Rory & Ita - Softcover

Doyle, Roddy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0224063863 ISBN 13: 9780224063869

Publisher: Jonathan Cape, 2003

Synopsis

Ita Doyle: 'In all my life I have lived in two houses, had two jobs, and one husband. I'm a very interesting person.' Rory and Ita, Roddy Doyle's first non-fiction book, tells - largely in their own words - the story of his parents' lives from their first memories to the present. Born in 1923 and 1925 respectively, they met at a New Year's Eve dance in 1947 and married in 1951. They remember every detail of their Dublin childhoods - the people (aunts, cousins, shopkeepers, friends, teachers), the politics (both came from Republican families), idyllic times in the Wexford countryside for Ita, for Rory, his apprenticeship as a printer. Ita's mother died when she was three ('the only memory I have is of her hands, doing things'); Rory was the oldest of nine children, five of them girls. By the time they put down a deposit of two hundred pounds for a house in Kilbarrack, Rory was working as a compositor at the Irish Independent. By the time the first of their four children was born he'd become a teacher, at the School of Printing in Dublin. Kilbarrack began to change ('it wasn't a rural place any more') and Ireland too. Through their eyes we see the intensely Catholic society of their youth being transformed into the vibrant, modern Ireland of today. Both Rory and Ita Doyle are marvellous talkers, with excellent memories, so combined with Roddy Doyle's legendary skill in illuminating ordinary experience, it makes for a book of tremendous warmth and humanity.

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: Jonathan Cape
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0224063863
• ISBN 13: 9780224063869
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352