublin to celebrate the Golden Anniversary of Barnaby and Bridget Sullivan.
When two Prodigals not seen in twenty years arrive, an emotional earthquake rocks the family. Somehow comic routines take over.
The family rule? Sullivans never look back.
When two Prodigals not seen in twenty years arrive, an emotional earthquake rocks the family. Somehow comic routines take over.
The family rule? Sullivans never look back.
- GenresDramaLiterary Fiction
336 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2014
1 person is currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Michael Aloysius O'Reilly
7 books17 followersThe atmosphere is not a perfume, it has no taste of the distillation, it is odorless,
It is for my mouth forever, I am in love with it,
I will go to the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked,
I am mad for it to be in contact with me. –Walt Whitman
It is for my mouth forever, I am in love with it,
I will go to the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked,
I am mad for it to be in contact with me. –Walt Whitman
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 28, 2015
After reading Proud Patrick, I took it into my head to visit Michael O’Reilly’s profile on Goodreads, where I learned that he counts among his main influences, not only writers such as Forster, Hardy, Joyce, Melville and Shakespeare, but also filmmakers such as Bergman, Cassavetes, Kubrick, Kurosawa and Lean. I found this list of luminaries to be intriguing, as I also think of my own writing in terms of film style – not a conscious and deliberate emulation of particular shots and scenes, but the grammar of film and the kinds of dramatic tension that great filmmakers know how to construct (see my post here).
The filmic qualities of Proud Patrick are much in evidence. It commences in medias res with a systematic beating of young Patrick Sullivan and his many sisters and brothers by their mother, known as MomsaBomb. The scene is distressing, particularly when we learn that each child has developed a set of tactics for escaping a comprehensive wacking with mother’s aluminium egg flipper: Rosemary runs and Jenny screams (no matter who is struck), while Patrick smiles beatifically and his brother Dougie plays dead. Only the two infants, Kevin and Larry, escape torture, as they are believed to be too young to have broken into the piggy bank and stolen MomsaBomb’s rainy day cash. The very fact that the children have tactics adds to the horror, as their defence mechanisms are clearly the bitter fruit of long and painful experience. Thus are we plunged into the heart of the Sullivan family’s dystopia, which also includes a drunken and brutal father.
The trouble with troubled families is that they transmit conflicting signals: nightmare is interspersed with love and affection, for which their victims are pathetically grateful. It is no wonder that children cannot make proper sense of their experience, and become adults with problems of their own. Patrick becomes one such adult. Sometimes bitter and rebellious, at other times indifferent, he seems unable to establish lasting relationships with the women he loves. Even his success as a salesperson for superior Californian wines seems rooted in a need to subdue his troubled past.
Michael O’Reilly imbues Patrick with anger and vulnerability, self-knowledge and self-doubt, so that he is wonderfully alive and always interesting. We enjoy his company even when he behaves abominably. Similarly with the rest of the Sullivan clan, especially Patrick’s parents, who are monsters of inexhaustible weakness and monumental rage. These parents are truly awful even on the rare occasions when they are being nice. Barnaby the father, for example, cooks Sunday breakfast for his children in the warm afterglow of his regular Sunday morning tumble with his wife – common knowledge to them all, so that the joy and laughter in the kitchen are inappropriately overdetermined. Such events and characterizations are splendid achievements. O’Reilly has a great gift for delineating people and places in a few words, so that we are completely persuaded of their reality.
The structure of the novel is also very filmic. Much of it is told in flashback, while Patrick flies to Dublin for a family reunion to celebrate his parents’ golden wedding anniversary. It is here that the writer’s debt is (to my mind, at least) Kubrick’s multi-flashback The Killing (1956), and especially John Brahm’s delirious 1946 film The Locket, which is told in multiple nested flashbacks. Patrick thinks back to his relationship with his lover, who then asks him leading questions to enable him to tell her about himself. This double-flashback structure is repeated many times. Some readers might find this confusing; it certainly asks a lot of their concentration. I had to remind myself to remember that Patrick was in the aircraft recalling himself at one point in his life recalling himself at another point in his life. I remain unconvinced that this structure works or is necessary.
The family celebration itself is set up as a big climactic scene in the manner of a film’s final reel. Patrick’s memory laden journey across the Atlantic is freighted with expectation. All the Sullivan clan are assembled, alcohol flows freely and emotions run high. It was here that I looked forward to a moment of reckoning in the manner of Thomas Vinterberg’s Festen (1999). Patrick has been established as the figure ideally equipped to confront the iniquities of his parents, to explode the myth of family unity. But things don’t work out like that. In addition, two similar events take place in rapid succession, one of which effectively puts an end to further possibilities. While the family’s reaction to the first of these events is in its own way quite horrifying, I felt deprived of a scene that I think really should have been written. Afterwards, it seemed to me that too many loose ends were tied up rather cursorily.
Despite these reservations about structure, I greatly enjoyed Proud Patrick. I am sure that lovers of literary fiction will also find it a real treat. The novel is written with huge self-confidence and immense talent. As they used to say in the movies, its considerable virtues are worth the price of admission alone.
The filmic qualities of Proud Patrick are much in evidence. It commences in medias res with a systematic beating of young Patrick Sullivan and his many sisters and brothers by their mother, known as MomsaBomb. The scene is distressing, particularly when we learn that each child has developed a set of tactics for escaping a comprehensive wacking with mother’s aluminium egg flipper: Rosemary runs and Jenny screams (no matter who is struck), while Patrick smiles beatifically and his brother Dougie plays dead. Only the two infants, Kevin and Larry, escape torture, as they are believed to be too young to have broken into the piggy bank and stolen MomsaBomb’s rainy day cash. The very fact that the children have tactics adds to the horror, as their defence mechanisms are clearly the bitter fruit of long and painful experience. Thus are we plunged into the heart of the Sullivan family’s dystopia, which also includes a drunken and brutal father.
The trouble with troubled families is that they transmit conflicting signals: nightmare is interspersed with love and affection, for which their victims are pathetically grateful. It is no wonder that children cannot make proper sense of their experience, and become adults with problems of their own. Patrick becomes one such adult. Sometimes bitter and rebellious, at other times indifferent, he seems unable to establish lasting relationships with the women he loves. Even his success as a salesperson for superior Californian wines seems rooted in a need to subdue his troubled past.
Michael O’Reilly imbues Patrick with anger and vulnerability, self-knowledge and self-doubt, so that he is wonderfully alive and always interesting. We enjoy his company even when he behaves abominably. Similarly with the rest of the Sullivan clan, especially Patrick’s parents, who are monsters of inexhaustible weakness and monumental rage. These parents are truly awful even on the rare occasions when they are being nice. Barnaby the father, for example, cooks Sunday breakfast for his children in the warm afterglow of his regular Sunday morning tumble with his wife – common knowledge to them all, so that the joy and laughter in the kitchen are inappropriately overdetermined. Such events and characterizations are splendid achievements. O’Reilly has a great gift for delineating people and places in a few words, so that we are completely persuaded of their reality.
The structure of the novel is also very filmic. Much of it is told in flashback, while Patrick flies to Dublin for a family reunion to celebrate his parents’ golden wedding anniversary. It is here that the writer’s debt is (to my mind, at least) Kubrick’s multi-flashback The Killing (1956), and especially John Brahm’s delirious 1946 film The Locket, which is told in multiple nested flashbacks. Patrick thinks back to his relationship with his lover, who then asks him leading questions to enable him to tell her about himself. This double-flashback structure is repeated many times. Some readers might find this confusing; it certainly asks a lot of their concentration. I had to remind myself to remember that Patrick was in the aircraft recalling himself at one point in his life recalling himself at another point in his life. I remain unconvinced that this structure works or is necessary.
The family celebration itself is set up as a big climactic scene in the manner of a film’s final reel. Patrick’s memory laden journey across the Atlantic is freighted with expectation. All the Sullivan clan are assembled, alcohol flows freely and emotions run high. It was here that I looked forward to a moment of reckoning in the manner of Thomas Vinterberg’s Festen (1999). Patrick has been established as the figure ideally equipped to confront the iniquities of his parents, to explode the myth of family unity. But things don’t work out like that. In addition, two similar events take place in rapid succession, one of which effectively puts an end to further possibilities. While the family’s reaction to the first of these events is in its own way quite horrifying, I felt deprived of a scene that I think really should have been written. Afterwards, it seemed to me that too many loose ends were tied up rather cursorily.
Despite these reservations about structure, I greatly enjoyed Proud Patrick. I am sure that lovers of literary fiction will also find it a real treat. The novel is written with huge self-confidence and immense talent. As they used to say in the movies, its considerable virtues are worth the price of admission alone.
April 12, 2015
I was given this book free by the author for an honest review in exchange. great story line. It is told over a 40 year period of the lives of the Sullivan family. Some good times, but mostly bad. The parents were somewhat dysfunctional and abusive. Somehow the children survived , but with damage to their lives. The family travel to Dublin to celebrate the parents 50th wedding anniversary. Not
all of them want to be there because of their bad childhood, but they all come together. The party roars. A typical Irish bash of the past with lots of drinking and fighting. ending with the death of the Mother and the suicide of one of the sons.I could relate to this story because I grew up in a mostly Irish neighborhood in Boston and many of the families acted the same way this one did. I did enjoy reading this book, it was different from what I usually read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes reading stories with real family dynamics. Thank you for allowing me to read it.
all of them want to be there because of their bad childhood, but they all come together. The party roars. A typical Irish bash of the past with lots of drinking and fighting. ending with the death of the Mother and the suicide of one of the sons.I could relate to this story because I grew up in a mostly Irish neighborhood in Boston and many of the families acted the same way this one did. I did enjoy reading this book, it was different from what I usually read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes reading stories with real family dynamics. Thank you for allowing me to read it.
December 19, 2017
Found this while cleaning out my Kindle. Didn't finish it, so must have been bored. Sorry.
October 24, 2015
It took me a few pages to get into Michael O’ Reilly’s novel because there is a constant see-sawing of events between Patrick’s present and his memories, both as a young child and as an adult when he lived in Whipple Street, Chicago. The narrative does not always prepare the reader for these changes of the viewpoint, either with appropriate word clues or with indicators through the format or punctuation. This did irritate me for quite a while as it became quite confusing to suddenly find new and strange characters on the page when you were waiting to find out what was going on in a different time and place.
However, on the plus side Proud Patrick is a powerful story of a family who appear, in the main, to be dysfunctional and violent in the extreme but who possess a deep bond of understanding and filial love between siblings. Patrick Sullivan is a middle-aged salesman who can fulfil his desire for alcohol all he wants through the product he sells – wine. He is constantly travelling to different countries and the physical distances involved together with a regular alcoholic haze allow him to put his terrible family and childhood events far behind him. There is a paradox to constantly bother Patrick about his parents’ drinking and violence that comes to a head when he loses his temper at a family gathering and strikes out at his own adult son, Martin Luther. The reader is given the impression that the name was chosen deliberately by Patrick to send a barbed and challenging message towards his strongly Irish-Catholic parents.
Patrick is not the only member of the large family of boys and girls to wind up as adults with strong feelings of guilt and shame, even fear, about Barnaby and Bridget, his dad and mum. Such usual tokens of affection are rarely used by their children and the emotions of the siblings (and their partners!) are skilfully displayed by the author. I ended up full of admiration for the fast moving but always lyrical style of writing used by Michael O’Reilly throughout his novel. I was grabbed by it to such an extent that I grew to ignore any gripes I had about the formatting and so on. When the book ended I was disappointed and wanted more. I wanted to know more about the Sullivans after the distressing incidents and trauma that Mr O’Reilly revealed during the semi-climax of the Golden Wedding anniversary held, in Ireland, for Barnaby and Bridget. If you enjoy strong, non-judgemental, tales about the complexities, horrors and emotions that can befall a family then Proud Patrick is the book for you.
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest, non-reciprocal review.
However, on the plus side Proud Patrick is a powerful story of a family who appear, in the main, to be dysfunctional and violent in the extreme but who possess a deep bond of understanding and filial love between siblings. Patrick Sullivan is a middle-aged salesman who can fulfil his desire for alcohol all he wants through the product he sells – wine. He is constantly travelling to different countries and the physical distances involved together with a regular alcoholic haze allow him to put his terrible family and childhood events far behind him. There is a paradox to constantly bother Patrick about his parents’ drinking and violence that comes to a head when he loses his temper at a family gathering and strikes out at his own adult son, Martin Luther. The reader is given the impression that the name was chosen deliberately by Patrick to send a barbed and challenging message towards his strongly Irish-Catholic parents.
Patrick is not the only member of the large family of boys and girls to wind up as adults with strong feelings of guilt and shame, even fear, about Barnaby and Bridget, his dad and mum. Such usual tokens of affection are rarely used by their children and the emotions of the siblings (and their partners!) are skilfully displayed by the author. I ended up full of admiration for the fast moving but always lyrical style of writing used by Michael O’Reilly throughout his novel. I was grabbed by it to such an extent that I grew to ignore any gripes I had about the formatting and so on. When the book ended I was disappointed and wanted more. I wanted to know more about the Sullivans after the distressing incidents and trauma that Mr O’Reilly revealed during the semi-climax of the Golden Wedding anniversary held, in Ireland, for Barnaby and Bridget. If you enjoy strong, non-judgemental, tales about the complexities, horrors and emotions that can befall a family then Proud Patrick is the book for you.
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest, non-reciprocal review.
August 18, 2015
In this sweeping family epic, the raw and unapologetic “hard-knock” life of Irish immigrants is told in unflinching detail. At times, I felt like a fly on the wall as events unfolded. Reading about Patrick’s early life was unsettling, but provided the backdrop necessary to understand Patrick’s later decisions, thoughts, and behaviors. I finished the book in three days and have been thinking about Patrick and his siblings since.
Patrick and his five siblings collectively endure “truth-inducing whackings” from MomsaBomb (their mother) during their childhood in Chicago, and each reacts in a different way. While brother Dougie plays dead, Patrick smiles and continues smiling, despite one whacking that fractures his clavicle. He visualizes his escape (“soaring through the air”) and goes to work at age 14. Patrick flees Whipple Street—and his past—and at age 45 finds himself on the East Coast, a successful sales rep for California wine. The plan is for the Sullivan clan to gather in Dublin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Patrick’s parents, and understandably, Patrick has mixed feelings about this. The get-together, as well as a discovery in a shoebox, provides for a very satisfying read.
Like many other reviewers, I loved the lyrical prose throughout the book (e.g. “black ripples in the murmuring current” and “Jenny’s wardrobe was a rainbow of unrelenting pastels”). The author takes a simple act, such as stealing a freshly baked éclair, and elevates it to literary perfection. I often found myself thinking, “wow, that sentence was incredible” and I would re-read the sentence. I read a lot of books, and haven’t often had the pleasure of reading something this good, a book that makes me slow down and re-read magnificent passages and allow them to sink-in.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and non-reciprocal review.
Patrick and his five siblings collectively endure “truth-inducing whackings” from MomsaBomb (their mother) during their childhood in Chicago, and each reacts in a different way. While brother Dougie plays dead, Patrick smiles and continues smiling, despite one whacking that fractures his clavicle. He visualizes his escape (“soaring through the air”) and goes to work at age 14. Patrick flees Whipple Street—and his past—and at age 45 finds himself on the East Coast, a successful sales rep for California wine. The plan is for the Sullivan clan to gather in Dublin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Patrick’s parents, and understandably, Patrick has mixed feelings about this. The get-together, as well as a discovery in a shoebox, provides for a very satisfying read.
Like many other reviewers, I loved the lyrical prose throughout the book (e.g. “black ripples in the murmuring current” and “Jenny’s wardrobe was a rainbow of unrelenting pastels”). The author takes a simple act, such as stealing a freshly baked éclair, and elevates it to literary perfection. I often found myself thinking, “wow, that sentence was incredible” and I would re-read the sentence. I read a lot of books, and haven’t often had the pleasure of reading something this good, a book that makes me slow down and re-read magnificent passages and allow them to sink-in.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and non-reciprocal review.
June 1, 2015
This was so well written I wanted to like it more. The family scenes, painful as they are, seem alive and closely observed. When Momsour Mom whales at the children because her piggy bank had been broken into, her whacks are "aimed and not aimed, catholic." Patrick the oldest boy smiles through it all, "he can smile through anything, but Dougie plays dead like you should call the doctor and the priest." Meanwhile,"Rosemary cries because it hurts, but Jenny's desperate pleas derive from an innocence...that proclaims a monstrous mistake."
She is the family Cassandra; when Momsour Mom leaves them with Bob the butcher for Florida, her "keening proclaimed ... that none could escape the pain of ... abandonment." Kevin is the family's tortured genius, who wants to write but mostly of animals. And he boils goldfish on the stove and leaves pigeons with straight pins through their heads. When he finally arrives at the celebration of the parents' fiftieth anniversary (Momsour Mom had long been prevailed upon to return from butcher Bob), it hardly surprises that ...
There are six of them, Sullivan children. Not everyone has his or her story told in this languorous tale. The author weaves his observations into the warp and woof of a large Chicago Irish family. The story flashes forward and back in time with a sure hand although the coronation of Elizabeth is mentioned before Truman's dereliction of duty (leaving it to Catholic Joe McCarthy to save the country). This reviewer also thinks that the author assumes wrongly that his readers are attracted by the fleshy concavities of his women; some might prefer the convexities.
But, mostly, this reader feels the absence of motive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2015
Michael O'Reilly’s Proud Patrick is one of those books you will continue to think about long after you have finished reading it.
Patrick Sullivan is a product of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Written in both present text and in a series of flashbacks we learn the harsh realities both he and his siblings face growing up in a tough Irish household, and the impact it has on his adult life. As Patrick grows up and distances himself from his family he evolves into a successful salesmen only to find he has inherited a lot of his parents traits along with a constant need to escape which can be seen through his relationship with his ex-wife and son – at one point even striking the boy as his father would.
I’m not going to go into detail about the actual storyline as I feel it takes away from reading the book but I will say Michael’s ability to write flawlessly allows the reader to easily breeze through the 330 odd pages without much effort. The dialogue throughout is very realistic and even though Patrick isn’t always seen as the most likeable character his personal development towards the end is to be commended.
Patrick Sullivan is a product of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Written in both present text and in a series of flashbacks we learn the harsh realities both he and his siblings face growing up in a tough Irish household, and the impact it has on his adult life. As Patrick grows up and distances himself from his family he evolves into a successful salesmen only to find he has inherited a lot of his parents traits along with a constant need to escape which can be seen through his relationship with his ex-wife and son – at one point even striking the boy as his father would.
I’m not going to go into detail about the actual storyline as I feel it takes away from reading the book but I will say Michael’s ability to write flawlessly allows the reader to easily breeze through the 330 odd pages without much effort. The dialogue throughout is very realistic and even though Patrick isn’t always seen as the most likeable character his personal development towards the end is to be commended.
April 8, 2015
I was fortunate enough to receive this book free from the author and I'm really happy that he chose to share it with me.
Michael Aloysius O'Reilly has written a wonderful story. I sometimes had to remind myself that it wasn't my family I was reading about. Growing up in a big Irish Catholic family on the southside of Chicago, there was a lot I could relate to in this book. The Sullivan clan, things they said, places they went, and the trouble they got into, reminded me of the stories I've heard from my Mom and her 11 brothers and sisters. It made me nostalgic of my childhood spent visiting "the old neighborhood". It really made me miss my grandparents.
I didn't want this book to end. I enjoyed being a part of Patrick's 40-year journey. This book is a must-read for anyone Irish Catholic... I dare you to not find similarities between the Sullivans and your own wacky clan.
Michael Aloysius O'Reilly has written a wonderful story. I sometimes had to remind myself that it wasn't my family I was reading about. Growing up in a big Irish Catholic family on the southside of Chicago, there was a lot I could relate to in this book. The Sullivan clan, things they said, places they went, and the trouble they got into, reminded me of the stories I've heard from my Mom and her 11 brothers and sisters. It made me nostalgic of my childhood spent visiting "the old neighborhood". It really made me miss my grandparents.
I didn't want this book to end. I enjoyed being a part of Patrick's 40-year journey. This book is a must-read for anyone Irish Catholic... I dare you to not find similarities between the Sullivans and your own wacky clan.
June 16, 2015
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Proud Patrick follows Patrick and his 5 siblings through 40 years of alcoholism, some physical abuse and lots and lots of lying. The author describes the painting "The Courbet" and in those few paragraphs lives our main character Paddy. Although written as literary fiction, I think everyone can relate to the dysfunctional-ism of the family. Putting the "fun" back into dysfunctional, if you will. There are some very true heartstrings moments to all the memories. Even when being yelled at the children still couldn't help but love their mother for being who she was. I think every adult child will relate to this book and think "I have a memory like that." Well written, complex characters that could be in any multi-generational family. Enjoy the peccadilloes and all the little gems that this book delivers, just like you enjoy them at your own family reunion. Enjoy!
July 29, 2015
Review of ‘Proud Patrick’ by Michael A O’Reilly
Through flashbacks and contemporary events, ‘Proud Patrick’ details the life of Patrick Sullivan and his siblings in this bleak examination of the post-war Chicago-Irish community. Their upbringing is unpromising, and when Patrick leaves home he vows never to speak to his parents again. Even so, and against his better judgment, he is persuaded to attend his parents 50th wedding anniversary party in Dublin.
The story is written from Patrick’s perspective, and through flashbacks and contemporary events it details his life and his disastrous relationships. Cleverly, although written without bias or reprobation, the judgments come from his own brothers and sisters. The writing is sharp, the dialogue pithy and realistic, and the ending (without giving anything away) ambiguous, as perhaps it needed to be. Altogether a fascinating and inspired read.
The author provided a free copy of ‘Proud Patrick’ in return for a nonreciprocal review.
Through flashbacks and contemporary events, ‘Proud Patrick’ details the life of Patrick Sullivan and his siblings in this bleak examination of the post-war Chicago-Irish community. Their upbringing is unpromising, and when Patrick leaves home he vows never to speak to his parents again. Even so, and against his better judgment, he is persuaded to attend his parents 50th wedding anniversary party in Dublin.
The story is written from Patrick’s perspective, and through flashbacks and contemporary events it details his life and his disastrous relationships. Cleverly, although written without bias or reprobation, the judgments come from his own brothers and sisters. The writing is sharp, the dialogue pithy and realistic, and the ending (without giving anything away) ambiguous, as perhaps it needed to be. Altogether a fascinating and inspired read.
The author provided a free copy of ‘Proud Patrick’ in return for a nonreciprocal review.
June 30, 2015
Patrick is the result of a circle of neglect and abuse. His childhood is mostly spent dealing with his parents drunkenness, violence and neglect, which he seems to perpetuate along to his own son when he abandons him when the going gets tough. When his son tells him he doesn't want to know him, it echoes his own sentiment about his own parents, so Patrick hits him.
Do I admire the author for crafting such a poignant book? Yes. Did I enjoy reading it, or did I get anything out of the story apart from being depressed that Patrick, for all his hatred of his own parents was almost as bad? No.
For the quality of the work I can't give it less than 4 stars, but I didn't enjoy reading this book, which given the subject matter, was perhaps the point.
Do I admire the author for crafting such a poignant book? Yes. Did I enjoy reading it, or did I get anything out of the story apart from being depressed that Patrick, for all his hatred of his own parents was almost as bad? No.
For the quality of the work I can't give it less than 4 stars, but I didn't enjoy reading this book, which given the subject matter, was perhaps the point.
April 2, 2015
I do not write a book report type review. What I will tell you is that Michael Aloysius O'Reilly has written a story of a man that is broken in many ways from his upbringing. Patrick and his brother Dougie "escaped" beatings. Patrick by "floating" away and Dougie by playing "dead". It takes Patrick most of his adult life to realize that it isn't Dougie who is dead but himself. A remarkable story that has you at times wanting to comfort Patrick and then wanting to shake him. Mr. O'Reilly has produced characters that will stay with you long after you read the last sentence.
September 2, 2015
This book was different in a good way for me. I enjoyed the style of writing very much. I don't like reading about all the drinking because this has caused problems in many families but so do other things. I'm not a big drinker myself maybe once a year. I understand the use of it in this book and it fits the character and the story line. I think this book is one the check out. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
March 26, 2015
I was fortunate enough to win this book in a give away. I enjoyed reading this book . Highly recommend !!
August 19, 2015
Title: Proud Patrick
Author: Michael O'Reilly
Genre: Literary/Fictional Biography
Length: 100,000 words (estimated)
Rating: 4 stars
A Verbal Feast
Michael O'Reilly's Proud Patrick begins as a piquant feast of written pleasures, never truly literary in appreciation, but dazzling in its juxtaposition of phrases into a poetic examination of one man's life. The first half of the novel captivated every sense, but I found myself on an increasingly frantic search for a central theme or unifying plot thread as the end neared. I never found it. More beaujolais than pinot noir throughout the story, I felt the grand reunion in Dublin at the end of the story served me Budweiser, not Guinness Stout, leaving me dissatisfied but nevertheless thankful for the early sips of fruity beaujolais.
Ostensibly a fictional literary work, Proud Patrick appears to be a lightly fictionalized autobiography treating Patrick's miserable, oppressive childhood in a dysfunctional family, complete with abusive, alcoholic parents and an oblivious, condoning Roman Catholic Church. As Patrick moves from abused but believing child to rebellious teen to drunken, disconnected agnostic adult, he rejects even those in his family who genuinely love him, descending into a life of broken relationships and distant self-pity.
Despite the dark subject matter, I found the tale enjoyable in so many ways. Life seemed a game to Patrick, and he delighted in the smallest nuance of interaction and found a way of expressing both pain and joy in a compelling manner. The enjoyment was never light, but sobering in complexity, for the same detachment that gave Patrick fascinating insight into himself and others prevented him from attaining more than superficial connection with others. The early scene in which he steeled himself against pain, even to the point of enduring broken bones from his parents' abuse, was a constant presence through the remainder of the book.
Many will read this for nothing more than it pretends to be: a work of literary fiction. Perhaps unfairly, I tend to seek a thesis. I see the final twenty percent of the book, and especially the family reunion in Dublin, as failing to deliver on earlier-promised completion of the story arc. "Return to Chicago" is a constant refrain in the early part of the book, uttered by family and friends who don't even know Patrick's abusive parents. The implication is that the 'Return to Chicago' (reuniting with parents and family) will bring meaning or connection to Patrick, ending his self-imposed decision to experience life at a disimpassioned arm's length.
Possibly the thesis appears at the summit of Katahdin, about a third of the way through the story, when Rebecca calls to Patrick as they hike up the ridge above treeline. She asks Patrick, "Have you been listening to me?"
"Yes. But you haven't said much."
"There's more."
He turned, walked. Called back to her: "But I can't remember what."
One might read the interaction as implying yet another instance of disconnection, but Rebecca later marvels at the koine-like truth of a philosophical proposition: Neither the past nor future has any meaning. Only the present experience of sense and emotion has any reality. If so, the examination of childhood, early adulthood, and the cascade of broken marriages would have no meaning. Maybe that was the point.
Proud Patrick demonstrates a rare mastery of the multi-dimensionality of the English language but lacks coherent plot and seems particularly amorphous as the final pages approach. Many aficionados of literary fiction will find a real feast in the pages of this novel. But caveat lector: there are occasional gaffes. Even the simplest word of Spanish or French is misspelled. Hola becomes 'Ola' and Bâtard is inexplicably spelled Batârd. A few formatting errors have crept into the manuscript. Chapter II is followed by Chapter II (not Chapter III), which in turn is followed by Chapter IV. Font size changes radically from one chapter header to another. But the text was pleasantly devoid of spelling, usage, and grammar errors, and was uniformly easy to read and even easier to enjoy.
I received a free .pdf copy of Proud Patrick in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars.
Author: Michael O'Reilly
Genre: Literary/Fictional Biography
Length: 100,000 words (estimated)
Rating: 4 stars
A Verbal Feast
Michael O'Reilly's Proud Patrick begins as a piquant feast of written pleasures, never truly literary in appreciation, but dazzling in its juxtaposition of phrases into a poetic examination of one man's life. The first half of the novel captivated every sense, but I found myself on an increasingly frantic search for a central theme or unifying plot thread as the end neared. I never found it. More beaujolais than pinot noir throughout the story, I felt the grand reunion in Dublin at the end of the story served me Budweiser, not Guinness Stout, leaving me dissatisfied but nevertheless thankful for the early sips of fruity beaujolais.
Ostensibly a fictional literary work, Proud Patrick appears to be a lightly fictionalized autobiography treating Patrick's miserable, oppressive childhood in a dysfunctional family, complete with abusive, alcoholic parents and an oblivious, condoning Roman Catholic Church. As Patrick moves from abused but believing child to rebellious teen to drunken, disconnected agnostic adult, he rejects even those in his family who genuinely love him, descending into a life of broken relationships and distant self-pity.
Despite the dark subject matter, I found the tale enjoyable in so many ways. Life seemed a game to Patrick, and he delighted in the smallest nuance of interaction and found a way of expressing both pain and joy in a compelling manner. The enjoyment was never light, but sobering in complexity, for the same detachment that gave Patrick fascinating insight into himself and others prevented him from attaining more than superficial connection with others. The early scene in which he steeled himself against pain, even to the point of enduring broken bones from his parents' abuse, was a constant presence through the remainder of the book.
Many will read this for nothing more than it pretends to be: a work of literary fiction. Perhaps unfairly, I tend to seek a thesis. I see the final twenty percent of the book, and especially the family reunion in Dublin, as failing to deliver on earlier-promised completion of the story arc. "Return to Chicago" is a constant refrain in the early part of the book, uttered by family and friends who don't even know Patrick's abusive parents. The implication is that the 'Return to Chicago' (reuniting with parents and family) will bring meaning or connection to Patrick, ending his self-imposed decision to experience life at a disimpassioned arm's length.
Possibly the thesis appears at the summit of Katahdin, about a third of the way through the story, when Rebecca calls to Patrick as they hike up the ridge above treeline. She asks Patrick, "Have you been listening to me?"
"Yes. But you haven't said much."
"There's more."
He turned, walked. Called back to her: "But I can't remember what."
One might read the interaction as implying yet another instance of disconnection, but Rebecca later marvels at the koine-like truth of a philosophical proposition: Neither the past nor future has any meaning. Only the present experience of sense and emotion has any reality. If so, the examination of childhood, early adulthood, and the cascade of broken marriages would have no meaning. Maybe that was the point.
Proud Patrick demonstrates a rare mastery of the multi-dimensionality of the English language but lacks coherent plot and seems particularly amorphous as the final pages approach. Many aficionados of literary fiction will find a real feast in the pages of this novel. But caveat lector: there are occasional gaffes. Even the simplest word of Spanish or French is misspelled. Hola becomes 'Ola' and Bâtard is inexplicably spelled Batârd. A few formatting errors have crept into the manuscript. Chapter II is followed by Chapter II (not Chapter III), which in turn is followed by Chapter IV. Font size changes radically from one chapter header to another. But the text was pleasantly devoid of spelling, usage, and grammar errors, and was uniformly easy to read and even easier to enjoy.
I received a free .pdf copy of Proud Patrick in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars.
May 21, 2015
I have been dreading this moment. This book has been a challenge to read and a challenge to review. Generally when I read a work of fiction I come to it with an expectation that within the pages is to be found a provoking thought or idea, an answer to some great moral dilemma of our time, or occasionally, a question asked of a moral dilemma to that point unspoken. Alternatively, it’s just a cracking good story that fills me with a sense of what it means to be human; to live and love, grow up, experience pain, betrayal, and a myriad other things.
‘Proud Patrick’ is not really any of these things.
As a cathartic bloodletting of the author’s own angst it might yet prove to be a literary masterpiece. There are passages certainly that are so well written they capture a moment, a universal truth or sometimes a glimpse of humanity in its most raw, most exposed state, and as a reader I am simply blown away.
But this was pitched as an Irish Catholic family saga which hints at something more of a storyline than that which the novel delivers. The author slips between changes of tense and timeline to such an extent that I was constantly back checking to regain my perspective on the ‘story.’ On one level, this serves to reinforce the sense of ‘disconnectedness’ of Patrick – the sense that he lacks any sense of an anchor and is in constant search of one. If this was intentional, then the work might be considered one of genius.
The same is true of point of view. It is ostensibly third person narrative (in the main, I think, though at some times I was confused) But we are so clearly within the head of the author/narrator/Patrick that the sense of claustrophobia is palpable. It reminded me to some extent of ‘The catcher in the rye.’ (In itself not a bad place to be) Sometimes the dichotomy between the deeply and at times brutal cynicism of Patrick, and the painful contrary drive to reconnect, to belong, to make sense of things is overwhelming. For me this is the central theme of the novel, and it is conveyed through complex layers that build and build, like a tide mark around a well used but not very well cleaned bath, the discomfort gnaws away at the soul. There is also a clear and uncompromising feeling that like another great shadow from literary history, his ‘good opinion once lost, is lost forever.’ But similarly, dear reader ‘I cannot laugh.’ There is too much pain within these pages, and the pattern for me becomes a little repetitive.
I think I read elsewhere that some readers likened the work to that of James Joyce. I was reminded in some passages too of Steinbeck. If deliberate, the work is to be applauded for its ambition, and it certainly reaches the level even if it is not able to sustain it throughout the novel. For me ultimately the work was lacking in story / plot / pace for something pitched as ‘ a family saga’. I also feel that I can see too much of the writer on display in the techniques used, and this, in my opinion, gets in the way too often.
So, to my rating. There is much to appreciate in this work and many passages worthy of the highest rating. It is ambitious, and in parts it is raw, funny, sad and tragic, often at the same time. As a story of a family saga I don’t think it delivers. In terms of the craft, I am reminded of the memories of watching magicians as a child and knowing where they have stashed my card. I couldn’t do what they do, but I would be more impressed if I couldn’t exactly see it for myself. I’m going with a 3.5 stars and a huge thank you to the writer for the literary spring clean of my reading faculties.
‘Proud Patrick’ is not really any of these things.
As a cathartic bloodletting of the author’s own angst it might yet prove to be a literary masterpiece. There are passages certainly that are so well written they capture a moment, a universal truth or sometimes a glimpse of humanity in its most raw, most exposed state, and as a reader I am simply blown away.
But this was pitched as an Irish Catholic family saga which hints at something more of a storyline than that which the novel delivers. The author slips between changes of tense and timeline to such an extent that I was constantly back checking to regain my perspective on the ‘story.’ On one level, this serves to reinforce the sense of ‘disconnectedness’ of Patrick – the sense that he lacks any sense of an anchor and is in constant search of one. If this was intentional, then the work might be considered one of genius.
The same is true of point of view. It is ostensibly third person narrative (in the main, I think, though at some times I was confused) But we are so clearly within the head of the author/narrator/Patrick that the sense of claustrophobia is palpable. It reminded me to some extent of ‘The catcher in the rye.’ (In itself not a bad place to be) Sometimes the dichotomy between the deeply and at times brutal cynicism of Patrick, and the painful contrary drive to reconnect, to belong, to make sense of things is overwhelming. For me this is the central theme of the novel, and it is conveyed through complex layers that build and build, like a tide mark around a well used but not very well cleaned bath, the discomfort gnaws away at the soul. There is also a clear and uncompromising feeling that like another great shadow from literary history, his ‘good opinion once lost, is lost forever.’ But similarly, dear reader ‘I cannot laugh.’ There is too much pain within these pages, and the pattern for me becomes a little repetitive.
I think I read elsewhere that some readers likened the work to that of James Joyce. I was reminded in some passages too of Steinbeck. If deliberate, the work is to be applauded for its ambition, and it certainly reaches the level even if it is not able to sustain it throughout the novel. For me ultimately the work was lacking in story / plot / pace for something pitched as ‘ a family saga’. I also feel that I can see too much of the writer on display in the techniques used, and this, in my opinion, gets in the way too often.
So, to my rating. There is much to appreciate in this work and many passages worthy of the highest rating. It is ambitious, and in parts it is raw, funny, sad and tragic, often at the same time. As a story of a family saga I don’t think it delivers. In terms of the craft, I am reminded of the memories of watching magicians as a child and knowing where they have stashed my card. I couldn’t do what they do, but I would be more impressed if I couldn’t exactly see it for myself. I’m going with a 3.5 stars and a huge thank you to the writer for the literary spring clean of my reading faculties.
July 28, 2015
A fortysomething Irish-American is driving across New York’s Central Park when his car phone rings, and answering it he hears his brother Larry: “Paddy Sullivan, my most favoritest oldest brother.” Larry is at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, on his way to Dublin to attend their parent’s golden anniversary. He tries again to change Patrick’s mind about coming to the event, even jesting that, “All your nephews and nieces think their Uncle Pat is the case of wine that comes at Christmas...” Patrick responds, “It’s still no.”
Patrick Sullivan remembers his childhood’s one summer day, as an eight-year-old, on Chicago’s Whipple Street, with his six naked siblings in the small dining-room of his boyhood home. Rosemary is nine, and there is Jenny, and Dougie his twin. Kevin almost three, and Larry of just eighteen months, sit diapered, witnesses to a beating, with thumbs in their aghast mouths. The four older children are being thrashed, on their bare bottoms, by their mother, Bridget—they call her MomsaBomb—by an aluminum egg-flipper. While the two girls scream, and Doug plays dead, Patrick displays his strong character by smiling through the walloping. Despite their mother’s demands, the children do not tattle about the missing money in her piggy bank. The flaying only stops when the neighbors call the police. The children would have been somewhat relieved that their alcoholic father, Barnaby, was not around, for he would have surely used his rawhide belt. Struck upon a buttock, the sterling silver buckle imparted a “pink intaglio-welt of not-so-transient beauty: a hooded and fanged cobra.”
Not surprisingly Patrick runs away from home at an early age, and after struggling through various educational institutions and jobs, finally ends up running the East Coast sales for a Napa winery at the opportune time when they were becoming popular. He marries and names his son Martin Luther Sullivan, although he wasn’t religious, but “In utter smugness Patrick knew his son’s moniker was a high trajectory mortar shell that would land with an ugly but bloodless thud in Chicago.”
Michael O’Reilly has penned a brilliant story of an Irish-American family struggling to make ends meet in the harsh environment of Chicago. The journeys’ of Patrick and his siblings are told through his reminiscences. While most of the vignettes seem true to life and are entertaining, the thread that holds the plot together is the monumental event of their parents’ golden wedding anniversary. It is most appropriately to be held in their old-country city, Dublin. The characters emotionally involve the readers to make us race through the gripping story and turn the pages of the novel to, not only enjoy and grieve over the trials and tribulations of the family members, but also how many of them will be present at the golden moment to join in the celebrations planned for Bridget and Barnaby. The surprise ending makes the novel surely worthy of a movie adaptation. Highly Recommended.
Waheed Rabbani is a historical fiction author whose novels are available on Amazon and elsewhere.
Patrick Sullivan remembers his childhood’s one summer day, as an eight-year-old, on Chicago’s Whipple Street, with his six naked siblings in the small dining-room of his boyhood home. Rosemary is nine, and there is Jenny, and Dougie his twin. Kevin almost three, and Larry of just eighteen months, sit diapered, witnesses to a beating, with thumbs in their aghast mouths. The four older children are being thrashed, on their bare bottoms, by their mother, Bridget—they call her MomsaBomb—by an aluminum egg-flipper. While the two girls scream, and Doug plays dead, Patrick displays his strong character by smiling through the walloping. Despite their mother’s demands, the children do not tattle about the missing money in her piggy bank. The flaying only stops when the neighbors call the police. The children would have been somewhat relieved that their alcoholic father, Barnaby, was not around, for he would have surely used his rawhide belt. Struck upon a buttock, the sterling silver buckle imparted a “pink intaglio-welt of not-so-transient beauty: a hooded and fanged cobra.”
Not surprisingly Patrick runs away from home at an early age, and after struggling through various educational institutions and jobs, finally ends up running the East Coast sales for a Napa winery at the opportune time when they were becoming popular. He marries and names his son Martin Luther Sullivan, although he wasn’t religious, but “In utter smugness Patrick knew his son’s moniker was a high trajectory mortar shell that would land with an ugly but bloodless thud in Chicago.”
Michael O’Reilly has penned a brilliant story of an Irish-American family struggling to make ends meet in the harsh environment of Chicago. The journeys’ of Patrick and his siblings are told through his reminiscences. While most of the vignettes seem true to life and are entertaining, the thread that holds the plot together is the monumental event of their parents’ golden wedding anniversary. It is most appropriately to be held in their old-country city, Dublin. The characters emotionally involve the readers to make us race through the gripping story and turn the pages of the novel to, not only enjoy and grieve over the trials and tribulations of the family members, but also how many of them will be present at the golden moment to join in the celebrations planned for Bridget and Barnaby. The surprise ending makes the novel surely worthy of a movie adaptation. Highly Recommended.
Waheed Rabbani is a historical fiction author whose novels are available on Amazon and elsewhere.
October 7, 2015
There are two main reasons I choose to read a book: one, for entertainment and two, to learn something new—an industry or a vocation, a culture or a heritage—something I was not previously familiar with, or that I wished to know more about. I wouldn’t call PROUD PATRICK entertainment, but I did become acquainted with a behavior of family life that was very foreign to me.
The author, Michael Aloysius O’Reilly is an eloquent writer. The characters are Irish Catholic to the core—even if some of them wish to leave it behind them. The phrases they use and the manner in which they speak give them away; there is no turning their backs on their upbringing, even when they run from it.
Prepare yourself for a heartbreaking tale—a family tragedy. I cannot comprehend how parents can bring children into the world, not care for them properly and abuse them. Each child has their demons to fight, scarred from the result of a lost childhood, and no one fights these demons more than Patrick who is aware of why he is the way he is.
I found myself shaking my head through the flashbacks, wishing I could wrap my arms around the children and give them the security every child craves. I wanted to slap the parents into sobriety and responsibility, but they were ill, and did not have the ability to help themselves much less their children. When I thought the story couldn’t get more depressing, it did. When I thought I couldn’t get any angrier with the parents, I was stunned by their selfishness and their lack of parental love and remorse. Thank goodness in the end I saw in Patrick’s future a glimmer of hope.
What I loved – The writing. O’Reilly’s ability to make me feel each emotion, and to place me in the time and place of each memory. The references to the Irish customs and culture. The relationship between the young siblings.
What I didn’t like – It was very heavy and depressing. We read about man’s inhumanity against man. We see it on the news. We read about meanness and cruelty, but when it happens within a family unit, it is unfathomable to me. It left me wondering how much personal truth there was in the story, and I hoped little to none. This of course, is not really a, “what I didn’t like,” it simply made me sad.
I didn’t care for the cover. It might appeal more to men, but I don’t believe I would pick this book off the bookstore shelves. All that being said, I would highly recommend this book. It was very enlightening.
I would give this book 4½ stars. It’s beautifully and hauntingly written.
The author, Michael Aloysius O’Reilly is an eloquent writer. The characters are Irish Catholic to the core—even if some of them wish to leave it behind them. The phrases they use and the manner in which they speak give them away; there is no turning their backs on their upbringing, even when they run from it.
Prepare yourself for a heartbreaking tale—a family tragedy. I cannot comprehend how parents can bring children into the world, not care for them properly and abuse them. Each child has their demons to fight, scarred from the result of a lost childhood, and no one fights these demons more than Patrick who is aware of why he is the way he is.
I found myself shaking my head through the flashbacks, wishing I could wrap my arms around the children and give them the security every child craves. I wanted to slap the parents into sobriety and responsibility, but they were ill, and did not have the ability to help themselves much less their children. When I thought the story couldn’t get more depressing, it did. When I thought I couldn’t get any angrier with the parents, I was stunned by their selfishness and their lack of parental love and remorse. Thank goodness in the end I saw in Patrick’s future a glimmer of hope.
What I loved – The writing. O’Reilly’s ability to make me feel each emotion, and to place me in the time and place of each memory. The references to the Irish customs and culture. The relationship between the young siblings.
What I didn’t like – It was very heavy and depressing. We read about man’s inhumanity against man. We see it on the news. We read about meanness and cruelty, but when it happens within a family unit, it is unfathomable to me. It left me wondering how much personal truth there was in the story, and I hoped little to none. This of course, is not really a, “what I didn’t like,” it simply made me sad.
I didn’t care for the cover. It might appeal more to men, but I don’t believe I would pick this book off the bookstore shelves. All that being said, I would highly recommend this book. It was very enlightening.
I would give this book 4½ stars. It’s beautifully and hauntingly written.
May 18, 2015
3.5 Stars
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This is the story of a man who grew up in an abusive Irish Catholic home. Once he graduated high school, he left and pretty much never looked back. I can't say that I blame him. From the memories he recounts, it sounds like he had a horrible childhood with almost no bright spots. I would have done the same thing in his shoes.
This story is told mostly with dialogue, at least the portions that take place in the present. Sometimes it was difficult to tell who was speaking in the rapid fire exchanges between the characters because they had mostly similar ways of speaking, which is perfectly understandable since most of them grew up under the same roof. A few tags like "Patrick said." or "Dougie replied." would have helped to clear things up tremendously.
Because the story is so dialogue heavy, it moves at a fairly quick pace. The dialogue never felt fake or manufactured to me, although I thought it was strange that the children referred to their mother as Momsourmom and their dad by his first name. It actually took me a while to figure out who they were referring to at all.
Even though I understood Patrick's motives for never going back home, I never really felt connected to him. This is possibly because we have absolutely nothing in common, but it also felt like the book just glossed over his life as an adult, giving us a sort of highlight reel without giving us any real depth of the characters. There were some things that happened that just didn't make any sense to me because I had no clue as to the motivation.
Overall I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars because it was entertaining and the dialogue was well written, but I never felt connected to the characters and had trouble following the conversations at times. I would recommend this book to people that enjoy memoir like fiction, as that's what it felt like to me.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This is the story of a man who grew up in an abusive Irish Catholic home. Once he graduated high school, he left and pretty much never looked back. I can't say that I blame him. From the memories he recounts, it sounds like he had a horrible childhood with almost no bright spots. I would have done the same thing in his shoes.
This story is told mostly with dialogue, at least the portions that take place in the present. Sometimes it was difficult to tell who was speaking in the rapid fire exchanges between the characters because they had mostly similar ways of speaking, which is perfectly understandable since most of them grew up under the same roof. A few tags like "Patrick said." or "Dougie replied." would have helped to clear things up tremendously.
Because the story is so dialogue heavy, it moves at a fairly quick pace. The dialogue never felt fake or manufactured to me, although I thought it was strange that the children referred to their mother as Momsourmom and their dad by his first name. It actually took me a while to figure out who they were referring to at all.
Even though I understood Patrick's motives for never going back home, I never really felt connected to him. This is possibly because we have absolutely nothing in common, but it also felt like the book just glossed over his life as an adult, giving us a sort of highlight reel without giving us any real depth of the characters. There were some things that happened that just didn't make any sense to me because I had no clue as to the motivation.
Overall I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars because it was entertaining and the dialogue was well written, but I never felt connected to the characters and had trouble following the conversations at times. I would recommend this book to people that enjoy memoir like fiction, as that's what it felt like to me.
August 6, 2015
Patrick, a middle aged wine salesman, has the perfect job. He gets to drink all the booze he wants and travel the world. His job allows him the physical distance he needs to leave his chaotic, crazy family and the horrible memories of his mother and father's drinking and violence. Drinking himself into oblivion most nights puts his mind into a haze, the only place Patrick feels safe from the past. Fear, guilt, shame, hate and all those strong human emotions weigh heavily on Patrick. He wants to make those memories disappear, yet he clings to them tightly. The raw emotions continue to drive Patrick far from his Chicago home on Whipple Street where he left as a young man. He would not remain there for the rest of his life and be stuck in some menial job like the rest of them, those Irish Catholics and their rules and insanity. No, not Patrick! He would never be one of those common people. He'd never be a police officer, priest, bartender or dry cleaner like his dad. Patrick had more intelligence than all of them. He would never be a drunk like Barnaby and Momsabomb, never beat his kids until they were broken, bruised and bleeding. Patrick and his siblings don't call their parents Daddy or Mommy, or Mom or Dad, to distance themselves from the violence and neglect. He resists attending his parents' Golden anniversary for a marriage that was anything but gold. There's a sort of reconciliation of the Sullivan family although with violence and much drinking. But those Sullivans love each other through it all. The author's writing was clear with great descriptions of the family and action. I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
May 20, 2015
This tale about the generation of an Irish family in Chicago, making their way together again, captures something honest and poignant about their day-to-day: the casual religiosity of a large Catholic family struggling to support a gaggle of children in an unforgiving city, the tensions and trajectories of sibling and parent-child relationships as family members outgrow each other and come into themselves. Our own connection with Patrick Sullivan, the main character, fluctuates as we watch his logical and inexplicable decisions over the years, and we judge him without ever losing patience or compassion.
This is the sort of book that can only be written by someone with a deep emotional connection to the lives of his characters, and perhaps a shared past; whether or not the author’s life followed the same pattern as Patrick’s, the honesty with which he shares this story, without devolving into precious language or sentimentality, is masterfully done. And as a former resident of the Windy City itself, it was fun to see a place that I love rendered as vividly as any of the human characters.
Full disclosure: I had the good fortune of connecting with the author on Goodreads and receiving a review copy. That said, the greatest critique I can make of the novel is its cover, which (unlike the blank one you see above) seems to have a cobra coming out of the fiery depths. But cover art can change by edition whereas the language cannot, and the author has the sort of elegant prose style that makes the book well worth it.
Highly recommended.
This is the sort of book that can only be written by someone with a deep emotional connection to the lives of his characters, and perhaps a shared past; whether or not the author’s life followed the same pattern as Patrick’s, the honesty with which he shares this story, without devolving into precious language or sentimentality, is masterfully done. And as a former resident of the Windy City itself, it was fun to see a place that I love rendered as vividly as any of the human characters.
Full disclosure: I had the good fortune of connecting with the author on Goodreads and receiving a review copy. That said, the greatest critique I can make of the novel is its cover, which (unlike the blank one you see above) seems to have a cobra coming out of the fiery depths. But cover art can change by edition whereas the language cannot, and the author has the sort of elegant prose style that makes the book well worth it.
Highly recommended.
June 8, 2015
The Patrick is a epic and spectacular work of literary fiction. I say that not just because I, like the author, happen to be Irish ancestry. I say it because it's a damn good story. The tale originally unfolds from a young boy's perspective and is told through a series of flashbacks of the protagonist, Patrick's, childhood. The flashbacks run the gamut from bleak to happy. In one, naked kids get beat by their Irish mama, called "momsourmom." In another, the kids manage to pilfer their mom's eclairs while they cool in the mud room. Well, you might not like the first chapter, but keep reading and you'll soon be rewarded. The author draws you in to an upbringing that's happy and sad, but mostly the latter. His hard drinking parents care little for him or his siblings and so they are left to fend for themselves. Interestingly, despite being neglected, most of the children turn out okay.
The protagonist see what he wants in life and goes after it at all costs. A big turning point for Patrick is finding a mentor who teaches him to caddie and this allows him to earn money and compete for a scholarship. No spoilers, but there's a movie out there with a similar theme.
Proud Patrick is very realistic. I could definitely see this happening in actual life. It has kind of a nostalgic Christmas Story feel to it and there are some chuckle inducing moments. All and all, it's a complex, sometimes tragic and bittersweet story of love and life in an Irish American family. It's a coming of age story for Patrick, give it a read and you'll be drawn in to the Sullivan family's saga.
The protagonist see what he wants in life and goes after it at all costs. A big turning point for Patrick is finding a mentor who teaches him to caddie and this allows him to earn money and compete for a scholarship. No spoilers, but there's a movie out there with a similar theme.
Proud Patrick is very realistic. I could definitely see this happening in actual life. It has kind of a nostalgic Christmas Story feel to it and there are some chuckle inducing moments. All and all, it's a complex, sometimes tragic and bittersweet story of love and life in an Irish American family. It's a coming of age story for Patrick, give it a read and you'll be drawn in to the Sullivan family's saga.
June 29, 2015
Proud Patrick is a drama.
The story of Patrick Sullivan, the book interweaves his adult life as top seller of wine for a vineyard, with his childhood in Chicago. The Sullivan clan, comprising Barnaby and Bridget Sullivan and their six offspring, are Catholic and less than affluent, making ends meet through their dry cleaning business.
The story opens as Bridget is beating on the children, having found her rainy day stash of money, kept in a pink piggy bank, is gone. She uses a metallic spatula, beating indiscriminately on the four oldest, furious at the theft and determined to discover who did it. Her rage pushes her to strike the children all over, and we see each child has his/her own way of dealing with the pain. At last, exhausted, Bridget answers the phone, assures the police on the other end that nothing is going on in her house.
She cries when she hangs up, and the children feel guilty for having pushed her to this.
The story is not all tragedy. We watch Patrick work through his anger at his parents, as well as the reasons for the anger, to a kind of peace and forgiveness.
The feelings evoked in this were very real for me, and I found myself caught up in the events. What I truly admired was that it was told with little judgement, simply relating the events as they occurred. We could see beyond Patrick to all of his siblings and indeed his parents, and appreciate their own life’s challenges.
If a good drama appeals to you, this author does not disappoint.
The story of Patrick Sullivan, the book interweaves his adult life as top seller of wine for a vineyard, with his childhood in Chicago. The Sullivan clan, comprising Barnaby and Bridget Sullivan and their six offspring, are Catholic and less than affluent, making ends meet through their dry cleaning business.
The story opens as Bridget is beating on the children, having found her rainy day stash of money, kept in a pink piggy bank, is gone. She uses a metallic spatula, beating indiscriminately on the four oldest, furious at the theft and determined to discover who did it. Her rage pushes her to strike the children all over, and we see each child has his/her own way of dealing with the pain. At last, exhausted, Bridget answers the phone, assures the police on the other end that nothing is going on in her house.
She cries when she hangs up, and the children feel guilty for having pushed her to this.
The story is not all tragedy. We watch Patrick work through his anger at his parents, as well as the reasons for the anger, to a kind of peace and forgiveness.
The feelings evoked in this were very real for me, and I found myself caught up in the events. What I truly admired was that it was told with little judgement, simply relating the events as they occurred. We could see beyond Patrick to all of his siblings and indeed his parents, and appreciate their own life’s challenges.
If a good drama appeals to you, this author does not disappoint.
June 18, 2015
Proud Patrick is the story of a badly wounded survivor, not of war but of abuse. While it’s been compared to Angela’s Ashes, it’s in some ways darker. Angela was a victim of poverty. The parents in this story, while poor, create their own disaster. The opening scene sets the tone: the mother wails on her naked children with a spatula to force them to say who stole money from her piggy bank. But no one admits to the crime, which only drives her to worse punishment. Finally, the police call because they’ve had complaints from neighbors about children screaming. Once her anger is spent, she breaks down crying, and the children try to comfort her.
Patrick’s father is a raging drunk, his mother emotionally unstable. Their language is violence occasionally mixed in with maudlin sentiment. Yet even with all the abuse and abandonment, the children, especially Patrick, still hope the situation will be better next time, but they are always disappointed. Eventually, Patrick is so wounded he’s unable to connect to anyone.
The story is told in a series of flashbacks that piece together Patrick’s life while he lived with his parents and after he left home, including a trail of failed relationships with lovers and relatives, failed attempts to reconnect to the family he ran from, and finally a disastrous reunion for his parents’ 50th anniversary.
This book is intense and compelling, beautifully written and carefully crafted. Highly recommended!
Patrick’s father is a raging drunk, his mother emotionally unstable. Their language is violence occasionally mixed in with maudlin sentiment. Yet even with all the abuse and abandonment, the children, especially Patrick, still hope the situation will be better next time, but they are always disappointed. Eventually, Patrick is so wounded he’s unable to connect to anyone.
The story is told in a series of flashbacks that piece together Patrick’s life while he lived with his parents and after he left home, including a trail of failed relationships with lovers and relatives, failed attempts to reconnect to the family he ran from, and finally a disastrous reunion for his parents’ 50th anniversary.
This book is intense and compelling, beautifully written and carefully crafted. Highly recommended!
August 19, 2015
If, as Tolstoy claimed, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, then it might be suggested that writers spinning tales of unhappy families have a head start on those who don’t: as Bliss is so difficult to narrate.
As a cultural stereotype, the Sullivans of Whipple Street are not exactly unfamiliar territory. Irish-American. Utterly Catholic and helplessly co-dependent. Too many children. Too little money. And waaay too much drinking. Prone to do damage, and drink away the memory.
Now their oldest son—the second of six children—the semi-estranged Patrick is flying to Dublin to attend his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary: pulling a trail of memories that goes all the way back to the family’s chaotic career in Chicago. His growing up. His disillusion. His success. His distrust.
Nothing new, you might conclude. But so beautifully described, so well-crafted, and bright in its characters that it holds your interest right to the end. Non-linear narrative depends so much on an author’s sense of timing and opportunity, and — in Mr O’Reilly — we have someone who really knows how to shift a scene, while still giving you a sense of where you are, and whose doing what to whom.
At $2.99 this endearing book is the Bargain of the Century, and I recommend it without reservation.
[PLEASE NOTE: This book was offered at no charge in trade for a fair and honest review. I ended up buying the title, anyway, because literary Approval without Investment always rings hollow to me.]
As a cultural stereotype, the Sullivans of Whipple Street are not exactly unfamiliar territory. Irish-American. Utterly Catholic and helplessly co-dependent. Too many children. Too little money. And waaay too much drinking. Prone to do damage, and drink away the memory.
Now their oldest son—the second of six children—the semi-estranged Patrick is flying to Dublin to attend his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary: pulling a trail of memories that goes all the way back to the family’s chaotic career in Chicago. His growing up. His disillusion. His success. His distrust.
Nothing new, you might conclude. But so beautifully described, so well-crafted, and bright in its characters that it holds your interest right to the end. Non-linear narrative depends so much on an author’s sense of timing and opportunity, and — in Mr O’Reilly — we have someone who really knows how to shift a scene, while still giving you a sense of where you are, and whose doing what to whom.
At $2.99 this endearing book is the Bargain of the Century, and I recommend it without reservation.
[PLEASE NOTE: This book was offered at no charge in trade for a fair and honest review. I ended up buying the title, anyway, because literary Approval without Investment always rings hollow to me.]
October 27, 2015
First and foremost, the writing is beautiful. It reads like literary fiction, and I get the sense that this author could write about anything and turn it into something amazing. I definitely wouldn't classify Proud Patrick as an "easy" read. The story is raw, gritty, and emotional. The author has an uncanny ability to relate with his characters and make the reader feel what they're feeling, and see what they're seeing. Oh, Patrick. I wanted to console him, cry for him, and yell at him sometimes. This book was emotionally jarring for me, which I loved. The story dips in and out of present tense, taking us back to Patrick's childhood. He and his siblings endured a great deal of abuse and trauma. The author didn't spare the readers. We felt the pain right alongside them, and the story unfolded powerfully. What I found most interesting is how each of the children dealt with the trauma differently, and how Patrick's past molded him into who he is today. I don't want to spoil the story, but the ending was perfect. I loved the way the author pulled it all together in a way that made perfect sense with the story.
Overall, this was a terrific read, and I can see myself reading it again in the future. In fact, I found myself wanting to take down notes. The author's writing style was admirable, and the story itself was almost darkly poetic. This could definitely become a classic. 5 stars.
Overall, this was a terrific read, and I can see myself reading it again in the future. In fact, I found myself wanting to take down notes. The author's writing style was admirable, and the story itself was almost darkly poetic. This could definitely become a classic. 5 stars.
June 4, 2015
The tale of the Sullivan family is recounted in such a way that the reader finds himself emotionally involved with the characters. Each brother and sister of the Sullivan family has a unique personality of his own yet there is a strong bond between them even if they wouldn’t care to admit it.
I like the way the author used short dialogues that were powerful and gave the impression of a conscious reality. He wove a tale of extreme soul-searching that took us on a journey that covered 40 years.
It was hard to overlook the semisweet memories of Patrick and his brothers and sisters who were greatly influenced by their parents. Some episodes bordered on shocking, others were laughable. It was obvious that these memories would be impressed upon their lives and become the basis of many of their decisions as adults.
In all this saga revolved around human feelings. Patrick was human to feel heartsick about his parents who mistreated him and demonstrated their lack of creating a normal loving relationship with him. Patrick was human to close his heart to them and not want to see them again. Could he forgive them now that they were elderly? Isn’t forgiving human too?
A book that was startling in its approach, yet keeps the reader reading to discover still more about the delicate relationships in this family.
I like the way the author used short dialogues that were powerful and gave the impression of a conscious reality. He wove a tale of extreme soul-searching that took us on a journey that covered 40 years.
It was hard to overlook the semisweet memories of Patrick and his brothers and sisters who were greatly influenced by their parents. Some episodes bordered on shocking, others were laughable. It was obvious that these memories would be impressed upon their lives and become the basis of many of their decisions as adults.
In all this saga revolved around human feelings. Patrick was human to feel heartsick about his parents who mistreated him and demonstrated their lack of creating a normal loving relationship with him. Patrick was human to close his heart to them and not want to see them again. Could he forgive them now that they were elderly? Isn’t forgiving human too?
A book that was startling in its approach, yet keeps the reader reading to discover still more about the delicate relationships in this family.
August 11, 2015
Proud Patrick was a very enjoyable read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a poignant drama with elements of humour and humanity. I finished it in two days, but I am sure that the characters will stay with me for a very long time.
This story takes us on a journey of Patrick Sullivan’s life, flashing back to his abusive and difficult youth to his current family and relationship struggles, as he makes his way to his parents’ 50th anniversary.
Though this book is said to be fiction it evoked similar feelings in me that Angela’s Ashes did years ago when I read it. I say this not only because of the Irish Catholic family, but also because of the well-developed and seemingly real characters and life struggles. It speaks of the complexity abuse and alcoholism can have on children, and how they develop defense mechanisms and/or strengths in order to cope and survive. These defenses still present in adulthood for Patrick, you see him struggling with relationships and wanting to change, but never too sure whether he has the ability and fortitude to follow through. Family love also plays a big role in this story, which makes it endearing and relatable.
I was engaged throughout the book. I felt it was a very well crafted story, intense, raw at times, and wonderfully written. I give it a 4.5 star rating...Is there a way to add a half star?
This story takes us on a journey of Patrick Sullivan’s life, flashing back to his abusive and difficult youth to his current family and relationship struggles, as he makes his way to his parents’ 50th anniversary.
Though this book is said to be fiction it evoked similar feelings in me that Angela’s Ashes did years ago when I read it. I say this not only because of the Irish Catholic family, but also because of the well-developed and seemingly real characters and life struggles. It speaks of the complexity abuse and alcoholism can have on children, and how they develop defense mechanisms and/or strengths in order to cope and survive. These defenses still present in adulthood for Patrick, you see him struggling with relationships and wanting to change, but never too sure whether he has the ability and fortitude to follow through. Family love also plays a big role in this story, which makes it endearing and relatable.
I was engaged throughout the book. I felt it was a very well crafted story, intense, raw at times, and wonderfully written. I give it a 4.5 star rating...Is there a way to add a half star?
August 19, 2015
I hated this for all the right reasons.
The book starts out with a spanking that crosses the line, well into child abuse. As a fan of horror, I have read, and written, much worse. Never with the emotional impact that O'Reilly manages to convey. Even though I hated reading the abuse, the fact it brought out that emotion shows O'Reilly's skill as an author.
In a similar fashion, when Patrick's step-daughter attempts suicide, his impulse is to run away and leave. My feelings were "what a bastard" but at the same time I could empathize with Patrick.
This is a character driven novel, that had me get deep into someone else's head, like a good character driven novel should. I felt genuinely disturbed being in Patrick's head even though he tried to be decent man. If O'Reilly ever does horror, he could give me nightmares.
Normally I dislike this type of novel because I can't empathize with the character. With Proud Patrick I found myself not liking it because I was empathizing with the character (who is very different from me) too much.
If you like character driven novels, you should like this. If you are like me, and don't like them because you have trouble empathizing with the character, then this is a case of "Be careful what you wish for."
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book starts out with a spanking that crosses the line, well into child abuse. As a fan of horror, I have read, and written, much worse. Never with the emotional impact that O'Reilly manages to convey. Even though I hated reading the abuse, the fact it brought out that emotion shows O'Reilly's skill as an author.
In a similar fashion, when Patrick's step-daughter attempts suicide, his impulse is to run away and leave. My feelings were "what a bastard" but at the same time I could empathize with Patrick.
This is a character driven novel, that had me get deep into someone else's head, like a good character driven novel should. I felt genuinely disturbed being in Patrick's head even though he tried to be decent man. If O'Reilly ever does horror, he could give me nightmares.
Normally I dislike this type of novel because I can't empathize with the character. With Proud Patrick I found myself not liking it because I was empathizing with the character (who is very different from me) too much.
If you like character driven novels, you should like this. If you are like me, and don't like them because you have trouble empathizing with the character, then this is a case of "Be careful what you wish for."
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 13, 2016
I was given a review copy by the author for my honest review. Still, after reading my review, I can't blame you if you think I'm lying.
But I'm not.
It has been an honor and a privilege to read Proud Patrick before if becomes the next Big Book. Yes, it's an eBook but it's far better than most books that are churned out by traditional publishers. I look forward to the day when some traditional publisher wakes up and snaps this book up from O'Reilly. I just hope that when it happens, the publisher will be smart enough not to tinker with the plot (ala Still Alice.)
This is a mature, elegant watercolor painting of a book about a man in a crisis point of his life having to deal with his crappy family. There's a lot more to it than that but I think if I gave any more details I'd be spoiling it for the reader.
There are some horrifying moments in here with domestic violence and such that Stephen King would envy, but these scenes never seemed gratuitous to me. As a survivor of domestic violence from an alcoholic, I found these scenes familiarly scary but authentic.
There are no wasted words to this little book. I wish I had written it.
But I'm not.
It has been an honor and a privilege to read Proud Patrick before if becomes the next Big Book. Yes, it's an eBook but it's far better than most books that are churned out by traditional publishers. I look forward to the day when some traditional publisher wakes up and snaps this book up from O'Reilly. I just hope that when it happens, the publisher will be smart enough not to tinker with the plot (ala Still Alice.)
This is a mature, elegant watercolor painting of a book about a man in a crisis point of his life having to deal with his crappy family. There's a lot more to it than that but I think if I gave any more details I'd be spoiling it for the reader.
There are some horrifying moments in here with domestic violence and such that Stephen King would envy, but these scenes never seemed gratuitous to me. As a survivor of domestic violence from an alcoholic, I found these scenes familiarly scary but authentic.
There are no wasted words to this little book. I wish I had written it.
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