Game of Throw-Ins

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly #16

by Ross O'Carroll-Kelly

Brought to you by Penguin.

I was a rugby player with a great future behind me. A 35-year-old father of five with an expanding waistline who was trying to survive the bloody battlefield we call life.

My son was locked in a violent turf war with a rival Love/Hate tour operator, my daughter was in love with a boy who looked like Justin Bieber and my old dear was about to walk up the aisle with a 92-year-old billionaire who thought it was still 1936.

I was, like, staring down the barrel of middle age with the contentment of knowing that I was the greatest Irish rugby player who no-one in Ireland had ever actually heard of. Until a chance conversation with an old Jesuit missionary made me realise that it wasn't enough.

I was guided, as if by GPS, to a muddy field in - let's be honest - Ballybrack. And there I finally discovered my destiny - to keep a struggling Seapoint team in Division 2B of the All Ireland League.

Or die trying.

Genres: Fiction, Comedy, Irish Literature

Audible Audio

First published September 8, 2016

About the author

Pseudonym for journalist Paul Howard.

Reviews

[Jack Horan · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are still so funny

[Tazkatie · Rating 5 out of 5]

And he's back.. Classic o Carroll Kelly.. Best installment in recent years

[ClaireMoyno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Howard gets it right everytime. Laugh out loud funny. Satirical take on all things Irish, cleverly mixed with current cultural nuances, tongue in cheek humour and a sharp, witty, unabashed and brazen main character. You find yourself rooting for Rosser despite his lying, cheating, scheming and egotistic ways. A hilarious and refreshing read.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly is an absolute arse. Glad I don't know anyone like him. Fun read.

[Matthew Harwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, I picked this book up in Dublin airport just as a quick read and I now intend to read the whole series. The story is really easy to read and there are plenty of humorous sections that actually made me laugh out loud. As a fan of rugby I could really get into the story and enjoyed every second of this book.

[David Cleary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this book. I love the connection between Ross and his daughter and then Ross and his dad. Some lovely surprises and really really enjoyed the book. Always a great twist once you think Ross is out of trouble.

[stephen Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un-focking-put-downable. That's me calling it!

Another un-put-downable, if that's an actual word, episode in the life of The Rossmeister, his family, and friends.
As usual, our hero finds himself in a few sticky situations, and Ross being Ross, deals with things in his own way.

[ParisianIrish · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think at this stage the character has been done to death. This was the worst one to date, the storylines all sound a bit too familiar and stale. I'm wondering if the author should wrap it up, or let another character become the lead.

[David Bowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ross never fails to make me laugh, cringe, despair of him, like him, dislike him, nearly all at the same time!

The best and worst parts of a D4 hear, mostly worst! This time he goes back to playing rugby and also gets up to his usual tricks! Great holiday reading.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of it was HIL-AIR, and it was all - as always - super clever. I just didn't get some of the storylines, and there wasn't as neat a conclusion as other books.

[RICHARD ASHFIELD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable enough was tough reading some of the phonetically written parts supposed to mimic accents and I am from Northern Ireland !

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usual RO'CK adventures - easy reading and the mind switches off.

[Wes · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for this typically good outting for Ross and the gang. If you have got this far in the series you will love it , if you haven't read these books they are worth the effort.

[Oakleigh Irish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always silly, sometimes perceptive and usually very funny.

[Lynseygibs · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Éilis Treacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this latest Ross book. As usual I sometimes read with my fingers half covering my eyes cringing on his many mishaps! So current and a great reflection of D4 Ireland. This series should be categorised as historical or political fiction!

[Ken Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as Good as usual

Its a good read but not as funny as Hus usual books . I think he tried to hard with this

[Oleksandr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Ross.
Last chapter was full of completely unrealistic ways to save Ross.

I got the idea, that he can't suffer from middle age crisis, but still...

[Ginine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as many moments that make you cringe so much you have to put the book down for a minute but plenty of great one liners and more rugby jokes. Great read as usual!

[Laura]

Nice to see the Rossmeister General back on the rugby pitch!

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best yet. Finally moves on from his earlier days and is funnier for it.

[Conor O'mahony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting in that it has good Irish humour with wicked put-downs and good commentary on the current social/economical scenes. Shows some really inspired moments and makes you wonder what the writer os capable of. Later read this is a book far into a series so maybe some earlier books would be worth a go.

[Pearse Cassidy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit juvenile, but not bad.