From Powells.com
Roddy
Doyle writes like nobodys business. Each of his titles, from The
Commitments (Doyles debut) to The
Woman Who Walked Into Doors, has earned both critical and popular acclaim.
Paddy
Clarke Ha Ha Ha, his funny, pitch-perfect perspective of a Dublin ten year
old, won the 1993
Booker Prize.
Now, in A Star Called Henry, hes upped the ante tenfold, producing
some of the most aggressive prose youre ever likely to read. Henrys fathers
flight, a mere sixty pages into the book, is one of the great narrative achievements
of recent years.
But for all Doyles narrative acrobatics, his amazing new novel is, more than
anything, an enthralling, spilling-over-its-sides story. On page one, Henry
Smart introduces himself through the eyes of his pregnant, soon-to-be-mother
right away, Doyle catches us off guard. Compared by some to the expansive
fictions of Gabriel
García Márquez, A Star Called Henry presents the years leading up
to and following the 1916 Easter Rebellion in a wickedly crooked, dramatic light
perfectly suited to the subject. Henry Smart is a big character, bigger than
life. "Ive always tried to make sure that everything that was said and done
could, in fact, happen," Doyle
told Powells.com, "This time around I didnt give a toss." Dave,
Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Jimmy Rabbitte of The Commitments returns in the triumphant new novel from the Booker Prizewinning author The distinct wit and lively, authentic dialogue that are the hallmarks of Roddy Doyles fiction are on a full display as he reintroduces Jimmy Rabbitte in this follow-up to his beloved debut novel The Commitments.
In the 1980s Jimmy Rabbitte formed the Commitments, a ragtag, blue-collar collective of Irish youths determined to bring the soul music stylings of James Brown and Percy Sledge to Dublin. Time proves a great equalizer for Jimmy as hes now approaching fifty with a loving wife, four kids, and a recent cancer diagnosis that leaves him feeling shattered and frightened.
Jimmy still loves his music, and he still loves to hustlehis new thing is finding old bands and then finding the people who loved them enough to pay for their resurrected albums. As he battles his illness on his path through Dublin, Jimmy manages to reconnect with his own past, most notably Commitments guitarist Liam Outspan” Foster and the still beautiful backup vocalist Imelda Quirk. Jimmy also learns the trumpet, reunites with his long-lost brother, and rediscovers the joys of fatherhood.
An immensely funny and poignant novel, The Guts captures friendship, family, the power of music, the specter of death, and the zeal for life.
Review
"A Star Called Henry is a triumph of craft and intelligence and toughness of mind. Doyle has not sentimentalized the past or capitulated to it." Charles Taylor, Salon.com
Review
"Doyle has [written an] Irish epic, and he wields the style like a sword, with the power and grace of a master." The Village Voice
Review
"[Doyle] breaks impressive new ground...masterly....Absolutely extraordinary. Readers who thought Doyle had outdone himself with the deftly juxtaposed comedy and drama in his recent fiction will be amazed and delighted all over again." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Brawling and lyrical....Doyle vividly portrays the wild passions of an Irish Everyman...[and] the birth of the modern Irish nation." Time
Review
"Doyle just gets better and better....This is history evoked on an intimate and yet earth-shaking scale, with a huge dash of the blarney, some mythical embellishments and a driving narrative that never falters." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Stunning...not only Doyle's best novel yet; it is a masterpiece, an extraordinarily entertaining epic." The Washington Post
Review
"Doyle expertly weaves his well-known wit into even the most violent and most tender passages of the tale. This is an immense story, and it's only the beginning...giving readers a lot to look forward to." Booklist
Review
"Although some of Henry's violent actions seem forced, Doyle's dialog and water and sexual imagery are sublime....Highly recommended." Library Journal
Synopsis
Doyle's ambitious new novel is a passionate love story that takes a subversive look behind the legends of Irish republicanism through the eyes of one of Michael Collins' infamous boys a cop killer, an assassin on a stolen bike, a lover.
Synopsis
Roddy Doyle's acclaimed novel about an intrepid Irishman's years of reckless heroism and adventure - -An extraordinarily entertaining epic.- (The Washington Post)
Look for Roddy Doyle's new novel, Smile, coming in October of 2017
Born at the beginning of the twentieth century, Henry Smart lives through the evolution of modern Ireland, and in this extraordinary novel he brilliantly tells his story. From his own birth and childhood on the streets of Dublin to his role as soldier (and lover) in the Irish Rebellion, Henry recounts his early years of reckless heroism and adventure. At once an epic, a love story, and a portrait of Irish history, A Star Called Henry is a grand picaresque novel brimming with both poignant moments and comic ones, and told in a voice that is both quintessentially Irish and inimitably Roddy Doyle's.
Synopsis
Born at the beginning of the twentieth century, Henry Smart lives through the evolution of modern Ireland, and in this extraordinary novel he brilliantly tells his story. From his own birth and childhood on the streets of Dublin to his role as soldier (and lover) in the Irish Rebellion, Henry recounts his early years of reckless heroism and adventure. At once an epic, a love story, and a portrait of Irish history, A Star Called Henry is a grand picaresque novel brimming with both poignant moments and comic ones, and told in a voice that is both quintessentially Irish and inimitably Roddy Doyle's.
Synopsis
Born at the beginning of the twentieth century, Henry Smart lives through the evolution of modern Ireland, and in this extraordinary novel he brilliantly tells his story. From his own birth and childhood on the streets of Dublin to his role as soldier (and lover) in the Irish Rebellion, Henry recounts his early years of reckless heroism and adventure. At once an epic, a love story, and a portrait of Irish history, A Star Called Henry is a grand picaresque novel brimming with both poignant moments and comic ones, and told in a voice that is both quintessentially Irish and inimitably Roddy Doyle's.
Synopsis
Jimmy Rabbitte of The Commitments returns in the triumphant new novel from the Booker Prizewinning author Full of the great joy in storytelling that characterizes Roddy Doyles novels, The Guts catches up with Jimmy Rabbittethe man who in the 1980s formed the Commitments, a band composed of working-class Irish youths whose mission was to bring soul music to Dublin. Jimmy is now
forty-seven, with a loving wife, four kids . . . and colon cancer. The news leaves him shattered and frightenedhe isnt dying, he thinks, but he might be. As he battles his illness while running a small music business, he runs into former bandmates, reunites with his brother, and decides to live more in the moment. The Guts is a warm, funny novel about friendship and family, about facing death and opting for life.
About the Author
Roddy Doyle is an internationally bestselling writer. His first three novels—
The Commitments,
The Snapper, and the 1991 Booker Prize finalist
The Van—are known as
The Barrytown Trilogy. He is also the author of the novels
Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (1993 Booker Prize winner),
The Woman Who Walked into Doors, and
A Star Called Henry, and a non-fiction book about his parents,
Rory and Ita. Doyle has also written for the stage and the screen: the plays
Brownbread,
War,
Guess Who's Coming for the Dinner, and
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors; the film adaptations of
The Commitments )as co-writer),
The Snapper, and
The Van;
When Brendan Met Trudy (an original screenplay); the four-part television series
Family for the BBC; and the television play
Hell for Leather. Roddy Doyle has also written the children's books
The Giggler Treatment,
Rover Saves Christmas, and
The Meanwhile Adventures and contributed to a variety of publications including
The New Yorker magazine and several anthologies. He lives in Dublin.