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The Barrytown Trilogy #3
The Van
The further misadventures of the Rabbitte family in working-class Dublin--from the author of The Commitments and The Snapper. This story follows Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr., and his best friend through Dublin, selling cheap grub to the drunk and hungry--keeping one step ahead of the health officials.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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2771 people want to read
About the author
Roddy Doyle
127 books1,646 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 377 reviews
May 6, 2020
[Please excuse any expletives in this review. Roddy Doyle and his Barrytown characters' language is catchy...]
Feckit!
I was going to give this 4 stars, reserving full marks for Doyle’s The Last Roundup trilogy (which I haven’t read but have heard is very ambitious and a departure for the author). But now that I think about it, that idea is pure shite. Why reserve a rating for a series I haven’t read yet? I’ve read The Van, just put it down an hour ago in fact, and I liked it a lot. It’s a smashing book, so full of vitality and heart and humour. What’s more: it’s a fitting conclusion to the Barrytown Trilogy. So: 5 stars it is.
Jimmy Rabbitte Sr., a minor character in The Commitments, and a major one in The Snapper, has been laid off and is trying to fill his days with babysitting his granddaughter Gina, going to the library, and watching people go by his North Dublin home.
Because he’s on the dole, he doesn’t get to drink as much at his local with his lads, and he misses that; not that he can exactly articulate why he’s so unhappy.
When his best friend Bimbo gets laid off as well, he’s now got company. The two play golf, hit the library, and just bum around. But then Bimbo – aided by his wife, Maggie – decides to buy a second-hand chip van (one that serves fish ‘n’ chips), so Jimmy joins him in fixing it up (it’s covered in grease, has no motor or wheels) and eventually working in it and sharing in the profits.
At first, business is grand; the appearance of their truck coincides with Ireland being in the World Cup, during which no one has time to cook at home. But then the season changes; Jimmy and Bimbo set up the van at the beach, during the day, and outside bars at night. It’s hard, grinding (and at times unsafe) work, and eventually it drives a wedge between the men’s friendship.
Sure, Jimmy now has disposable income – he can get ice cream for his grandchild, buy rounds for his pals in the bar and even dress up and hit Dublin with Bimbo for a night on the town to check out the more sophisticated younger women behind his wife Veronica’s back… but is it all worth it?
Jimmy, Sr. is one of the most vital characters in contemporary fiction. He’s got no airs and no filter. But he’s got his pride. He can be crude and sexist, little more than a grown up boy, really, but he’s hugely sympathetic, especially when he’s down and out. There are Jimmies everywhere in the world, and you’ve got to appreciate the way Doyle gets into his mind, without ever being judgmental or condescending.
What’s interesting – and I think it was brought up when the Barrytown Trilogy was chosen as Dublin’s One City, One Book selection – is that these books cover a specific time in European history.
You can sense the changing ethnic makeup of the city subtly: in Jimmy, Sr.’s reaction to people asking for curry chips. But my sense is the working class milieu the characters are in would be much different these days.
I think Doyle’s confronted Irish racism in his recent collection of stories, The Deportees.
As for The Van? I loved spending time with these characters. Jimmy and Bimbo’s night on the town sequence is one for the ages: so real and vivid it was at times hard to read. (I felt so protective of these characters I didn’t want anything bad to happen to them.)
And as is the case with the best books, I had no idea where it was going, but once it arrived, it felt completely satisfying.
So fair play to yeh, Mister Doyle. Five cussing, pint-soaked, stars for your unforgettable characters.
Feckit!
I was going to give this 4 stars, reserving full marks for Doyle’s The Last Roundup trilogy (which I haven’t read but have heard is very ambitious and a departure for the author). But now that I think about it, that idea is pure shite. Why reserve a rating for a series I haven’t read yet? I’ve read The Van, just put it down an hour ago in fact, and I liked it a lot. It’s a smashing book, so full of vitality and heart and humour. What’s more: it’s a fitting conclusion to the Barrytown Trilogy. So: 5 stars it is.
Jimmy Rabbitte Sr., a minor character in The Commitments, and a major one in The Snapper, has been laid off and is trying to fill his days with babysitting his granddaughter Gina, going to the library, and watching people go by his North Dublin home.
Because he’s on the dole, he doesn’t get to drink as much at his local with his lads, and he misses that; not that he can exactly articulate why he’s so unhappy.
When his best friend Bimbo gets laid off as well, he’s now got company. The two play golf, hit the library, and just bum around. But then Bimbo – aided by his wife, Maggie – decides to buy a second-hand chip van (one that serves fish ‘n’ chips), so Jimmy joins him in fixing it up (it’s covered in grease, has no motor or wheels) and eventually working in it and sharing in the profits.
At first, business is grand; the appearance of their truck coincides with Ireland being in the World Cup, during which no one has time to cook at home. But then the season changes; Jimmy and Bimbo set up the van at the beach, during the day, and outside bars at night. It’s hard, grinding (and at times unsafe) work, and eventually it drives a wedge between the men’s friendship.
Sure, Jimmy now has disposable income – he can get ice cream for his grandchild, buy rounds for his pals in the bar and even dress up and hit Dublin with Bimbo for a night on the town to check out the more sophisticated younger women behind his wife Veronica’s back… but is it all worth it?
Jimmy, Sr. is one of the most vital characters in contemporary fiction. He’s got no airs and no filter. But he’s got his pride. He can be crude and sexist, little more than a grown up boy, really, but he’s hugely sympathetic, especially when he’s down and out. There are Jimmies everywhere in the world, and you’ve got to appreciate the way Doyle gets into his mind, without ever being judgmental or condescending.
What’s interesting – and I think it was brought up when the Barrytown Trilogy was chosen as Dublin’s One City, One Book selection – is that these books cover a specific time in European history.
You can sense the changing ethnic makeup of the city subtly: in Jimmy, Sr.’s reaction to people asking for curry chips. But my sense is the working class milieu the characters are in would be much different these days.
I think Doyle’s confronted Irish racism in his recent collection of stories, The Deportees.
As for The Van? I loved spending time with these characters. Jimmy and Bimbo’s night on the town sequence is one for the ages: so real and vivid it was at times hard to read. (I felt so protective of these characters I didn’t want anything bad to happen to them.)
And as is the case with the best books, I had no idea where it was going, but once it arrived, it felt completely satisfying.
So fair play to yeh, Mister Doyle. Five cussing, pint-soaked, stars for your unforgettable characters.
October 24, 2020
The Van, by Roddy Doyle was a disappointment the second time around. I first read this many years ago and recall laughing my head off. Literally pissing myself. But, this time - it barely raised a chuckle.
The story is about two close mates in Ireland, both unemployed, called Jimmy Snr and Bimbo. They decide to start a business running a chip van, called Bimbo's Burgers. Both of them are pretty useless, likely lads, and somehow they seem to fashion a living out of the thing. Being Catholic, they seem to be surrounded by large numbers of kids, and both are married - so there's lots and lots of Irish banter.
Maybe I am over Doyle's style of writing at the moment, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha didn't do it for me recently either. Doyle has a very 'machine gun fire' style of writing, chit chat, ribbing and profanities fly thick and fast - you can almost hear the Dublin accents. But, it just didn't cut it for me this time. I was after big laughs like the old days, and they didn't come.
However, there was a nicely written section on how it felt for one of the characters suffering a depressive episode. That was well done, and Doyle does describe the lives and environment of the working class and unemployed very well.
But this was average, and I was happy I finished it.
3 Stars
The story is about two close mates in Ireland, both unemployed, called Jimmy Snr and Bimbo. They decide to start a business running a chip van, called Bimbo's Burgers. Both of them are pretty useless, likely lads, and somehow they seem to fashion a living out of the thing. Being Catholic, they seem to be surrounded by large numbers of kids, and both are married - so there's lots and lots of Irish banter.
Maybe I am over Doyle's style of writing at the moment, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha didn't do it for me recently either. Doyle has a very 'machine gun fire' style of writing, chit chat, ribbing and profanities fly thick and fast - you can almost hear the Dublin accents. But, it just didn't cut it for me this time. I was after big laughs like the old days, and they didn't come.
However, there was a nicely written section on how it felt for one of the characters suffering a depressive episode. That was well done, and Doyle does describe the lives and environment of the working class and unemployed very well.
But this was average, and I was happy I finished it.
3 Stars
April 17, 2020
I really, really liked this third entry in (what I have recently found out is now) the Barrytown Pentalogy, but I didn't love it as much as I did the first two.
It's hard to put my finger on exactly why, I just found the characters slightly less endearing this time around. There were little things that bothered me too, like the family all getting big chuckles out of deliberately feeding the dog chocolate to make him vomit. Is that really supposed to be endearing? Perhaps I'm just over-sensitive to something that is, after all, a comedy and not an example of how one is supposed to live one's life, but that scene just rubbed me up the wrong way and there were a couple of others that had the same affect on me.
These minor quibbles aside, this is still a very funny novel and very moving at times, too. I'm moving on to book four in the series now, which I've already read, many moons ago, when I was under the misapprehension that it was a standalone novel. I wonder if I'll see it in a different light as an episode in an ongoing saga...
It's hard to put my finger on exactly why, I just found the characters slightly less endearing this time around. There were little things that bothered me too, like the family all getting big chuckles out of deliberately feeding the dog chocolate to make him vomit. Is that really supposed to be endearing? Perhaps I'm just over-sensitive to something that is, after all, a comedy and not an example of how one is supposed to live one's life, but that scene just rubbed me up the wrong way and there were a couple of others that had the same affect on me.
These minor quibbles aside, this is still a very funny novel and very moving at times, too. I'm moving on to book four in the series now, which I've already read, many moons ago, when I was under the misapprehension that it was a standalone novel. I wonder if I'll see it in a different light as an episode in an ongoing saga...
July 23, 2022
The third book in the Barrytown trilogy, each time I enjoyed the previous book to the next. This one focuses on Jimmy Rabbitte senior who has been laid off and the family is struggling along with little money coming in. When Jimmy Sr’s friend Bimbo also is laid off the two go into business running a chip and burger van. There’s still plenty of humour and insight into working class lives particularly older men and how they relate to their families and friends, and cope with unemployment.
April 10, 2022
Two men my age talking shite in a pub over two points. They reflect and reminisce over mostly celebrities and famous footballers deaths in amusing little reads. Some hilarious and others poignant.
Gene Wilder, Glen Campbell, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie and Prince are all mentioned. Live people too including ABBA and Ronaldo as well as topical events in Ireland such as the referendums on abortion and gay marriage are covered as well.
Great little book to read over time or to binge read.
Gene Wilder, Glen Campbell, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie and Prince are all mentioned. Live people too including ABBA and Ronaldo as well as topical events in Ireland such as the referendums on abortion and gay marriage are covered as well.
Great little book to read over time or to binge read.
February 1, 2022
This is a fitting end to the trilogy starting with The Snapper and then The Commitments. Jimmy Snr is the central character with his mate Bimbo. They are both unemployed and decide to buy a Chip van with part of Bimbo’s redundancy money.
Hilarity ensues with the cleaning of the van, questionable hygiene and the deep fat frying of a nappy. Some laugh out loud and poignant moments. Well worth a read of Dublin in the 1990s.
Hilarity ensues with the cleaning of the van, questionable hygiene and the deep fat frying of a nappy. Some laugh out loud and poignant moments. Well worth a read of Dublin in the 1990s.
March 24, 2014
Sweet Jaysis, this was a fine book! In fact, over the course of the last week or two, I've managed to finish all three fine books of Roddy Doyle's original Barrytown Trilogy, in preparation for reading The Guts, which just came out this year. One big thing about these novels that kept me glued to their pages was how the major dilemmas in their lives prompted the characters to move beyond their current troubles, to have faith in and to take advantage of what ever possibilities might present themselves. On the lighter side, if a funnier trio of books exist, I haven't yet read them.
When we last saw Jimmy Rabbitte Sr., he was working as a plasterer, but now he's been laid off. He spends a lot of time at the library, watching TV or taking home books to read. There are other changes as well -- the twins' Sugar Puffs have become Cornflakes, Baby Gina has a stack of videos but they can't afford a new video player, the twins, unlike Darren, wouldn't be going off on a school trip to Scotland this year, this Christmas is leaner than ever, and Jimmy can't even afford to buy ice-cream for Gina. Even the town has changed -- as Jimmy Sr. notes, "there was money in this town," watching people go by and counting
"fifty-four great-looking young ones going by in only a quarter of an hour; brilliant-looking women now, and all of them dressed beautifully, the height of style; they must have paid fortunes for the stuff they had on them; you could tell."
Most of all, he misses the camraderie from his local, The Hikers. He does miss the pints, but much more than that, he misses "the lads here, the crack, the laughing." He'd like to be there more, but "he'd had a family to feed and that," only able to come to his pub about twice a week. As it turns out though, Jimmy's not the only one who's become redundant: his friend Bimbo also gets laid off from his bakery job. Bimbo eventually buys a decrepit chip van (what we'd call a food truck) with part of his severance pay -- one with no engine and coated inside and out in grease, but to Bimbo, it's all about the potential. It also just happens to be World Cup time -- so the two roll up their sleeves to get the van cleaned up and usable, so that the crowds coming out of the pub after Ireland plays can buy their burgers, sausages, fish and chips etc. Ireland's wins, along with the logistical help of Bimbo's wife Maggie, make Bimbo's Burgers -- Today's Chips Today" successful, but working so close together and dealing with all the shite they have to go through begins to test their friendship.
The Van is longer than the previous two novels in this trilogy, structured in three distinct parts, and here we get into a little more depth re Jimmy Sr.'s character. The laugh-out-loud humor is still there, especially in the pages where they're opening the chip van for business for the first time -- including of all things a fried nappy (158-174 in my copy). [As an aside, I laughed so much and so loud while reading these pages that my husband, who was busy reading Raymond Chandler's The Lady in the Lake, gave me such an evil glare that I had to take my book elsewhere.] Yet there's a serious side here as well, beyond the relationship between Jimmy Sr. and Bimbo. As just one example, while they're in the van, the local street toughs who have nothing better to do than stone the van and try to wreck it bring out Jimmy's feelings about family, parenting, and how lucky he is that even though his son Leslie's had some problems, he and Veronica were there to help set him straight so that he wouldn't end up like these guys. And, as in all of the other books in this trilogy, the ending is spot on -- nothing overly sentimental, nothing overly romanticized.
While I'm not so much into trying to root out deeper meanings found within, leaving that up to more well-read people than myself, I've had a great time with these novels. They're all highly entertaining, and all of them focus on how these people never give up as long as the possibility of something more might be lurking just around the corner. I cannot recommend this book, or the entire trilogy, highly enough.
When we last saw Jimmy Rabbitte Sr., he was working as a plasterer, but now he's been laid off. He spends a lot of time at the library, watching TV or taking home books to read. There are other changes as well -- the twins' Sugar Puffs have become Cornflakes, Baby Gina has a stack of videos but they can't afford a new video player, the twins, unlike Darren, wouldn't be going off on a school trip to Scotland this year, this Christmas is leaner than ever, and Jimmy can't even afford to buy ice-cream for Gina. Even the town has changed -- as Jimmy Sr. notes, "there was money in this town," watching people go by and counting
"fifty-four great-looking young ones going by in only a quarter of an hour; brilliant-looking women now, and all of them dressed beautifully, the height of style; they must have paid fortunes for the stuff they had on them; you could tell."
Most of all, he misses the camraderie from his local, The Hikers. He does miss the pints, but much more than that, he misses "the lads here, the crack, the laughing." He'd like to be there more, but "he'd had a family to feed and that," only able to come to his pub about twice a week. As it turns out though, Jimmy's not the only one who's become redundant: his friend Bimbo also gets laid off from his bakery job. Bimbo eventually buys a decrepit chip van (what we'd call a food truck) with part of his severance pay -- one with no engine and coated inside and out in grease, but to Bimbo, it's all about the potential. It also just happens to be World Cup time -- so the two roll up their sleeves to get the van cleaned up and usable, so that the crowds coming out of the pub after Ireland plays can buy their burgers, sausages, fish and chips etc. Ireland's wins, along with the logistical help of Bimbo's wife Maggie, make Bimbo's Burgers -- Today's Chips Today" successful, but working so close together and dealing with all the shite they have to go through begins to test their friendship.
The Van is longer than the previous two novels in this trilogy, structured in three distinct parts, and here we get into a little more depth re Jimmy Sr.'s character. The laugh-out-loud humor is still there, especially in the pages where they're opening the chip van for business for the first time -- including of all things a fried nappy (158-174 in my copy). [As an aside, I laughed so much and so loud while reading these pages that my husband, who was busy reading Raymond Chandler's The Lady in the Lake, gave me such an evil glare that I had to take my book elsewhere.] Yet there's a serious side here as well, beyond the relationship between Jimmy Sr. and Bimbo. As just one example, while they're in the van, the local street toughs who have nothing better to do than stone the van and try to wreck it bring out Jimmy's feelings about family, parenting, and how lucky he is that even though his son Leslie's had some problems, he and Veronica were there to help set him straight so that he wouldn't end up like these guys. And, as in all of the other books in this trilogy, the ending is spot on -- nothing overly sentimental, nothing overly romanticized.
While I'm not so much into trying to root out deeper meanings found within, leaving that up to more well-read people than myself, I've had a great time with these novels. They're all highly entertaining, and all of them focus on how these people never give up as long as the possibility of something more might be lurking just around the corner. I cannot recommend this book, or the entire trilogy, highly enough.
January 20, 2019
One of the funniest books I have read. Start with book one of the this trilogy and enjoy the best with the third.
December 13, 2023
Jimmy Rabbitte Sr is struggling to decide on his next step after he is made redundant and feels like a spare part in his own house. As wife Veronica turns to studying, and his son Jimmy Rabbitte Jr is doing well enough for himself to spare a few bob to his dad for a pint, things are looking bleak for Jimmy Sr. But when his friend Bimbo buys a chip van, things look up as the two partner up to figure out how exactly one makes a battered sausage in time for the World Cup and a lot of hungry spectators exiting the pubs aroud Barrytown.
There was lots in this to love - the pure Irishisms coming out of Jimmy and everyone around him or more accurately the Dublinisms, and there's a real sense of nostalgia when reading this book for a Dublin and a particular way of life that doesn't really exist anymore. For anyone who loved The Snapper or The Commitments, this is the third book in the Barrytown trilogy and follows members of the same family. Roddy Doyle has a good way of creating larger than life characters and placing them exactly where they ought to be and bringing them to life in many different ways.
The only issue I had with this, and it did spoil my reading a little bit, is the way in which Jimmy Sr and some of his friends (Bertie) often talked about women. Now I know this is just a product of when the book was written or published but that doesn't mean I have to be okay with grown men talking about 15/16 year olds looking like 'rides' or men actively looking to see if they would get the opportunity to cheat on their wives when on a night out. Not to mention how often the older women in the book, the wives and mothers, were compared unfavourably to women in their teens and 20s as if aging isn't hard enough as it is without being expected to look 21 forever.
There was lots in this to love - the pure Irishisms coming out of Jimmy and everyone around him or more accurately the Dublinisms, and there's a real sense of nostalgia when reading this book for a Dublin and a particular way of life that doesn't really exist anymore. For anyone who loved The Snapper or The Commitments, this is the third book in the Barrytown trilogy and follows members of the same family. Roddy Doyle has a good way of creating larger than life characters and placing them exactly where they ought to be and bringing them to life in many different ways.
The only issue I had with this, and it did spoil my reading a little bit, is the way in which Jimmy Sr and some of his friends (Bertie) often talked about women. Now I know this is just a product of when the book was written or published but that doesn't mean I have to be okay with grown men talking about 15/16 year olds looking like 'rides' or men actively looking to see if they would get the opportunity to cheat on their wives when on a night out. Not to mention how often the older women in the book, the wives and mothers, were compared unfavourably to women in their teens and 20s as if aging isn't hard enough as it is without being expected to look 21 forever.
February 13, 2017
This ironic comedy of working class residents of Dublin has its charms, but it wears a little thin to me halfway through. Jimmy Rabbitte is laid off, and it's a bit of a stretch to cover rounds of pints with his friends. When the same fate befalls his friend Bimbo, they together hatch a plan to refurbish an old van to make a mobile fish-and-chips business in time for the world soccer cup playoffs. The story renders the most pleasure as they struggle toward success against all odds and the low expectations of their community. The main focus is on the vibrant joys and challenges of everyday family life amid the wasteland of popular culture and consumerism. You can predict that the capitalist venture with the van is no lasting solution to life's challenges. The same was true for the venture of Jimmy's son to create an Irish soul band in Doyle's earlier novel "The Commitments". Am I biased in enjoying the latter more because it involves youth trying to make a mark instead of a middle aged man learning he doesn't need to make a mark? I will have to see how this one sets after awhile. Are there parallels and inversions of Updike's beguiling Rabbit series, suggested by the character's unusual name?
October 8, 2014
This is the third in the Barrytown Trilogy, the first of which made Roddy Doyle into a household name as an author in the late 80s.
The main character in the debut, Jimmy Jr, again takes a background role, as does the main focus of The Snapper, sister Sharon, this novel focusing primarily on Jimmy Sr and his relationships with family members and his friend Bimbo, as well as on his own sense of identity and self worth. Doyle tackles some heavy themes in the book, but does so through a backdrop of hilarious scene after hilarious scene, the unreconstructed characters coming across as warmly as in the previous novels, with many laugh out loud moments.
While The Snapper is my favourite of the three novels in the series, this was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I feel that the trilogy will make a great 'One City One Book' for Dublin next year. I'll certainly be looking out for the online content that emerges as a result of the discussions on the book in April, and I'll also be returning to read more of Doyle, having previously been put off my his Henry Smart trilogy.
The main character in the debut, Jimmy Jr, again takes a background role, as does the main focus of The Snapper, sister Sharon, this novel focusing primarily on Jimmy Sr and his relationships with family members and his friend Bimbo, as well as on his own sense of identity and self worth. Doyle tackles some heavy themes in the book, but does so through a backdrop of hilarious scene after hilarious scene, the unreconstructed characters coming across as warmly as in the previous novels, with many laugh out loud moments.
While The Snapper is my favourite of the three novels in the series, this was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I feel that the trilogy will make a great 'One City One Book' for Dublin next year. I'll certainly be looking out for the online content that emerges as a result of the discussions on the book in April, and I'll also be returning to read more of Doyle, having previously been put off my his Henry Smart trilogy.
September 23, 2020
One of the greatest toilet books in life, a guaranteed smile with every passage.
Sadly I read it all in one go, (not on the loo) and in hindsight I should have rationed the laughs.
A really short and sweet book.
Sadly I read it all in one go, (not on the loo) and in hindsight I should have rationed the laughs.
A really short and sweet book.
November 18, 2020
Inadvertently due to the time period when this was written it has a bit about Trump in it. Does anyone like this guy?
September 20, 2025
The Van by Roddy Doyle, finalist for The 1991 Booker Prize https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
10 out of 10
This reader has been enthused by what he sees as a magnum opus, though this is not War and Peace, we could argue that first, it is better in the climate of today, when Russia has invaded Ukraine, and second, it is also fabulous to laugh and enjoy such a beano as The Van, which is the third in the Barrytown Trilogy, from which the under signed has had the immense joy to complete part one, another masterpiece, The Commitments http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/01/t...
Jimmy Rabbitte is the main character of the narrative, a superb story teller, with an exhilarating sense of humor, not without shortcomings, which make him human and even more likeable and relatable, who is in the first part of the novel facing financial problems, he is unable to provide for his family, relying on benefits since he had laid off, with the trauma of having to plan in advance his visits to the pub, where he can only afford to go twice a week, and then he has to see to it that his turn to buy his friends two pints does not come again, because at times he only has a fiver or tenner given to him by one of his sons, Jimmy Jr – our hero is known as Jimmy Sr – and that would not cover many rounds of beers.
Veronica is his reliable wife, the one he can depend upon to support him and the family, both materially, for she is the bread winner, and psychologically – when there will be tensions with his friend and future partner at this stage, she will always give good advice, suggest the path of caution, anticipates what the loss of such a strong bond would mean…however, our sinful, virtual friend, will seek the chance to sleep with a bint, on one amusing night out, and he keeps looking, committing, gallivanting at young women (using the standards of this day, it is unacceptable and we can wonder if it would be printed with these passages and if that happened, what would be the chances of shortlisting the novel for the Booker)
Linda and Tracy are the twins that live with their parents – and would later show a rather dark side, being spotted by their father in the crowd of Zombies that attack the van repeatedly and do all sorts of dangerous, disgusting, ferocious things – and so does Sharon and her daughter, Gina, the former would be there to help her father, in nights when he will be overwhelmed at his job as a caterer – this is what he pretends on his big night out, when he wants to seduce a couple of women, sure as he is that they would not look at a man that just flips burgers and makes chips in the back of a van, and he might be wrong…
Darren is the younger son, who is an accomplished pupil – he would at a later stage take seven top marks in all the seven tests he gives, paving the way to university, if only the parents can afford that, which is an added torment for the protagonist, when he has to ponder over the strained relationship he will have at that point with his best friend, for if he is to look for the exit, then Darren would be unable to continue to study at University, and his father will be in the same spot we found him at the start of The Van.
When he is laid off, best friend Bimbo aka Brendan Reeves – this is a name that jimmy has forgotten, used as he has been for decades to use the nickname and it makes for another hilarious moment when he has to introduce him to two interesting women – has the idea of buying a ‘chipper’, which is a van that sells fish, chips and burgers, together with some other things, and he uses eight hundred pounds on an old jalopy, that has no engine and would take forever to clean and to which he suggests that Jimmy Jr becomes a partner, and when he accepts they embark on a serious adventure, that will change their lives.
Their relationship is also affected, in the beginning, it seems almost miraculous, for they had both been made redundant – this is one of the most important events, psychology studies have looked at Hedonic Adaptation, concluding that we can take almost anything and go through, but there are situations that are next to impossible to go through unaffected, without trauma, and becoming unemployed is such a traumatic instance – and when bimbo has the idea of buying a Van, to sell food from, it looks like the Escape Artist, they have managed to find a way out of depression, feeling gloomy.
Jimmy Sr had been using a plan through which he took his friend out, keeping him busy, helping him get over the sense of futility and all the rest, but getting the chipper would not only keep them busy – which is one of the secrets of reaching very old age incidentally, you can read in Ikigai how people on the island of Okinawa list keeping active as one of the secrets of their record high life expectancy rate http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/i... - but it also provide them with money, enough of it to help support their families, enjoy a few drinks, buy some clothes…
When Bimbo pays the eight hundred pounds for the rather decrepit van, he asks Jimmy to be his partner and this is emotional and wonderful to read about, inviting readers to think of friends – if they have them, which is one secret of happiness, the happiest have been surveyed and it turns out that they share not wealth, but strong connections with family and friends, and since I only have one friend left, if that, there is a need to put this down, in the vain hope that you read it, call and say you want to be my friend, or don’t you? – but something interferes, it could be Bimbo’s wife, Maggie, who has quite a few good ideas – expect perhaps when she thinks of them offering breakfast and Jimmy suggests parking the van near the motorway and then pretending they had not had customers when they are back…
Probably nudged by his wife, who may have said ‘you have to choose’ in Jimmy’s imagination, Bimbo says at one point that he will pay wages, thus throwing away the initial partnership proposal, which seems so unfair and redefines their connection or our definition of friendship – very often, if not always, this reader thinks of Thomas Mann and his musings on love and friendship, which only exist in literature, if we are to look at what happens in real life, when we offer a partnership to a ‘friend’ but along the way, we are tested and give up on that offer – albeit Jimmy has his share of the blame and he admits he should have offered to pay half of the cost of the van, if he had been serious about his contribution to their enterprise…
http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
10 out of 10
This reader has been enthused by what he sees as a magnum opus, though this is not War and Peace, we could argue that first, it is better in the climate of today, when Russia has invaded Ukraine, and second, it is also fabulous to laugh and enjoy such a beano as The Van, which is the third in the Barrytown Trilogy, from which the under signed has had the immense joy to complete part one, another masterpiece, The Commitments http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/01/t...
Jimmy Rabbitte is the main character of the narrative, a superb story teller, with an exhilarating sense of humor, not without shortcomings, which make him human and even more likeable and relatable, who is in the first part of the novel facing financial problems, he is unable to provide for his family, relying on benefits since he had laid off, with the trauma of having to plan in advance his visits to the pub, where he can only afford to go twice a week, and then he has to see to it that his turn to buy his friends two pints does not come again, because at times he only has a fiver or tenner given to him by one of his sons, Jimmy Jr – our hero is known as Jimmy Sr – and that would not cover many rounds of beers.
Veronica is his reliable wife, the one he can depend upon to support him and the family, both materially, for she is the bread winner, and psychologically – when there will be tensions with his friend and future partner at this stage, she will always give good advice, suggest the path of caution, anticipates what the loss of such a strong bond would mean…however, our sinful, virtual friend, will seek the chance to sleep with a bint, on one amusing night out, and he keeps looking, committing, gallivanting at young women (using the standards of this day, it is unacceptable and we can wonder if it would be printed with these passages and if that happened, what would be the chances of shortlisting the novel for the Booker)
Linda and Tracy are the twins that live with their parents – and would later show a rather dark side, being spotted by their father in the crowd of Zombies that attack the van repeatedly and do all sorts of dangerous, disgusting, ferocious things – and so does Sharon and her daughter, Gina, the former would be there to help her father, in nights when he will be overwhelmed at his job as a caterer – this is what he pretends on his big night out, when he wants to seduce a couple of women, sure as he is that they would not look at a man that just flips burgers and makes chips in the back of a van, and he might be wrong…
Darren is the younger son, who is an accomplished pupil – he would at a later stage take seven top marks in all the seven tests he gives, paving the way to university, if only the parents can afford that, which is an added torment for the protagonist, when he has to ponder over the strained relationship he will have at that point with his best friend, for if he is to look for the exit, then Darren would be unable to continue to study at University, and his father will be in the same spot we found him at the start of The Van.
When he is laid off, best friend Bimbo aka Brendan Reeves – this is a name that jimmy has forgotten, used as he has been for decades to use the nickname and it makes for another hilarious moment when he has to introduce him to two interesting women – has the idea of buying a ‘chipper’, which is a van that sells fish, chips and burgers, together with some other things, and he uses eight hundred pounds on an old jalopy, that has no engine and would take forever to clean and to which he suggests that Jimmy Jr becomes a partner, and when he accepts they embark on a serious adventure, that will change their lives.
Their relationship is also affected, in the beginning, it seems almost miraculous, for they had both been made redundant – this is one of the most important events, psychology studies have looked at Hedonic Adaptation, concluding that we can take almost anything and go through, but there are situations that are next to impossible to go through unaffected, without trauma, and becoming unemployed is such a traumatic instance – and when bimbo has the idea of buying a Van, to sell food from, it looks like the Escape Artist, they have managed to find a way out of depression, feeling gloomy.
Jimmy Sr had been using a plan through which he took his friend out, keeping him busy, helping him get over the sense of futility and all the rest, but getting the chipper would not only keep them busy – which is one of the secrets of reaching very old age incidentally, you can read in Ikigai how people on the island of Okinawa list keeping active as one of the secrets of their record high life expectancy rate http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/i... - but it also provide them with money, enough of it to help support their families, enjoy a few drinks, buy some clothes…
When Bimbo pays the eight hundred pounds for the rather decrepit van, he asks Jimmy to be his partner and this is emotional and wonderful to read about, inviting readers to think of friends – if they have them, which is one secret of happiness, the happiest have been surveyed and it turns out that they share not wealth, but strong connections with family and friends, and since I only have one friend left, if that, there is a need to put this down, in the vain hope that you read it, call and say you want to be my friend, or don’t you? – but something interferes, it could be Bimbo’s wife, Maggie, who has quite a few good ideas – expect perhaps when she thinks of them offering breakfast and Jimmy suggests parking the van near the motorway and then pretending they had not had customers when they are back…
Probably nudged by his wife, who may have said ‘you have to choose’ in Jimmy’s imagination, Bimbo says at one point that he will pay wages, thus throwing away the initial partnership proposal, which seems so unfair and redefines their connection or our definition of friendship – very often, if not always, this reader thinks of Thomas Mann and his musings on love and friendship, which only exist in literature, if we are to look at what happens in real life, when we offer a partnership to a ‘friend’ but along the way, we are tested and give up on that offer – albeit Jimmy has his share of the blame and he admits he should have offered to pay half of the cost of the van, if he had been serious about his contribution to their enterprise…
http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
September 29, 2020
“TWO FOR THE ROAD” – Roddy Doyle
‘Two men meet for a pint - or three - in a Dublin pub.’
You could not possibly mistake these transcripts as being real, but oh so funny!
Some of my favourites are:
• 25-10-15, ‘The Quiet Man’, Maureen O’Hara (p42)
• 22-1-16, “I haven’t been in a packed church since I was a kid..” (p55)
• 14-1—16, “See Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize.” (p71)
Many laugh-out-loud moments ****
..
‘Two men meet for a pint - or three - in a Dublin pub.’
You could not possibly mistake these transcripts as being real, but oh so funny!
Some of my favourites are:
• 25-10-15, ‘The Quiet Man’, Maureen O’Hara (p42)
• 22-1-16, “I haven’t been in a packed church since I was a kid..” (p55)
• 14-1—16, “See Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize.” (p71)
Many laugh-out-loud moments ****
..
October 19, 2019
There are many worse ways to spend an hour than reading this latest offering from Roddy Doyle. It contains a few laugh out loud moments and is nostalgic, in a way, about the crazed news cycle of the past five years.
But ultimately it's a bit pointless and some of the gags made me cringe. It reminded me a bit of The Royle Family. If you liked that, you'd probably enjoy this.
But ultimately it's a bit pointless and some of the gags made me cringe. It reminded me a bit of The Royle Family. If you liked that, you'd probably enjoy this.
June 2, 2020
A quick, thoroughly hilarious read from Roddy Doyle. I felt as though I was in a pub listening to the two characters.
December 26, 2024
An engaging, humorous novel mainly about Jimmy Sr and Bimbo, a couple of mates in their 50s who within a short period of each other, are made redundant. Jimmy Sr. Rabbitte is husband to Veronica and they have a teenage son, Darren, living at home. They also have a daughter, Sharon, with her child Gina, living with them. Bimbo is married to Maggie. There are some funny moments in Jimmy Senior’s family home.
Bimbo decides to buy a chipper van, selling fish and chips. Bimbo agrees to take on Jimmy Sr as a 50% partner. Prior to the van purchase, Bimbo and Jimmy Sr had worked for two different employers. They are very good drinking buddies.
They work hard cleaning the greasy van and begin working and making good money selling fish and chips. There are a number of adventures in relation to the business and the working relationship between Bimbo and Jimmy Sr.
A very entertaining and satisfying reading experience.
This book was shortlisted for the 1991 Booker Prize.
Bimbo decides to buy a chipper van, selling fish and chips. Bimbo agrees to take on Jimmy Sr as a 50% partner. Prior to the van purchase, Bimbo and Jimmy Sr had worked for two different employers. They are very good drinking buddies.
They work hard cleaning the greasy van and begin working and making good money selling fish and chips. There are a number of adventures in relation to the business and the working relationship between Bimbo and Jimmy Sr.
A very entertaining and satisfying reading experience.
This book was shortlisted for the 1991 Booker Prize.
February 28, 2015
This is a bittersweet story about a friendship ruined by business. Jimmy and Bimbo are unemployed, until Bimbo buys a van and start selling street food with his Jimmy. At the beginning they're just two pals, two equals, working together and enjoying each other's company. But the van is small and the temperature soon raises, both physically and metaphorically, as soon as the deep frier start rolling.
I used to like Doyle in the '90s, and I still enjoy reading him, but the Rabbite family is not as fascinating as it used to be.
I used to like Doyle in the '90s, and I still enjoy reading him, but the Rabbite family is not as fascinating as it used to be.
April 19, 2025
3.5⭐️ Third in the Barrytown trilogy about the Rabbitte family, this one is dad Jimmy sr’s perspective. Two things for me that brought the rating down. First was the ending, felt like there wasn’t one for me. Second was the way the older males talked about women, particularly younger women. I know the book covers a particular time and generation, but in this case it spoiled my enjoyment.
March 3, 2019
Re-read...I've read most of Roddy's Doyle's books and this is one of his best (and funniest). He writes some of the best dialogue out there.
The story of THE VAN is simple and hence great fun: best mates Jimmy & Bimbo are both laid off and come up with a scheme to buy and operate a derelict chippy van. That's all it takes for this hilarious (and sometimes painful) story to take off.
The story of THE VAN is simple and hence great fun: best mates Jimmy & Bimbo are both laid off and come up with a scheme to buy and operate a derelict chippy van. That's all it takes for this hilarious (and sometimes painful) story to take off.
December 29, 2019
The Van by Roddy Doyle, which was short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1991, is a poignant, rude and very funny novel.
Written in the local Irish vernacular, the dialogue is extremely salty, and may offend those who are intolerant of the frequent use of the f_ and c_ words.
Jimmy Rabbitte Sr and his best mate Bimbo (it is eventually revealed that his real name is Brendan), both finding themselves unemployed, embark on a business venture together operating a mobile chipper van (Today's Chips Today).
With Ireland participating in the final stages of the soccer World Cup, the friends see an opportunity to set up outside the pub to feed the hungry and intoxicated fans after the game, serving fried cod, chips and Bimbo Burgers.
The van they buy is decrepit and filthy and needs a huge effort to make it operational and, despite their best efforts, the final result is hardly hygienic or efficient. The lads learn on the job, gradually adapting to cope with the grease, the heat, the boisterous customers and the local gangs who stone and rock the van to annoy Jimmy and Bimbo.
It all goes fairly well (after a fashion) for a while, especially due to planning and marketing assistance from Bimbo's wife Maggie, and some 'in-van' help from family members.
But, inevitably, Jimmy and Bimbo, both a bit short on the fuse and big on the drink (many pints are consumed in this novel!) have a falling out.
At this point, Doyle dials back a bit on the humour and offers a greater focus on the nature of the long-term friendship of the two men, and how they deal with the new tensions in their relationship.
The novel ends on a poignant and hopeful note, completing and joyful, funny and heart-warming tale of male endeavour and mateship.
Written in the local Irish vernacular, the dialogue is extremely salty, and may offend those who are intolerant of the frequent use of the f_ and c_ words.
Jimmy Rabbitte Sr and his best mate Bimbo (it is eventually revealed that his real name is Brendan), both finding themselves unemployed, embark on a business venture together operating a mobile chipper van (Today's Chips Today).
With Ireland participating in the final stages of the soccer World Cup, the friends see an opportunity to set up outside the pub to feed the hungry and intoxicated fans after the game, serving fried cod, chips and Bimbo Burgers.
The van they buy is decrepit and filthy and needs a huge effort to make it operational and, despite their best efforts, the final result is hardly hygienic or efficient. The lads learn on the job, gradually adapting to cope with the grease, the heat, the boisterous customers and the local gangs who stone and rock the van to annoy Jimmy and Bimbo.
It all goes fairly well (after a fashion) for a while, especially due to planning and marketing assistance from Bimbo's wife Maggie, and some 'in-van' help from family members.
But, inevitably, Jimmy and Bimbo, both a bit short on the fuse and big on the drink (many pints are consumed in this novel!) have a falling out.
At this point, Doyle dials back a bit on the humour and offers a greater focus on the nature of the long-term friendship of the two men, and how they deal with the new tensions in their relationship.
The novel ends on a poignant and hopeful note, completing and joyful, funny and heart-warming tale of male endeavour and mateship.
September 24, 2012
Roddy Doyle is best known for being the author of The Commitments which was made into a smash hit film. When I started reading The Van I expected the same kind of larger than life characters as The Commitments and I wasn't disappointed.
Jimmy Senior is unemployed and depressed. He spends his time with his granddaughter trying to fill the endless days. He tries his best to make light of his situation but his anger often gets the better of him.
This is where we find ourselves at the start of the novel. Doyle injects humour into everyday situations whilst at the same time showing us some ordinary Irish folk having a very rough time of it.
When Jimmy Senior's friend Brendan, known to all as Bimbo, is made redundant Jimmy's mood is lifted as he gets to have some company to fill the long and lonely days. When Bimbo's redundancy cheque arrives Bimbo has an idea and the two friends embarked on an unlikely business venture.
The story isn't the fastest moving and it's a story about people rather than events. Doyle's comic touch livens things up nicely and I found myself laughing out loud often when reading it. There's a melancholy to it but this seems to blend nicely with the humour. A tale ultimately about a friendship between men that was a fantastic read. My one criticism is that the ending petered out a little and could have been better developed.
Jimmy Senior is unemployed and depressed. He spends his time with his granddaughter trying to fill the endless days. He tries his best to make light of his situation but his anger often gets the better of him.
This is where we find ourselves at the start of the novel. Doyle injects humour into everyday situations whilst at the same time showing us some ordinary Irish folk having a very rough time of it.
When Jimmy Senior's friend Brendan, known to all as Bimbo, is made redundant Jimmy's mood is lifted as he gets to have some company to fill the long and lonely days. When Bimbo's redundancy cheque arrives Bimbo has an idea and the two friends embarked on an unlikely business venture.
The story isn't the fastest moving and it's a story about people rather than events. Doyle's comic touch livens things up nicely and I found myself laughing out loud often when reading it. There's a melancholy to it but this seems to blend nicely with the humour. A tale ultimately about a friendship between men that was a fantastic read. My one criticism is that the ending petered out a little and could have been better developed.
February 21, 2020
I loved this book. Jimmy is a great character. Jimmy appeared in The Commitments, and in The Snapper. He has been laid off and is terminally bored babysitting, etc.
The pittance he gets on the dole means he doesn’t get to drink much at his local with his mates. When his mate Bimbo gets laid off as well, they play golf, go to the library, etc. But then Bimbo – aided by his wife, Maggie ( a shrewd character who’d buy and sell you! ) buy a second-hand chip van Jimmy fixes it up with him and they run it together.
Business booms initially. Then things sour with the hard grind and mini dramas, and the friendship is in jeopardy. The two guys don their glad rags and hit the town in Dublin, checking out other Women. There’s an interesting line when their wives come up for discussion. “They’re more wives than women.” The Doyle dialogue is, as usual, brilliantly spot on. It’s very real when it comes to depicting working class Dublin.
I was sad at leaving the very vividly painted characters when the book ended. I’ve read it many times over the years.
The pittance he gets on the dole means he doesn’t get to drink much at his local with his mates. When his mate Bimbo gets laid off as well, they play golf, go to the library, etc. But then Bimbo – aided by his wife, Maggie ( a shrewd character who’d buy and sell you! ) buy a second-hand chip van Jimmy fixes it up with him and they run it together.
Business booms initially. Then things sour with the hard grind and mini dramas, and the friendship is in jeopardy. The two guys don their glad rags and hit the town in Dublin, checking out other Women. There’s an interesting line when their wives come up for discussion. “They’re more wives than women.” The Doyle dialogue is, as usual, brilliantly spot on. It’s very real when it comes to depicting working class Dublin.
I was sad at leaving the very vividly painted characters when the book ended. I’ve read it many times over the years.
September 26, 2013
It's difficult to separate The Van from the two other novels (The Commitments, The Snapper), in Doyle's Barrytown Trilogy, and it's not just because I read the all-in-one edition. Doyle's stories of a working-class family in the fictional Dublin district of Barrytown could easily have been combined into one novel. And how I'll miss the Rabbitte family, immortalized in the 1991 film version of The Commitments! They make little setbacks like unwed pregnancy and the dole seem trivial, to be met shoulder-to-shoulder with your mates over a pint at the local pub.
I will say that I am mighty glad we didn't eat at any Dublin chip vans during our recent visit...not to give annythin' away...
I will say that I am mighty glad we didn't eat at any Dublin chip vans during our recent visit...not to give annythin' away...
July 13, 2017
The third of the Barrytown trilogy as Jimmy Rabbitte Sr and his mate Bimbo, both unemployed take over the running of a decrepit fast food van.
Although witty with sharp dialogue as in the other two books in the trilogy I was a tad disappointed it took quite a time for the van to be introduced.
I think this book is slightly darker than the others and there seems less hope as Jimmy is resigned to the fate of the van during an environmental health inspection. How he and Jimmy dispose of the van is quite sad and the reader is left thinking, what will happen to Jimmy's family and Bimbo.
Although witty with sharp dialogue as in the other two books in the trilogy I was a tad disappointed it took quite a time for the van to be introduced.
I think this book is slightly darker than the others and there seems less hope as Jimmy is resigned to the fate of the van during an environmental health inspection. How he and Jimmy dispose of the van is quite sad and the reader is left thinking, what will happen to Jimmy's family and Bimbo.
July 14, 2017
I loved the dialogue here, every sentence ending with but, wha' or righ'. Numerous fair enoughs as well. And eejits. The story is alright, two unemployed family men operating a fish and chips van. It's funny often but not often enough. The usual ups and downs are all present. Nothing really remarkable and it does get boring after a while. There's lots of chips fried and eaten. I never understood that. In this world of, generally speaking, plenty, why would people choose to eat chips, just chips, is beyond me and forever will be.
August 28, 2016
Jimmy Sr is one of the most likable anti-heroes in literary history. Not the brightest, not the cleanest, not the most moral, but ultimately a good man at his heart, and the resulting warmth in this story of two men trying to regain their dignity and make a few bob at the same time had me smiling all the way through. If you ever had any affection for your Dad, you'll see him in Jimmy Sr.
August 16, 2021
i had an absolute blast reading this, which was unexpected. i didn't realise it was a trilogy until i'd finished it however, but i actually like it as a standalone book anyway, as it's about different characters. i did find myself stumbling over a few lines due to the dialogue, slang and spelling being very irish, but it was fun to experience.
the story itself doesn't really go anywhere, which is partly why i expected it to be bad, but i could almost say that the progression of the narrative is focused so much (and so well) on the friendship between jimmy sr and bimbo that the plot is not as relevant. some may find it boring in that sense, but for me it was still engaging.
i adore bimbo's character, he's every part the opposite of jimmy sr in that he's kind, sweet and caring, and just wants to do right by everyone. jimmy sr is a little volatile, lashes out at bimbo a lot and has loud, strong opinions, but he's also very self-aware and admits when he's in the wrong (in respect to bimbo), which makes him likeable. that being said, jimmy sr's lust for underage women makes him significantly less tolerable, but i ignored that. i could try and attribute his treatment of women to the fact that this is an old book that just didn't age well, but bimbo even calls him out a couple of times on it, so i don't know how much i can excuse it with the era as a whole. aside from the obvious, he and bimbo balance each other out well and their dynamic is so entertaining.
i wish the ending didn't happen right at the point of climax, as there was no pay-off for bimbo's big decision, which he did purely to please jimmy sr and fix their relationship. for it to end there was a little disappointing; i found myself turning the page expecting more, but it was just over. i have to assume that jimmy sr and bimbo were able to be friends again and move forward, but i'd rather that doyle had just written it out for me instead of leaving me guessing. though, that's more of a preference.
the story itself doesn't really go anywhere, which is partly why i expected it to be bad, but i could almost say that the progression of the narrative is focused so much (and so well) on the friendship between jimmy sr and bimbo that the plot is not as relevant. some may find it boring in that sense, but for me it was still engaging.
i adore bimbo's character, he's every part the opposite of jimmy sr in that he's kind, sweet and caring, and just wants to do right by everyone. jimmy sr is a little volatile, lashes out at bimbo a lot and has loud, strong opinions, but he's also very self-aware and admits when he's in the wrong (in respect to bimbo), which makes him likeable. that being said, jimmy sr's lust for underage women makes him significantly less tolerable, but i ignored that. i could try and attribute his treatment of women to the fact that this is an old book that just didn't age well, but bimbo even calls him out a couple of times on it, so i don't know how much i can excuse it with the era as a whole. aside from the obvious, he and bimbo balance each other out well and their dynamic is so entertaining.
i wish the ending didn't happen right at the point of climax, as there was no pay-off for bimbo's big decision, which he did purely to please jimmy sr and fix their relationship. for it to end there was a little disappointing; i found myself turning the page expecting more, but it was just over. i have to assume that jimmy sr and bimbo were able to be friends again and move forward, but i'd rather that doyle had just written it out for me instead of leaving me guessing. though, that's more of a preference.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2023
I read this shortly after reading the second of Roddy Doyle's Barrytown novels but it didn't grab me in the same way The Snapper did earlier in the month, despite the people in the story being familiar to me from the previous book.
I found this didn't flow quite as well and despite the usual Irish wit and humour, and a good story to boot, it just fell a bit short for me.
The main players in the story are Jimmy Snr and his friend Bimbo but of course, typically all the family are involved. Jimmy is fed up with being unemployed and skint but this all changes when Bimbo acquires an old burger van which is in a terrible state but this marks the start of their adventure and after a lot of hard work and elbow grease the van is ready to go out and sell chips and burgers.
It is well written and funny but on the serious side, it deals with the dangers of what might happen if two mates enter a venture such as this but on slightly unequal terms. Bimbo bought the van and he and his wife financed the project and while initially he calls Jimmy Snr his partner, in fact Jimmy is really an employee and tension and mistrust creeps in to both their working arrangements and more seriously into their friendship.
A good read and I will at some time continue with the Barrytown novels in due course but for now I've plenty more in my TBR list!
I found this didn't flow quite as well and despite the usual Irish wit and humour, and a good story to boot, it just fell a bit short for me.
The main players in the story are Jimmy Snr and his friend Bimbo but of course, typically all the family are involved. Jimmy is fed up with being unemployed and skint but this all changes when Bimbo acquires an old burger van which is in a terrible state but this marks the start of their adventure and after a lot of hard work and elbow grease the van is ready to go out and sell chips and burgers.
It is well written and funny but on the serious side, it deals with the dangers of what might happen if two mates enter a venture such as this but on slightly unequal terms. Bimbo bought the van and he and his wife financed the project and while initially he calls Jimmy Snr his partner, in fact Jimmy is really an employee and tension and mistrust creeps in to both their working arrangements and more seriously into their friendship.
A good read and I will at some time continue with the Barrytown novels in due course but for now I've plenty more in my TBR list!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 377 reviews