Braywatch

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly #20

by Ross O'Carroll-Kelly

South Dublin's favourite son thought he could face any challenge - until he was asked to cross the bridge over the River Dargle.For Ross O'Carroll-Kelly - schools rugby hero, celebrated bon vivant and lover of beautiful women - life has suddenly become complicated. His father has been accused of rigging a General Election, his seventy-year-old mother is about to bring six surrogate babies into the world, and his daughter is being hailed as 'Ireland's answer to Greta Thunberg', telling everyone who cares to listen that the end of the world is nigh.As if that wasn't bad enough, the Greatest Rugby Player Never to Play for Ireland has a nagging sense that he has to more to contribute to the beautiful game. Now he's been offered a job coaching an underachieving school who've been waiting almost a century for their moment of glory. The challenge is to persuade a collection of jokers, chokers and forty-a-day smokers that they have what it takes to win the Leinster Schools Senior Cup.The only drawback ... the school is in Bray!Praise for the Ross O'Carroll-Kelly 'Ross is a national institution ... wicked humour and sharp observation' Irish Times'One of the funniest writers in the land' Irish Independent'Extraordinarily accurate and outstandingly funny' Sunday Business Post

Genres: Ireland, Irish Literature, Comedy

377 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 3, 2020

About the author

Pseudonym for journalist Paul Howard.

Reviews

[Phil Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

20 years in and I still can't get enough of the Rossmeister General.

The story has only gotten bigger and bigger but it still delivers the goods every year without fail. Now for the long wait till next Autumn when we get to do it all over again!

[The Read head · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and definetely funny. I'm impressed with how well Paul Howard writes his characters and how compelled I felt to like a whole book full of awful and unlikable characters.
I never would have picked this up if it hadn't been required reading for a course. I'm glad to be forced outside my comfort zone and the author has some effective social critique and his satire is completely on point.
Hilarious for sure but not enough to concern myself with the rest of the series.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still incredibly funny

[Stephen Devine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid constant every September.

[Roshin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first ROC'K book that I read - I listen to his weekly column in the Irish Times and love it, and, wanting something light and funny, and also wanting to support Irish writers during the pandemic, I gave his book a go. Really enjoyed it! It was properly funny, easy to read and just a perfect tonic.

I'm hooked now - will be reading them as they come out every year!

[Mary Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

What to say. Perfect antidote to a return to in person teaching in a pandemic. I hate myself for liking Ross - he”s just a cad. When Nailer scored his try and his bus driver dad was in tears I was fist pumping . And the description of the mothers in the stands - priceless. All I can say is thanks for a great read and a great laugh.

[Eoin Reinhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Focking love it

[Patricia Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

No words

[Shane Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wherein our hero is appointed rugby coach of Pres. Bray in their campaign to win the Leinster Cup. And there’s more besides, as the ever-expanding extended family of Ross becomes involved in various mad adventures. The Da is Taoiseach in waiting, the triplets sow mayhem while attracting medical misfortune, and teenage horror Honor courts fame as a leading light of Climate Change. Ross remains Ross. Weirdly lovable and filter free, his first person narrative is well larded with all those things one daren’t say or think. Howard neatly juggles the plotlines and even allows for love and emotion to intrude. Ross forms an unlikely attachment to Bray and the rugger descriptions are pure Roy of the Rovers stuff (he’d hate that analogy). It’s a laugh a minute with hilarious scenarios and one liners. There’s often a guilty edge to the laughter. While the foibles of the fabulously well to do are roundly slagged, Howard’s range runs wider. There are digs a-plenty for media, political and blue collar pretensions, while the statistic spewing bores of climate action get an overdue comeuppance. Of course, Howard, as Ross, can say just about anything.

[Anders Frisk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still as entertaining as ever. The writing may even be getting slicker -if that’s the word.
Ross is at his best when he has success on and off the field while his life continues to fall apart.
Once again a real in-site into contemporary Ireland and an interesting contrast between alt-right and wokeness in Ireland.

[Paul Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant. How Ross can find new ways to get up to no good and constantly get away with it is a mystery to me. The way he coaches Pres Bray and ends up falling in love with Bray is done brilliantly. I was rooting for the team throughout and look forward to Ross taking his management to another level.

[Louise Coughlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ross is up to his old tricks again, getting himself into some sticky situations with girls and his family. This time he has the opportunity to coach the Bray Rugby team and manages to turn them into a winning team. Meanwhile his own family are not so successful in that he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut. A very funny book!

[Sarah Mcgrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's September again, so it's time for a new adventure from Ross O'Carroll Kelly. A bit of sillyness, yes, but Ross also adresses surrogacy, climate change, Russian interference in western politics, cancer and the urban-rural divide! Hill-air as usual.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realise this was a series when I picked this up. I won't be reading any more. The phonetic speech/accent was interesting for a while, but became irritating. Some funny moments, but not enough! A bit pedestrian.

[John C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious! This is my first Ross O'Carroll-Kelly book,and I absolutely loved it!
I don't give it 5 stars because since I'm not Irish,I had some trouble with the Irish dialect, and the Irish writing (using the letter o instead of a: cor, stort, ortist, pork,etc).
Other than that,I loved it!

[Christian Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never disappoints! Have had many 'laugh out loud' moments while reading this book. I'm just sorry that I've finished it and now I have to wait for the next one!

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to it on a long car journey, it’s all killer. Still hilarious after all these years. Long live the Rossmeister.

[carol shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I loved every minute of this book. It's so light and such fun. I was actually sorry coming to the end of it.

[Conor Tannam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good fun but not the best in the series.

[David Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Brilliant as usual. Great story Bray all is forgiven after years of abuse from Ross. Although I think there was a rugby rules error perhaps!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly laugh out loud. A formula that still works as good as ever.

[Rory Flood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great laugh out loud take on current events every year

[Éilis Treacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As good as ever.

[Darragh Howley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny and a good story to keep it ticking along. Might even give Bray a visit after reading it

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can never get over how brilliant these books are.

[Seán Upton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the rest of series, really well written comedy and social commentary.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Most Babies Ever Born in a Ross O'Carroll-Kelly book!
That's saying something, man....

[Wes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is getting better and better. Usual crew, usual chaos, still entertaining and still fresh.

[Shane O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another laugh a minute book

[Matthew Harwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and entertaining, I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this book and there were several parts that left me laughing out loud.