[.ca] Snapper (ISBN 0749391251)

Shallow, shallow, shallow!:
This was just about the most shallow book I have ever read. There was practically NO plot, and what plot there was was stretched out far beyond interest. Who cares?! I certainly didn't by the tie I finished the book. I found the characers bland and fake. Some character's HAD no characters while other one were exactly one personality trait that never grew or expanded into a real person. And the language! If all that profanity was nessessary for the book to be real, I don't want to live in that 'real' world. Don't waste your ime on this one, the author obviously didn't...

Hysterical:
Doyle is fabulous. Writes in dialect, though, so not for everyone. If you like Irish humor, get the Barrytown Trilogy instead (which includes The Commitments and The Van, in addition).

Amazing!:
I have never seen any other author capture a character so completly with only words. This is what seems to seperate Roddy Doyle from any average author. His characters come out solely through their voices, and the reality is that they seem so much more sincere then those that are descirbed by narrative. The plot is a fast paced parody of a middle class family's everyday life. With misbehaving children, a fed up father, and an exhausted mother. The vernacular is sometimes difficult to get through, but after reading the first few pages, you want nothing but to persevere. I am only seventeen, and my English teacher recommended this book to me, and I am so glad that he did. There were more then a few times where I laughed out loud, and I am not lying. It was the combination of the comedy and it being a light read that so throroughly captivated me. I hope you enjoy it, I know I did.

ALL-OVER-IRELAND:
Roddy Doyle was born in Dublin in 1958 and saw his first novel, "The Commitments", published in 1987. It was later adapted for the big screen, a version that saw Star Trek's Colm Meaney and a very young Andrea Corr among the cast. "The Snapper" was firs published in 1990 and is the second book in his "Barrytown Trilogy". Where "The Commitments" followed Jimmy Rabbite's attempts to bring soul "back" to Dublin, he takes a back seat in "The Snapper". (He now hopes to be a famous DJ, rather than a manager or a drummer - an ambition that quickly earns him the nickname "Larry Gogan". You'll probably need to have spent little time in Ireland to catch that one... ). Instead, the starring roles go to his sister, Sharon, and his father, Jimmy Senior. The book opens with Sharon in a horrible situation : twenty years old, still living at home and three months pregnant, she's breaking the 'bad' news to her parents. She's decided not to name the father - though, there's plenty of speculation, suggestion and rumour over the following six months. Some of it is embarrassingly close to the mark, and causes her no end of trouble. While Sharon's pregnancy obviously isn't easy for her, it also puts Jimmy Snr through the mill - shock, concern, embarrassment and anger. He even, briefly, casts himself as her champion in defending her honour. A very enjoyable and easily book - it's also a good deal better than "The Commitments". While the language is (authentically) 'colourful', it's generally a good-natured book and there's plenty of humour. (However, some of the humour may be lost if you're not familiar with the Irish dialect). Well worth reading.

A compassionate look at human nature:
I recently read "The Snapper" as a part of the Barrytown trilogy, and found Doyle's prose as I always have -- fast paced and incredibly honest. For me, and Im sure other readers, its Doyle's honesty that evokes so much emotion and reflects the depth of the culture he writes about. I couldn't help but feel a part of the family as I witnessed the Rabbitte family's difficulty in accepting Sharon's pregnancy. Doyle's characters aren't shallow - they're so honest you wouldn't be surprised if they walked in your front door and asked you down to the local pub for a pint. If harsh language is a problem for you, perhaps you should stick with more sheltered literature that refuses to tell the truth about real life. Another success for Doyle.