'It is 1968. Paddy Clarke is ten years old, breathless with discovery: He reads with a child's voraciousness, collecting facts the way adults collect grey hairs and parking tickets. Doyle captures the speech pattern of childhood brilliantly, the weird logic of incessant questions, the non-sequiturs and wonderments ... Like all the great comic writers Roddy Doyle has become an explorer of the heart.' Joseph O'Connor, Irish Times
Roddy Doyle's novel offers a ten-year-old boy's impressions of friends, parents and school through colorful sketches and vivid images of Ireland in 1968. Recounting Paddy's adventures in the first person, the multi-faceted Aidan Gillen captures both the author's literary voice and the eagerness of the boy telling the story. Wonder, curiosity and disbelief come through beautifully thanks to Gillen's rhythmic, fast-paced, clear, Irish lilt. He is consistently successful with characters of both genders and several generations. This book is superb in audio because the experience of hearing Paddy's accent, enthusiasm and boyishness brings his character to life. J.A.H. An AUDIOFILE Earphones Award winner (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine