Customer Reviews

The Chisellers

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the second book of the trilogy O'Carroll writes about his fictious "Mammy" Agnes Brown. Not as "funny" as his first book but he paints a beautiful picture of life's ups and downs. He is a brilliant story teller. You are right there feeling the joys and the pains of a large Irish family as life happens. Can't wait to read his third book "The Granny".

This book was advertised in some of the American Irish Papers and the photo looked very cute, and frankly, I could have been one of the kids on the cover, so I picked it up. The novel is PURE pulp set with some cute characters, but this author 'jazzez' up the storyline and makes it 'modern' in a way that is subtle to the modern mind but a fraud and a trick on the reader.

This book follows teen and late teen working class (comparitively) large family living in a Dublin apartment. In the tradition of a trite modern movie, good things happen to this 'single mother' 'Agnes' who never had an 'organism' with her late husband because he was like ice upon her back. You gotta throw in the single-mom and sexually underutilized 1970's housewife to sell a novel these days you know. She however, finds fulfillment in a French transplanted pizza maker.

This all the while her oldest son, who works for an Austrian Jewish holocau$t refugee and survivor (gotta throw the holocau$t reference in there to make a modern novel you know) and saves the survivors old fashioned handcrafted furniture factory when the English clients want cheap disposable furniture, by making . . . cheap disposable furniture. Along the way, he finds a girlfriend and gets married.

The second older son becomes a hairdresser and a homosexual, but Agnes, being the stupid woman, never cathces on even when her gay son dances with his randy boyfriend at the other son's wedding. But the son actually married says the modernist 'Whatever makes you happy?'

But the third older son is a skinhead punk (gotta throw the nazi rascism reference in there to sell a modern novel ya' know) He steals money from Agnes, gambles, and helps beat her gay son almost to death with his other skinhead punk friends. We all know that there were *so many* skinheads and beatings in Dublin circa 1973. That is why the whole country, below the 6 counties, had 2 murders a year.

The other kid is a shoplifter, the other daughter races a go-kart, all summing up into a completely false and unbelievable tale wrapped in quaint language with some true references to way people act, and still act in some quarters. I think this book's cover is its only high point. I have cut the cover off, by the way. Buy this book with the hopes of scoring a picture, do not expect writing in the style of the McCourts, or as accurately truthful as 'Its a long way from Penny Apples'

After reading The Mammy and rolling around on my bed laughing my head off, I immediately opened The Chisellers.
The second book, which follows the lives of the children as they enter aldulthood, is much more dramatic. The author painted a clear enough picture of each kid in The Mammy that I was eager to see how everything turned out.
Well the last few pages had me sobbing into my pillow at four in the morning, it was so beautiful. When I opened the book the next day to re-read the end, I noticed that the whole last page was splattered in tear marks from other readers where they had all cried on it, this being a library book. Some were old and faded, some had makeup on them...and I was very careful not to cry on it myself, so I know they weren't all mine! (I have only ever seen that at the end of A Prayer For Owen Meany)
The whole trilogy is both hillarious and moving. Agnes's devotion to her kids, and the kids' love for each other is what makes it work, and of course, Brendan O'Carroll is a genius.

Second in his seriers of three. Funny, heart warming, and well read by Donada Peters. The only thing that could imporove The Mammy, The Chisllers, and The Granny is book number 4.

Agnes Browne and her brood of seven continue their roguish adventures in this next installemnt of Brendan O'Carroll's marvelous trilogy. Though humorous again, this book takes a harsher look at the realities of this family, centering on character studies of the children. The good, the bad, and the tragic. I enjoyed this change very much. Made for page turning reading and deeper insight. A most marvelous read that keeps you smiling sometimes even through tears. The Browne's are to be cherished forever!!!

This is book two of a trilogy, but it was the first one I read because I came across it 60% off at a Crown Bookstore closing. After reading it, I rushed out to read book one, The Mammy, and then went right to book three, The Granny. I actually think that starting with book two was the best way to read this series, as I enjoyed flashing back in book 1 to the past then moving to book 3 for the future.

This book is a total wonder. It's comic scenes and dialogue are hilarious. But, it's far from a comic novel as there is human drama woven throughout.

The construction of the novel is perfect: it starts in mystery, becomes a brilliantly funny and touching family chronicle, and ends with resolution to its mystery and to all it's plot threads. It will touch your funny bone and your heart: in terms of the joys and love within a family unit; a mother who may not seem to set the best example, but when the chips are down, follows her heart and makes the right decisions; of the diversity of personalities within one family; and, the tragedies that surround us and sometimes destroy our dreams.

One scene had me laughing out loud, then the author describes it again, the second time through other charcaters observing the scene, so you get to enjoy the scene twice.

This book, along with the other two in the series, reminds us that love is our bond, drama and conflict our shadows, and humor the human soul's struggle to prevail.

This is one of the few books that the moment I finished, I started re-reading it -- at least until I could buy the other two books in the series.

I keep a shelf at home with my "Hall of Fame" of favorite books. This book went onto that shelf the moment I turned the last page. And, I can't wait to start over turning its pages once again.

Brendan O'Carrol has done it again!!!!!

This is a great sequel to The Mammy. As the title states it's about the kids and boy did we need it. I found myself laughing out loud and crying, too. Chisellers has you at the edge of your seat with the family as their life changes in various ways. Years will fly by and before you know it & you'll be ready for The Granny.

**** Warning****

Buy all three at one time. If your local bookstore doesn't have it order what's missing because you'll want to know more about the family. You'll even want to send Anges money.

A sequel to a wonderful book is inherently at risk. For when it is to be read by a person familiar with the initial experience, part two is almost predestined to be disappointment. Book one has the advantage of introducing all that is new. The final of the three can tie all the experiences together, can bring closure. But the middle event must maintain the reader's enthusiasm. When the story and its execution are excellent, the reader is enthusiastic for the final event. The last book is not read just to complete the cycle. Happily there are no absolutes, exceptions ensure that there will be pleasant surprises, not all repeated experience need be as expected.

With, "The Chisellers", Mr. Brendan O'Carroll has repeated the brilliance of, "The Mammy", without resorting to repeating himself as a writer, or forcing his characters to remain unchanged. This writer brings all of the people you love in part one and he allows them to evolve as a person would in their own life. The mood of this book is different, but is also a natural progression. The Browne Clan is getting older; adulthood envelops some, while it still awaits the younger children. Agnes too is aging, adapting to the dramatic changes she was forced to cope with in the first book. However as I mentioned when commenting upon, "The Mammy", Mr. O'Carroll tells a wonderful story, which happens to take place with an Irish Family. While it is true this brings with it some detail that may be familiar, the fact that this is an Irish Family is never what drives this book. He never allows his work to cheat and use the easy cliché.

The Author also brings to this wonderful trilogy people that are not Catholic, that are not Irish, and they are not by default the evil players. His story is inclusive; the world he writes about is not a fantasyland where the pains and trials of life are absent. But neither is it a world that when suffering appears, it appears as a certain brand, a certain nationality, a certain group of worn clichés.

And in this second book there is great pain, there is senseless destruction and loss. And while it would be very easy of accusing the Author of being a bit too neat with finding the lining of silver in one cloud too many, it is no more than most tales of Ireland when every cloud contains a granite mountain.

This amazing writer is two for two, and now it remains to be seen if he has the final third of the hat trick within him. For this middle installment is as good as number one, so he has nothing to improve upon, as the first two were uniformly tremendous.

While "Mammy" was a laugh out loud book, the "Chisellers", while not lacking humor, was a compelling, touching tears-in-the-eyes book. Can hardly wait to read "The Granny". I hope Mr. O'Carroll continues his writing.

I loved every word on every page of this book of family relationships. I found myself laughing aloud when Mam came to the defense of her daughter. I felt the tears before I knew I was weeping when the siblings joined together to protect their mother from the truth about her child. On the one hand the book is deeply rich with character development, on the other it is pure entertainment. My only criticism is that the book was too brief...