What do you think?
Rate this book
The Barrytown Trilogy #2
The Snapper
Twenty-year-old Sharon Rabbitte is pregnant. She's also unmarried, living at home, working in a grocery store, and keeping the father's identity a secret. Her own father, Jimmy Sr., is shocked by the news. Her mother says very little. Her friends and neighbors all want to know whose "snapper" Sharon is carrying. In his sparkling second novel, Roddy Doyle observes the progression of Sharon's pregnancy and its impact on the Rabbitte family—especially on Jimmy Sr.—with wit, candor, and surprising authenticity.
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1990
93 people are currently reading
2457 people want to read
About the author
Roddy Doyle
126 books1,643 followersRoddy Doyle (Irish: Ruaidhrí Ó Dúill) is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. Several of his books have been made into successful films, beginning with The Commitments in 1991. He won the Booker Prize in 1993.
Doyle grew up in Kilbarrack, Dublin. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from University College, Dublin. He spent several years as an English and geography teacher before becoming a full-time writer in 1993.
Doyle grew up in Kilbarrack, Dublin. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from University College, Dublin. He spent several years as an English and geography teacher before becoming a full-time writer in 1993.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 407 reviews
May 24, 2020
As much as I liked
The Commitments
, the first novel in Roddy Doyle’s Barrytown Trilogy, The Snapper – book two – is much more satisfying. It’s just as funny and profane, but it has more emotional depth, an amusing if troubling mystery and characters who feel alive and authentic.
It focuses on Sharon Rabbitte, the 20-year-old sister of the Commitments’ manager, Jimmy. I remember meeting her briefly in the first book, when Jimmy’s friend Deco complimented her as she passed him in the Rabbitte’s North Dublin home. I believe she told him: “Go an' shite.” Ouch.
The Snapper opens with Sharon announcing to her parents – Jimmy Sr. and Veronica – that she’s pregnant. She works at a grocery store and lives at home with them along with Jimmy Jr. (who’s trying to break into the DJ field), directionless Les, charmed youngest boy Darren and the twins, Linda and Tracy, who take up one hobby then quickly move onto another.
The news is greeted with some happiness – it’s the late 80s, and the stigma against pregnancies out of wedlock isn’t what it used to be. Sharon’s clearly Jimmy’s favourite child, and he’s gonna be a grandpa! However, Sharon refuses to say who the father is, and as her situation becomes more evident – she also hides the news from her girlfriends for some reason – her conflicted emotions, and those of her pa, begin to surface.
Rumours spread (their neighbourhood is pretty small, after all), and soon Jimmy Sr is upset that he can’t go to his local bar without overhearing gossip. In the lively Rabbitte household, between tea, TV watching and friendly familial shouting, father and daughter soon aren’t talking. Jimmy, normally voluble and jokey (he is the book’s great character), is glum.
I loved this book. I loved these people. Doyle is one of the best writers about working class lives. (There’s a fascinating subplot about one of Jimmy Sr.’s out-of-work friends trying to find employment.) I came to love the cluttered, loud house the Rabbittes live in.
And I especially loved witnessing the tender, complex relationship between a father and his daughter. When Jimmy starts reading up about pregnancy (in “a buke”) to help out Sharon, at first I thought it was ridiculous. I mean, the man’s sired half a dozen kids himself. But later Jimmy admits that he wasn’t really around for those deliveries (see quote below). He discovers the miracle of birth not through his own children but through his child’s child.
And when Sharon finally gives her child its name? Wow. I teared up.
I noticed that many Goodreads readers were upset that Sharon continued to drink alcohol while pregnant, and criticized the book for that. Really? Of course, it’s not responsible behaviour, but it’s not an author’s job to judge his characters. The cause of Sharon's pregnancy is also controversial, especially for a contemporary reader. But the way it's depicted feels honest and real. Again: no judgement.
A word of advice: It’s a short book, and there’s a lot of dialogue, but don’t read it too quickly. Savour it. Doyle’s writing is so good. Here are some examples:
Jimmy Sr., after learning about the pregnancy, is out drinking with Sharon and gives her a fiver to go join her friends across the bar.
And here’s Jimmy talking to Sharon about what he was doing when his children were born. (I take it Conways and Hikers are pubs.)
That’s lovely writing: heartfelt, honest, the words and pauses capturing the real rhythms and cadences of ordinary life.
I can’t wait to finish the trilogy with The Van. And while I’m a little upset that the Rabbitte mother, Veronica, was mostly in the background sewing outfits for the twins’ hobbies, I look forward to reading Doyle’s two Paula Spencer novels to see how he gets inside the head of a mature woman.
It focuses on Sharon Rabbitte, the 20-year-old sister of the Commitments’ manager, Jimmy. I remember meeting her briefly in the first book, when Jimmy’s friend Deco complimented her as she passed him in the Rabbitte’s North Dublin home. I believe she told him: “Go an' shite.” Ouch.
The Snapper opens with Sharon announcing to her parents – Jimmy Sr. and Veronica – that she’s pregnant. She works at a grocery store and lives at home with them along with Jimmy Jr. (who’s trying to break into the DJ field), directionless Les, charmed youngest boy Darren and the twins, Linda and Tracy, who take up one hobby then quickly move onto another.
The news is greeted with some happiness – it’s the late 80s, and the stigma against pregnancies out of wedlock isn’t what it used to be. Sharon’s clearly Jimmy’s favourite child, and he’s gonna be a grandpa! However, Sharon refuses to say who the father is, and as her situation becomes more evident – she also hides the news from her girlfriends for some reason – her conflicted emotions, and those of her pa, begin to surface.
Rumours spread (their neighbourhood is pretty small, after all), and soon Jimmy Sr is upset that he can’t go to his local bar without overhearing gossip. In the lively Rabbitte household, between tea, TV watching and friendly familial shouting, father and daughter soon aren’t talking. Jimmy, normally voluble and jokey (he is the book’s great character), is glum.
I loved this book. I loved these people. Doyle is one of the best writers about working class lives. (There’s a fascinating subplot about one of Jimmy Sr.’s out-of-work friends trying to find employment.) I came to love the cluttered, loud house the Rabbittes live in.
And I especially loved witnessing the tender, complex relationship between a father and his daughter. When Jimmy starts reading up about pregnancy (in “a buke”) to help out Sharon, at first I thought it was ridiculous. I mean, the man’s sired half a dozen kids himself. But later Jimmy admits that he wasn’t really around for those deliveries (see quote below). He discovers the miracle of birth not through his own children but through his child’s child.
And when Sharon finally gives her child its name? Wow. I teared up.
I noticed that many Goodreads readers were upset that Sharon continued to drink alcohol while pregnant, and criticized the book for that. Really? Of course, it’s not responsible behaviour, but it’s not an author’s job to judge his characters. The cause of Sharon's pregnancy is also controversial, especially for a contemporary reader. But the way it's depicted feels honest and real. Again: no judgement.
A word of advice: It’s a short book, and there’s a lot of dialogue, but don’t read it too quickly. Savour it. Doyle’s writing is so good. Here are some examples:
Jimmy Sr., after learning about the pregnancy, is out drinking with Sharon and gives her a fiver to go join her friends across the bar.
- Ah, there’s no need, Daddy.
- There is o’ course, said Jimmy Sr.
He moved in closer to her.
- It’s not every day yeh find ou’ you’re goin’ to be a granda.
He’d just thought of that now and he had to stop himself from letting his eyes water. He often did things like that, gave away pounds and fivers or said nice things; little things that made him like himself.
And here’s Jimmy talking to Sharon about what he was doing when his children were born. (I take it Conways and Hikers are pubs.)
- When your mammy was havin’ Jimmy I was in work. An’ when she was havin’ you I was in me mother’s. When she had Leslie I was inside in town, in Conways, yeh know, with the lads. The Hikers wasn’t built then. For Darren, I was - I can’t remember. The twins, I was in the Hikers.
- You’ve a great memory.
- Nowadays the husbands are there with the women, said Jimmy Sr. - That’s much better, I think. I’d
He scratched his leg.
- Because he can hold her hand an’ help her, an’ encourage her, yeh know, an’ see his child bein’ born.
There wasn’t even a car going past. The pipes upstairs weren’t making any noise.
- Sharon, I’ll – Only if yeh want now – I wouldn’t mind stayin’ with you when – you’re havin’ it.
- Ah no.
- Okay.
That’s lovely writing: heartfelt, honest, the words and pauses capturing the real rhythms and cadences of ordinary life.
I can’t wait to finish the trilogy with The Van. And while I’m a little upset that the Rabbitte mother, Veronica, was mostly in the background sewing outfits for the twins’ hobbies, I look forward to reading Doyle’s two Paula Spencer novels to see how he gets inside the head of a mature woman.
November 30, 2017
Actual rating 3.5 stars.
This is the second instalment in Doyle's The Barrytown trilogy, following on from The Commitments. The focus has shifted to the former protagonist's father and elder sister, and details another generation of life inside suburban Ireland.
Sharon Rabbitte is pregnant. But the juicy gossip around town isn't her unwed status but concerns over who the father is. Is it her best friend's balding, overweight father like is rumoured? Or the one-night-stand Sharon claims it is? And why does it matter either way? For Sharon it matters little. For her father, it is the world.
Despite dealing with quite a dense subject matter, the tone of this book managed to remain light-hearted. As before, there was a hilarious use of dialogue that made this both a fast-paced and entertaining read. This was used to ease the darker subject matter in to the narrative, and the reader remains unaware in the shift of tone until it has actually occurred.
There were some truly tender moments, as the father/daughter relationship was explored, with an additional insight to 1980's urban life, where societal opinion was markedly different from today. This made it a markedly more complex novel than the former trilogy's instalment and gave it the emotional depth I was desiring from this series. I can't wait to see where The Van takes us, next.
This is the second instalment in Doyle's The Barrytown trilogy, following on from The Commitments. The focus has shifted to the former protagonist's father and elder sister, and details another generation of life inside suburban Ireland.
Sharon Rabbitte is pregnant. But the juicy gossip around town isn't her unwed status but concerns over who the father is. Is it her best friend's balding, overweight father like is rumoured? Or the one-night-stand Sharon claims it is? And why does it matter either way? For Sharon it matters little. For her father, it is the world.
Despite dealing with quite a dense subject matter, the tone of this book managed to remain light-hearted. As before, there was a hilarious use of dialogue that made this both a fast-paced and entertaining read. This was used to ease the darker subject matter in to the narrative, and the reader remains unaware in the shift of tone until it has actually occurred.
There were some truly tender moments, as the father/daughter relationship was explored, with an additional insight to 1980's urban life, where societal opinion was markedly different from today. This made it a markedly more complex novel than the former trilogy's instalment and gave it the emotional depth I was desiring from this series. I can't wait to see where The Van takes us, next.
November 6, 2018
One drunken evening young Sharon gets a kneetrembler outside some scuzzy club from a most inappropriate person and finds herself up the duff. She is then presented with several difficulties, involving the seven major types of embarrassment. When should I tell my folks, when should I tell my best mates, when should I tell the dad. She briefly wonders if the initiatory event might be classed as rape, but dismisses that as they were both plastered. At no point does she even think about termination – this is Dublin in the 1980s. Should you need a short tale about the warm beating heart of the Irish working class and their dogs and babies and general rambunctiousness, this will do, but please note absolutely everyone swears like troopers all the time. Sample dialogue from random page - Sharon is talking to her best friends about her medical examination :
- She asked me did I eat chips an’ tha’, your woman this mornin’.
- None of her fuckin’ business.
- Yeah. I said I didn’t. Ah, she’s nice though. She says I have the right kind o’ nipples.
- Lezzer.
- Ah stop, for breast feedin’. Me blood pressure’s grand.
- I’m very happy for you.
- Fuck off, you.
Anyway, I liked it. It was a very friendly book.
- She asked me did I eat chips an’ tha’, your woman this mornin’.
- None of her fuckin’ business.
- Yeah. I said I didn’t. Ah, she’s nice though. She says I have the right kind o’ nipples.
- Lezzer.
- Ah stop, for breast feedin’. Me blood pressure’s grand.
- I’m very happy for you.
- Fuck off, you.
Anyway, I liked it. It was a very friendly book.
April 11, 2020
I wasn’t sure I was going to love the second book in the Barrytown trilogy as much as the first, with the emphasis not being on music this time, but I needn’t have worried.
Doyle’s writing is so good that he brings the humanity out of any situation. His characters are all living, breathing people; even the ones who are only in the book for a page or two. I had a slight issue with a decision made by the main character on the final page of the book, but I’m not docking a star for that. Call it 4.5 stars if you want, but I’m definitely rounding up.
This book is just as funny as the first and the plot, if anything, is even more engaging. I’m really looking forward to the third outing of the Rabbitte family. Highly recommended!
Doyle’s writing is so good that he brings the humanity out of any situation. His characters are all living, breathing people; even the ones who are only in the book for a page or two. I had a slight issue with a decision made by the main character on the final page of the book, but I’m not docking a star for that. Call it 4.5 stars if you want, but I’m definitely rounding up.
This book is just as funny as the first and the plot, if anything, is even more engaging. I’m really looking forward to the third outing of the Rabbitte family. Highly recommended!
August 3, 2016
It was okay. A relaxing read for a lazy Sunday afternoon with some time to spare and a way to not think about anything serious. That's what I thought.
An Irish family, the Rabbittes, have to work around the pregnancy of the oldest daughter, a new dog, and how everyone adapts to the situation. The dad is the numero uno character: highly lovable and really funny. It is a busy family with neighbors and friends dropping in enhancing the craziness and mayhem around the daughter who refuse to make the sperm donor known. ( I have a good reason for calling the sleaze bag, who got the girl pregnant, the sperm donor!)
The narrative is mostly written in dialogue form, and in dialect, which makes it a concentrated read, but the warmth and cheeriness of the characters are great. There were some scenes that really grossed me out but I am not adding any spoilers here.
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
The dialogue in the book is probably there to make an adaptation into a play or movie script easier. In fact, the book has become a major film. I also found it 'scratchy chalk on a black board' that the reactions of the characters were scripted in. For instance, a set of dialogue and then laughter. Then a set of dialogue and laughter. It is as though the reader is reading the script and told where to laugh. The movie might be a real hoot when the script comes to life, but as a book it did not work for me at all. There are no descriptions of the background of the story at all. It is like reading scene 1, then scene 2, and so it goes. It is not a novel. It is a script hastily turned into a book to sell as quickly as possible. The props have been left out, so to speak!
This was a book-borrowing swap with a friend. Although I love wit and humor in books, and Irish authors are favorites with me, this did not work. Various blurb writers on the back page described it as a 'cease-me-upper'. In fact, it was most often the opposite and I had shivers running down my spine for some of the incidences. I was totally grossed out.
Take away the over-indulgence in dialogue, add some really good prose fit for a real novel, and I might reconsider, but I doubt it.
A novel it is not. But not even remotely so.
Okay. Forgettable. Did not work for me.
An Irish family, the Rabbittes, have to work around the pregnancy of the oldest daughter, a new dog, and how everyone adapts to the situation. The dad is the numero uno character: highly lovable and really funny. It is a busy family with neighbors and friends dropping in enhancing the craziness and mayhem around the daughter who refuse to make the sperm donor known. ( I have a good reason for calling the sleaze bag, who got the girl pregnant, the sperm donor!)
The narrative is mostly written in dialogue form, and in dialect, which makes it a concentrated read, but the warmth and cheeriness of the characters are great. There were some scenes that really grossed me out but I am not adding any spoilers here.
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
The dialogue in the book is probably there to make an adaptation into a play or movie script easier. In fact, the book has become a major film. I also found it 'scratchy chalk on a black board' that the reactions of the characters were scripted in. For instance, a set of dialogue and then laughter. Then a set of dialogue and laughter. It is as though the reader is reading the script and told where to laugh. The movie might be a real hoot when the script comes to life, but as a book it did not work for me at all. There are no descriptions of the background of the story at all. It is like reading scene 1, then scene 2, and so it goes. It is not a novel. It is a script hastily turned into a book to sell as quickly as possible. The props have been left out, so to speak!
This was a book-borrowing swap with a friend. Although I love wit and humor in books, and Irish authors are favorites with me, this did not work. Various blurb writers on the back page described it as a 'cease-me-upper'. In fact, it was most often the opposite and I had shivers running down my spine for some of the incidences. I was totally grossed out.
Take away the over-indulgence in dialogue, add some really good prose fit for a real novel, and I might reconsider, but I doubt it.
A novel it is not. But not even remotely so.
Okay. Forgettable. Did not work for me.
October 5, 2021
Continuing on with the Barrytown Trilogy and the adventures of the Rabbitte family. I don't know if I would have enjoyed this more if I had read it in the 1990s - it's possible. It seems uncomfortably dated right now or maybe I just can't buy into the author's attempts at a female character. There are a couple of crucial plot points I won't reveal but let's just say if Lisa Taddeo got a hold of this story she would have a field day.
I accept the dialogue is very funny but there is an undertone here that grates more than I had anticipated. Maybe time to put a few books between me and The Van ?
I accept the dialogue is very funny but there is an undertone here that grates more than I had anticipated. Maybe time to put a few books between me and The Van ?
December 10, 2021
This is a funny book with the dialogue between the family hilarious in parts. Set in Barrytown Dublin the story follows the announcement by Sharon the daughter of Jimmy Snr and Veronica that she is having a baby or snapper.
What follows is the mystery of the father and Jimmy becoming more involved with his family. There are laugh out loud moments with Jimmy reading Sharon’s pregnancy book and asking Sharon embarrassing questions such as is your shite lumpy?
There also is a movie which I plan to watch. The book is part of a trilogy with The Commitments the first and The Van the last. The story is set in the early 1990s and politically incorrect.
What follows is the mystery of the father and Jimmy becoming more involved with his family. There are laugh out loud moments with Jimmy reading Sharon’s pregnancy book and asking Sharon embarrassing questions such as is your shite lumpy?
There also is a movie which I plan to watch. The book is part of a trilogy with The Commitments the first and The Van the last. The story is set in the early 1990s and politically incorrect.
January 6, 2009
I loved this book so much I would read it out loud to myself just to give myself a 2nd laugh. Lots of the F word on EVERY page and it just added to the flow. I loved interpreting the little bit of Irish dialect which was included (which wasn't hard-actually fun) and reading this book was like reading a play. The author didn't waste precious ink on flowery descriptions of scenery. He saved it for the impact of the statement. Simple lines like "They roared." referring to a group of girls in a bar chattin about men and their foibles-so funny! The central family dynamics held this story together beautifully.
Hey-this is no "Dr.Zhivago" or "War and Peace". It's not meant to be. It's just a GOODREAD!
Hey-this is no "Dr.Zhivago" or "War and Peace". It's not meant to be. It's just a GOODREAD!
March 22, 2022
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as The Commitments, although there is a lot of the same humour here. This book is about the Rabbitte family and centres around eldest daughter, Sharon and her father Jimmy Sr (Jimmy Jr is one of the main characters in The Commitments). Sharon is pregnant and won’t say who the father is and much of the book centres on her father realising that he isn’t the greatest father and he puts a lot of effort into understanding what his daughter is going through. It’s a fast read but uncomfortable, the amount of drinking Sharon continues to do throughout her pregnancy makes me worry about the poor baby! Lots of swearing and Irish slang of course.
October 12, 2014
For me, more than anything, this is a book about family and above all fatherly love. I love Jimmy Rabbitte's affection for his daughter Sharon who becomes pregnant. Sharon's pregnancy is the result of a drunken encounter with an older neighborhood in the parking lot of a party. These days this would be considered rape because an intoxicated person is considered incapable of consenting to sex. I have used this film in a class I teach and interestingly the young students all recognize it as such, but I had an older student, a man in his 60's who argued it wasn't rape. Finally one of the young women in the class was able to get him to understand that now it would be considered sexual assault. Another sign of the times is Sharon's heavy drinking throughout her pregnancy - something that even in the 80's was discouraged, but perhaps not in 1989 working class Dublin. These comments make this sound like a dreary story. On the contrary, it is a look into a family that sticks together through the trials of one daughter's "out-of-wedlock" pregnancy with humor and love. The novel notes the times in Ireland are changing and women can keep their babies even if they are unmarried. The dialogue is always hilarious and Doyle is a genius at it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2022
Awesome. Just awesome. If you ever fancy reading a simple tale of an ordinary family, that will be realistic, funny, touching and have some of the best dialogue ever committed to paper, then this is the one.
November 10, 2020
The protagonist is drinking the whole time she's pregnant, would make you worried about how the baby is going to turn out. Other than that its a very nice book!
November 8, 2012
This book is almost totally dialogue, hilarious dialogue. Back with the Rabbitte clan after The Commitmentsand they are in fine form Jimmy is a DJ, Les is no where to be found, the twins are irritating as always, Darren is sweet and enthusiastic and Sharon is in a spot of trouble. This book focuses on Sharon and Jimmy Rabbitte Sr. I love Jimmy Rabbitte Sr, he is is hilarious the whole way through his reactions are never what you expect and always entertaining. No matter what important matter is being discussed he will not miss a chance to berate or complain about eldest son Jimmy Jr. Even as Sharon is telling him and his wife Veronica that she is "up the pole" (pregnant) he stops twice to call Jimmy and idiot and then asks "what is wrong with that boy?" Matter at hand JIMMY
Sharon finds her self pregnant after a drunken night of partying, she questions (only to herself) if what happened to her was rape. I think its fair to say that someone having sex with her while she is unconscious would be considered rape. That's as far as that is dealt with, I know it was rape, you know it was rape. But the subject is now closed, which was kind of gross.
The book covers all of Sharon's pregnancy and the scandal it causes, which is pretty hilarious. Also Jimmy Sr reads the "What to Expect when Expecting" and questions Sharon at inopportune times "if her her hormones are causing her troubles? Do you have problems on the toilet? How ya sleeping?" Sharon finds these questions off-putting as well as surprising as her father has 6 children and never seemed to notice any of these pregnancies or was present for any of the births. But that's Jimmy ya never know what he is going to do.
Really funny !
Sharon finds her self pregnant after a drunken night of partying, she questions (only to herself) if what happened to her was rape. I think its fair to say that someone having sex with her while she is unconscious would be considered rape. That's as far as that is dealt with, I know it was rape, you know it was rape. But the subject is now closed, which was kind of gross.
The book covers all of Sharon's pregnancy and the scandal it causes, which is pretty hilarious. Also Jimmy Sr reads the "What to Expect when Expecting" and questions Sharon at inopportune times "if her her hormones are causing her troubles? Do you have problems on the toilet? How ya sleeping?" Sharon finds these questions off-putting as well as surprising as her father has 6 children and never seemed to notice any of these pregnancies or was present for any of the births. But that's Jimmy ya never know what he is going to do.
Really funny !
October 7, 2014
I loved this book. I think it is the strongest of the three books that compile the fascinating Barrytown Trilogy. The narrative never gets bogged down, it sweeps along with a pace and vigor I would love to emulate in my own fiction. There is not a spare scene or extra word in the whole book and that is quite a feat for an Irish writer.
I get tired of the constant father son relationships in so much of our fiction, it was truly refreshing to show a father daughter relationship in such a tender, humorous way. In fact the humor of this book belies the very seriousness of the issues that Doyle tackles. Teenage pregnancy, rape, social exclusion. A generation previously Sharon might have been put into a laundry. Now her dad can be proud and step up to the plate and show his support for his beloved daughter. Society as a whole is much better off as a result. This illustrates how all the social changes, largely brought about by the women's movement and the loosening of the grip of the Catholic Church on Irish society, has improved the lives of both men and women.
The only reason I don't give it the full five stars is this: My only small cavil is that when Sharon has the baby she names her daughter, Georgina, after the Rapist, George. I don't buy that and it upset me the first time I read it and upset me again this time. I once asked Roddy Doyle at a reading why he did that and he said that she was doing it to annoy her father. It is something I didn't think plausible. Sharon was raped by an older man when she was drunk in the parking lot of a disco. Her father supports her decision to have the child - and she calls it after the rapist?
This, as I said, is the only false note in an otherwise perfect read.
I get tired of the constant father son relationships in so much of our fiction, it was truly refreshing to show a father daughter relationship in such a tender, humorous way. In fact the humor of this book belies the very seriousness of the issues that Doyle tackles. Teenage pregnancy, rape, social exclusion. A generation previously Sharon might have been put into a laundry. Now her dad can be proud and step up to the plate and show his support for his beloved daughter. Society as a whole is much better off as a result. This illustrates how all the social changes, largely brought about by the women's movement and the loosening of the grip of the Catholic Church on Irish society, has improved the lives of both men and women.
The only reason I don't give it the full five stars is this: My only small cavil is that when Sharon has the baby she names her daughter, Georgina, after the Rapist, George. I don't buy that and it upset me the first time I read it and upset me again this time. I once asked Roddy Doyle at a reading why he did that and he said that she was doing it to annoy her father. It is something I didn't think plausible. Sharon was raped by an older man when she was drunk in the parking lot of a disco. Her father supports her decision to have the child - and she calls it after the rapist?
This, as I said, is the only false note in an otherwise perfect read.
June 12, 2018
–Sharon Rabbitte’s pregnant, did yeh hear?
–Your one, Sharon Rabbitte’s up the pole.
–Sharon Rabbitte’s havin’ a baby.
–I don’t believe yeh!
–Jaysis.
–Jesus! Are yeh serious?
–Who’s she havin’ it for?
–I don’t know.
–She won’t say.
–She doesn’t know.
–She can’t remember.
–Oh God, poor Sharon.
–That’s shockin’.
–Mm.
–Dirty bitch.
–Poor Sharon.
–The slut.
–I don’t believe her.
–The stupid bitch.
–She had tha’ comin’.
–Serves her righ’.
–Poor Sharon.
–Let’s see her gettin’ into those jeans now.
Sharon giggled.
Fuck them. Fuck all of them. She didn’t care. The girls had been great.
So…. Sharon Rabitte is pregnant.
She is not willing to share who the father is, and when pressed she says it is a Spanish sailor.
She is not married and lives with her parents and brothers….. A cozy family living in a working class neighborhood. How her family accepts it, how her friends accept it, how society accepts it, how does she herself accept it. I was especially touched by her father, Jimmy Sr, who manages to shed off his rough "Dublin working class" exterior and connect with his daughter's experience in special ways.
The book, sometimes funny, and sometimes sad, revolves around this issue. The language is very authentic and takes time to understand.
This book is part of a series and the first is "The Commitments". I did not read it , but the movie based on this book is clearly one of my all time favorites.
While the book did not impress me as the Commitments (movie) did, I still found it refreshing and entertaining, because of the language and the window it opens into the working class of Dublin.
March 2, 2025
3.5 stars. An entertaining, mostly told in dialogue, story of the Rabbitte family, a bunch of loveable never-do-wells. Older sister Sharon says she is pregnant to an unidentified Spanish sailor. She confesses she was very drunk at the time.
Jimmy Rabbitte Snr, Sharon’s father, struggles to cope with Sharon’s pregnancy news. Whilst he despairs, he also wants to support his daughter and agrees to helping bring up Sharon’s baby in the Rabbitte family home.
A humorous, realistic novel about a large family rallying to support their young daughter / sister.
This book was first published in 1991.
Jimmy Rabbitte Snr, Sharon’s father, struggles to cope with Sharon’s pregnancy news. Whilst he despairs, he also wants to support his daughter and agrees to helping bring up Sharon’s baby in the Rabbitte family home.
A humorous, realistic novel about a large family rallying to support their young daughter / sister.
This book was first published in 1991.
May 7, 2018
There were definitely several very funny moments in this little book. But as others have said, the fact that it is nearly all dialogue, and often feels like a script hastily turned into a novel, made it harder to really get into the story or the characters. There's very little depth to anybody, and almost no physical description of anyone or anything.
What we do see of the characters isn't flattering. Sharon, the oldest of Jimmy Rabbitte Sr.'s six children, has just announced that she is pregnant, but she flatly refuses to identify the father. Her family's reactions, even if you suddenly somehow made them non-Catholic and non-Irish, seem awfully blase. They try and get her to tell who the father is, but after it's clear that she won't, they drop the matter. Sharon knows who the father is: George Burgess, the father of one of her girlfriends, who took advantage of her in the pub's parking lot when she was drunk.
She wonders just once, idly, if it could be classified as a rape. Well, yes, it probably could. But Sharon doesn't seem to care much one way or the other. The only emotion she seems to feel about the whole thing is embarrassment, and not the embarrassment of somebody who's been assaulted, or even the embarrassment of somebody who routinely gets falling-down drunk in public and blacks out. She's mostly embarrassed because George is a short, fat, goofy-looking guy, and when he figures out he's the father and begins tagging after Sharon like a puppy, thinking he's in love with her, she isn't afraid of him, only annoyed by his silly actions and contemptuous of his obvious besottedness.
Sharon and her family's idea of morality is such that when she concocts a lie about being pregnant by a Spanish sailor, who she picked up in a pub and claims not even to know his first name, they are relieved that it isn't pathetic Georgie Burgess. It's hinted that at least some don't believe her and suspect the truth, but they elect to pretend to buy the Spanish-sailor story in order to keep the peace.
Sharon is drunk or getting drunk throughout most of her pregnancy, which definitely doesn't look good for her baby. Especially since she is going to the doctor regularly and she and her father are reading books about pregnancy.
And then, when Sharon's baby is born, Sharon decides to name it ...
Georgina. And to call her George.
So all this effort to avoid acknowledging who the father is, and at the end it's like she's just thumbing her nose at the whole issue. So all that effort was for nothing? The whole plot of the story, just negated in one sentence?
The characters are foul-mouthed and earthy, and their love for each other is clear, but they all seem so dumb. Sharon, in particular. She doesn't even seem to mind that she is pregnant and poor and unmarried, living at home where six nearly-grown kids have to share two bedrooms. Her own, and most everybody else's, outlook, seems to be one of benign apathy.
What we do see of the characters isn't flattering. Sharon, the oldest of Jimmy Rabbitte Sr.'s six children, has just announced that she is pregnant, but she flatly refuses to identify the father. Her family's reactions, even if you suddenly somehow made them non-Catholic and non-Irish, seem awfully blase. They try and get her to tell who the father is, but after it's clear that she won't, they drop the matter. Sharon knows who the father is: George Burgess, the father of one of her girlfriends, who took advantage of her in the pub's parking lot when she was drunk.
She wonders just once, idly, if it could be classified as a rape. Well, yes, it probably could. But Sharon doesn't seem to care much one way or the other. The only emotion she seems to feel about the whole thing is embarrassment, and not the embarrassment of somebody who's been assaulted, or even the embarrassment of somebody who routinely gets falling-down drunk in public and blacks out. She's mostly embarrassed because George is a short, fat, goofy-looking guy, and when he figures out he's the father and begins tagging after Sharon like a puppy, thinking he's in love with her, she isn't afraid of him, only annoyed by his silly actions and contemptuous of his obvious besottedness.
Sharon and her family's idea of morality is such that when she concocts a lie about being pregnant by a Spanish sailor, who she picked up in a pub and claims not even to know his first name, they are relieved that it isn't pathetic Georgie Burgess. It's hinted that at least some don't believe her and suspect the truth, but they elect to pretend to buy the Spanish-sailor story in order to keep the peace.
Sharon is drunk or getting drunk throughout most of her pregnancy, which definitely doesn't look good for her baby. Especially since she is going to the doctor regularly and she and her father are reading books about pregnancy.
And then, when Sharon's baby is born, Sharon decides to name it ...
Georgina. And to call her George.
So all this effort to avoid acknowledging who the father is, and at the end it's like she's just thumbing her nose at the whole issue. So all that effort was for nothing? The whole plot of the story, just negated in one sentence?
The characters are foul-mouthed and earthy, and their love for each other is clear, but they all seem so dumb. Sharon, in particular. She doesn't even seem to mind that she is pregnant and poor and unmarried, living at home where six nearly-grown kids have to share two bedrooms. Her own, and most everybody else's, outlook, seems to be one of benign apathy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2014
This novel, the second in the Barrytown Trilogy, and the follow up to probably Doyle's most famous book, The Commitments, was a real treat for me. Jimmy Rabbitte Junior, the driving force behind the first novel reappears in the book, but he plays a minor role, taking a back seat while we are introduced to his family, mum and dad, Veronica and Jimmy Senior, big sister Sharon, brothers Leslie and Darren, and little sisters, twins Linda and Tracy.
The fact that I can rattle of the family's names from memory after just 220 pages says a lot for this book. It tells the story of a working class household with a hilarious and caring patriarch and strong matriarch, who are exactly like those living around them in their habits and social interactions. The story develops around Sharon's pregnancy, and the mystery of the father of the child, the reasons for which become apparent.
Sounds quite serious, but the book is so rich in its human interaction, between family members, between Rabbitte Sr and his mates and between Sharon and her pals. It's laugh out loud funny, often sparse in narrative description, yet so easy to visualise through the dialogue. Rarely have I read a book where I could feel myself transported to the kitchen table or the pub while I was reading and be able to see exactly what was occurring in my mind's eye so clearly, but that's exactly how I felt with this book-I can see why Doyle's work lends itself so well to dramatisation.
I can understand now, having loved both The Commitments and The Snapper, why The Barrytown Trilogy has been chosen as Dublin's One City One Book for 2015. I'm tempted to get stuck straight into The Van, but might leave it just a little while to allow me to savour this one.
Definitely a big thumbs up for this book from me!
The fact that I can rattle of the family's names from memory after just 220 pages says a lot for this book. It tells the story of a working class household with a hilarious and caring patriarch and strong matriarch, who are exactly like those living around them in their habits and social interactions. The story develops around Sharon's pregnancy, and the mystery of the father of the child, the reasons for which become apparent.
Sounds quite serious, but the book is so rich in its human interaction, between family members, between Rabbitte Sr and his mates and between Sharon and her pals. It's laugh out loud funny, often sparse in narrative description, yet so easy to visualise through the dialogue. Rarely have I read a book where I could feel myself transported to the kitchen table or the pub while I was reading and be able to see exactly what was occurring in my mind's eye so clearly, but that's exactly how I felt with this book-I can see why Doyle's work lends itself so well to dramatisation.
I can understand now, having loved both The Commitments and The Snapper, why The Barrytown Trilogy has been chosen as Dublin's One City One Book for 2015. I'm tempted to get stuck straight into The Van, but might leave it just a little while to allow me to savour this one.
Definitely a big thumbs up for this book from me!
June 24, 2017
The second entry in the Barrytown Trilogy and the best by far. Obviously, The Commitments went cult because of the film and the original book, as a result, can't quite live up to things in the same way. With The Snapper, however, despite the fact that the film was also fantastic, the book is by far the better experience - and that Roddy Doyle style of rhythmic dialogue has the feel of being best suited to this story among the three entries. The Snapper - just loved it. I suspect, however, that you probably need to have some kind of familiarity with the Dublin dialect to really enjoy the ride.
July 14, 2016
Doyle's masterpiece. A girl finds herself pregnant and then the book revolves around how her family react to her pregnancy and the eventual birth.
It may seem like a simple plot but Doyle is great at documenting the human drama without being theatrical. Instead the Snapper is a warm, humorous story with many endearing moments. Sure you could say that The Woman Who Walked into Doors or Paddy Clarke ha ha ha is Doyle at his best but I think The Snapper is the winner.
It may seem like a simple plot but Doyle is great at documenting the human drama without being theatrical. Instead the Snapper is a warm, humorous story with many endearing moments. Sure you could say that The Woman Who Walked into Doors or Paddy Clarke ha ha ha is Doyle at his best but I think The Snapper is the winner.
April 26, 2025
The Snapper / Roddy Doyle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ I suppose a ride is out of the question?.. ~
Back to Barrytown! This time, the focus has shifted to Jimmy’s extended family. Specifically his da, Jimmy Sr., and his sister, Sharon. And the book kicks off right in the action: Sharon’s preggo!
The movie was wildly successful, but the book holds its own charm. In a lot of ways, it was wildly progressive for its time: a young woman, pregnant and unmarried, and her family just completely backing her. In this era of Ireland would be relatively unheard of.
Jimmy Sr. grows a lot throughout it all, saying everything wrong before saying everything right, and standing up for his daughter every step of the way.
That said, reading it through 2025 eyes: the way Sharon got pregnant, George, jaysus. Nuts. And the drinking during pregnancy too. Wild.
But overall, this is a warm and very funny book about family, about acceptance, about showing up for each other, and about men being absolute pests. The final scene with the name actually made me LOL.
Now onto The Van for the end of the trilogy. Here we go.
Audiobook Length: 5hrs, 7mins
Narrator: Kevin Hely
🎧 Listened to on @borrowbox 🎧
* Read: 25/04/25 - 26/04/25
* Release Date: 1990
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ I suppose a ride is out of the question?.. ~
Back to Barrytown! This time, the focus has shifted to Jimmy’s extended family. Specifically his da, Jimmy Sr., and his sister, Sharon. And the book kicks off right in the action: Sharon’s preggo!
The movie was wildly successful, but the book holds its own charm. In a lot of ways, it was wildly progressive for its time: a young woman, pregnant and unmarried, and her family just completely backing her. In this era of Ireland would be relatively unheard of.
Jimmy Sr. grows a lot throughout it all, saying everything wrong before saying everything right, and standing up for his daughter every step of the way.
That said, reading it through 2025 eyes: the way Sharon got pregnant, George, jaysus. Nuts. And the drinking during pregnancy too. Wild.
But overall, this is a warm and very funny book about family, about acceptance, about showing up for each other, and about men being absolute pests. The final scene with the name actually made me LOL.
Now onto The Van for the end of the trilogy. Here we go.
Audiobook Length: 5hrs, 7mins
Narrator: Kevin Hely
🎧 Listened to on @borrowbox 🎧
* Read: 25/04/25 - 26/04/25
* Release Date: 1990
March 28, 2025
Second instalment of The Barrytown Trilogy, sees Sharon Rabbitte with a pregnancy that causes a stir. Enjoyable family madness...
January 29, 2025
Really funny and short.
Snappy novel 😜
Pure dublin
Snappy novel 😜
Pure dublin
July 10, 2015
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Naturally, after one of the best rock band novels ever -- one fully of music, laughs, and style -- Doyle follows it up with a heartfelt story of a young woman who gets pregnant after a one-night stand. Who wouldn't?
Now, Sharon (the young woman in question) is the sister of Jimmy Rabbitte -- The Commitments' manager. So there is a tie -- and we saw a little of their father and the rest of the family last time. Still, this feels so different, it's hard to conceive of them being part of a trilogy. Oh well -- it works.
Where The Commitments was full of laughs, raunch, and style; The Snapper is full of laughs, family and heart. It's not just about one member of the family this time -- it's all of them. The focus is on Sharon and her father, Jimmy, Sr.
Sharon finds herself "up the pole," much to her distress. She knows who the father is, a one-night stand (something far less meaningful, actually) she wishes had never happened. Unwilling to let anyone know the father's real identity, she makes one up (which also relieves her of the need to let the real guy have anything to do with the kid). Initially, she's in sort of a denial -- she knows the baby will change everything. But that's months away -- right now, she and her friends can still hit the pub after she gets off working at the supermarket and pretend that everything's just like it was a couple of weeks ago. Eventually, she starts to make the changes necessary, but only when she has to. There's personal growth here for Sharon, when she has no choice. But honestly -- other than questionable taste in men, and an utter lack of awareness about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome -- she seems like she's got her head screwed on right already.
Jimmy, Sr. seems like the kind of guy you'd like to hang out in a pub with occasionally -- I think he (and his friends) would get old quickly if you hung out with them all the time. Generous, funny, and gregarious. Maybe not the most responsible guy around -- but he's making ends meet (mostly), and doing (almost) his best for his kids. Eventually, he seems to get his act together for Sharon -- or at least he tries. Which just makes you like him more -- even as (because?) he just doesn't make it some times.
While these two are on the forefront of Doyle's attention, we do get some time with Sharon's siblings (even Jimmy, Jr. -- a little bit -- still trying to make it in the music business) and long-suffering mother. We watch the family stumble along through financial woes, various school clubs, a bicycle club or two, and being the subject of neighborhood gossip. These all might not be as well rounded and Sharon and her father are, but they're close enough that you think you know them.
Back in college, I read The Commitments a lot -- but I think I read The Snapper more. It's not as fun as it's predecessor, but it's a better novel -- populated with actual people, actual growth, and something that looks a lot like actual life for many people. The Rabbites could be your neighbors, and you'd be happy to have them, which makes getting to spend time with them between the covers of a book just that pleasant.
Naturally, after one of the best rock band novels ever -- one fully of music, laughs, and style -- Doyle follows it up with a heartfelt story of a young woman who gets pregnant after a one-night stand. Who wouldn't?
Now, Sharon (the young woman in question) is the sister of Jimmy Rabbitte -- The Commitments' manager. So there is a tie -- and we saw a little of their father and the rest of the family last time. Still, this feels so different, it's hard to conceive of them being part of a trilogy. Oh well -- it works.
Where The Commitments was full of laughs, raunch, and style; The Snapper is full of laughs, family and heart. It's not just about one member of the family this time -- it's all of them. The focus is on Sharon and her father, Jimmy, Sr.
Sharon finds herself "up the pole," much to her distress. She knows who the father is, a one-night stand (something far less meaningful, actually) she wishes had never happened. Unwilling to let anyone know the father's real identity, she makes one up (which also relieves her of the need to let the real guy have anything to do with the kid). Initially, she's in sort of a denial -- she knows the baby will change everything. But that's months away -- right now, she and her friends can still hit the pub after she gets off working at the supermarket and pretend that everything's just like it was a couple of weeks ago. Eventually, she starts to make the changes necessary, but only when she has to. There's personal growth here for Sharon, when she has no choice. But honestly -- other than questionable taste in men, and an utter lack of awareness about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome -- she seems like she's got her head screwed on right already.
Jimmy, Sr. seems like the kind of guy you'd like to hang out in a pub with occasionally -- I think he (and his friends) would get old quickly if you hung out with them all the time. Generous, funny, and gregarious. Maybe not the most responsible guy around -- but he's making ends meet (mostly), and doing (almost) his best for his kids. Eventually, he seems to get his act together for Sharon -- or at least he tries. Which just makes you like him more -- even as (because?) he just doesn't make it some times.
While these two are on the forefront of Doyle's attention, we do get some time with Sharon's siblings (even Jimmy, Jr. -- a little bit -- still trying to make it in the music business) and long-suffering mother. We watch the family stumble along through financial woes, various school clubs, a bicycle club or two, and being the subject of neighborhood gossip. These all might not be as well rounded and Sharon and her father are, but they're close enough that you think you know them.
Back in college, I read The Commitments a lot -- but I think I read The Snapper more. It's not as fun as it's predecessor, but it's a better novel -- populated with actual people, actual growth, and something that looks a lot like actual life for many people. The Rabbites could be your neighbors, and you'd be happy to have them, which makes getting to spend time with them between the covers of a book just that pleasant.
June 27, 2021
Took a little bit to get into, but the book 'clicked' at a third. Started to really like the Rabbitte family. Sweet and funny.
March 22, 2014
Like a 3.8, rounded up.
Not quite as entertaining as its predecessor, The Snapper is still a good read. As in The Commitments, the plot is unraveled via the brisk dialogue and the action takes place within a working-class neighborhood; unlike The Commitments, the author takes his readers deep into Barrytown life and more specifically inside the Rabbitte home.
Daughter Sharon Rabbitte, aged 20, is pregnant, and is keeping mum on the identity of the father, for reasons she doesn't care to discuss with anyone. A chance remark overheard in a pub sets off the Barrytown rumor mill, leads to some embarrassing problems for Sharon. Her father, Jimmy Rabbitte Sr., tries to be supportive, but also endures his share of headaches caused by the scandal and "Barrytown's sense of humor," which he and his daughter are both fighting. Her pregnancy and the resulting fallout test both of their respective mettles, their individual senses of who they are, and also their relationship. In the meantime, life at the Rabbitte house goes on -- the twins, Linda and Tracy, adopt a dog that provides many comic moments and drive their mother Veronica up the wall by changing their minds so many times; Darren gets kicked out of Barrytown's cycling club so Jimmy Sr. starts one, Leslie won't get up in the morning, and Jimmy Jr. (of previous Commitments fame) is honing his DJ skills upstairs.
While perhaps not as funny as The Commitments, The Snapper is still a joy and an entertaining look inside the lives of these people -- not just the Rabbittes, but their friends and neighbors as well all in this little slice of the city called Barrytown. I particularly enjoyed the character of Jimmy Rabbitte Sr., and the way he often calls into question his role as a father and as the head of the household -- all done with punchy humor that needs no sentimentality for his character to be fully understood. The comedy runs throughout -- there's a particular scene in the pub where a calculator giveaway had me laughing out loud, and another where Sharon and her friends are giving the poor lounge boy a hard time, and then there are the bits of every day life in the Rabbitte household which were the funniest for me -- but there's also a large measure of sensitivity in Mr. Doyle's writing. Even the real father of Sharon's little snapper gets his due, despite the fact that the circumstances under which the baby was conceived bring Sharon a lot of anger and pain as she remembers what happened. The story isn't always pleasant reading, but it comes off as very real.
I don't get testy about things like no quotation marks or the fact that this books is written in dialect -- okay, so that's the way the author writes. Big deal. The bottom line is that I'm really enjoying Roddy Doyle, and he's a writer I'd definitely recommend.
Not quite as entertaining as its predecessor, The Snapper is still a good read. As in The Commitments, the plot is unraveled via the brisk dialogue and the action takes place within a working-class neighborhood; unlike The Commitments, the author takes his readers deep into Barrytown life and more specifically inside the Rabbitte home.
Daughter Sharon Rabbitte, aged 20, is pregnant, and is keeping mum on the identity of the father, for reasons she doesn't care to discuss with anyone. A chance remark overheard in a pub sets off the Barrytown rumor mill, leads to some embarrassing problems for Sharon. Her father, Jimmy Rabbitte Sr., tries to be supportive, but also endures his share of headaches caused by the scandal and "Barrytown's sense of humor," which he and his daughter are both fighting. Her pregnancy and the resulting fallout test both of their respective mettles, their individual senses of who they are, and also their relationship. In the meantime, life at the Rabbitte house goes on -- the twins, Linda and Tracy, adopt a dog that provides many comic moments and drive their mother Veronica up the wall by changing their minds so many times; Darren gets kicked out of Barrytown's cycling club so Jimmy Sr. starts one, Leslie won't get up in the morning, and Jimmy Jr. (of previous Commitments fame) is honing his DJ skills upstairs.
While perhaps not as funny as The Commitments, The Snapper is still a joy and an entertaining look inside the lives of these people -- not just the Rabbittes, but their friends and neighbors as well all in this little slice of the city called Barrytown. I particularly enjoyed the character of Jimmy Rabbitte Sr., and the way he often calls into question his role as a father and as the head of the household -- all done with punchy humor that needs no sentimentality for his character to be fully understood. The comedy runs throughout -- there's a particular scene in the pub where a calculator giveaway had me laughing out loud, and another where Sharon and her friends are giving the poor lounge boy a hard time, and then there are the bits of every day life in the Rabbitte household which were the funniest for me -- but there's also a large measure of sensitivity in Mr. Doyle's writing. Even the real father of Sharon's little snapper gets his due, despite the fact that the circumstances under which the baby was conceived bring Sharon a lot of anger and pain as she remembers what happened. The story isn't always pleasant reading, but it comes off as very real.
I don't get testy about things like no quotation marks or the fact that this books is written in dialect -- okay, so that's the way the author writes. Big deal. The bottom line is that I'm really enjoying Roddy Doyle, and he's a writer I'd definitely recommend.
September 12, 2009
Picked this one up at Epilogue Books in their final days of business. I'd seen the movie years before and had enjoyed it, so I figured what the hell. It's the story of a working class Irish family, and what happens to them after their eldest daughter, 20-year-old Sharon, becomes pregnant and refuses to tell who the father is. Despite the subject matter, it's actually a light-hearted, comedic tale.
I found it a bit hard to get into, for it is full of Irish slang and accents, but after about 50 pages, it just sunk in and I was able to go with the flow. Also difficult was the fact that most of the book is actually dialogue -- it's very play-like. The linear progression is lacking at times. Doyle jumps from scene to scene, which are at least in order, but they do not come with much background or explanation as to where you are or what has transpired between the scenes. This has a strange effect of making it both hard to follow and distancing the reader from the action, while at the same time making the characters seem more human in a way, thereby allowing the reader to feel almost a familial connection with them, as if one were just switching on a camera and taking a peek into their home for a few minutes.
I feel the movie is a better medium for Doyle's story, however, and is able to grant it clarity where the novel does not. I don't say this often at all, but I think the book has little to offer than cannot be found in the movie.
I found it a bit hard to get into, for it is full of Irish slang and accents, but after about 50 pages, it just sunk in and I was able to go with the flow. Also difficult was the fact that most of the book is actually dialogue -- it's very play-like. The linear progression is lacking at times. Doyle jumps from scene to scene, which are at least in order, but they do not come with much background or explanation as to where you are or what has transpired between the scenes. This has a strange effect of making it both hard to follow and distancing the reader from the action, while at the same time making the characters seem more human in a way, thereby allowing the reader to feel almost a familial connection with them, as if one were just switching on a camera and taking a peek into their home for a few minutes.
I feel the movie is a better medium for Doyle's story, however, and is able to grant it clarity where the novel does not. I don't say this often at all, but I think the book has little to offer than cannot be found in the movie.
August 21, 2013
I think for a lot of Roddy Doyle's work you have to be Irish to fully appreciate the dialogue and slang. He has a habit of slipping in colloquialisms that only make sense to the Irish. I lived in Dublin city for three years and let me tell you, there are a lot of Jimmy Snrs about!
The Snapper's pace is good, the characters are hilarious and true to life. I loved the bit with the racing bikes myself. It's a story that is uplifting, because although there are very few happy moments, people seem satisfied with their lot.
I will admit my only major problem with the book was the drinking while pregnant aspect. I know this is what happened back in the '80's but knowing the damage that it causes made it uncomfortable reading.
The Snapper's pace is good, the characters are hilarious and true to life. I loved the bit with the racing bikes myself. It's a story that is uplifting, because although there are very few happy moments, people seem satisfied with their lot.
I will admit my only major problem with the book was the drinking while pregnant aspect. I know this is what happened back in the '80's but knowing the damage that it causes made it uncomfortable reading.
October 6, 2016
This is the 2nd book in the Barrytown trilogy by the author. I have not read the first one 'The Commitments'. However there is no dependence on the previous book. So this books stands on its own.
Rabittes are a never-do-well / happy-go-lucky large irish family with Da Jimmy Sr, Mammy Veronica and 2 almost adult children and 4 younger children and one puppy named Larrylogan. Rabbittes are frank, bold , large-hearted , earthly creatures almost at other extreme than say somewhat stiff , aristocratic English. It reminds me Leopold Bloom Vs Stephen Dedalus in 'Ulysses'. I enjoyed the carefree dialogue and light-hearted scenes of everyday life with its fair share of gossip, chit-chat and irreverence.
Rabittes are a never-do-well / happy-go-lucky large irish family with Da Jimmy Sr, Mammy Veronica and 2 almost adult children and 4 younger children and one puppy named Larrylogan. Rabbittes are frank, bold , large-hearted , earthly creatures almost at other extreme than say somewhat stiff , aristocratic English. It reminds me Leopold Bloom Vs Stephen Dedalus in 'Ulysses'. I enjoyed the carefree dialogue and light-hearted scenes of everyday life with its fair share of gossip, chit-chat and irreverence.
February 27, 2017
Lang geleden dat ik nog een boek las die praktisch volledig uit dialogen bestaat. Geen passages gevuld met filosofische overpeinzingen, nostalgische herinneringen, gemijmer, natuurbeschrijvingen en/of soms psychologisch geouwehoer. Gewoon rechttoe rechtane dialogen tussen een aantal familieleden en vrienden/vriendinnen nadat de oudste dochter vertelt dat ze zwanger is. Eerst wil ze niet kwijt wie de papa is. Wanneer het er later naar uitziet dat de schuldige toch bekend wordt, verzint ze een passionele nacht met een donkerharige Spaanse matroos. En dan wordt een schattige dochter geboren met rossig haar. Warm verhaal over familiebanden die sterker zijn dan alle tegenslag, en over de liefde tussen ouders en kinderen. Vrij grappig en vlot leesbaar boekje. Meer moet dat soms niet zijn.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 407 reviews