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Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (Hardcover)

4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (80 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 288 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0670853453
ISBN-13: 978-0670853458
Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.5 x 2.8 cm
Shipping Weight: 477 g

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (80 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Winning the 1993 Booker Prize propelled Doyle's fourth novel from its original spring publication to a December issue date. While retaining the candid pictures of family life, the swift, energetic prose, the ear-perfect vernacular dialogue and the slap-dash humor that distinguished The Van , The Snapper and The Commitments , this narrative has more poignance and resonance . Set in the working-class environment of an Irish town in the late 1960s, the story is related by bright, sensitive 10-year-old Paddy Clarke, who, when we first meet him, is merely concerned with being as tough as his peers. Paddy and his best friend Kevin are part of a neighborhood gang that sets fires in vacant buildings, routinely teases and abuses younger kids and plays in forbidden places. In episodic fashion, Doyle conveys the activities, taboos and ceremonies, the daring glee and often distorted sense of the world of boys verging on adolescence. As Paddy becomes aware that his parents' marriage is disintegrating, Doyle's control of his protagonist's voice remains unerring, and the gradual transition of Paddy's thoughts from the hurly-burly of play and pranks to a growing fear and misery about his father's alcoholic and abusive behavior is masterfully realized. While some topical references may bewilder readers unfamiliar with life in Ireland, other background details--the portrayal of small-town society, of the strict teacher who shows sudden empathy for Paddy--have universal interest. Most notable, however, is the emotional fidelity with which Doyle conveys Paddy's anguished reaction to the breakup of his family.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Paddy Clarke is ten years old. He lives with his ma and da, his younger brother Sinbad ("at home he was Francis"), and two baby sisters in the Dublin working-class neighborhood of Barrytown. Paddy spends his days with his friends Kevin, Aiden, and Liam, roaming local construction sites (it's the late 1960s, and suburbia is creeping over the Irish countryside), writing their names in wet cement, conducting Viking funerals for dead rats, and torturing Sinbad ("Big brothers hated their little brothers. They had to. It was the rule."). At night, Paddy listens vigilantly for the sounds of his parents fighting, whispering the magic word "Stop" to end it. Filled with the same earthy humor and pungent Irish dialog that marked Doyle's earlier novels ( The Commitments , Vintage, 1989; The Snapper and The Van , LJ 7/92), this book is also a vivid and poignant portrait of a little boy trying to make sense of the adult world. As Paddy Clarke himself would say, it is " brilliant," well deserving of the 1993 Booker Prize. The U.S. publication date of this book was changed from April 1994 to December after it won the prize.--Ed.
- Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

80 Reviews

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4.2 out of 5 stars (80 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars There are no messers in Heaven, Aug 12 2008

By	Craobh Rua "Craobh Rua" (N. Ireland) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (Paperback)

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. Doyle went on to win the Booker Prize in 1993 with "Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha".

The book is set in the 1960s Barrytown, and is told by Paddy Clarke- the eldest child of his family. Although he has a few younger sisters, it's only his younger brother Sinbad who features to any degree. He's a Manchester United supporter, and particularly idolises George Best. His chief hobbies involve playing football, and messing around with his friends on neighbouring farm and nearby building sites.

Sinbad doesn't always get a fair deal from his brother. He cries constantly, wets the bed and as a baby, he once got his head stuck in the bars of his cot. He never smiles in photos and doesn't eat his dinner - something that particularly infuriates his Paddy Sr. Despite wearing glasses with one black lens - to deal with an eye problem - he's a great dribbler on the football pitch. (Paddy and his friends used to make Sinbad be Nobby Stiles when playing football - so he stopped supporting United, and started following Liverpool).

Out of Paddy's friends, he's probably closest to Kevin Conway - though, to be honest, Kevin isn't an entirely likeable kid. James O'Keefe, for the most part, is a good deal more - deapite being, quite possibly, the biggest liar in Barrytown. O'Keefe is hated by their teacher Mister Hennessy - he even gets blamed on making noise in class when he's off sick. (Henno does appear to have a slight vindictive streak in him - in fact, he reminded me a little of a teacher I once had at secondary school). The two most likeable of Paddy's friends, however, are a pair of brothers called Liam and Aidan. The boys' mother is dead, and though their father is trying his best, he seems to be a little lost. The neighbours aren't above gossiping about him and - although they are officially part of the gang - Liam and Aidan are also on the receiving end of a fair few nasty comments. As much as Paddy loves going over to their house, even he's not immune to a touch of snobbery.

The story is told more from a child's point of view rather than by an adult looking back on things. There are some things that raised a smile - the childhood theories about Purgatory, for example - and it even inspired a touch of nostalgia sometimes. However, it's set at a time when not only is Barrytown changing, but Paddy's home life is changing dramatically too. Naturally, Paddy doesn't always understand his parents and the things they say - so it's only gradually, as the frights become more and more frequent, that you come to realise there are problems between Paddy's dad and mum. There's a certain sadness about watching Paddy grow up as the story is told, while the difference between Paddy at the book's beginning and on the book's final couple of pages is tragic. A lovely book, though very sad.

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3.0 out of 5 stars The whole adds up to less than the sum of it's parts., Mar 28 2002

By	David J. Gannon (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (Paperback)

In Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha Roddy Doyle attempts--with some success-to see the way a child views, and understands, the world evolve and mature. The book starts out with Paddy a feisty 10 year old and follows him through adolescence. As Paddy grows up and starts to realize that there are real problems and issues out there that really do affect him and that he's got to come to terms with, the narration does an admirable job of maturing along with the boy.

The problem for me, as it appears to be for many to others who have commented on this book, was that I never engaged with the story on an emotional level. The story never grabs you and sucks you in. Reading this is sort of like having an out-of-body experience-you see it all, understand it all, but never develop any sort of feelings about the enterprise.

The writing style is interesting, the story moves along, there are some interesting insights. Unfortunately, this appears to be one of those books where the whole seems somehow to add up to less than the sum of it's parts. In the end you are left with a book you can appreciate but for which you have no particular fondness.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining, Mar 1 2002

By	"lizgb85" (CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (Paperback)

I'm not very familiar with Irish literature, but I think this was a good book to start with. The book does a really good job of expressing the voice and experiences of a ten-year old. It can get a little confusing in parts, because Paddy tends to get sidetracked in his narratives, but I love the honesty and complexity of it. I read this in my English class, and I'm not sure I would have come upon this book if I hadn't had to read it for school. The writing style is a bit different from what I'm used to, but it made the book more interesting. Overall, I would recommend this book because it does a really good job of portraying childhood and gives some insight into what it was like to grow up in Ireland in the 1960's.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars the memories of childhood
The book Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle reveals the world by the point of Paddy, a 10-year-old boy. Read more

Published on Mar 1 2002 by seungseung

3.0 out of 5 stars Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha
I feel that Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha is an interesting book, but often hard to relate and get into. I think this is because it is written from a 10 year-old's perspective and what... Read more

Published on Mar 1 2002 by Clare

3.0 out of 5 stars Voice
I think this book is pretty decent. In this book the author can brings out the voice of a young kid. The sentence, speech in the book are all really easy, clear sentences. Read more

Published on Mar 1 2002

3.0 out of 5 stars review
As a literary work, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, was a well written novel, but it did not hold my attention and I am not sympathetic with the subject matter. Read more

Published on Mar 1 2002