I was listening to the radio this morning and they played a song from the movie of "The Snapper" and it got me thinking about the "Barrystown Trilogy". For those who don't know, its a set of three books following the lives of the Rabbitte Family, a poor working class family living in Dublin.
"The Committments" is the most well known, thanks to Alan Parkers movie, and centers round Jimmy's attempt to create a soul band. Famous quote "The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud. "
"The Snapper" is the followup and this one centers round Sharon, Jimmy's sister, when she gets pregnant. Its really more about Jimmy Senior and how he handles it though. This is my favourite of the trilogy. Famous quote: "There's nothing on TV. Any chance of a ride? Ya, let me finish this line. Are ya serious?? Your not messin now are ya.. ****ing great...i'll go up n' brush me teeth."
"The Van" is about when Jimmy Senior loses his job and has to deal with unemployment. His friend Bimbo buys a Chip Van with his redundancy money and he and Jimmy become partners in the Venture. Famous quote: "You with the haircut there; wha' d'yeh want? World Peace! You're barred. Next!"
There was a lot of discussion when these books came out, questioning whether they should be classed as "literature". The writing style is very different, consisting of mostly dialogue with very little indication who's speaking in many cases. They would probably give Prim a headache! Still, they're fantastic books, and the third of the trilogy, The Van, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1991.
So, anyone interested in a group read?
http://www.amazon.com/Barrytown-Trilogy ... 0140252622
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Barrytown-Trilo ... 749397365/
Roddy Doyle's "Barrystown Triology"
Roddy Doyle's "Barrystown Triology"
The Vinyamars on Stage! This time at Bag End
I liked the movie version of The Commitments, so I'll check these out.
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axordil
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I still don't think I have time for a group read, but I'm game for some discussion.
One thing that struck me after reading all three was the portrayal of how differently characters in the stories maintain their sense of self-esteem, or perhaps, how differently they define it. There seems (at first glance anyway) a notable division in the genders on this question, which drives much of the tension in The Van especially.
One thing that struck me after reading all three was the portrayal of how differently characters in the stories maintain their sense of self-esteem, or perhaps, how differently they define it. There seems (at first glance anyway) a notable division in the genders on this question, which drives much of the tension in The Van especially.