The Boy in the Boat

O'Raleigh, MR Brian

ISBN 10: 1480058904 / ISBN 13: 9781480058903

Published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013

Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G1480058904I3N01

Synopsis:

An engrossing memoir that reads more like fiction than fact. A compulsive page turner that will have you burning the midnight oil. Brian O'Raleigh never knew why his family fled Ireland but he learned early to escape his father's demonic rages by slipping away from the Alexandra Private Hotel to the beach and the Kathleen R, the fishing boat that was to become his refuge and his sanctuary. At the age of 18, in trouble with the law, Brian left England for Australia seeking to overcome a growing dependency on alcohol and the damage it was wreaking on the lives of those he loved. In a style that is both raw and compelling, The Boy in the Boat tells the riveting story of Brian's childhood, his triumph over alcoholism, his inspirational journey towards recovery, and eventually to the profound revelation that he was moulded and shaped during his childhood years for the meaning and purpose of his life. This is a truly engrossing book. Read what the leading critics said about this story.The Australian Irish Echo: “O'Raleigh is a convincing writer and this book deserves ranking with 'Angela's Ashes'. He mixes dialog, narrative and reflection in a story that is always engrossing, often scary and sometimes funny.”Australian Woman's Day. "From raw and compelling prose, a moving portrait emerges of Brian. From cowed child to fierce rebel and finally to an adult battling his own inner demons. This is a finely crafted memoir". Australian New Idea: "Brian is no angel. He's an infuriating drunk and an irresponsible brute; which is why this story of ultimate redemption is so powerful."

About the Author: Brian O’Raleigh was born into a chaotic Irish family in 1941 in the English seaside resort town of Blackpool. He attended St Joseph’s College, until the age of 14 when he was expelled after a fight with a Christian brother. At the age of 18, accused of being involved in an IRA bomb threat on Blackpool Tower, he emigrated to Australia, just a few steps ahead of English justice. Arriving in Sydney he worked at a dozen different occupations, salesman, construction worker, bulldozer operator, factory worker, steel fixer and trade union official. After his first wife left him in 1967 - in a desperate attempt to do something decent with his life - he volunteered for the 6-Day-War in Israel. There he met his second wife, Carol, and for a while, stopped drinking. But on returning to London a year later, he became involved in the notoriously hedonistic life of ‘The Swinging Sixties’. Excessive drinking, night clubs, parties, crime and the associated violence. Then, after organizing a gang raid on a London police station, he was forced to flee England once again, and, with police alerts at all airports in the UK, he took a small, French fishing boat to Calais. Carol met him there and together they journeyed through France, Germany, Austria, Belgrade, Bulgaria, Turkey, crossing the Bosphorus at Istanbul, before traveling through Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, through the Khyber Pass to Pakistan, India and eventually, Australia. A year later, Brian began building a deep sea sailing boat hoping that this would set him free from the alcoholism he had despised in his father; but, after 4 years of failure and frustration, he suffered a major collapse and became suicidal. This proved to be the catalyst that began a lasting recovery. Brian began writing in 2005. His latest book: 'The Storyteller of Inis Mór' was reviewed by Frank O'Shea, literary critic for The Australian Irish Echo, who said: "O’Raleigh’s new work: The Storyteller of Inis Mor, reminds one of the great Irish writers such as Sean O’Faolain and Benedict Kiely”.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Boy in the Boat
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date: 2013
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Edition: 2nd Edition