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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Great new Abbey production of The Quare Fellow left me with a strong yearning to finally pick this up - what was I waiting for? Impassioned and interrogative in its understated reflections on the stories our birth-of-a-nation mythologies don't tell, on systemic forces that cross enemy lines, and the solidarity that can break them.
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
A fascinating story of Brendan Behan's time in the young offenders' prison system in England for IRA activities. It was an interesting adventure to follow his time in confinement and his relationships with his fellow prisoners and jailers. But the most enjoyable adventure for me was in the language of the story -- learning British and Irish slang and dialect, and appreciating the author's mastery of language.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Brendan Behan, Irish playwright and professional raconteur, tells the story of his imprisonment in Britain at 16 for being a member of the IRA. The book conveys Behan's attempts and general ability to find the humanity in most anyone. Too bad he drank himself to death at age 46.
This is a surprisingly funny autobiography of a teenage IRA member who ends up briefly in prison, then a juvenile institution. Behan's voice reminds me of Jonathan Lethem in Motherless Brooklyn - self-deprecating, funny, and endearingly upbeat despite his unfortunate circumstances.
For now, I'm shelving it. Saving it for a day when I feel like reading chapter after chapter of one man's prison bathroom habits.
For now, I'm shelving it. Saving it for a day when I feel like reading chapter after chapter of one man's prison bathroom habits.
I thought I was going to enjoy this a lot more than I actually ended up enjoying it, which is a bit disappointing to be honest.
I’ve always been fascinated with Ireland and Irish history, and getting the opportunity to read the autobiography of an Irish writer like Brendan Behan was something I jumped at, but this just fell short for me. And I’m not fully sure I understand why exactly.
I definitely had to push myself to get to the end, and that really dampened my enjoyment of it.
I’ve always been fascinated with Ireland and Irish history, and getting the opportunity to read the autobiography of an Irish writer like Brendan Behan was something I jumped at, but this just fell short for me. And I’m not fully sure I understand why exactly.
I definitely had to push myself to get to the end, and that really dampened my enjoyment of it.