From the Bookshelf of Books I Loathed…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
It's been ten years since I've read this book. Like everyone else I was floored by it when it first came out. But time and age have made me wiser.
I don't think it's stood the test of time and the more I think of it... my grandmother is right. It's a one-sided, depressing view of life in Ireland.
"Woah is me..." is the book in a nutshell. This book simply has you marinate in negativity. Maybe I've read too much Phillip Roth in the meantime and compared to his characters this book seems too whiny ...more
I don't think it's stood the test of time and the more I think of it... my grandmother is right. It's a one-sided, depressing view of life in Ireland.
"Woah is me..." is the book in a nutshell. This book simply has you marinate in negativity. Maybe I've read too much Phillip Roth in the meantime and compared to his characters this book seems too whiny ...more
You have to have a dry sense of humor to appreciate this book; and I do. I think it was very well written. I don't care if it is an exageration because what it does is show how a child sees the world. It shows how a child can still love his alcoholic father and co-dependant mother despite all the pain they made him suffer. And it shows that someone can rise above his situation. It shows that the church is really not that helpful if you don't have money but there are still people in the church wh
...more
Although certainly a well written book, it is one that seems to suffer for the same reasons. Although I'm not opposed and do enjoy those events that happen being written with the grace and structure of fiction, this one seems to over-sentimentalize and exaggerate. He seems to have convinced himself that everything in his life had some grand over-arching theme/purpose which would lead quite cohesively to the next point. It made for a work of non-fiction which did not seem very believable(which to
...more
This book breaks your heart and tries to make it whole again. It made me feel like I'd lived a life by the time I put it down. Universal themes about mothers, poverty and class. It's a great read.
...more
Jul 04, 2008
Paula
marked it as to-read
I couldn't get into the book. So as of right now it is in my "couldn't finish" area. I will try again at a later date when I feel like I'll be more in the mood.
...more
Loved this book. It reminded me of the "Life is Beautiful" movie - depressing situation(s) but still finding humor amongst it. I laughed out loud.
...more
Nov 08, 2007
Sazz
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-prior-to-good-reads
