![]() ![]() Paddy Clarke is an lad living in an increasingly industrialized Irish town some time in the 1960’s. The lack of plot or traditional structure offered in this novel can be initially jarring and frustrating, but Paddy Clarke’s idiosyncratic, often tangential voice rings true and there is a real artistry hidden behind the seemingly random and directionless prose. Rating: A-/ There isn’t much funny about Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, it’s a somewhat bleak and depressing book narrated by a ten-year-old unsupervised hell raiser who runs with a group of kids who are more Lord of the Flies than Our Gang. I own ‘The Woman Who Walked into Doors,’ also by Roddy Doyle, in my collection and I’m planning to read it soon, but I needed to detox from reading dark fiction for a while after reading ‘Winter Birds’ by Jim Grimsley.– it took me a while to get used to this novel’s writing style, but it’s well worth the read, especially if you’re interested in stream of consciousness. Upon deliberation, I have changed the B rating to an A-, Paddy Clarke is one of the most realistic, if not the most realistic, child narrators I’ve ever encountered. ![]() This review is one I wrote two years ago on my previous blog that I decided to copy down onto Sarah’s Corner. ![]()
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