Uncle Ronald

by Brian Doyle

Old Mickey is one hundred and twelve years old. He can't remember what he ate for lunch today, but he can remember every detail of what happened one hundred years ago, when he and his mother ran away from his violent father to take refuge in the hills north of Ottawa.

Brilliantly combining humor and tragedy, Uncle Ronald is one of Brian Doyle's most emotionally powerful novels.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Childrens, Historical, Novels, Historical Fiction

165 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

My very first piece of writing I published myself. I wrote in block letters, on the playground of Angelesca Square after a fresh snow fall, huge letters that airplanes could see, these words: MY BEST FRIEND GERALD IS A BASTARD.

For some reason (it was 1942) I wanted the Germans, who were coming any minute now to drop bombs on us, to know about Gerald. I'd overheard my parents talking sadly about Gerald being illegitimate and how sorry they felt. I thought if the Germans knew about Gerald and his problem and that he was my best friend they'd turn around and go home and not drop their bombs on us, here in Lowertown, Ottawa, Canada.

Of course, they never arrived (such was the power of radio those days) but they were the intended audience of my first sentence. First published sentence.

To communicate in clear, written sentences has been my vocation ever since.

In the middle of a teaching career I began dabbling in the genre of youthful narration in the tradition of Twain's Huck Finn. At the same time, I met the flower of the flock, the estimable, the eximious, the nonpareil editor and publisher, Patsy Aldana of Groundwood Books.

Together we have produced a dozen books and we're still cooking. The books are set in the Gatineau river valley and Ottawa. They are funny and sad! They are read by people of all ages though the narrators are young. The narrators are the age of the child who saw the Emperor's nakedness. They are clear eyed, candid, smart, unsophisticated and inexperienced.

The books have multiple layers, resulting in reluctant readers discovering them while elsewhere they are studied in university courses.

They have been translated in seven different languages and have been awarded national and international prizes too numerous to list here. They have been adapted to radio, stage and film. I have appeared in twenty performances of our book Angel Square on the stage of the National Arts Centre.

There has also been an opera and there's talk of a ballet. I have rinsed out my long-sleeved leotard and am waiting by the phone for the audition call.

I spend a lot of time at my cabin in the Gatineau Hills, sometimes with my four grandchildren and their parents, keeping in touch with the trees and the river and the rocks and keeping my ears and eyes open for those Luftwaffe bombers.

Reviews

[Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part Whisky Galore, part family drama, wholly diverting for a couple of hours.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mickey's father beats him. He beats his mother too. Only when he's been drinking, but that seems like all of the time. Finally his mother sends him away. She sends him to live with his Uncle Ronald. Uncle Ronald lives in a town that is under siege from police because the townspeople refuse to pay taxes. This, and Mickey's twin aunts, make for interesting daily activities.

Then Mickey's mother shows up looking like she's been through the ringer. No one's sure what's going to happen. But Mickey has a pretty good idea what's going to happen when his father shows up in town one day.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to my girls. It begins with domestic abuse, which is quite an opener for kids, but opens opportunity for discussion and education.

Uncle Ronald is a delightful character, and the book ends in an explosive way that satisfies the kids. Well written and a delight to read out loud.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fast read, this one was full of interesting characters. I would have liked it to go on longer though.

[reina]

i think bakhtin probably liked this one more than i did

[andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written short story and a wonderful contribution to Canadian literature for children. The narrative flows smoothly, telling a story that is both comical and poignant throughout. This story tenderly examines the difficult subject of physical abuse without feeling too heavy or overbearing. In only a few pages I formed an attachment to the characters, even Lance the horse, and was sad to have the story end so soon. It is easy to see why this is an award winning book, and I will be on the lookout for more of Doyle's work in the future.

[Skot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. It is funny and totally not sentimental, and, as with all of Doyle's books, always has enough Irish humour to make me not totally sure I can read it to my class. Great to read aloud, especially if you can do even a bad Irish accent. This is chronologically the first in a a not-quite-series of books which follows subsequent generations of Doyles in Ottawa and the Gatineau, including Angel Square, Up to Low and Mary Anne Alice, which I also love.

[Terry Costantini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this in class yesterday and liked it as a study of fine Canadian literature. I like Doyle's writing style and enjoy the way he writes lists in particular. The story is alright, but I found it centered more on the tax avoidance of a small town, other than dealing with the abuse of young Mickey, which was the one part of the plot that was most interesting. This was a good book for students, and I will definitely read this in class again in the future.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

i think this book is okay but its not that good. all it talked about were people that were too lazy to pay there taxes, and would throw stuff on the tax collectors to get them to lesve. the only interesting part was about mickey and uncle ronald. it also had weird chapter names like Sit Down and shut up

[Cintia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book was boring. I couldn't wait to finish it. It was boring, because it was only about taxes and tax collectors, Mickey learning to harness Second Chance Lance, Mickey's mom coming to Uncle Ronald's farm then his dad finding them, so it was really boring.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hard book to get into as the start is so, so sad. But there is so much sweetness to the book, and such a turn-around for the better in the end. Piya loved it and wants to read more like it.

[Hunter Gillam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book when we started reading it I did not like it but when we where getting though more pages then I started to like the book