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adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Your enjoyment of this book depends upon how much you like Brendan Behan's narrative voice. I am absolutely charmed by his writing style, and would have been happy had this book been twice the length, as I feel I could listen to him forever. His writing style is so honest, vivid and witty. The narrative begins with a young Brendan, age 16, who is in Liverpool for the first time in his life. He is an agent of the IRA and is supposed to plant a bomb in Liverpool, but before he can do so, he is caught by the British police.
Young Brendan, the would-be terrorist, comes across as naive, but full of life and goodwill. It's hard to believe he would willingly kill anyone -- and his reasons for joining the IRA are not reflected on very much in the text. The older Behan's thoughts are also not directly apparent anywhere: we do not know what he, as an adult, thinks of the IRA or of the actions of his younger self. The readers is left to draw their own conclusions. Though Brendan is clearly culpable for his actions, he is also very young and his been indoctrinated by the IRA all his life -- most of his family are members. It's interesting to read Bredan's story in light of current young suicide bombers or terrorists and to get a sense of how someone so young can become willing to do terrible things.
The novel mostly covers Brendan's experiences first in a men's prison, and then in the Borstal, which is a prison / reform school for young men. The men's prison is a frightening experience for Brendan -- he is afraid the other prisoners will attack him because of his political affiliations, and does not think the guards will protect him. The regime in the men's prison is harsh, with a lot of time spent in solitary, and poor food. In contrast, the time Brendan spends in Borstal is written about with fondness. The Borstal requires the young men to work between ten and twelve hours a day, either in the fields or on building sites. Brendan does not once complain about this, but seems to find the hard labour and companionship with other young men convivial. He is very measured in his assessment of the other prisoners, and of the guards. From his description, I can imagine many young men would find Borstal a terrible experience, but Brendan faces it with courage. His perpetual good cheer and gentleness towards men around him are very endearing.
The book is full of life: conversations between the young men, about sex, religion, crime and families are all recounted in vivid dialogue. It's easy to see that Behan is a playwrite. The songs the prisoners sing, the descriptions of nature, work and hardship all add to the atmosphere, but overall it's Behan's narrative voice that makes this book shine. This was my second reading, but it's definitely a book I'll come back to.
Young Brendan, the would-be terrorist, comes across as naive, but full of life and goodwill. It's hard to believe he would willingly kill anyone -- and his reasons for joining the IRA are not reflected on very much in the text. The older Behan's thoughts are also not directly apparent anywhere: we do not know what he, as an adult, thinks of the IRA or of the actions of his younger self. The readers is left to draw their own conclusions. Though Brendan is clearly culpable for his actions, he is also very young and his been indoctrinated by the IRA all his life -- most of his family are members. It's interesting to read Bredan's story in light of current young suicide bombers or terrorists and to get a sense of how someone so young can become willing to do terrible things.
The novel mostly covers Brendan's experiences first in a men's prison, and then in the Borstal, which is a prison / reform school for young men. The men's prison is a frightening experience for Brendan -- he is afraid the other prisoners will attack him because of his political affiliations, and does not think the guards will protect him. The regime in the men's prison is harsh, with a lot of time spent in solitary, and poor food. In contrast, the time Brendan spends in Borstal is written about with fondness. The Borstal requires the young men to work between ten and twelve hours a day, either in the fields or on building sites. Brendan does not once complain about this, but seems to find the hard labour and companionship with other young men convivial. He is very measured in his assessment of the other prisoners, and of the guards. From his description, I can imagine many young men would find Borstal a terrible experience, but Brendan faces it with courage. His perpetual good cheer and gentleness towards men around him are very endearing.
The book is full of life: conversations between the young men, about sex, religion, crime and families are all recounted in vivid dialogue. It's easy to see that Behan is a playwrite. The songs the prisoners sing, the descriptions of nature, work and hardship all add to the atmosphere, but overall it's Behan's narrative voice that makes this book shine. This was my second reading, but it's definitely a book I'll come back to.
As much as I like this book much of it boils down to endless descriptions of food and sigaret smoking, with the odd bit of briljant descriptif storytelling mixed in.
Definitely picking up the sequel.
Definitely picking up the sequel.
reflective
slow-paced
Had many good moments, and some genuinely funny humour throughout. I really enjoyed reading about possibly a few of the most formative years of the life of incredibly interesting man. Highly recommend if you've any interest in the life a Brendan Behan.
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Behan is a fascinating and strong character, recounts his time as a YP in England with great intellect. Regularly referencing literary greats and historic heroes/events, Behan’s account of Borstal and other institutions is lyrically set out. Definitely slow in pace, but this reflects his time spent in institutions.
His insight into the true division among men are unexpected. Having been excommunicated by the Catholic Church as a result of being an active member of the IRA, Behan finds that his beloved Christianity fails him (yet he never fails it). Ultimately, it appears that class is the primary divider/unifier amongst this demographic at this time. Neither religion nor political position - although he does remind the reader that these facets of identity are in some capacity intertwined. However, at the end of the day it all seems to come down to tobacco, friendships, and food.
I found this to be insightful, and at times rather emotional.
His insight into the true division among men are unexpected. Having been excommunicated by the Catholic Church as a result of being an active member of the IRA, Behan finds that his beloved Christianity fails him (yet he never fails it). Ultimately, it appears that class is the primary divider/unifier amongst this demographic at this time. Neither religion nor political position - although he does remind the reader that these facets of identity are in some capacity intertwined. However, at the end of the day it all seems to come down to tobacco, friendships, and food.
I found this to be insightful, and at times rather emotional.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
What this book really communicates to me is a feeling of compassion and love to all mankind, told in the inimitable, witty, whiskey-breathed voice of St. Brendan.
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced