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wordsofclover's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Jimmy Rabbitte Sr is struggling to decide on his next step after he is made redundant and feels like a spare part in his own house. As wife Veronica turns to studying, and his son Jimmy Rabbitte Jr is doing well enough for himself to spare a few bob to his dad for a pint, things are looking bleak for Jimmy Sr. But when his friend Bimbo buys a chip van, things look up as the two partner up to figure out how exactly one makes a battered sausage in time for the World Cup and a lot of hungry spectators exiting the pubs aroud Barrytown.
There was lots in this to love - the pure Irishisms coming out of Jimmy and everyone around him or more accurately the Dublinisms, and there's a real sense of nostalgia when reading this book for a Dublin and a particular way of life that doesn't really exist anymore. For anyone who loved The Snapper or The Commitments, this is the third book in the Barrytown trilogy and follows members of the same family. Roddy Doyle has a good way of creating larger than life characters and placing them exactly where they ought to be and bringing them to life in many different ways.
The only issue I had with this, and it did spoil my reading a little bit, is the way in which Jimmy Sr and some of his friends (Bertie) often talked about women. Now I know this is just a product of when the book was written or published but that doesn't mean I have to be okay with grown men talking about 15/16 year olds looking like 'rides' or men actively looking to see if they would get the opportunity to cheat on their wives when on a night out. Not to mention how often the older women in the book, the wives and mothers, were compared unfavourably to women in their teens and 20s as if aging isn't hard enough as it is without being expected to look 21 forever.
There was lots in this to love - the pure Irishisms coming out of Jimmy and everyone around him or more accurately the Dublinisms, and there's a real sense of nostalgia when reading this book for a Dublin and a particular way of life that doesn't really exist anymore. For anyone who loved The Snapper or The Commitments, this is the third book in the Barrytown trilogy and follows members of the same family. Roddy Doyle has a good way of creating larger than life characters and placing them exactly where they ought to be and bringing them to life in many different ways.
The only issue I had with this, and it did spoil my reading a little bit, is the way in which Jimmy Sr and some of his friends (Bertie) often talked about women. Now I know this is just a product of when the book was written or published but that doesn't mean I have to be okay with grown men talking about 15/16 year olds looking like 'rides' or men actively looking to see if they would get the opportunity to cheat on their wives when on a night out. Not to mention how often the older women in the book, the wives and mothers, were compared unfavourably to women in their teens and 20s as if aging isn't hard enough as it is without being expected to look 21 forever.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
albertotobias's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mae7110's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
dwheeler's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
doireann_ni_chaoimh's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I loved the link back the characters from to the snapper, it can take a while to get used to reading in the accent if you haven’t done that in a while.
A fun low investment read and it’s always a joy to read books set in Ireland.
A fun low investment read and it’s always a joy to read books set in Ireland.
love_booksforlife's review
5.0
This book was great. I love Jimmy Rabbitte Sr and this last book in the Barrytown trilogy set him as the star. The serious situations kind of sneak up on you as you laugh out loud during the hilarious conversations. I think Doyle is a genuine artist who paints real and gritty drama throughout outrageous situations. Loved this book!
greyscarf's review
3.0
The third (final?) entry of the Barrytown series (are we counting The Guts now?) follows Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr. in Dublin in the early '90s. He's unemployed & filling his time while on the dole: babysitting his grand-daughter, spending a ton of time at the library, & golfing. To an outsider, that might sound like a easy time, but in truth, Jimmy is adrift, ashamed of the fact his family relies on welfare & concerned that they are coming apart as each Rabbitte tries to better their circumstances. When Jimmy's friend Bimbo also loses his job & plans to buy a food truck, Jimmy helps out, even if the effort is just to have something to do. But once they get the business up & running, Jimmy discovers that the new influx of money will put a strain on his friendship.
The Van gives readers of the Barrytown series an interesting contrasting view of Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr. compared to the previous book The Snapper. Snapper showed us a father who was downright maternal--Jimmy Sr. was still a little aimless, but his daughter Sharon's pregnancy had inspired him to pull the family together. There are still flashes of Jimmy's emotional depth in The Van but mostly he is unmoored by middle age & he wants certain things so badly that he gets downright creepy by the end of the book. This attitude is mostly understandable: Jimmy's wife has gone back to school, his kids are all over the place & seemingly have no need for him, the neighborhood is starting to gentrify & if everyone is looking out for themselves, why can't he?
As a reader who has loved the Rabbitte family's barely contained chaos, the thing that saddened me the most was exactly how success, greed & midlife desperation changed Jimmy. His jovial & generally harmless interest in other women becomes a sleazy power trip by the end of the book & his friendship with Bimbo, which had a certain give-and-take, escalates into a game of chicken to see who can get the last & best insult in. The change in character made sense but I was pretty disappointed by the end of the book.
Van is the longest of the three Barrytown books so far & there is a lot of atmospheric setup before getting to the crux of the story. I wonder if some of this could have been edited down--sections about the Rabbittes' home life & how Barrytown in general is changing are just long enough for reader to start to wonder what the point is. Also, Van is sort of a downer to end the series on. In the other two novels, things fell apart spectacularly but there were always hints that the characters would get back up & try something else. I don't doubt that Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr. will get back up, but since his personal world has changed beyond recognition, I don't have a lot of hope that he'll find his way again.
The Van gives readers of the Barrytown series an interesting contrasting view of Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr. compared to the previous book The Snapper. Snapper showed us a father who was downright maternal--Jimmy Sr. was still a little aimless, but his daughter Sharon's pregnancy had inspired him to pull the family together. There are still flashes of Jimmy's emotional depth in The Van but mostly he is unmoored by middle age & he wants certain things so badly that he gets downright creepy by the end of the book. This attitude is mostly understandable: Jimmy's wife has gone back to school, his kids are all over the place & seemingly have no need for him, the neighborhood is starting to gentrify & if everyone is looking out for themselves, why can't he?
As a reader who has loved the Rabbitte family's barely contained chaos, the thing that saddened me the most was exactly how success, greed & midlife desperation changed Jimmy. His jovial & generally harmless interest in other women becomes a sleazy power trip by the end of the book & his friendship with Bimbo, which had a certain give-and-take, escalates into a game of chicken to see who can get the last & best insult in. The change in character made sense but I was pretty disappointed by the end of the book.
Van is the longest of the three Barrytown books so far & there is a lot of atmospheric setup before getting to the crux of the story. I wonder if some of this could have been edited down--sections about the Rabbittes' home life & how Barrytown in general is changing are just long enough for reader to start to wonder what the point is. Also, Van is sort of a downer to end the series on. In the other two novels, things fell apart spectacularly but there were always hints that the characters would get back up & try something else. I don't doubt that Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr. will get back up, but since his personal world has changed beyond recognition, I don't have a lot of hope that he'll find his way again.
orithyia's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bryoniadioica's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5