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There's Only One Danny Garvey
Danny Garvey was a sixteen-year old footballing prodigy. Professional clubs clamoured to sign him, and a glittering future beckoned. And yet, his early promise remained unfulfilled, and Danny is back home in the tiny village of Barshaw to manage the struggling junior team he once played for. What’s more, he’s hiding a secret about a tragic night, thirteen years earlier, that changed the course of several lives. There’s only one Danny Garvey, they once chanted … and that’s the problem.
Shortlisted for Scottish Fiction Book of the Year
Shortlisted for Scottish Fiction Book of the Year
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 21, 2020
17 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
David F. Ross
29 books34 followersDavid F. Ross is a Scottish author, best known for the Disco Days trilogy of novels.
He resides in Kilmarnock with his wife and their two children.
He resides in Kilmarnock with his wife and their two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
August 12, 2023
4.5* Loved the story being set close to home and connected to the world of lower league football. The hints are there early on that our narrator Danny Garvey is not a reliable source of information, which leads to an unexpectedly powerful story about guilt, mental health and family. A half star off for minor niggles that irritated me - overload of mid-90s references that started to grate, a strange turn to an Ann Summers party, a pointless cameo by real life footballer Alan Rough, an over reliance on bad language, even if it is true to how people in Ayrshire speak, and a player named after current real life footballer Billy Gilmour for no apparent reason! Probably just me that is bothered by these things though. Overall, a great read and well worth it, especially anyone around my age and with a love of football.
April 3, 2021
I really thought this was going to be one of the best books I've ever read. From a personal selfish point of view, it was so damn close. Until that ending. Maybe it just went completely over my head or I didn't truly understand the deeper hidden meanings and workings of the main character. But for some reason, I just felt a little cheated. But by no means should that stop anyone else from reading this brilliant book. From the deep rich characters to the witty banter and Scottish dialogue to the twists and turns of mental health and lower league Scottish football to childhood nostalgia of the '70s, Ross did a magnificent job of reeling the reader in and giving them a world that you really didn't want to end. Until the very end lol Dark, witty, bleak, and such a delight to read, I will definitely check out more of this author's work. 4.5 stars.
September 26, 2022
“But when the final whistle blew, there has only ever been me. Danny Garvey. THERE’S ONLY ONE DANNY FUCKING GARVEY. Belonging to no one. Alone. And that’s always been the root of the problem.”
Know when you finish a book and it leaves you reeling? When you close that last page you just sit there, staring, wishing you had someone to talk it through with. This was me with Danny Garvey. A book that has so many layers but often will be overlooked because “it’s a book about football”. Let me tell you this… it’s about more than fucking football!
Set in a small fictional Village in East Ayrshire, Danny Garvey is the story of a young boy who gave this area a glimmer of hope, their rising star. Put on a pedestal by the villagers, brought up by a single mother with extreme troubles of her own and a brother who is destined for a life of crime, Danny needed to escape. So when given the chance to play football for a team in the North of Scotland, Danny took his escape….
That is until a series of events has him back in his home village of Barshaw to manage the local Junior team and bring it back to its glory. With this return Danny returns to his old demons and the secrets he has tried to keep for thirteen years…..
The Ayrshire spirit was so prevalent throughout this book which felt a bit like coming home for me. Many days in my youth spent on the edge of a pitch cheering for the local boys and getting caught up in the emotions of the working class men around me for whom these clubs meant the most to. It also explores themes such as toxic masculinity, mens mental health, autism and other really important topics. These against the background of hilarious football matches made this book what it is, making it accessible for anyone to pick up.
That ending though absolutely blew my mind! There is a certain unease when reading the book which almost felt psychological thriller like in a contemporary story, reminding me a lot of The Wasp Factory (but oh so much better!). This felt like a unique experience and i don’t believe I’ll ever see it’s like again.
This may seem like a rambly review. That’s because it is. It’s hard to explain what makes this book so special. But I promise you it is.
Know when you finish a book and it leaves you reeling? When you close that last page you just sit there, staring, wishing you had someone to talk it through with. This was me with Danny Garvey. A book that has so many layers but often will be overlooked because “it’s a book about football”. Let me tell you this… it’s about more than fucking football!
Set in a small fictional Village in East Ayrshire, Danny Garvey is the story of a young boy who gave this area a glimmer of hope, their rising star. Put on a pedestal by the villagers, brought up by a single mother with extreme troubles of her own and a brother who is destined for a life of crime, Danny needed to escape. So when given the chance to play football for a team in the North of Scotland, Danny took his escape….
That is until a series of events has him back in his home village of Barshaw to manage the local Junior team and bring it back to its glory. With this return Danny returns to his old demons and the secrets he has tried to keep for thirteen years…..
The Ayrshire spirit was so prevalent throughout this book which felt a bit like coming home for me. Many days in my youth spent on the edge of a pitch cheering for the local boys and getting caught up in the emotions of the working class men around me for whom these clubs meant the most to. It also explores themes such as toxic masculinity, mens mental health, autism and other really important topics. These against the background of hilarious football matches made this book what it is, making it accessible for anyone to pick up.
That ending though absolutely blew my mind! There is a certain unease when reading the book which almost felt psychological thriller like in a contemporary story, reminding me a lot of The Wasp Factory (but oh so much better!). This felt like a unique experience and i don’t believe I’ll ever see it’s like again.
This may seem like a rambly review. That’s because it is. It’s hard to explain what makes this book so special. But I promise you it is.
December 3, 2020
As I turned the final page of There's Only One Danny Garvey, I realised that there was going to be huge hole in my life. For three days, the characters that dance across the pages of this novel had become part of me, their stories had entranced me. I was totally and utterly living in the drab, dreary streets of Barshaw, Scotland. Visiting the pub, buying a pastry from the baker and donning my football scarf to cheer on the local team.
This is a novel about football, and whilst I do understand the off-side rule and do watch a match every now and again, I can honestly say I'm not really a football fan. However, as much as the game is an integral part of Danny Garvey's story, it is the characters and the setting that make this novel fly.
Barshaw is a small village, there's not a lot going for it and it seems to be populated by characters who never leave. Apart from Danny, and his brother Raymond, and they both make their way back there eventually.
Danny Garvey's name is well-known at Barshaw Bridge Football Club. He was their star player, but he's not remembered for scoring the winning goal in a cup final. No, Danny is remembered because he left Barshaw, with no notice, just before the most important match of the season.
Danny is back. It's been a long exile, he's spent time in the north of Scotland after an injury put paid to his career and when Higgy; the man who was a father to him during his younger years appears and begs him to return, to manage Barshaw junior club, Danny eventually agrees.
Ross tells his story in four voices; predominantly Danny, but we also hear from Higgy, from Danny's brother Raymond, and from Raymond's partner, and mother of his child; Nancy. It's a clever way to structure the story as the reader learns a little bit more about Danny along the way. It's absolutely clear that Danny has many demons in his past, but it's not clear, as the story evolves, just how honest he's being about his past.
It's all too easy to come across a cast of characters who swear a lot, who fight a lot, who drink a lot and who seem to have no ambition or motivation, and who live in a place that is deprived, neglected and has little pride left, and to make assumptions about them. What Ross does here is pull this disparate group together like a conductor of an orchestra and create an absolutely beautiful harmonious story. He gets to the very heart of the people, and the community, showing that despite their language and their behaviours, these are real folk, with beating hearts and emotions that run deep.
As Danny turns the club around, he also re-visits his past. There are scenes here that take the breath away, especially those when he returns to visit his dying mother Libby; there's a horror and a sadness here that are beautifully portrayed. There's also a good dash of humour; when Danny and Nancy go for dinner at a friend's house, the night turns into something that nobody could have imagined; it's funny and a refreshing interlude into what is such a brutal and heartbreaking story.
If you enjoyed Shuggie Bain, you will adore this book. It's an exploration of family, of community and of how the past is not always another country. A book filled with honesty and written with a tenderness that is faultless.
There's Only One Danny Garvey is one of the best books I've read for years.
This is a novel about football, and whilst I do understand the off-side rule and do watch a match every now and again, I can honestly say I'm not really a football fan. However, as much as the game is an integral part of Danny Garvey's story, it is the characters and the setting that make this novel fly.
Barshaw is a small village, there's not a lot going for it and it seems to be populated by characters who never leave. Apart from Danny, and his brother Raymond, and they both make their way back there eventually.
Danny Garvey's name is well-known at Barshaw Bridge Football Club. He was their star player, but he's not remembered for scoring the winning goal in a cup final. No, Danny is remembered because he left Barshaw, with no notice, just before the most important match of the season.
Danny is back. It's been a long exile, he's spent time in the north of Scotland after an injury put paid to his career and when Higgy; the man who was a father to him during his younger years appears and begs him to return, to manage Barshaw junior club, Danny eventually agrees.
Ross tells his story in four voices; predominantly Danny, but we also hear from Higgy, from Danny's brother Raymond, and from Raymond's partner, and mother of his child; Nancy. It's a clever way to structure the story as the reader learns a little bit more about Danny along the way. It's absolutely clear that Danny has many demons in his past, but it's not clear, as the story evolves, just how honest he's being about his past.
It's all too easy to come across a cast of characters who swear a lot, who fight a lot, who drink a lot and who seem to have no ambition or motivation, and who live in a place that is deprived, neglected and has little pride left, and to make assumptions about them. What Ross does here is pull this disparate group together like a conductor of an orchestra and create an absolutely beautiful harmonious story. He gets to the very heart of the people, and the community, showing that despite their language and their behaviours, these are real folk, with beating hearts and emotions that run deep.
As Danny turns the club around, he also re-visits his past. There are scenes here that take the breath away, especially those when he returns to visit his dying mother Libby; there's a horror and a sadness here that are beautifully portrayed. There's also a good dash of humour; when Danny and Nancy go for dinner at a friend's house, the night turns into something that nobody could have imagined; it's funny and a refreshing interlude into what is such a brutal and heartbreaking story.
If you enjoyed Shuggie Bain, you will adore this book. It's an exploration of family, of community and of how the past is not always another country. A book filled with honesty and written with a tenderness that is faultless.
There's Only One Danny Garvey is one of the best books I've read for years.
September 24, 2021
This is the third time I've read this book THIS YEAR and I keep finding new bits to be impressed by.
Far and away the best book I'll read in 2021, and it's not even over yet. Certainly in the top five books I've read ever.
Can I give it 6 stars?
----------------------------------------
Just completed a re-read. Turns out starting it over immediately was exactly the right thing to do.
God, the NUANCE in this book. It's so outrageously clever and meticulously strung together. I will read this a third time at some point, and I will probably be surprised about something I missed AGAIN.
The characters are so well drawn and have incredible depth and dimension - I felt like I'd known them my entire life. And the story is so firmly grounded in 90s Ayrshire. I'm not from there, not even from Scotland, but the experience reading it was so beautifully vivid and rich in detail, I might as well have grown up on the same street as Danny.
This is so much more than a book about football. What an incredible triumph.
---------------------------------------------
I did not envision reading a book about Ayrshire football this year, but I'm so glad I did.
This is about so much more than football, even if the sport is the proverbial sun the story orbits around. It's about grief and loss and psychology and family. I'm going to be thinking about the last 25% for a LONG time and it will probably result in a reread at some point in the relatively near future.
Just really dark, thought-provoking stuff. This one will stick with me.
Far and away the best book I'll read in 2021, and it's not even over yet. Certainly in the top five books I've read ever.
Can I give it 6 stars?
----------------------------------------
Just completed a re-read. Turns out starting it over immediately was exactly the right thing to do.
God, the NUANCE in this book. It's so outrageously clever and meticulously strung together. I will read this a third time at some point, and I will probably be surprised about something I missed AGAIN.
The characters are so well drawn and have incredible depth and dimension - I felt like I'd known them my entire life. And the story is so firmly grounded in 90s Ayrshire. I'm not from there, not even from Scotland, but the experience reading it was so beautifully vivid and rich in detail, I might as well have grown up on the same street as Danny.
This is so much more than a book about football. What an incredible triumph.
---------------------------------------------
I did not envision reading a book about Ayrshire football this year, but I'm so glad I did.
This is about so much more than football, even if the sport is the proverbial sun the story orbits around. It's about grief and loss and psychology and family. I'm going to be thinking about the last 25% for a LONG time and it will probably result in a reread at some point in the relatively near future.
Just really dark, thought-provoking stuff. This one will stick with me.
November 19, 2022
Danny Garvey is a very complicated character and one I think I will actually miss. Danny is a player-manager of an Ayrshire football team, and as a fan of the game, these parts were exciting, fun and well written. Danny also struggles with mental health issues, and as the story progresses we learn just how these issues have impacted on his life, and those of the people around him! Special mention to Damo - what a legend!
February 18, 2021
One of the best books I have ever read. So brilliantly clever, touching and rich.
I was so sad to finish this book and feel like I may just have to read it again to stay with the characters a little longer.
For me, everything about this book was done so brilliantly: The humour, the humanity, the language, the structure. Themes of home, family, past mistakes, regret and debts are all there and all done so well. So much to think about and yet at no point did I feel anything was being hammered home. I was left with questions rather than answers from a book that handled the protagonist's pain so sensitively and never once veered into judgement.
I cannot stress enough that you do not need to be into football to read and love this book. I am not a football fan but have always felt it's a wonderful game for people to unite around and that it creates wonderful stories off the pitch - this book underscored that feeling for me. I played for fun once and had a brief stint writing (badly) about football as a reporter, and Danny's village and team brought back lovely memories of the build-up to matches and the fans' love of the game.
There are so many beautiful lines. I loved Danny as a narrator with his observations and his humour. I also loved the Scottish accent used in direct speech. Easy to get into and easy to hear.
A brilliant book.
I was so sad to finish this book and feel like I may just have to read it again to stay with the characters a little longer.
For me, everything about this book was done so brilliantly: The humour, the humanity, the language, the structure. Themes of home, family, past mistakes, regret and debts are all there and all done so well. So much to think about and yet at no point did I feel anything was being hammered home. I was left with questions rather than answers from a book that handled the protagonist's pain so sensitively and never once veered into judgement.
I cannot stress enough that you do not need to be into football to read and love this book. I am not a football fan but have always felt it's a wonderful game for people to unite around and that it creates wonderful stories off the pitch - this book underscored that feeling for me. I played for fun once and had a brief stint writing (badly) about football as a reporter, and Danny's village and team brought back lovely memories of the build-up to matches and the fans' love of the game.
There are so many beautiful lines. I loved Danny as a narrator with his observations and his humour. I also loved the Scottish accent used in direct speech. Easy to get into and easy to hear.
A brilliant book.
May 12, 2025
Ross is an author I've never come across before so I'd thought I'd give this a go and was very glad I did. Initially Ross seemed to struggle to get going, but these creases were soon ironed out and really interesting story followed with more than a few tricks up its sleeve. Though I have to say I'm not really sure what to make of that ending?...
November 6, 2021
First I have to say that this story will remain in my memory for a very long time. The characters were so vividly rendered, the mood so brilliantly interpreted.
Although the Ayrshire, Scottish dialect was difficult going for the first few pages, I quickly became used to it, and then the pages flew by. I thought I'd be put off by all the footba (aka football, aka soccer) references, but I was not. That's saying something as in my part of the world this sport is not as integral to society as it is in the United Kingdom. In Danny Garvey's small town of Barshaw Bridge, the football team served as the 'spirit' of the town when the economy suffered a down-turn.
Danny Garvey was a man riddled with guilt and remorse, who is very lonely, and suffering from the 'black dog' of depression. Returning to his small home town, he seeks to atone, to reconnect with his meager family, and to confront his personal demons. Danny came from a dysfunctional background with a cold, alcoholic mother, and a volatile relationship with his manipulative half-brother, Raymond. His mother is now dying, and his brother is in prison.
Danny finds himself strongly attracted to his brother's partner, Nancy. He also becomes very fond of Nancy and Raymond's son, Damien (Damo), who is autistic and curiously constantly wears a space helmet. Danny is the new coach of the Barshaw Bridge Junior Football Team. The superstitious players always touch Damo's space helmet before each game to bring them luck.
Those who are easily offended by curse words, will find the myriad uses of them off-putting, but for me it rapidly became part of the jargon of the characters.
It is hard to really delve into the reasons that I so enjoyed this book without giving away any 'spoilers', but suffice it to say that it was a different story to the one I expected when I began reading. It's depths were many layered. It was a bittersweet novel with themes of obligation, responsibility, and dysfunction.
The writing was powerful, authentic, and heart-breaking. The ending was not at all what I anticipated. It is a novel to be savored, and preferably, discussed with others who have read it.
Highly recommended!
Although the Ayrshire, Scottish dialect was difficult going for the first few pages, I quickly became used to it, and then the pages flew by. I thought I'd be put off by all the footba (aka football, aka soccer) references, but I was not. That's saying something as in my part of the world this sport is not as integral to society as it is in the United Kingdom. In Danny Garvey's small town of Barshaw Bridge, the football team served as the 'spirit' of the town when the economy suffered a down-turn.
Danny Garvey was a man riddled with guilt and remorse, who is very lonely, and suffering from the 'black dog' of depression. Returning to his small home town, he seeks to atone, to reconnect with his meager family, and to confront his personal demons. Danny came from a dysfunctional background with a cold, alcoholic mother, and a volatile relationship with his manipulative half-brother, Raymond. His mother is now dying, and his brother is in prison.
Danny finds himself strongly attracted to his brother's partner, Nancy. He also becomes very fond of Nancy and Raymond's son, Damien (Damo), who is autistic and curiously constantly wears a space helmet. Danny is the new coach of the Barshaw Bridge Junior Football Team. The superstitious players always touch Damo's space helmet before each game to bring them luck.
Those who are easily offended by curse words, will find the myriad uses of them off-putting, but for me it rapidly became part of the jargon of the characters.
It is hard to really delve into the reasons that I so enjoyed this book without giving away any 'spoilers', but suffice it to say that it was a different story to the one I expected when I began reading. It's depths were many layered. It was a bittersweet novel with themes of obligation, responsibility, and dysfunction.
The writing was powerful, authentic, and heart-breaking. The ending was not at all what I anticipated. It is a novel to be savored, and preferably, discussed with others who have read it.
Highly recommended!
May 27, 2021
"There's Only One Danny Garvey'' is, on the surface, a book about football. I'm delighted to report that it's still accessible to people like me, who don't give a fig about the offside rule or men chasing a baw aboot.
I listened to the audiobook which was brilliantly narrated by Angus King. He does a sterling job of bringing David Ross's characters to life.
I loved the cast. They're so familiar and relatable, as is the fictional village of Barshaw. Ross perfectly portrays life in a Scottish suburb where folk don't have much but what they lack in funds, they make up for with bags of heart and humour. I absolutely loved wee Damo and some of the minor characters are also superb - I'm looking at you, Carole Mcintosh = legend!
The Scots patter in this book is first class and deeply indicative of our culture. I also particularly enjoyed the 90s cultural references and the music.
Ross switches narrative between protagonist Danny, brother Raymond, father figure Higgy and love interest Nancy. This gives us a varied perspective of the eponymous Danny, a multi-layered character who hasn't had an easy time of it.
Themes include violence, neurodiversity, trauma and how events in childhood can imprint on us for life. Overall, "There's Only One Danny Garvey" is a fine example of Scottish fiction at its best. In fact, there's only one David F Ross and we're very lucky to have him.
I listened to the audiobook which was brilliantly narrated by Angus King. He does a sterling job of bringing David Ross's characters to life.
I loved the cast. They're so familiar and relatable, as is the fictional village of Barshaw. Ross perfectly portrays life in a Scottish suburb where folk don't have much but what they lack in funds, they make up for with bags of heart and humour. I absolutely loved wee Damo and some of the minor characters are also superb - I'm looking at you, Carole Mcintosh = legend!
The Scots patter in this book is first class and deeply indicative of our culture. I also particularly enjoyed the 90s cultural references and the music.
Ross switches narrative between protagonist Danny, brother Raymond, father figure Higgy and love interest Nancy. This gives us a varied perspective of the eponymous Danny, a multi-layered character who hasn't had an easy time of it.
Themes include violence, neurodiversity, trauma and how events in childhood can imprint on us for life. Overall, "There's Only One Danny Garvey" is a fine example of Scottish fiction at its best. In fact, there's only one David F Ross and we're very lucky to have him.
January 20, 2021
16 year old Danny Garvey had a promising career as a professional footballer ahead of him….but it ended too soon.
Years later he is drawn back to his small home village of Barshaw, to manage the struggling junior team…..he’s right back where he started.
This is a tale with the passion for football clearly evident, but that’s not all it is!.
It tells of violence, abuse, of poverty but also love, hopes, dreams and dark secrets too.
Narrated with the inner voice of Danny, who remembers events seemingly different to those around him, especially his big brother, Raymond.
Told in the Scottish dialect (it doesn’t take long to get used to it) it has a sense of tension, that somethings not quite right. The dark humour brings a little relief to this story of family, of life, loss and love, of football, a damaged man and a crime drama too. This is so beautifully written these fantastic characters bring a dark, gritty tale to an edgy life, they draw you in and break your heart. Utterly, utterly brilliant.
Thank you to Random Things Tours for the opportunity to be part of this blog tour, for the promotional material and an eARC of There’s Only One Danny Garvey.
Years later he is drawn back to his small home village of Barshaw, to manage the struggling junior team…..he’s right back where he started.
This is a tale with the passion for football clearly evident, but that’s not all it is!.
It tells of violence, abuse, of poverty but also love, hopes, dreams and dark secrets too.
Narrated with the inner voice of Danny, who remembers events seemingly different to those around him, especially his big brother, Raymond.
Told in the Scottish dialect (it doesn’t take long to get used to it) it has a sense of tension, that somethings not quite right. The dark humour brings a little relief to this story of family, of life, loss and love, of football, a damaged man and a crime drama too. This is so beautifully written these fantastic characters bring a dark, gritty tale to an edgy life, they draw you in and break your heart. Utterly, utterly brilliant.
Thank you to Random Things Tours for the opportunity to be part of this blog tour, for the promotional material and an eARC of There’s Only One Danny Garvey.
July 6, 2022
What a book! I can't even begin to do it justice without including spoilers so I just won't!
I wasn't sure what to expect and, although I love football, I did NOT expect it to have the depth it did as I just though of it as a wee fun book. Yes it's based on, and around, a football team but that's the backdrop to wider social, personal and interpersonal issues.
It's about how important that wee team is to the community it is in. It's about that community and the individuals within it. It has flashes of humour and is brilliantly observant about Scottish working class life in the 90s.
Highly recommend.
I wasn't sure what to expect and, although I love football, I did NOT expect it to have the depth it did as I just though of it as a wee fun book. Yes it's based on, and around, a football team but that's the backdrop to wider social, personal and interpersonal issues.
It's about how important that wee team is to the community it is in. It's about that community and the individuals within it. It has flashes of humour and is brilliantly observant about Scottish working class life in the 90s.
Highly recommend.
June 25, 2022
An incredibly engaging read - a genuine page turner with twists right up to the end. A tale of broken people and limited life chances but livened by Ross' characteristic humour.
October 3, 2022
*chef’s kiss*
Really expected to hate this book, but I loved it!
Really expected to hate this book, but I loved it!
November 3, 2021
Ordinarily, if you put a book that was centred around football in front of me, I’d be off running in the opposite direction faster than you could say Ally McCoist. Now don’t judge me – that is literally one of my only Scottish football references other than good old Sir Alex F, and I probably only remembered him as he's mentioned in the book. My knowledge of the sport extends no further than knowing Gary Lineker hails from Leicester (and has a seemingly unhealthy obsession with Walkers crisps and possibly a no compete clause in his contract that prevents him from extolling the virtues of the region's other famous export, the Pukka Pie); Gazza cried at something footballish once; Vinnie Jones is better off as a Hollywood hard man; and Emlyn Hughes used to be a team captain in A Question of Sport opposite Bill Beaumont. To say I have no interest in the sport really would be a gross understatement of how underwhelmed I am about the thought of watching 22 grown men chasing around a patch of grass, trying to catch up with a bag of wind. To be fair to me, McCoist isn’t too bad a reference for a non-footballer given he was still around (just) at the time the book was set and saw out his career playing for Kilmarnock-Nil, in the very county where the book is set.
Impressed with that punditry? Yes. I can Google!
But that's about all you are going to get from me football wise because, in fairness, it means not a lot to me and possibly even less than that. So, you might be surprised to hear that I absolutely loved this book. If, like me, the sport leaves you cold, do not fear. This book is about so much more than football. I mean, yes, the sport is prominent - in simple terms it is about a Pro-footballer whose career was cut short prematurely by injury and who, after a few years and a few diversions, ends up back at his home team clubhouse, trying to get them into winning form after what can only be classed as a very disastrous season the year before. To say that Barshaw Bridge FC are the underdogs is an understatement, and some very unethical behaviour from the former Manager has left them with a lot of ground to make up. Not only are they one of the least organised or motivated teams (barely) in the league, they face an uphill battle to get off the bottom of the table too. Very uphill. In much the same way that the summit of Everest is 'uphill'. It's that bad. And the team Danny has to work with, a bunch of characters that I would say will resonate with more than a few readers, add a lot of, how should I put it, colour to the story. Colour and 'passion'. This is minor league football in the nineties. It writes its own headlines.
Now the eponymous Danny Garvey is a very interesting character. The lion's share of the story is told from his point of view from the point in time when his old friend and father figure from Barshaw, Higgy, arrives in Arbroath to try and convince him to return home to manage the Junior league team and to visit his dying mother. It's clear from the off that Danny is reluctant to return, and for more reasons than the simple fact that, due to injury, his career as a pro footballer really didn't pan out as he'd envisaged when he left all those years before. We don't know why, quote what it is that Danny is afraid to return to, but his reticence seeps from the page and infuses the narrative with a real sense of mystery. It's a question that I needed answering - just what was he running from? There is a real sense of melancholy about Danny, and as much as he manages to coach the team toward eventual success, you know that the successes are offset by a slow breakdown in his personal fortune. You can almost see him shrinking on the page, and he is hardly the most forthright or gregarious of characters to begin with. He is a character I wanted to read more about, in spite of his, in my opinion, dubious choice of career, and David F. Ross has captured his attempts at atonement perfectly. You always feel like he is trying to do the right thing, but will he succeed?
Danny's story is interspersed with passages from the point of view of several other characters. First and foremost there is Higgy, then Nancy, who is his brother, Raymond's partner, and their son, Damo and last but definitely not least, Raymond. Each one adds a new layer, a new kind of texture to the story, adding emotion, surprises, moments to make you smile, but more than a few comments and observations that will make you question what you thought you knew. Each of them in their own right are very important to Danny, all informing who he was, who he has become or who he is yet to be, and what we learn about him through his interactions with them, adds another dimension to the story. Perhaps the most touching parts of the book come from Danny's interactions with Higgy, but more importantly Damo. Damo has characteristics and behaviours that, at the time, were very misunderstood, and Danny's attempts to understand his nephew better only increased how much affinity I had towards him as a character.
This is a very hard book to discuss without giving away the central themes. In essence it is the story of a man who helps lead an underperforming team to potential success. It's also about post match fights, sausage rolls and pints down the pub. But it is far more than that too. There are backstories which feed throughout the narrative, and that continue to build on that sense of melancholy that we ultimately draw from Danny. And yet for every moment of sadness I encountered, I found a moment of humour to match or offset it. David F. Ross is a beautiful writer who captures emotion perfectly, whether we are at the heart of a match day drawl, that moment of excitement where players are faced with a make or break penalty, or those fractions of calm where we are simply faced with Danny and his recollection of the past.
This is a story of loyalty, family, of past transgressions and of atonement. It explores the fragility of both mind and body; a story of hope but also of ultimate sadness. But above all else, it is a book which had me absolutely enthralled from the off, beautiful narrative in which even the more difficult elements are handled with care and understanding and that has a real capacity to surprise me. So yes, I'm very glad I didn't read the blurb. I'd have likely dismissed it as 'just' a football book and gone into it with entirely the wrong mindset. I'm very glad I read it. I know that Danny, Higgy and Damo especially are going to stay with me for quite some time. Highly recommended
Impressed with that punditry? Yes. I can Google!
But that's about all you are going to get from me football wise because, in fairness, it means not a lot to me and possibly even less than that. So, you might be surprised to hear that I absolutely loved this book. If, like me, the sport leaves you cold, do not fear. This book is about so much more than football. I mean, yes, the sport is prominent - in simple terms it is about a Pro-footballer whose career was cut short prematurely by injury and who, after a few years and a few diversions, ends up back at his home team clubhouse, trying to get them into winning form after what can only be classed as a very disastrous season the year before. To say that Barshaw Bridge FC are the underdogs is an understatement, and some very unethical behaviour from the former Manager has left them with a lot of ground to make up. Not only are they one of the least organised or motivated teams (barely) in the league, they face an uphill battle to get off the bottom of the table too. Very uphill. In much the same way that the summit of Everest is 'uphill'. It's that bad. And the team Danny has to work with, a bunch of characters that I would say will resonate with more than a few readers, add a lot of, how should I put it, colour to the story. Colour and 'passion'. This is minor league football in the nineties. It writes its own headlines.
Now the eponymous Danny Garvey is a very interesting character. The lion's share of the story is told from his point of view from the point in time when his old friend and father figure from Barshaw, Higgy, arrives in Arbroath to try and convince him to return home to manage the Junior league team and to visit his dying mother. It's clear from the off that Danny is reluctant to return, and for more reasons than the simple fact that, due to injury, his career as a pro footballer really didn't pan out as he'd envisaged when he left all those years before. We don't know why, quote what it is that Danny is afraid to return to, but his reticence seeps from the page and infuses the narrative with a real sense of mystery. It's a question that I needed answering - just what was he running from? There is a real sense of melancholy about Danny, and as much as he manages to coach the team toward eventual success, you know that the successes are offset by a slow breakdown in his personal fortune. You can almost see him shrinking on the page, and he is hardly the most forthright or gregarious of characters to begin with. He is a character I wanted to read more about, in spite of his, in my opinion, dubious choice of career, and David F. Ross has captured his attempts at atonement perfectly. You always feel like he is trying to do the right thing, but will he succeed?
Danny's story is interspersed with passages from the point of view of several other characters. First and foremost there is Higgy, then Nancy, who is his brother, Raymond's partner, and their son, Damo and last but definitely not least, Raymond. Each one adds a new layer, a new kind of texture to the story, adding emotion, surprises, moments to make you smile, but more than a few comments and observations that will make you question what you thought you knew. Each of them in their own right are very important to Danny, all informing who he was, who he has become or who he is yet to be, and what we learn about him through his interactions with them, adds another dimension to the story. Perhaps the most touching parts of the book come from Danny's interactions with Higgy, but more importantly Damo. Damo has characteristics and behaviours that, at the time, were very misunderstood, and Danny's attempts to understand his nephew better only increased how much affinity I had towards him as a character.
This is a very hard book to discuss without giving away the central themes. In essence it is the story of a man who helps lead an underperforming team to potential success. It's also about post match fights, sausage rolls and pints down the pub. But it is far more than that too. There are backstories which feed throughout the narrative, and that continue to build on that sense of melancholy that we ultimately draw from Danny. And yet for every moment of sadness I encountered, I found a moment of humour to match or offset it. David F. Ross is a beautiful writer who captures emotion perfectly, whether we are at the heart of a match day drawl, that moment of excitement where players are faced with a make or break penalty, or those fractions of calm where we are simply faced with Danny and his recollection of the past.
This is a story of loyalty, family, of past transgressions and of atonement. It explores the fragility of both mind and body; a story of hope but also of ultimate sadness. But above all else, it is a book which had me absolutely enthralled from the off, beautiful narrative in which even the more difficult elements are handled with care and understanding and that has a real capacity to surprise me. So yes, I'm very glad I didn't read the blurb. I'd have likely dismissed it as 'just' a football book and gone into it with entirely the wrong mindset. I'm very glad I read it. I know that Danny, Higgy and Damo especially are going to stay with me for quite some time. Highly recommended
October 6, 2022
When Danny Garvey returns to the town he grew up in to manage the struggling junior football team he was once the star of, he knows it's time to face up to the demons of his past and try to make peace with himself and the rest of his family. Haunted by the tragic disappearance of his classmate, six year old Louise-Anne MacDonald, Danny has struggled with his mental health over the years but football has always been his saviour.
Danny has a complicated family dynamic, he hasn’t visited his mum in years and even though he knows she doesn’t have long left to live, he’s still in no rush to see her. He’s never met his dad - doesn’t even know who he is and his older brother Raymond is in jail again following a vicious assault that’s left someone with life changing injuries. The only person looking out for Danny is Higgy, his would-be step-dad, the man who has treated him like a son even when the love hasn’t always been reciprocated.
Things start to look up for Danny when he moves back to Barshaw and meets his young nephew Damo who shares his passion for football. Damo’s got his own set of challenges and this gives Danny purpose and something to focus on for the first time in years - but Danny can’t run from the past forever and sooner or later something has to give!
This is a very cleverly written book with a lot of clues and nuance peppered throughout the story so make sure you’re paying attention! Don’t worry if you’re not a huge football fan (although if you are you’ll absolutely love it!) as whilst there’s a football backdrop the story is about so much more - families, relationships, love, jealousy and coming to terms with your past.
Danny has a complicated family dynamic, he hasn’t visited his mum in years and even though he knows she doesn’t have long left to live, he’s still in no rush to see her. He’s never met his dad - doesn’t even know who he is and his older brother Raymond is in jail again following a vicious assault that’s left someone with life changing injuries. The only person looking out for Danny is Higgy, his would-be step-dad, the man who has treated him like a son even when the love hasn’t always been reciprocated.
Things start to look up for Danny when he moves back to Barshaw and meets his young nephew Damo who shares his passion for football. Damo’s got his own set of challenges and this gives Danny purpose and something to focus on for the first time in years - but Danny can’t run from the past forever and sooner or later something has to give!
This is a very cleverly written book with a lot of clues and nuance peppered throughout the story so make sure you’re paying attention! Don’t worry if you’re not a huge football fan (although if you are you’ll absolutely love it!) as whilst there’s a football backdrop the story is about so much more - families, relationships, love, jealousy and coming to terms with your past.
January 6, 2023
First physical book of the year done and dusted and this feels like a special one!
I picked it up a few months ago in an Ayrshire bookshop - it ticked all the boxes for me, a Scottish book set in my home county in the 90’s? Absolutely here for it.
You could be forgiven for thinking that Danny Garvey is a book about football. It is … but it’s also so much more. I absolutely loved the chat and banter about the football training and matches, the determination and sheer stress of following your local team and the highs and lows of Scottish lower league football. But I also loved the deep dives and casual mentions of toxic masculinity, toxic family relationships, working class environments, mental health and neuro divergence.
The ending for me was unexpected and I wanted to know more. I thought what happened at the end was pretty clear cut and set in stone, but I’ve read a few reviews of readers who interpreted it differently and would be interested to chat to others about it.
Overall, a really special book. Brilliant.
I picked it up a few months ago in an Ayrshire bookshop - it ticked all the boxes for me, a Scottish book set in my home county in the 90’s? Absolutely here for it.
You could be forgiven for thinking that Danny Garvey is a book about football. It is … but it’s also so much more. I absolutely loved the chat and banter about the football training and matches, the determination and sheer stress of following your local team and the highs and lows of Scottish lower league football. But I also loved the deep dives and casual mentions of toxic masculinity, toxic family relationships, working class environments, mental health and neuro divergence.
The ending for me was unexpected and I wanted to know more. I thought what happened at the end was pretty clear cut and set in stone, but I’ve read a few reviews of readers who interpreted it differently and would be interested to chat to others about it.
Overall, a really special book. Brilliant.
April 17, 2021
Wasn't sure what to make of this book. Was told it wasn't all about football - I dislike the game - but there was a lot of it in there.
But that aside it is a book with a great if slightly dysfunctional group of characters - you can picture them in your head as you read.
Danny has returned to where he grew up - where he was once hailed a hero - before he upped and left. He has come back to lay some demons to rest.
Some funny moments but my overall feeling was one of sadness for Danny, his so called family and the residents.
But that ending? Wasn't expecting that!
But that aside it is a book with a great if slightly dysfunctional group of characters - you can picture them in your head as you read.
Danny has returned to where he grew up - where he was once hailed a hero - before he upped and left. He has come back to lay some demons to rest.
Some funny moments but my overall feeling was one of sadness for Danny, his so called family and the residents.
But that ending? Wasn't expecting that!
September 13, 2022
Maybe more 3.5 - not what I was expecting, wanted more football. Kinda hate stuff set where you live or that continuously mentions where you live, takes me out of it
March 25, 2021
'There's Only One Danny Garvey' they used to chant. But that was a long time ago and Danny's star no longer shines as brightly. After over a decade away, he is persuaded back home to coach the Barshaw Bridge junior team by Higgy, long time family friend and probably the nearest thing Danny has to a father figure. But Danny is not returning only to the football - he is returning to a mixed reception from the community, a dying mother and a brother in prison. And there was an event many years earlier that still haunts Danny.
Set in the late 90s against a fab soundtrack, the story is told from Danny's viewpoint throughout. But we also see the thoughts of the other key characters - Higgy, Danny's brother Raymond, Raymond's partner Nancy and their son Damo. They each have a dedicated section where the main narrative is still presented from Danny's point of view with their thoughts interspersed throughout in italics. This is an approach that I don't recall seeing used elsewhere and it threw me initially until I got my head around it.
Bradshaw is a small down-at-heel Ayrshire town that has been hit hard by unemployment and poverty and is full of toxic masculinity. The football club provides a much needed focus and so the town is invested in the team's results. Told over a make or break season we follow the club's highs and lows. Danny's too. And as the story progresses, it becomes clear that Danny's memories of the past don't tally with those of people around him and that maybe he isn't the most reliable of narrators.
There is much about this book that is bleak - the town itself and the fortunes of its inhabitants, events of the past, Danny's dysfunctional family, Nancy's relationship with Raymond. But there are uplifting moments - a successful match, Danny's dealings with an elderly woman in the town, an hysterical dinner party (or so they think) that Danny and Nancy attend and Danny's efforts to bond with his nephew, although they are often somewhat clumsy. And the dialogue is written in the Scots colloquial vernacular, which is often entertaining in itself. It might take a bit of getting used to for readers from outside of Scotland, but it's an absolutely perfect fit for this book.
A love of football shines through this book, but it's about so much more. It's about family and community, love and loss, grief and redemption, hope in the face of adversity. And football, of course. It's a book that you can't help but be moved by, and the ending almost broke me. This was my first book by Ross but it won't be my last.
Set in the late 90s against a fab soundtrack, the story is told from Danny's viewpoint throughout. But we also see the thoughts of the other key characters - Higgy, Danny's brother Raymond, Raymond's partner Nancy and their son Damo. They each have a dedicated section where the main narrative is still presented from Danny's point of view with their thoughts interspersed throughout in italics. This is an approach that I don't recall seeing used elsewhere and it threw me initially until I got my head around it.
Bradshaw is a small down-at-heel Ayrshire town that has been hit hard by unemployment and poverty and is full of toxic masculinity. The football club provides a much needed focus and so the town is invested in the team's results. Told over a make or break season we follow the club's highs and lows. Danny's too. And as the story progresses, it becomes clear that Danny's memories of the past don't tally with those of people around him and that maybe he isn't the most reliable of narrators.
There is much about this book that is bleak - the town itself and the fortunes of its inhabitants, events of the past, Danny's dysfunctional family, Nancy's relationship with Raymond. But there are uplifting moments - a successful match, Danny's dealings with an elderly woman in the town, an hysterical dinner party (or so they think) that Danny and Nancy attend and Danny's efforts to bond with his nephew, although they are often somewhat clumsy. And the dialogue is written in the Scots colloquial vernacular, which is often entertaining in itself. It might take a bit of getting used to for readers from outside of Scotland, but it's an absolutely perfect fit for this book.
A love of football shines through this book, but it's about so much more. It's about family and community, love and loss, grief and redemption, hope in the face of adversity. And football, of course. It's a book that you can't help but be moved by, and the ending almost broke me. This was my first book by Ross but it won't be my last.
December 10, 2020
There’s Only One Danny Garvey by David F. Ross was published in digital format with Orenda Books on November 21st and will be released in paperback original format January 21st 2021. It is very accurately described as ‘a story of irrational hopes and fevered dreams – of unstoppable passion and unflinching commitment in the face of defeat – There’s Only One Danny Garvey is, above all, an unforgettable tale about finding hope and redemption in the most unexpected of places.’
There’s Only One Danny Garvey is a book that took me very much by surprise. I am not a football fan and thought that it would be very heavily referenced with terms and personalities that would mean very little to me. I am so glad that I picked it up because, let me tell you, this is one very, very exceptional read. There are books that literally crawl into your soul and stay there. This is one. The people, the settings, the music all blend together to take the reader on a most extraordinary, and unexpectedly affecting, journey.
Danny Garvey had a very tough start in life but his passion for football enabled him to survive the challenges of his home and personal life. As word of his talent spread, Danny was a young player in demand. His hometown of Barshaw was where his career began and in a cruel twist of fate it’s now where he returns to. The expected success was never to be and Danny had been struggling to cope. An opportunity to manage his home team arose and, with persuasion, Danny returned. But Danny Garvey didn’t arrive back to Barshaw alone. He was accompanied by his own personal demons, ones that were to follow him wherever he lay his hat.
With his older brother in prison and his mother on her deathbed, Danny attempts to rise above his issues and immerse himself in his new role as club manager. The club had been relegated and Danny is determined to bring it back to its former glory. With a raggle-taggle team of unreliable players, Danny slowly begins to earn their trust. As they start to bring home a few wins under their belt, the support grows. Danny feels the change in the air and his confidence grows. But his past is a constant shadow, always bringing him back to an incident thirteen years previously when his life was marked forever.
David F. Ross has scattered the most amazing soundtrack throughout this novel with references to Oasis, The Smiths, The Blue Nile and much much more. The dialect throughout is very much Scottish which I expected to cause me problems but it didn’t. In fact it added to the authenticity of the novel. I think authentic is probably the best way I can describe this book. It just feels very very real. The characterisations are incredible bringing the anger, the pain, the frustration very much alive for the reader.
Orenda Books state that There’s Only One Danny Garvey is ‘a novel of our times…tackling disenfranchisement, working-class culture, mental health and shattered dreams with Ross’s trademark humour’ and to be quite honest it is very hard to come up with alternative description that illustrates this novel so well. A book packed with an energy that just bounces off the pages, the passion and pure commitment for the game is wonderfully portrayed as tempers fray both on and off the pitch. There is heart in this novel, one that once picked up cannot be put down. There’s Only One Danny Garvey does raise many relevant societal themes but all are handled very sensitively by Ross. I dare any reader not to be in pieces after turning the final page of this book, one that stays with you for many days after. All the characters came alive for me and I wanted, above all, for Danny to achieve the atonement he craved. Did he? Well that really is for you to find out.
There’s Only One Danny Garvey is a wee gem of a book, a poignant and heartbreaking tale. It is one that punches you in the gut and leaves you in no doubt that you have read something raw, something authentic, something very remarkable. Bravo Mr Ross…..
There’s Only One Danny Garvey is a book that took me very much by surprise. I am not a football fan and thought that it would be very heavily referenced with terms and personalities that would mean very little to me. I am so glad that I picked it up because, let me tell you, this is one very, very exceptional read. There are books that literally crawl into your soul and stay there. This is one. The people, the settings, the music all blend together to take the reader on a most extraordinary, and unexpectedly affecting, journey.
Danny Garvey had a very tough start in life but his passion for football enabled him to survive the challenges of his home and personal life. As word of his talent spread, Danny was a young player in demand. His hometown of Barshaw was where his career began and in a cruel twist of fate it’s now where he returns to. The expected success was never to be and Danny had been struggling to cope. An opportunity to manage his home team arose and, with persuasion, Danny returned. But Danny Garvey didn’t arrive back to Barshaw alone. He was accompanied by his own personal demons, ones that were to follow him wherever he lay his hat.
With his older brother in prison and his mother on her deathbed, Danny attempts to rise above his issues and immerse himself in his new role as club manager. The club had been relegated and Danny is determined to bring it back to its former glory. With a raggle-taggle team of unreliable players, Danny slowly begins to earn their trust. As they start to bring home a few wins under their belt, the support grows. Danny feels the change in the air and his confidence grows. But his past is a constant shadow, always bringing him back to an incident thirteen years previously when his life was marked forever.
David F. Ross has scattered the most amazing soundtrack throughout this novel with references to Oasis, The Smiths, The Blue Nile and much much more. The dialect throughout is very much Scottish which I expected to cause me problems but it didn’t. In fact it added to the authenticity of the novel. I think authentic is probably the best way I can describe this book. It just feels very very real. The characterisations are incredible bringing the anger, the pain, the frustration very much alive for the reader.
Orenda Books state that There’s Only One Danny Garvey is ‘a novel of our times…tackling disenfranchisement, working-class culture, mental health and shattered dreams with Ross’s trademark humour’ and to be quite honest it is very hard to come up with alternative description that illustrates this novel so well. A book packed with an energy that just bounces off the pages, the passion and pure commitment for the game is wonderfully portrayed as tempers fray both on and off the pitch. There is heart in this novel, one that once picked up cannot be put down. There’s Only One Danny Garvey does raise many relevant societal themes but all are handled very sensitively by Ross. I dare any reader not to be in pieces after turning the final page of this book, one that stays with you for many days after. All the characters came alive for me and I wanted, above all, for Danny to achieve the atonement he craved. Did he? Well that really is for you to find out.
There’s Only One Danny Garvey is a wee gem of a book, a poignant and heartbreaking tale. It is one that punches you in the gut and leaves you in no doubt that you have read something raw, something authentic, something very remarkable. Bravo Mr Ross…..
November 2, 2020
As ever this review also appears with a host of others on my blog: https://livemanylives.wordpress.com/
I closed the cover on Danny Garvey rooted to the spot, stunned into immobility by the desperate, heart-rending power of the ending.
I am unashamedly and relentlessly a cheerleader for the writing of David Ross. His ability to draw colourful human characters and tell stories through them of our universal struggles and endeavours make his novels engaging, moving, inspiring and fun.
As well as writing novels and working as the Design Director of Keppie Design, David also writes for the Scottish football quarterly Nutmeg, so it is perhaps no surprise that his fifth novel has a football theme running through it.
Danny Garvey was a teenage sensation for his local club, Barshaw Bridge. He left the team under a cloud though, walking out just before they played (and without him lost) a cup final to make his big move to Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen. Injury cut down his dreams and he finds himself in his late twenties coaching the youth team at Arbroath, until the first team is relegated and the inevitable cuts find him heading “home”.
The story had been building to this crescendo throughout the final third and the sense of foreboding was increasingly disturbing.
Under the benevolent guidance of his “uncle” Higgy, Danny settles back into the Bridge, albeit slightly uneasily. He organises his new team, introduces some new blood, pops in occasionally to see his dying mother and begins to reconnect with his sister-in-law and nephew, who becomes an integral part of the team’s growing success as a mascot and statistical sage.
Danny definitely feels like he is the hero of his life, but there is more of Fight Club than David Copperfield as the story unfolds. The chapters introduce us more deeply to the various relationships that Danny is revisiting, we see his trauma as he steps into his past, but we also get a hint that something isn’t quite right about his narrative, that can’t quite be trusted. All along though we are drawn closer, we invest ourselves in this small Ayrshire village and its people, we care.
The connection to Danny was strong, there was a bond in sharing his story and a desire to see him make good on all of his promise, but the song was shifting from “We’ll support you evermore!” to “Who are ya?” and the feeling was disconcerting.
I have loved, and cannot recommend highly enough, all of David’s novels so far but I think this is probably his best. Certainly, it is the most powerful in the way that it hit me in the gut, the bruising lingering for days afterwards. It was unexpected, I had felt like I knew David, trusted him to take me on a particular journey and suddenly he slipped me a hospital pass.
Having now had the chance to recover and reflect it is an evolution in his storytelling and I am excited to see where he will take us in the future. It’s nice to pick up something that has a sense of familiarity as you return to a favourite writer, or other artist, but it’s more satisfying to see their creativity develop and grow.
One Danny Garvey has all of David’s beautifully formed tapestry of human existence that I fell in love with from the very start, but it tips the balance between comedy and tragedy in a truly devastating way.
This was something so good, I couldn’t function no more, as love tore me apart.
I closed the cover on Danny Garvey rooted to the spot, stunned into immobility by the desperate, heart-rending power of the ending.
I am unashamedly and relentlessly a cheerleader for the writing of David Ross. His ability to draw colourful human characters and tell stories through them of our universal struggles and endeavours make his novels engaging, moving, inspiring and fun.
As well as writing novels and working as the Design Director of Keppie Design, David also writes for the Scottish football quarterly Nutmeg, so it is perhaps no surprise that his fifth novel has a football theme running through it.
Danny Garvey was a teenage sensation for his local club, Barshaw Bridge. He left the team under a cloud though, walking out just before they played (and without him lost) a cup final to make his big move to Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen. Injury cut down his dreams and he finds himself in his late twenties coaching the youth team at Arbroath, until the first team is relegated and the inevitable cuts find him heading “home”.
The story had been building to this crescendo throughout the final third and the sense of foreboding was increasingly disturbing.
Under the benevolent guidance of his “uncle” Higgy, Danny settles back into the Bridge, albeit slightly uneasily. He organises his new team, introduces some new blood, pops in occasionally to see his dying mother and begins to reconnect with his sister-in-law and nephew, who becomes an integral part of the team’s growing success as a mascot and statistical sage.
Danny definitely feels like he is the hero of his life, but there is more of Fight Club than David Copperfield as the story unfolds. The chapters introduce us more deeply to the various relationships that Danny is revisiting, we see his trauma as he steps into his past, but we also get a hint that something isn’t quite right about his narrative, that can’t quite be trusted. All along though we are drawn closer, we invest ourselves in this small Ayrshire village and its people, we care.
The connection to Danny was strong, there was a bond in sharing his story and a desire to see him make good on all of his promise, but the song was shifting from “We’ll support you evermore!” to “Who are ya?” and the feeling was disconcerting.
I have loved, and cannot recommend highly enough, all of David’s novels so far but I think this is probably his best. Certainly, it is the most powerful in the way that it hit me in the gut, the bruising lingering for days afterwards. It was unexpected, I had felt like I knew David, trusted him to take me on a particular journey and suddenly he slipped me a hospital pass.
Having now had the chance to recover and reflect it is an evolution in his storytelling and I am excited to see where he will take us in the future. It’s nice to pick up something that has a sense of familiarity as you return to a favourite writer, or other artist, but it’s more satisfying to see their creativity develop and grow.
One Danny Garvey has all of David’s beautifully formed tapestry of human existence that I fell in love with from the very start, but it tips the balance between comedy and tragedy in a truly devastating way.
This was something so good, I couldn’t function no more, as love tore me apart.
November 20, 2022
Roy of the Rovers fused with Cain and Abel!
There's Only One Danny Garvey is a complex and multi-layered tale, set against a backdrop of amateur Ayrshire Football. The fortunes of Barshaw Bridge FC provide the narrative that the intricate plot is weaved around. The troubled protagonist, Danny Garvey, is Manager of the team. The return to his home town is the catalyst for past secrets to be unearthed. A sibling rivalry with his brother Raymond provides an interesting vehicle for the impending catastrophe.
The football narrative provided humour and light, in contrast to the darkening plot. The West of Scotland dialogue is authentic, and compliments the excellent description. David F. Ross succeeds in creating genuine and interesting characters.
The twist was entirely unexpected, and executed brilliantly. I was shocked and stunned as I finished the novel. I then spent some time trawling back through the book to confirm and validate the ending. This novel requires complete attention, there are a number of clues interspersed throughout that become significant later on. I was left with a couple of unanswered questions, as Danny is exposed as an unreliable narrator.
My only complaint with this novel was the structure of the chapters. The chapters were huge, each narrated from the perspective of a different character. I would have preferred more natural pauses to process the events.
There's Only One Danny Garvey is a complex and multi-layered tale, set against a backdrop of amateur Ayrshire Football. The fortunes of Barshaw Bridge FC provide the narrative that the intricate plot is weaved around. The troubled protagonist, Danny Garvey, is Manager of the team. The return to his home town is the catalyst for past secrets to be unearthed. A sibling rivalry with his brother Raymond provides an interesting vehicle for the impending catastrophe.
The football narrative provided humour and light, in contrast to the darkening plot. The West of Scotland dialogue is authentic, and compliments the excellent description. David F. Ross succeeds in creating genuine and interesting characters.
The twist was entirely unexpected, and executed brilliantly. I was shocked and stunned as I finished the novel. I then spent some time trawling back through the book to confirm and validate the ending. This novel requires complete attention, there are a number of clues interspersed throughout that become significant later on. I was left with a couple of unanswered questions, as Danny is exposed as an unreliable narrator.
My only complaint with this novel was the structure of the chapters. The chapters were huge, each narrated from the perspective of a different character. I would have preferred more natural pauses to process the events.
January 20, 2022
I felt there were echoes of Marabou Stork Nightmares and My Idea of Fun in terms of the way the protagonist unravelled as the story progressed. The novel really captured a sense of claustrophobia in a small Scottish village and the destructive interdependences of the relationships. The story progresses at a fair lick and really carries the reader towards an ominous denouement. As others have said, don’t worry that the novel is framed around a lower league football team, as this is the backdrop to the wider drama.
If you’re looking for a page turner, with well realised characters and some dark humour interspersed throughout; look no further.
If you’re looking for a page turner, with well realised characters and some dark humour interspersed throughout; look no further.
November 26, 2022
I’m normally a rate and leave kind of reader but this book deserves a review as well- I’ll be brief as I don’t really know how to wax lyrical about There’s Only One Danny Garvey without spoilers but I couldn’t say nothing. This book is so much more than it appears! It was a book club choice that I just never got round to at the time but I’m so glad I circled back and dove in- so well written with full, completely believable characters and an intense storyline that will leave you wanting several more chapters! Well done Mr Ross! Never judge a book by its cover they say and in this case I completely agree- I’d never have picked this up or split the cover normally
January 17, 2023
A heart breaking novel portraying the suffocation of small town life where being open about mental health and the need for support is simply not an option. Even with its late 90s setting, the difference in attitudes towards people who have mental support needs, between then and our own 21st century outlook is stark. On the surface it is a passionate story about how football binds a community but digging deeper, it is more like a sticky plaster barely holding people together. Without offering plot detail, Danny Garvey is a vivid character and the style of letting us in the minds of the supporting cast really elevates the emotional tension among them all.
May 4, 2022
Personal notes, not a review.
Set against the backdrop of a small working class town in Ayrshire, Danny Garvey reluctantly returns to lead the Barshaw Bridge juniors.
The story untangles a myriad of troubles going on for Danny, connecting back to a missing child case in the 70s, which he blames himself for. In addition, he was involved in the torment and eventual death of the missing girl’s grandfather. Louise Anne McDonald haunts him throughout.
Cleverly written, took me until about 75% through the book to connect some dots, and the turbulent, troubled mind of Danny….
Set against the backdrop of a small working class town in Ayrshire, Danny Garvey reluctantly returns to lead the Barshaw Bridge juniors.
The story untangles a myriad of troubles going on for Danny, connecting back to a missing child case in the 70s, which he blames himself for. In addition, he was involved in the torment and eventual death of the missing girl’s grandfather. Louise Anne McDonald haunts him throughout.
Cleverly written, took me until about 75% through the book to connect some dots, and the turbulent, troubled mind of Danny….
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2022
I really enjoyed this book and the twists weren’t what I expected at all! I enjoyed the football focus of the book and how it evolves into the lives of those in Barshaw. It felt relatable from a Scottish perspective and I loved reading more into Danny’s life. I did get a bit confused with the audiobook and the different perspectives and narrators of the situation, which is why it’s 4 stars for me.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and am looking forward to reading more from this author!
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and am looking forward to reading more from this author!
May 10, 2022
One of the best books I've read in a while.
A great story that spirals as it progresses, centred on the titular Danny Garvey as he returns home to Ayrshire to manage his village football team.
Includes references to football, music, the 1990s and Arbroath being a shithole, so very much aimed at me as a target reader.
A great story that spirals as it progresses, centred on the titular Danny Garvey as he returns home to Ayrshire to manage his village football team.
Includes references to football, music, the 1990s and Arbroath being a shithole, so very much aimed at me as a target reader.
January 18, 2023
I'm not sure what I expected but this book hit me with a sucker punch. One on level it's a story of redemption, of a young man coming home to take over his old football club. But on another level, there's a darkness here that creeps up on the reader. Masterfully written and it left me shocked and stunned at the end.
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