Apologize, Apologize!

by Elizabeth Kelly

Apologize, Apologize! takes us into the perversely charmed world of the Flanagans and their son, Collie (who has the questionable good fortune to be named after a breed of dog). Coming of age on Martha's Vineyard, he struggles to find his place within his wildly wealthy, hyper-articulate, resolutely crazy Irish-Catholic family: a philandering father, incorrigible brother, pigeon-racing uncle, radical activist mother, and domineering media mogul grandfather (accused of being a murderer by Collie's mother). It is a world where chaos is exhilaratingly constant, where money is of no object. And yet it is a world where the things Collie wants-understanding, stability, a sense of belonging-cannot be bought for any price. Through his travails, we realize what it really means to grow up and also to grow into one's family: finding ways to see them anew, to forgive them, and to be forgiven in turn.

In prose that is lively, humorous, and brilliant throughout, Elizabeth Kelly gives us the dysfunctional-family novel to end all dysfunctional-family novels, finding the comedy and pathos in her characters' struggles, and showing beautifully how a family's love can be as trying as it is true.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Family, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Humor, Literary Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published March 2, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the goodreads data base.

Elizabeth Kelly is the best-selling author of the novel Apologize, Apologize! and is an award-winning journalist. She lives in Merrickville, Ontario, with her husband, five dogs, and three cats.

Reviews

[Larry H]

Some books don't grab me right away, so I put them down. Some books irritate me, but I keep hoping that something will change, so I keep reading. The latter was definitely the case for Elizabeth Kelly's Apologize, Apologize! Borders is doing a big push for this book and since I'm always captivated by tales of family dysfunction, I figured I'd give it a shot. I disliked most of this book and nearly all of the characters, but I kept soldiering on, hoping something would change.



This book focuses on the immensely crazy Flanagan family, which lives in Martha's Vineyard. The book is narrated by Collie (named for the dog), who lives with his radical mother, ne'er do well father, drunken savant uncle Tom, his troublemaking brother Bingo (quirky, huh?) and about a million dogs. Collie is caught in a tug of war between his family and his maternal grandfather, who bankrolls the family and sees in Collie a kindred spirit worth nurturing. The family gets in various misadventures throughout the book, each one slightly more disastrous than the next, and each one just a little less believable.



At its heart, I believe this book meant well, and there were some tender moments. But most of the characters in this book are so unsympathetic. Clearly their actions were created for humorous effect, but I didn't find them funny or even eccentric; in fact, as Collie wondered why he continued sticking with a family that treated him so poorly, I wondered why I continued reading a book I disliked so much! But maybe it's just me; perhaps you'll love it...

[Hana · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, on a whim I picked this up off the featured reads shelf at my local library. You see, it had a lovely cover with a picture of an idyllic summer Martha's Vineyard scene--a wood-framed white house in the background, two young boys running down towards the beach, and a couple of cute dogs in the lead. "My name is Collie Flanagan. Ma chose the name Collie after re-discovering the books of Albert Payson Terhune, the guy who wrote Lad: A Dog....At Andover they called me Lassie. That was fun."

It looked like a promising beach read: a funny, slightly snarkier version of Rosamunde Pilcher's family sagas. Right? WRONG!

Ugh. I got a clue by about page five or six with the first drunken family fight. These people are filthy rich but all they seemed to do with their pointless, dysfunctional lives is ruin things for their relatives, complain, and booze it up. Maybe its supposed to be the Kennedys--but they have the decency to go into rehab from time to time. I skimmed ahead and it got worse and worse. Did not finish.

R: Horrible, drunken, selfish, nasty, irresponsible, gutless people with no excuse for being or staying that way. It pains me to write this review since I have to think about them for another few seconds, but anything to save my friends from the fate of reading this book. To paraphrase Gandhi: Don't let these people walk through your mind with their dirty feet!

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly amusing, somewhat rambling portrayal of a decidedly dysfunctional family. It's occasionally funny and it's occasionally poignant. Unfortunately, it's neither of these things consistently enough to compensate for a thin, rather aimless plot.

[Nicole R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before I launch into my review, I would like to reiterate that I did like this book, quite a bit actually - and yet I am still going to have a mini-rant.

My biggest complaint about Apologize, Apologize! has nothing to do with the author or the writing - it has everything to do with the publisher. The cover of this has several quotes (5 to be exact) that use words like "lovable", "hilarious", "deliciously witty", "funny", and "hilarious" (again). These quotes plus the blurb on the back (revealed in retrospect to be misleading and vague) led me to believe I would be reading about an outrageous Irish-Catholic family on Martha's Vineyard, those family members that are crazy and embarrassing but you love them all the same. Wrong.

This book was not funny, not hilarious, and while there was witty prose and occasional amusing comments, it was often used to cut down other members of the family! Classifying this book as humor is like saying Jenn Lancaster writes about economics. This book was about a crazy Irish-Catholic family on the Vineyard, but not crazy good; they were crazy in a bad way - emotionally abusive, occasionally physically abusive, manic depressive, alcoholic, suicidal. Seriously, not funny.

The story is told from the point of view of Collie (named for the dog breed) Flanagan as he tells about growing up with his father, an alcoholic Irishman; Uncle Tom, his father's brother who is a kind of mock nanny for the kids even though he is also an alcoholic; his mother, a rich woman who likens herself to a prominent activist and is the mother of all drama queens; Falcon, his rich maternal grandfather who despises everyone in the family yet always seems to want to help Collie; and Bingo, Collie's brother who is his antithesis and hands-down family favorite. Collie tells of his life from a young boy, through the trials of his adolescence, and into adulthood as he tries to overcome everything he's experienced.

Okay, now with all of the lies and misconceptions out of the way, I have to admit I liked the book a lot. Collie's struggles are disheartening and I wish I could have called child protective services for him but his transition from boy to teenager to man were well-written, interesting, and realistically reflective of how someone would actually respond to the situations he was in. I think the author went a little over-board with some of the characters, instilling such a deep sense of loathing in them that their plight failed to illicit any type of response in the reader other than indifference. By the end of the book, you felt like there was hope and questioned whether the situation of Collie's life had changed or whether it was simply a change within Collie that made the situation seem different.

Overall, I recommend this debut novel from Ms. Kelly, but please go in knowing that it is not a humorous book.

[K · Rating 1 out of 5]

This novel reads like a memoir, which is not a compliment. For the first 130 pages or so, it can be summed up as: “My name is Collie. I have a crazy mother, an alcoholic father, an impulsive younger brother, a controlling grandfather, an odd live-in uncle, and scads of money. I’m the normal one and I just wish things were normal, but everyone around me thinks I’m a spoilsport.” This is told to us through a series of quasi-humorous family anecdotes where the family members’ dialogue and antics are increasingly over the top and the plot seems to be going nowhere.

All of a sudden, there’s a major tragedy and Collie spends the next 100 pages trying unsuccessfully to recover and getting into a lot of serious trouble instead. In this section, it’s: “My name is Collie. I’m rich and aimless, and nobody takes me seriously. I’m trying to adjust to major trauma and loss. I will now engage in a series of self-destructive acts.” Collie finally ends up on a mission in El Salvador which proves to be life-changing for him – not because he actually contributes in any way, but because he undergoes a series of traumatic experiences.

After El Salvador, Collie has some more direction and actually pursues a career. But fear not – something serious goes wrong here too, and plunges Collie (and the book) back into aimlessness. I suppose the ending was meant to be redemptive, but by that point I was mostly skimming and just glad to be done.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the interest of full disclosure, I suppose I should start by saying that I rounded up from a 2.5 (come on, GR, give us half stars, already!). Apologize, Apologize starts out strong and then peters out into a frustrating, frankly awful mess at the end.

This story of Collie Flanagan, his brother, Bing, and their bizarre family starts out as a funny, if uncomfortable (poor Collie is no one's favorite) story of being the "normal" one in a sea of dysfunction. About halfway through, it is just uncomfortable hurtling toward unbearable.

I don't want to give away anything, but Collie's life is so unbearably sad that it was difficult to get to the end of this. If you are the kind of person that can put a book down halfway through, then I recommend that you read this one and do exactly that.

[Ms.pegasus · Rating 5 out of 5]

APOLOGIZE, APOLOGIZE! – A Novel about the Family that Puts the Personality in Disorder by Elizabeth Kelly, begins in the familiar territory of the dysfunctional family – in this case, The Flanagans. The baroque hyperbole never crosses the line into “cringe” territory. The reader is beguiled into a sense of comfortable amusement, savoring each outlandish character, but wondering where this will all lead.

Kelly does an excellent job of defining each character through the dialogue we overhear. The story is narrated in first person, by Collie (his name was inspired by his mother's infatuation with the Lad: A Dog books)! His younger brother is Bingo (named for an Irish Setter!). The remaining family members include an alcoholic father, opinionated and equally alcohol-loving Uncle Tom, and the delusion-sodden mother, Anais. In the background looms their wealthy maternal grandfather, nicknamed “The Falcon” by Collie and Bingo for his aloof demeanor and interest in ornithology. The Falcon lives in an old estate called Cassowary. One of his rules is that the servants are not allowed to make direct eye contact. It's stated in their employee contracts; Uncle Tom calls it the “Medusa Clause.” Inspired lunacy seems to run in the family.

The combination of outrageous behaviors, kept afloat by Anais' generous allowance, wit-fueled arguments, and Collie's academic talent produces some weird results. While Collie appears to play the “straight man” in many of these family scenarios, he also is capable of some penetrating insights into the emotional vulnerabilities of this family. In this way, the reader is drawn toward Collie. Having established that connection, Kelly proceeds with her story-telling. The events track a number of critical events in Collie's life. With each new shock wave and adjustment, the reader is drawn in closer and becomes more involved.

The journey Kelly maps for us is difficult and sad, but throughout there is a sense of satisfying engagement. Like the racing pigeons Uncle Tom raises, we feel a sense of hovering over Collie as he makes his way home – at last free from all those apologies.

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible book. Don't waste your time on this read. I picked up this book on vacation at Border's in Las Vegas because it was a New York Time's bestseller. Some of the characters in the book (Uncle Tom and Collie's father) were fun, but the storyline of the book was very unorganized and "all over the place." It seemed like Elizabeth Kelly had about 14 different story ideas, and instead of fleshing out each idea for individual books, she decided just to put them all in the same book. It was also comical to see how this Canadian author interpreted what the life of a rich american kid from Martha's Vinyard would be like (e.g., there were multiple references to curling and hockey).

The author wrote the book as an exloration on "personal courage," but ended up with a dud. To me, the main character of the book never really progresses. We get the complete life story of Colloie, but we never really get to see that "salvation" moment where he puts the pieces of his life together.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very good read. My only criticism is that there's one tragedy too many. I've been somewhat of a funk lately when it comes to novels. As my reviews show, even when I try a novel by a writer whom I've always more than liked, I have been disappointed.

How I happened on this one is interesting. You can now download e-books from public libraries--unless you own a Kindle. Every other e-reader I know of allows this. In any event, I finally decided to try borrowing e-books. Not surprisingly, the pages that list available books are categorized: Business, Science, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Fiction and Literature. The latter two intrigued me. Why the division of Fiction and Literature? So, I clicked on Literature. Unsurprisingly, there was a list of classics ranging from Jane Austen to Mark Twain--any of the old greats, but there were a few contemporary novels as well.

I chose this one, and have been delighted. Elizabeth Kelly can write! Every page, every sentence, every choice of words are perfect. Her writing is as precise and slyly witty as Jane Austen's. There are eccentrics abounding. So much so, you could say this is also Dickensian.

Here, chosen randomly, and not necessarily her best, are some samples of her writing:

"Appearing satisfied, he summoned the salesman with an all but invisible gesture as if he were carrying around a silent dog whistle that only the pathologically subservient could hear" (p.76)

"I didn't answer. My insides were burning with embarrassment warming my core like a gastrointestinal blush." (p. 85)

[about the narrator's mother at a party for elites] "...watching in dismay as she chased down a prominent CEO, running him through with her verbal pitchfork. Before the night was over, just about everyone in the place had sprung leaks, blood and champagne spurting from all those glamorous human fountains." (p. 97)

"Spare us from two things," she said, her zealotry so out of place she might as well have been a plumber wandering around looking for a drain to rescue." (p. 97)

[at the party noted above, at which the narrator's parents were making a scene & an Andover classmate named Boothe taps him] "I made a half turn and was taken aback by his horrified expression. In Boothe's world, my parents were enacting a chain-saw massacre...Trevor was so white that he shamed the linens." (p.99)

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

For most of this book I wondered how Collie could’ve had a worse life given his emotionally cruel and addiction addled family members. Then the author sent him to El Salvador … in the ‘80’s. Cheap shot for Collie. He was a whipping boy for this story. I didn’t like this story or the awful family Collie had, and I don’t for a moment believe that a real life person growing up within that atmosphere would have the wherewithal to find happiness anywhere in the world without some serious psychotherapy. This book was touted to be “filled with humor” – what kind of sadist decided this was humorous at all? Abuse, humiliation and alcoholism aren’t humorous. I found this to be rambling, roundabout and ridiculous.

[gardienne_du_feu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Grundsätzlich bin ich ja ein großer Fan von skurrilen Geschichten über dysfunktionale Familien (John Irving, Pat Conroy oder auch T. C. Boyle lassen grüßen) - aber was Elizabeth Kelly hier abgeliefert hat, kommt kein bisschen an die großen Meister:innen dieses Genres heran.

Collie ist ein Sprössling der Flanagans, die auf Martha's Vineyard leben und ein ziemlich durchgeknallter Haufen sind. Der von allen nur "der Falke" genannte Großvater sitzt auf dem Geld, seine Tochter ist eine selbsternannte Anarchistin und ihr Gatte glänzt hauptsächlich durch Trunksucht und große Klappe. Collie hat auch noch einen Bruder namens Bing(o), der in allem das krasse Gegenteil von ihm selbst ist: er klaut, spielt blöde Streiche, fliegt von einer Schule nach der anderen. Doch das schwarze Schaf der Familie ist - Collie! Weil er zu brav, zu angepasst, zu normal ist, wird er von seinen Eltern permanent auf übelste Weise niedergemacht, ja regelrecht gemobbt, während der nichtsnutzige Bingo als kleiner Rebell gefeiert wird.

Klingt abstrus? Ist es auch - und hat auch nicht den geringsten Witz oder Charme. Man will dem armen Collie, dem man nicht mal einen vernünftigen Namen gegönnt hat (er wurde nach der Hunderasse benannt, denn im Hause Flanagan tummeln sich auch bergeweise Hunde aller Art), eigentlich bloß helfen, da schnellstmöglich abzuhauen. Das Ganze ist so dermaßen überzeichnet, dass es nach wenigen Seiten einfach nur noch nervt, und die sehr zahlreichen Sprachspielereien wirken selbst in den Fällen, in denen sie im Original gelungen sein mögen, übersetzt einfach nur bescheuert.

Ich habe nach einem Viertel das Handtuch geworfen, weil ich es nicht mehr ertragen konnte, meine Zeit mit diesem Buch zu verschwenden.

[Novita Tasari II · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dont know why many people dislike this book , while I already like it..
The author write this book very well but, I need to read this book twice because the Character in this book are unsymphatetic. The character on this book like try to be funny. The story of this book is told from the point of view Collie ( The dog ) . I think the author went a little with the character in this novel. At the end , the reader get some hope and question whether the situation of Collie life had change or whether it was simply a change with Collie that make the situation seems different.
I like this book a lot! I like how Elizabeth Kelly write this Novel, every sentence, every page are perfect in perfectly. Here are the part that I like, I like how She's write. "i didn't answer. My insides were buring with embarrassment warming my core like a gastrointestinal blush".
Actually, the story of this nove doesn't hang together as well and I wondered what the purpose was. But, it was readable.
I really recomended to you to read this book. And please remember , this novel is not humorous novel.
Read this book it summer, trust me. It will make your day is the best day.
Happy reading

[Angela Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, this book was just ok. I found it fairly depressing. A few of my book club members thought it was very funny. There were a few laughs for me but mostly dark.

[Papier.fliegerin · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Die verrückten Flanagans“ von Elisabeth Kelly

Darum geht es:
Die Familie Flanagans ist reich, aber verrückt. Mutter Anais ist Millionenerbin, Marxisten und hasst ihren stinkreichen Vater.
Vater Charlie ist Trinker und ein Frauenheld. Onkel Tom steht was den Alkoholkonsum angeht seinen Bruder Charlie in nichts nach, führt aber den Haushalt der Familie und züchtet Brieftauben.
Und dann gibt es noch die beiden Söhne Collie und Bing, genannt Bingo. Collie ist gewissenhaft, strebsam und pflichtbewusst – also das schwarze Schaf der Familie. Bingo ist faul, großmäulig und der ganze Stolz der Familie.
Als Bingo bei einem Ausflug ertrinkt, lässt die Familie Collie spüren, dass es ihrer Meinung ihn hätte treffen sollen.

Eine liebe Arbeitskollegin hat mir dieses Buch ausgeliehen, weil sie selbst sehr begeistert von der Geschichte war.

Ganz kann ich ihre Begeisterung nicht teilen, aber es hat mir doch sehr gut unterhalten.

Der Roman ist flüssig geschrieben, aber ich brauchte eine Weile um mich einzufinden.
Außer Collie und Bingo konnte ich eigentlich keine der Figuren leiden.
In meinen Augen waren alle unsympathisch, der Vater ständig abwesend oder betrunken, der Onkel verletzend und die Mutter einfach unfair und lieblos.
Nur Collie scheint normal.

Durchaus amüsant wird dennoch das Familienleben der Flanagans beschrieben. Und wie Collie seinen Weg zwischen den chaotischen Begebenheiten seiner verrückten Familie geht.

Von mir bekommt der Roman

4 von 5 Sterne

[Luca · Rating 4 out of 5]

La sorte di Bingo, simpatico scavezzacollo che si ispira a Sant'Agostino "Signore, fammi diventare adulto, però aspetta ancora un momento", spezza in due il libro e la vita del fratello maggiore Collie, che ci racconta questa storia.
I due vivono, insieme agli inconcludenti e molto eccentrici genitori e ad un altrettanto bizzarro zio, in una bella villa sull'oceano a Martha's Vineyard, nel New England. Su tutti loro incombe la figura del nonno, distante e ricchissimo magnate dei media. Bingo viene espulso da tutte le scuole che frequenta, ha mille donne e zero responsabilità. Le stesse responsabilità di Collie che però è più riflessivo ed intelligente. Per questo motivo è evidentemente lui l'erede designato dell'impero di famiglia. Poi, di colpo tutto cambia.
E' una bella storia, divertente e tragica, un'educazione sentimentale raccontata senza ipocrisie fastidiose: "Comunque, per quanto riguarda tua madre, si sente la sua mancanza, ma è una mancanza positiva", dice lo zio Tom a Collie a proposito della cognata defunta. Proprio il rapporto dei due figli con i genitori ed in particolare con la mamma è una delle cose migliori del libro. C'è un punto, drammatico, molto forte, in cui il rapporto tra lei e Collie si svela completamente.Crudele e senza mezze misure. Subito dopo lei muore, quasi a togliere ogni possibilità di ripensamento o ritrattazione.
La ricerca della redenzione non è la parte più riuscita del romanzo (le pagine sull'esperienza di Collie in Salvador non sono un granchè) che invece vive di battute divertenti, di filosofiche sbronze irlandesi, di cani scodinzolanti e soprattutto di rapporti famigliari complicati.
Bello, in particolare la prima metà.
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- Dovessi anche mettere in ginocchio la compagnia elettrica, a me la spina la lasciano attaccata, chiaro?
- E vorresti vivere come un vegetale?- gli chiesi
- I vegetali stanno benone, basta mettermi fuori al sole e annaffiarmi.-

[Kwoomac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great title, but I didn't feel like the author really made her point. the book read like a bunch of different book ideas all thrown together. The first half of the book is about a boy named Collie Flanagan, whose family is over-the-top dysfunctional. At first, I rolled my eyes a lot, but then I decided to just embrace their eccentricity and enjoy the ride.(book idea #1) Fine. But then about halfway through the book, something actually happens and this changes the whole tenor of the story. (book idea #2) There are a couple of soul searching trips described, one to El Salvador, one to Ireland. They could've been left out completely. Collie did have an epiphany after El Salvador, but he could have had this without the trip, after "the incident". Wow, life's toughr than I thought ! What should I do with my life ? Bam ! Epiphany. Done. Collie has another serious incident as an adult, which strongly affects him, but is never really fleshed out (book idea #3). In terms of character likability, I didn't care for Collie, he was whiny and needy. His brother Bingo was the epitome of adolescent narcissism, but for some reason everyone loved him. I didn't. Mother was an heiress, who openly hated Collie while adoring Bingo, who spent all her time (and her father's money) supporting various militant causes. Not likable. The father and uncle were both drunks. Neither of them had much use for Collie. Uncle Tom could be funny with his cutting barbs, but is wasn't clear why he was so derisive toward Collie while leaving Bingo alone. Not really clear why all of them were so anti-Collie. He didn't become whiny and needy until previously mentioned incident at age 19. Maternal grandfather is actually likable in his solidly blue blood way. His unspoken love for Collie was very poignant. The book also contained some interesting pets; a wild menagerie of dogs, racing pigeons, and a cussing macaw(one of my favorite characters). This was Elizabeth Kelly's first novel, maybe she'll rein it in for her next.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book! This was a selection of the wowOwow.com book club. I really expected to come on here and read lots of positive feedback and was surprised at not finding much. I agree wholeheartedly with reviewer Mary... it is the best book I've read this year and, like her, enjoyed Life of Pi although I'm not sure I see the connection.. (Mary, what makes you say this?)... It is surprising as well that readers thought that Collie was the one who grew up to be "normal" in his dysfunctional family. If anything, I thought at the end that he actually came to an appreciation and understanding of his family and saw things in a different way, viewing life the way a pidgeon would (you have to read the book to understand), with instinct and without over-thinking and responding to the earth's magnetic forces. Rather than triumph OVER his family, I thought he was relaxing and coming into his own because of them. The meandering style of the book was in question as well. I thought it could be intentional, indicating the feel of lazy, purposeless beach lives among rich, boozy (definitely meandering) characters. Am I reading too much into it? But I felt it set the ambiance for the book in the same way the claustrophobic camera work did for "Rear Window"). Readers also used the word humorous often regarding this book. There were moments, but I have to say I gritted my teeth through most of it at the way Collie was treated by his family, especially his mother. I don't know, frankly, how someone could survive a childhood like that and still retain a modicum of self esteem. Admittedly, because of that, I was a little angry during a good deal of this book. At the end, though, I loved it, and the message that sometimes it is more important to love family for their flaws instead of despite them. If this is Ms. Kelly's first book, I can not wait to see what is coming next and I hope that it is soon!

[aslı · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitabı hakkındaki yorumları okuyarak ve isminden etkilenerek aldım.Haliyle komik,eğlenceli bir kitap bekliyordum ama çok da beklediğim gibi olmadı diye bilirim.Belki çeviriden kaynaklı olarak espiriler tam oturmamış olabilir.Yanlış anlaşılmasın eminim çeviri en iyi şekilde yapılmıştır ama bazen anadilde yapıldığı gibi olmaz ya espiri onu diyorum.Mesela açlık oyunlarının parodi kitabı olan açlık sancılarını okurken bunu daha çok fark ettim.Kitabı hiç beğenmedim yarım bıraktım haliyle ama büyük ihtimalle orjinalini edinmiş olsaydım böyle olmazdı diye düşünüyorum.
Kitabın neredeyse yarısına kadar beni heyecanlandıran bir şey olmadı.Yarısında enteresan gelişmeler başladı.Ana karakterin çocukluğundan gençliğine kadar ki dönemi işlemiş yazar ama kitabın yarısına kadar çocukluk-gençlik bölümü kalan yarışında da 19-20 yaş civarı ağırlıklı olarak işlenmiş.Bence ana karakter 19 yaşındayken onu tanısaydık ve çocukluğuna-ailesine dair ayrıntıları arada flashbackler şeklinde okusaydık sanki kitap daha canlı olurdu.
Kitabın sonunun da havada kaldığını düşünüyorum.Bence son bir düğüm noktası olmalıydı,öylece kaldı ve bitti.Belki yazar devam kitabını yazacağını düşünerek böyle bırakmıştır,onu bilemem ama devamı gelmeyecekse sonu havada kalmış diyorum.
Genel olarak kurgulanan-anlatılmak istenen hikaye güzel ve sıra dışı ama nedense hikaye okuyucuya tam geçemiyor,bir şeyler eksik kalıyor gibi geldi bana.Açık söyleyeyim kitap bitsin diye can attım.Oysa ki durup ana karakterin başından geçenleri düşündüğümde okuduğuma ve böyle farklı bir hikayeye dahil olduğuma seviniyorum.
Özetle ortalamanın biraz altında bir kitap diye bilirim.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just wanted to crawl into the pages of this book and inhabit its world for a few days. It's a first novel written by an established Canadian journalist and a mother of 4 grown-up children (one of them is named Flannery). The characters and language are so delicious -- I have to share a scene. Here, the narrator, Collie Flanagan, has just been humiliated (and grounded) by his parents for losing his virginity, and his uncle comes to his bedroom to comfort him with some peanut brittle:

***

Uncle Tom and I sat together in silence, the only sound the persistent buzz of a circling fly.

"I've been listening to him for the last few minutes. It's true what they say about flies humming in the middle-octave key of F. And it's a good thing they do," Uncle Tom said, pausing, inviting the question, refusing to continue until he was satisfied I was fully engaged.

"Why?" I asked him, powerless after so many years to resist.

"Think about it. The possibilities are staggering. You wouldn't want a common housefly with a magisterial high C. Say, he'd have the power to break your heart."

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finalmente riesco a ricordarmi il motivo per cui un libro è finito tra le mie mani: di Chiedi scusa! Chiedi scusa! avevo letto una recensione qui. La recensione non è smaccatamente positiva però io sono sempre affascinata dai romanzi che parlano di famiglie, specialmente se le famiglie sono simpaticamente eccentriche. La famiglia Flanagan, tuttavia, non si può proprio definire 'simpaticamente eccentrica', piuttosto 'angosciosamente fuori di testa' si avvicina di più a una definizione corretta. Mi stupisce un po' che tante recensioni abbiano sottolineato il lato _amusing_ di questo romanzo, anche se credo che sia merito dell'autrice, che scrive benissimo e riesce a presentarci quella che è a tutti gli effetti una storia estremamente tragica con uno stile asciutto e ironico che cambia di parecchio le carte in tavola.

http://robertabookshelf.blogspot.it/2...

[Susan Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to know what happens when a thoughtful, sensible child is born into a flamboyantly dysfunctional family, read this book. Collie (named after a dog) Flanagan and his brother Bingo (named after another dog) grow up in a world ruled by the insane biases or drunken whims of the way-over-the-top adults who surround them. Bingo responds by joining the fray, getting himself kicked out of nearly every private school in the country, but Collie tries to find some alternate model for living. What I don't quite understand is why the author didn't allow him to do that. His being side-tracked by a tragedy adds substance to his story, but a second, later tragedy seems like over-kill. I wish the author had given the poor guy - and the poor reader - a break.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, what a surprise! I dragged myself to the bookstore (as my library had not heard of this book) and purchased it for a bookclub meeting. With no enthusiasm at all, I started it and wondered "who is choosing the titles now for our club?" as I'd not made a meeting in months. Anyway, I fell in love with the book! It is funny, both "peculiar and haha", and, although I think the dysfunctional family thing is currently overworked in today's fiction, this one is quite different. It is not a plot-intensive book, so if you are looking for that, you'll not find it. And, another caveat, maybe you have to be Irish to appreciate the humor!

[Katierogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was this month's book from my book club. I didn't vote for it and never would have chosen it myself. It took quite awhile to get into it and it's not the kind of book I like. But I think it was SUPERB. I love a book that is both sad and funny. Some of the little things that happened just CRACKED ME UP and others brought a lot of tears to my eyes. I would recommend this book to anyone going through grief and regret, and actually ANYONE going through life. It's a good story and heart-warming. It's also a lot about the Irish, both Irish-American and in Ireland so you may also enjoy that part of it if that's your heritage.

[Lightblue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surreale
Temo di non aver compreso fino in fondo questo libro. Seppur scritto molto bene, mi sembrava di essere in una gabbia di matti. Durante la lettura non capivo se mi trovavo di fronte ad un capolavoro o ad una bufala. C'è tutto in questo libro: genitori ubriachi, madri attiviste, ricchezza e povertà, odio, incoerenza, religione, rapporti familiari e incomunicabilità. Tutto solo accennato però e mai completamente sviluppato. In tutto questo marasma, mi sono però affezionata alla figura di Collie, al suo coraggio e alla determinazione nel trovare se stesso. Al non volersi arrendere e non "chiedere scusa" per una colpa che non ha commesso.

[Devin · Rating 5 out of 5]

_Apologize Apologize!_ shares many qualities with Elizabeth Kelly's second novel (my favorite read from 2013). And with qualities like that, there is nothing to apologize for. Elizabeth Kelly has a knack for bringing awful characters bubbling to life with great dialog and razor sharp wit. At its core, this is a story of Collie reconciling his own life to the family that brought him into this world. And how his efforts to be someone else bring about a strong tension with where he came from. The cast of characters that populate and perish in this novel keep this one humming along. A great read all around.

[Suzanne Lees · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, although dysfunctional family is what it is all about. After reading, it was the first time I actually read the "book club" questions and thought through my responses. I normally skim through without much thought. It is not an uplifting read, but insightful and makes one look at their own family dynamics. In addition, the plot is truly of the journey of the main character, Collie and his coming of age. Great book club book, will spark a lot of conversation.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my absolute favorites. It's cynical. Extremely cynical. If you can't handle that kind of humor or are highly sensitive, don't pick it up. It's also heart breaking. Trying to say this is a bad book due to this (fictional) family's dysfunction is absurd. Not every family is perfect, or even lovable, but in a twisted way, this family shares love. But that is what adds to the charm and the incredibly story of Collie Flanagan.

[Su · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author really knows how to put a good sentence together. The story is about a boy named Collie (his whacko mom loved dogs) and how he managed to stay sane and grow to be a decent human being in the midst of the most dysfunctional family ever to exist. It makes you laugh out loud and shed a tear and I thought it was great. The character of Uncle Tom truly cracked me up.

[Jill K Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Eeyore of Martha's Vineyard, Collie was a character you wanted to both hug and shake. As a first-time novelist, Ms. Kelly's character development was expert - I could honestly predict Uncle Tom's next words by the end of the book. I found some sections so hilarious I read them twice for sheer entertainment.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps one of my favourite books of all time. Kelly's writing is not only interesting and draws you in, but her style is unique. Read it in late 2009, and stil re-read it at least once a year. I like to think that it changed my perspective on life, and even wrote about it in my Harvard application.