Rover ormai è un cane d’affari di grande successo in Irlanda, anzi, forse il più importante. Assistito dal nipote Messi (un tipo molto ordinato ma dalla coda troppo lunga), consegna la cacca per i Ridarelli: quando un adulto è cattivo con i bambini, loro entrano in scena ed è ora del famoso Trattamento Ridarelli! Sembra una giornata di lavoro come tante per Rover e Messi, ma un’emergenza sconvolge tutti i loro piani. Riusciranno Rover, Messi e la famiglia Mack a godersi finalmente un po’ di tranquilla vita familiare? Ma soprattutto, mentre inseguono a rotta di collo la bicicletta della postina, un velocissimo furgone bianco e un aereo diretto a Casablanca, i due furbissimi cani saranno tanto in gamba da accontentare anche i Ridarelli? Tornano i protagonisti di Il Trattamento Ridarelli, Rover salva il Natale e Le avventure nel frattempo, in un turbine di peripezie tra verdure malefiche, tunnel di conigli e cracker che raccontano cose molto, ehm, ‘interessanti’. Il quarto romanzo su Rover e Ridarelli è una storia a perdifiato, scatenata, ironica e divertente, che solo il genio di Roddy Doyle poteva rendere reale.
Roddy Doyle (Irish: Ruaidhrí Ó Dúill) is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. Several of his books have been made into successful films, beginning with The Commitments in 1991. He won the Booker Prize in 1993.
Doyle grew up in Kilbarrack, Dublin. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from University College, Dublin. He spent several years as an English and geography teacher before becoming a full-time writer in 1993.
My kids loved this series when they were little, especially The Giggler Treatment. So when I heard there was a new one, I was curious. I was disappointed, however. Too much repetition (I know that's part of how Doyle tells the story, but it was maddening after a while) and not enough of the human characters. The reason the first book is the best is because of the interplay between the humans, the Gigglers, and Rover. This time it's almost all Rover and the story suffers because of that.
Bought this while on vacation in Ireland. Started. Stopped. Started. Stopped. Noticed three things: those two and how I did kinda like the lilting tone and how much I thought kids would like hearing this silly little book. Not my favorite Doyle by a long shot but fun and silly. PS: I like Messi had that falling down. Nappies!
Rover and his nephew must save his owner's grandchild, the Big Fat Baby, when she is accidentally thrown through the window.
Doyle lays out a perfectly bizarre tale which works best when read aloud. Not designed to be read in public unless accompanied by a (preferably small) child.
These are a very entertaining series of books, but this one felt a little less fresh than the others - the funniest aspects were all returning gags, and the madcap pace seemed less relentless.
My daughter rated this 3 stars. I rate it one. I couldn’t wait to finish it. I haven’t read the rest of the books in the series but it wasn’t so much the storyline as the actual way of writing that annoyed me.
Reading this book out loud is awkward and dull. It doesn’t help it’s all about “poo”. I find the author trying to be too clever by talking to the reader. This doesn’t work when reading aloud to your child.