Rory and Ita - Softcover

Doyle, Roddy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0142003603 ISBN 13: 9780142003602

Publisher: Penguin Group USA, 2003

Synopsis

A portrait of modern Ireland as presented through the lives of the author's parents notes their birth in the aftermath of the Irish rebellion, their witness to the country's rise from an oppressed colony to a rising economic power, and their personal hardships. Reprint.

About this title

Review:

Surprisingly, Rory and Ita is Roddy Doyle's first non-fiction book and recounts (largely in their own words) the tale of his parents' lives from their first memories to the present. Doyle is (as his publishers proudly claim) "Ireland's most famous living writer", and his storytelling acumen (matched with an impeccable knack for conveying with maximum vividness the day-to-day detail of his colourfully-drawn locales) has made his books essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary writing. He is, of course, very funny--and who says writing of real distinction should not have us laughing uproariously? Books such as The Snapper and The Commitments proved this beyond doubt.

Rory and Ita is something new in his work--rarely have a writer's parents been brought to life in such vivid, tender detail--and rarely have two outwardly ordinary people had such fascinatingly offbeat, surprising lives.

Born in 1923 and 1925 respectively, the couple have a total recall of every detail of their Dublin childhoods, their eccentric relatives and, crucially, the politics (both came from Republican families). Inevitably, some of Doyle's keenest followers may be wary of this departure from his customarily idiosyncratic novels (even the much-acclaimed A Star called Henry wrongfooted many readers with its marked departure from the areas we customarily associated with Doyle), but Rory and Ita is actually quite as entertaining as any of Doyle's fiction. His parents come across as remarkable talkers (his mother, in particular, has some very surprising tales to tell), and the book (with its rich and colourful portrait of a country caught between the backwardness of religious repression and the indomitable human spirit of its people) creates a picture of a very human and often very funny world that has now all but vanished. Doyle enthusiasts may hesitate--but they'd be wise to add this one to their libraries, as it has all the insight and humour of the author's best work. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

"The arc of life demands completion, and what is deemed inconsequential on the page has a sweet resonance on tape." (Sunday Telegraph)

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Group USA
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0142003603
• ISBN 13: 9780142003602
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352