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Charlie Savage
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE FOR COMIC WRITING 2019**Meet Charlie a middle-aged Dubliner with an indefatigable wife, an exasperated daughter, a drinking buddy who’s realized that he’s been a woman all along… Compiled here for the first time is a whole year’s worth of Roddy Doyle’s hilariousseries for the Irish Independent. Giving a unique voice to the everyday, he draws a portrait of a man – funny, loyal, somewhat bewildered – trying to keep pace with the modern world (if his knees don’t give out first).
208 pages, Hardcover
First published March 7, 2019
47 people are currently reading
580 people want to read
About the author
Roddy Doyle
127 books1,647 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
April 6, 2019
This a compilation of humorous sketches for the Irish Independent, which works just as well as a novel. As far as I am concerned, Roddy Doyle has never written a dud book, especially when it's a comedy as in this case - and a sheer delight from beginning to end. Although it could be considered lightweight fiction by some, I am giving it five stars, because laugh out loud farce is extremely difficult to pull off and Doyle has the magic touch. Treat yourself!
April 1, 2019
Great read! Both endearing and very funny. The inner thoughts of aging Charlie are a very good read indeed.
Beyond getting a full appreciation of life at 60 with all life lessons learned I really appreciated the many original metaphors that Doyle used. Like a look that “it’s like she opened an empty tin of biscuits and discovered there’s one left”.
Also the reflection that a bucket list is not about wishes but actually about regret is something to think about well before the age of 60.
So on one hand Charlie is what he is, not a whole lot of change in him, no development in character and the lot; he loves his children, grand children, the wife, a pint of Guinness and MotD, however the reflections he shares are funny and wise and very often lead to a big sense of contentment whilst reading.
Beyond getting a full appreciation of life at 60 with all life lessons learned I really appreciated the many original metaphors that Doyle used. Like a look that “it’s like she opened an empty tin of biscuits and discovered there’s one left”.
Also the reflection that a bucket list is not about wishes but actually about regret is something to think about well before the age of 60.
So on one hand Charlie is what he is, not a whole lot of change in him, no development in character and the lot; he loves his children, grand children, the wife, a pint of Guinness and MotD, however the reflections he shares are funny and wise and very often lead to a big sense of contentment whilst reading.
March 24, 2019
I picked it up because I forgot to pack a book for a long train journey, and it was the first thing that caught my eye in a tiny WHSmiths. I'm glad my forgetfulness brought me into contact with this book, which I probably never would have noticed or read otherwise. Danny Savage is a brilliant character, who feels individual and particular whilst also feeling familiar. I'm about as far from being a middle aged man as you can get, and having never been to Ireland my only knowledge of the particularities of Irish life comes from Irish comedians. All the same, the book felt close to home in a comfortable way. It's warm, and has left me feeling a little bit better about the world and everyone in it.
March 15, 2021
As a man of a certain age myself, the titular character of Roddy Doyle's Charlie Savage is a kind of blood brother even though we don't have the obvious things in common -- football, the pub, dogs; for in this collection of reminiscences Charlie (via the author) reveals his bewilderment at changes in the world even while he valiantly tries to come to terms with them, a state of affairs those born in the middle of the last century may well recognise.
As a Dubliner himself Doyle is in an excellent position to portray Charlie's daily habits in Ireland's capital with a sympathetic eye -- it helps that he appears to share a birth year with his eponymous hero -- though we mustn't be misled into thinking this Charlie is coterminous with his author.
The fifty-two vignettes, written as weekly instalments for the Irish Independent, chart Charlie's stumbles through 2018, two years into a man-baby's presidency and another two years before a global pandemic. But many of Charlie's observations continue to have contemporary and, even with their Irish perspective, universal relevance.
60-something Charlie tries hard, then, to cope with a multiplicity of assaults on his worldview: working hard to understand women and gender politics, to remember his grandkids' names and the number of dogs he and his wife have, to cope with being a social influencer while being conflicted about his drinking buddy hooking up with an old flame. But he's also immensely sentimental: about his partner, his children, his grandchildren; his father who passed on his love of Match of the Day and a propensity to shout 'gobshite' at the radio and tv; the dwindling group of schoolmates whom he sees once a year around Christmas; the quiet comradeship of his friend who identifies as a woman. And, in spite of life's constant provocations -- the kinds that can and do test the patience of the saint -- there's a quiet optimism about Charlie that is very appealing even when occasionally it's misplaced:
I sometimes rail against the present continuous tense in fiction as being exhausting to read when stretched to novel-length. Conversely, for me it works very well here with the journal-style entries, never more than four pages in this edition: it gives just the right kind of immediacy, and it's laced with passages in the past tense when Charlie reminisces about matters historical. It's also constructed of short paragraphs of maybe two or three sentences, with staccato conversations that mirror real to-and-fro between individuals, all of which drew this reader onwards.
For someone such as myself from outside Ireland there is a strange familiarity (or perhaps familiar strangeness) about the cultural references which comes from shared reference points, like football or songs or tv programmes, mingled with names and places that have little or no resonance but which feel as though I should know them. However, I often find I have to resist the temptation to lapse into the odd idiom like "Grand," or "That's gas," or "He's an evil bollix," which wouldn't do at all.
As with all the best comic novels there are touches of poignancy which tell us that this is all about being human. The fact that Charlie feels like the kind of human you may well want to spend time with, because he reminds you of your own frailties, is testament to Doyle's skill; and all his little foibles and frequent faux pas are easily forgiven because you know his heart is in the right place. I wouldn't want him to change.
As a Dubliner himself Doyle is in an excellent position to portray Charlie's daily habits in Ireland's capital with a sympathetic eye -- it helps that he appears to share a birth year with his eponymous hero -- though we mustn't be misled into thinking this Charlie is coterminous with his author.
The fifty-two vignettes, written as weekly instalments for the Irish Independent, chart Charlie's stumbles through 2018, two years into a man-baby's presidency and another two years before a global pandemic. But many of Charlie's observations continue to have contemporary and, even with their Irish perspective, universal relevance.
60-something Charlie tries hard, then, to cope with a multiplicity of assaults on his worldview: working hard to understand women and gender politics, to remember his grandkids' names and the number of dogs he and his wife have, to cope with being a social influencer while being conflicted about his drinking buddy hooking up with an old flame. But he's also immensely sentimental: about his partner, his children, his grandchildren; his father who passed on his love of Match of the Day and a propensity to shout 'gobshite' at the radio and tv; the dwindling group of schoolmates whom he sees once a year around Christmas; the quiet comradeship of his friend who identifies as a woman. And, in spite of life's constant provocations -- the kinds that can and do test the patience of the saint -- there's a quiet optimism about Charlie that is very appealing even when occasionally it's misplaced:
The wife gets in a few hours after me.
---Come here, I say. ---You don't want me to change, do you?
I wait.
---Do you?
She puts her hand on my back and pats it.
That's a No. I'm safe for another year.
I sometimes rail against the present continuous tense in fiction as being exhausting to read when stretched to novel-length. Conversely, for me it works very well here with the journal-style entries, never more than four pages in this edition: it gives just the right kind of immediacy, and it's laced with passages in the past tense when Charlie reminisces about matters historical. It's also constructed of short paragraphs of maybe two or three sentences, with staccato conversations that mirror real to-and-fro between individuals, all of which drew this reader onwards.
For someone such as myself from outside Ireland there is a strange familiarity (or perhaps familiar strangeness) about the cultural references which comes from shared reference points, like football or songs or tv programmes, mingled with names and places that have little or no resonance but which feel as though I should know them. However, I often find I have to resist the temptation to lapse into the odd idiom like "Grand," or "That's gas," or "He's an evil bollix," which wouldn't do at all.
As with all the best comic novels there are touches of poignancy which tell us that this is all about being human. The fact that Charlie feels like the kind of human you may well want to spend time with, because he reminds you of your own frailties, is testament to Doyle's skill; and all his little foibles and frequent faux pas are easily forgiven because you know his heart is in the right place. I wouldn't want him to change.
May 31, 2023
This is Roddy at his best. There is a similar comic style to those classic early Barrytown novels, but this time there it's the life and thoughts of a sixty plus year old man in a changing world. This is a collection of serialised newspaper articles, with each chapter generally being a self-contained piece, but it all goes together so well and Charlie - for all his faults - is a great character. Hugely enjoyable x
April 16, 2019
Loved this book, full of wit and laugh out loud moments, everyone needs a Charlie Savage in their life.
March 31, 2020
This novel is presented as weekly newspaper columns for an Irish paper. I found them well written and lighthearted, funny overall. I’m going to try more of this author.
April 26, 2022
So many supposedly "funny" books are not funny. This is one of the rare books where I laughed out loud---a number of times. It's as shallow as a saucer but the script and the dialogue are the funniest I've read for years.
8.5/10
8.5/10
April 14, 2019
My first Roddy Doyle and it won't be my last. Originally written as a series for the 'Irish Independent ', the book follows Charlie's daily life filled with uplifting, thoughtful and laugh-out-loud moments. Lifted my day😁
January 31, 2019
Absolutely spot-on commentary on what “men of a certain age” think of today’s Ireland and where they fit in it. Hilarious and heartwarming.
Full review to follow.
Full review to follow.
April 19, 2019
Absolutely splendid read. Such insight and humour. Really resonated with me. Must be my age.
November 23, 2019
A year’s worth of stories featuring Charlie Savage a middle aged man & his family living in Dublin. These were submitted to the Irish Independent. Laugh out loud funny book.
Read
February 23, 2022Charming, touching at times. My only criticism is that there were a few moments where Doyle decides to end his little chapters prematurely. Example: he goes to meet Eileen, a girlfriend from his youth that has started [redacted for spoilers]. And you think: this conversation is going to be spicy! But because the book came from a column Doyle had written, and the chapters all seem to be the same length, Doyle ends the chapter before the conversation actually happens.
I wish he'd have expanded the book a bit more, in moments like this, where the two and a half page limit / conceit he'd set for himself was abandoned for the sake of not irritating me.
Otherwise, a lovely little book.
I wish he'd have expanded the book a bit more, in moments like this, where the two and a half page limit / conceit he'd set for himself was abandoned for the sake of not irritating me.
Otherwise, a lovely little book.
September 25, 2024
A series of articles brought together as a novel, this tells the story of Charlie Savage as he navigates the modern world in his Sixties. Some of this was very funny, some of it was rather phoned in and some of it, particularly the references to Charlie's friend who identifies as a woman, I found rather exasperating and irritating. When Doyle writes about things that Charlie doesn't understand, there is usually a redemptive element that allows you to see where he is lampooning that kind of wilful ignorance, but I'm not sure that's there in the gender passages. It comes across more as a cheap joke than a thoughtful poke at prejudice.
September 1, 2022
TL;DR: Charming/heart-warming...but aimed at 50+ y/o men...
Realistically I did not realise what this book was when I picked it up. A collection of short anecdotes written for the Irish Independent in the character of a grandad in Dublin.
Easy read, enjoyable, and funny. I think I like it because I feel like I'm talking to my grandad? Except my grandad wasn't so grumpy. Most of it were really wholesome, but the odd thing was a bit grating...exactly like a real life grandparent.
Realistically I did not realise what this book was when I picked it up. A collection of short anecdotes written for the Irish Independent in the character of a grandad in Dublin.
Easy read, enjoyable, and funny. I think I like it because I feel like I'm talking to my grandad? Except my grandad wasn't so grumpy. Most of it were really wholesome, but the odd thing was a bit grating...exactly like a real life grandparent.
July 14, 2021
"You're in the prime of your decline, Dad, and you should make the most of it"
A compilation of small segments written for the Irish Times. Some are quite funny but much of it is thinly veiled comical observations from Doyle. The sketch about Trump for instance has aged like milk in 2021, but other parts have a timeless quality which speak to what it means to be Irish. Fun but the fact it's a compilation of random things written for a paper with a vague continuity is clear.
A compilation of small segments written for the Irish Times. Some are quite funny but much of it is thinly veiled comical observations from Doyle. The sketch about Trump for instance has aged like milk in 2021, but other parts have a timeless quality which speak to what it means to be Irish. Fun but the fact it's a compilation of random things written for a paper with a vague continuity is clear.
April 26, 2022
Loved this, Very funny and evocative of Ireland. Same as his Two Pints novels. Small 2 page snapshots of a day in the life of Charlie over a year. Lovely barely perceptible picture of love of family and friends. Very upfront portrayal of love of football and a good pint of Guinness. And a nicer portrait of tolerance than you get in the media. Feeling homesick!
March 29, 2019
Oh! my goodness how I loved this book. I laughed so much my husband thought I was choking. I could not read in bed as I normally do, because I would have kept him awake. Not only laughing, but digging him in the ribs to read out the funny chapters.
I love all of Roddy Doyles's books since seeing the film The Commitments. I was born in the Irish Republic where this book is set (although we are not all as nice or mad as the lovely Savage family). I wish they had been my family, mine were far too serious. Roddy can write a story where I imagine I am inside the book alongside the people in the story.
Irish people are a humorous lot without realising they are most of the time. My UK husband of 40 years still does not understand my wicked sense of humour. Most of the time, he says ''Your being sarcastic''. I promise I am not, I am happy, being funny, and have no intention of changing. Enough about myself. I highly recommend this book. I will not tell you any of the story, because that would spoil it for you. You will just have to take my word for it. Roddy Doyle you are a brilliant author, hope your already writing the next book.
I love all of Roddy Doyles's books since seeing the film The Commitments. I was born in the Irish Republic where this book is set (although we are not all as nice or mad as the lovely Savage family). I wish they had been my family, mine were far too serious. Roddy can write a story where I imagine I am inside the book alongside the people in the story.
Irish people are a humorous lot without realising they are most of the time. My UK husband of 40 years still does not understand my wicked sense of humour. Most of the time, he says ''Your being sarcastic''. I promise I am not, I am happy, being funny, and have no intention of changing. Enough about myself. I highly recommend this book. I will not tell you any of the story, because that would spoil it for you. You will just have to take my word for it. Roddy Doyle you are a brilliant author, hope your already writing the next book.
April 21, 2025
An honest and often humorous depiction of modern manhood. Originally written as a series for The Irish Independent, the book follows Charlie's daily life filled ranging from going for a drink down the pub, being with grandkids, and interactions he has with his wife. A wholesome read.
June 21, 2019
This was just a witty, gruff, hilarious slice-of-life that flowed by very quickly. If you can make it through some of the Irish slang, this is a splendid way to wile away the afternoon.
October 13, 2024
4+ ✨
Not that many books manage to make me laugh out loud, but this one did.
Not that many books manage to make me laugh out loud, but this one did.
June 25, 2022
Hat mich gelangweilt, hab aufgehört zu lesen
February 14, 2023
Slightly amusing but not really my kind of book
September 17, 2022
Wonderful. Roddy Doyle brings Charlie Savage wholly to life. A marvellous representation of the musings of a man of a certain age.
April 13, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. I have such an affinity for the Irish culture and humour. This was gas (I think I’m using that right)
December 8, 2022
Somehow I had missed Roddy Doyle. This is excellent; so finely observed and with such rich humour. What a delight. There are so many books to catch up on. It is full of dryly observed great wit; that starting idea of the grandfather knowing his 3 year old grandson cant have a tattoo; so he offers to have one for him; and how life then turns once he is sporting the SpongeBob SquarePants tattoo on his chest which results in some questioning. Charlie Savage long with his long term drinking partner who identifies as a woman has various adventures in this 52 chapter, one for each week of the year, though a short book an enticing one
March 20, 2019
Charlie is a bit of a cliche. A retiree in Dublin who is trying to make sense of the quickly changing world, his struggles only about what you'd expect them to be. Maybe he's slightly more tolerant than many his age, or at least hopes that he is. In some regard his tolerance was almost disappointing, as I think it made for too-safe reading at points. Despite the cliches, or perhaps because of them, the book works, for two very specific reasons. First, the cliches are still true. I know many men of a retired age who are struggling with these exact same things. Cliches are often true, and therefore can still have value if taken as generalizations. And second, the book is hilarious. I laughed every few pages, and recounted multiple scenes to my wife, to which she laughed just hearing about them. For a personalized third point, the book makes use of my neighborhood. Charlie stops at the McDonald's at Artane, which is just in front of my house, and he takes a trip into McHugh's, which is my off license of choice. Overall, a very enjoyable book.
March 24, 2019
This book (as I understand it) is a collection of columns published as a series in the Irish Independant newspaper.
The protagonist, Charlie, is an avuncular Irish man of a certain age, generally content with his discontent.
One wonders whether Doyle has written this as a satire, or as an expression of his own ageing condition.
“Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha” this is not, but nor is it intended to be.
The protagonist, Charlie, is an avuncular Irish man of a certain age, generally content with his discontent.
One wonders whether Doyle has written this as a satire, or as an expression of his own ageing condition.
“Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha” this is not, but nor is it intended to be.
March 20, 2019
I am not usually one for writing book reviews, but on this occasion I have broken with tradition.
When it describes Charlie Savage as hilarious this is almost an understatement. It's very rare for me to laugh out loud when reading, but I regularly did so with this book. Roddy Doyle's writing is as exquisite as always and for anyone (like me) in, or nearing their 7th century on the planet, this is utterly essential reading. Highly recommended 🤣
When it describes Charlie Savage as hilarious this is almost an understatement. It's very rare for me to laugh out loud when reading, but I regularly did so with this book. Roddy Doyle's writing is as exquisite as always and for anyone (like me) in, or nearing their 7th century on the planet, this is utterly essential reading. Highly recommended 🤣
May 8, 2020
I was surprised by this book. I mean, maybe I should not have been. It is published by Penguin and Roddy Doyle is an Irish writer, who has managed to get some of his books made into films. For me he was unknown. I bought Roddy Doyle’s Charlie Savage purely because of the title. It is the same name as that of the protagonist of Pacific Viking by Barnaby Allen. Pacific Viking is an epic historical fiction book about a real Charlie Savage, who lived and died over 200 years ago in Fiji. These two Charlies and their lives could not really be more unlike. Mind you they both loved their families.
Roddy Doyle’s Charlie is an older Irish man with a largish family. He is battling ageing. He is a grandfather, but to my surprise he was not yet seventy. There is no plot as such in Charlie Savage. The stories are very short and there are more than fifty chapters. They also sounded kind of like anecdotes to me. This was easy to understand, when I found out that this was a compilation of a series Doyle did for Irish Independent. Yet we get to know Charlie Savage well. Charlie, who is unashamedly a man. But he is a man who loves women. This is clear. I mean, really loves. Loves his women for what they are. This is a book about family, love and friendship. It is uplifting despite a kind of certain sad undertone. It is funny at times, even to the point of laughter but mostly it is funny through dry sarcasm.
I listened to this as an audible. Roddy Doyle read the stories himself. I think that hearing an author read his own words is special. I recommend Charlie Savage either as a book or as an audible. I think in time, I will wish to read or listen to another book by Doyle. Now I am looking forward to reading an ebook version of a South American classic Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. Anaya is another writer that is still new to me… leeawrites.wordpress.com
Roddy Doyle’s Charlie is an older Irish man with a largish family. He is battling ageing. He is a grandfather, but to my surprise he was not yet seventy. There is no plot as such in Charlie Savage. The stories are very short and there are more than fifty chapters. They also sounded kind of like anecdotes to me. This was easy to understand, when I found out that this was a compilation of a series Doyle did for Irish Independent. Yet we get to know Charlie Savage well. Charlie, who is unashamedly a man. But he is a man who loves women. This is clear. I mean, really loves. Loves his women for what they are. This is a book about family, love and friendship. It is uplifting despite a kind of certain sad undertone. It is funny at times, even to the point of laughter but mostly it is funny through dry sarcasm.
I listened to this as an audible. Roddy Doyle read the stories himself. I think that hearing an author read his own words is special. I recommend Charlie Savage either as a book or as an audible. I think in time, I will wish to read or listen to another book by Doyle. Now I am looking forward to reading an ebook version of a South American classic Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. Anaya is another writer that is still new to me… leeawrites.wordpress.com
Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews