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Mohammed Maguire
A dark and bleakly funny fable from the author of Divorcing Jack. A little boy left for dead when the US Marines destroy a terrorist training camp in the Libyan desert, Mohammed Maguire is brought back to Ireland, the land of his mother's birth, where he is treated as a public relations commodity by all sides of an argument he doesn't understand, but which he can see with the clear eyes of a child. A dark and bleakly funny fable, Mohammed Maguire is in some respects quite different from Colin Bateman's continuing series of Dan Starkey bestsellers, but with its humour and wild imagination it will appeal to his growing army of fans.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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About the author
Colin Bateman
77 books353 followersColin Bateman was a journalist in Northern Ireland before becoming a full-time writer. His first novel, Divorcing Jack, won the Betty Trask Prize, and all his novels have been critically acclaimed. He wrote the screenplays for the feature films of Divorcing Jack, Crossmaheart and Wild About Harry. He lives in Northern Ireland with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 30, 2023
One of Colin Bateman's best read! In a nutshell, a notorious Arab terrorist conceives a child with a notorious IRA terrorist -the baby is named Mohammed Maguire :D
This is the story of Mohammed Maguire ends up on a window ledge at Christmas, contemplating suicide with a man in a Santa Clause outfit, a store owner and a policeman! Actually very funny, and as ever a breath of fresh air with Bateman's daring(?) Troubles centred black humour. 8 out of 12 funny hah ha Four Star read.
2014 read
This is the story of Mohammed Maguire ends up on a window ledge at Christmas, contemplating suicide with a man in a Santa Clause outfit, a store owner and a policeman! Actually very funny, and as ever a breath of fresh air with Bateman's daring(?) Troubles centred black humour. 8 out of 12 funny hah ha Four Star read.
2014 read
April 20, 2018
I’m surprised there hasn’t been more reviews and ratings for this wonderful book! I was totally taken aback by the emotion and dark humour throughout this and allowed for a quick read. The journey Mohammad takes within the story is touching and really allows the reader to look at language how statements can be misconstrued by bias. This is definitely going to be a recommended read to book friends!
May 10, 2018
Classic Bateman at the blacker end of his black spectrum, this is a cracking read. The savagery and misery depicted (especially in the opening chapters) may be too much for some, especially in a book meant for entertainment. But it is no piece of gratuitous macho-fluff: the craziness that follows Mo's objection to being issued with a prison uniform far too big for him manages to be sickly hilarious and sobering all at the same time. Some of the interest arises from being old or informed enough to know about such things as the H blocks and IRA hunger strikes, enough to experience the sense of one's perspective being wrenched about by Bateman's mastery of his craft and subject.
It's a bit uneven for all that... there's some superb pacing but occasionally he gets a little bogged down and hasn't done enough character development to make the lull interesting.
It's a bit uneven for all that... there's some superb pacing but occasionally he gets a little bogged down and hasn't done enough character development to make the lull interesting.
March 24, 2020
This is a relatively short story from Colin Bateman that tells a tale of a young boy who is the son of some infamous Irish terrorists. I enjoyed it, largely because I like Bateman's writing style and dark humour. However, it wasn't as good as his other, lengthier works; a bit disjointed in places, and lacking in some deeper substance than usual.
January 3, 2021
Colin Bateman at his best, a harrowing but hilarious tale of an "innocent(?)" young boy whose character and nature is forged in the Libyan Desert and the Falls Road at the height of the Troubles ! It's been a while since I read Divorcing Jack and Cycle of Violence which are also full of this dark and wickedly funny humour . Must read some more of Bateman .
April 9, 2022
A clever story intertwining some actual events I remember from my childhood. Funny and moving at the same time.
June 4, 2025
glad it was a quick read cos not a fave for me
January 10, 2025
This is an odd though mostly enjoyable book. It has a great premise and central character, but it fizzles out / feels rushed at the end.
What's here is fun and worth a read, but you are left with the feeling it could have been more. As if the writer was working to a deadline and had to get something out the door, and this was deemed just good enough to release.
The titular character starts in a Belfast toy store on Christmas Eve, where his attempts to buy a giant toy bear are thwarted. He rushes to the top of the building and perches himself on a ledge where he says he's ready to end it all. He's joined by an equally depressed / suicidal in-store Santa and the store's manager and tells them his tale.
From there, the story's mostly told in flashback. It turns out his parents were both well-known terrorists (Mum for the IRA and Dad from a Middle Eastern extremist group). They perished after a US Marine attack on their terrorist training camp in the Libyan desert.
However, Mo was there at the time of the attack, and has to escape to Egypt (after a horrific run-in with a tribe of Bedouin), and he's eventually taken in by the Irish ambassador to Egypt.
We then get different snapshots of his life including his return to Ireland, a spell in the Maze prison and a brief stint as a Hollywood screenwriter.
It's mainly light in tone though it has some darker themes, and there are some fun cultural references. It has an almost "Life of Brian" vibe to it, as what Mohammed wants out of life, and what other people want from him rarely match up.
Without giving too much away, it does all turn out all right in the end, but the different flashes of his life feel a bit disjointed, particularly towards the end. A fun read, and I don’t say this often, but I wouldn't have objected to it going on a bit longer and learning more about Mo’s adventures.
What's here is fun and worth a read, but you are left with the feeling it could have been more. As if the writer was working to a deadline and had to get something out the door, and this was deemed just good enough to release.
The titular character starts in a Belfast toy store on Christmas Eve, where his attempts to buy a giant toy bear are thwarted. He rushes to the top of the building and perches himself on a ledge where he says he's ready to end it all. He's joined by an equally depressed / suicidal in-store Santa and the store's manager and tells them his tale.
From there, the story's mostly told in flashback. It turns out his parents were both well-known terrorists (Mum for the IRA and Dad from a Middle Eastern extremist group). They perished after a US Marine attack on their terrorist training camp in the Libyan desert.
However, Mo was there at the time of the attack, and has to escape to Egypt (after a horrific run-in with a tribe of Bedouin), and he's eventually taken in by the Irish ambassador to Egypt.
We then get different snapshots of his life including his return to Ireland, a spell in the Maze prison and a brief stint as a Hollywood screenwriter.
It's mainly light in tone though it has some darker themes, and there are some fun cultural references. It has an almost "Life of Brian" vibe to it, as what Mohammed wants out of life, and what other people want from him rarely match up.
Without giving too much away, it does all turn out all right in the end, but the different flashes of his life feel a bit disjointed, particularly towards the end. A fun read, and I don’t say this often, but I wouldn't have objected to it going on a bit longer and learning more about Mo’s adventures.
July 7, 2012
I think I love Colin Bateman, and not just because we share the same first name.
This is the fourth Bateman book I've had the pleasure to read so far (that's a little deja vu, since I wrote a similar sentence in a different review I recently wrote...). Mohammed Maguire is one of the authours earlier books and it is just as solid, and perhaps more fanciful, than some of the later books of his that I have read.
Mohammed Maguire follows the life of a young, disturbed boy as he fumbles from one situation-out-of-his-control to another, mucking through and, in a way, always landing on his feet much in the same way Forrest Gump does. In Mohammed's case, though, each seeming "success" (in quotes because the applicability of the word success is debatable), tends to lead him into deeper trouble.
The boy is the child of two terrorists, his mother one of the most notorious members of the IRA. His parents are killed at the start of the book in the deserts of Libya, but Mohammed survives and manages to 'walk out of the desert' and becomes something of a nationalist hero to Irish patriots back home. Transported back to Ireland, surrounded by people trying to use his 'notoriety' for their own purpose, Mohammed must struggle through the trials and tribulations on his own. Through beatings, murder, and, eventually, prison time, he somehow survives. All this is, if you can imagine it, portrayed with often hilarious results.
I highly recommend Mohammed Maguire, and, although I have yet to read all of his books, I highly recommend any book by Colin Bateman. So far, in my experience, they are can't miss.
This is the fourth Bateman book I've had the pleasure to read so far (that's a little deja vu, since I wrote a similar sentence in a different review I recently wrote...). Mohammed Maguire is one of the authours earlier books and it is just as solid, and perhaps more fanciful, than some of the later books of his that I have read.
Mohammed Maguire follows the life of a young, disturbed boy as he fumbles from one situation-out-of-his-control to another, mucking through and, in a way, always landing on his feet much in the same way Forrest Gump does. In Mohammed's case, though, each seeming "success" (in quotes because the applicability of the word success is debatable), tends to lead him into deeper trouble.
The boy is the child of two terrorists, his mother one of the most notorious members of the IRA. His parents are killed at the start of the book in the deserts of Libya, but Mohammed survives and manages to 'walk out of the desert' and becomes something of a nationalist hero to Irish patriots back home. Transported back to Ireland, surrounded by people trying to use his 'notoriety' for their own purpose, Mohammed must struggle through the trials and tribulations on his own. Through beatings, murder, and, eventually, prison time, he somehow survives. All this is, if you can imagine it, portrayed with often hilarious results.
I highly recommend Mohammed Maguire, and, although I have yet to read all of his books, I highly recommend any book by Colin Bateman. So far, in my experience, they are can't miss.
June 12, 2011
This is not my normal type of book and my knowledge of the Irish Troubles is not great (see review by Amy). So my enjoyment of Mohammed Maguire was always going to be limited.
The book is described as a fable. It moves quickly and covers a huge range of emotional ground and a wide range of issues simply by touching on them, without exploring them in any detail. Some parts were laugh out loud funny, while others were disturbing. I found the lack of character depth frustrating, but I suspect that this was consistent with this type of book.
There is good illustration of the stupidity of politics and diplomacy and the use of a child to portray this was an excellent decision by the author. Talk about lack of meaningful communication! Nothing wrong with listening rather than assuming.
At times I struggled to continue, but made it through, unfortunately the ending did not repay my hard work, and this is why I only gave it two stars.
The book is described as a fable. It moves quickly and covers a huge range of emotional ground and a wide range of issues simply by touching on them, without exploring them in any detail. Some parts were laugh out loud funny, while others were disturbing. I found the lack of character depth frustrating, but I suspect that this was consistent with this type of book.
There is good illustration of the stupidity of politics and diplomacy and the use of a child to portray this was an excellent decision by the author. Talk about lack of meaningful communication! Nothing wrong with listening rather than assuming.
At times I struggled to continue, but made it through, unfortunately the ending did not repay my hard work, and this is why I only gave it two stars.
October 26, 2011
This was a real surprise and very enjoyable. I've not read anything by Colin Bateman before and didn't know what to expect. He clearly knows how to write a very clever story around the politics of Northern Ireland in a very amusing way. I laughed out loud a lot and was repulsed several times, but all in all thoroughly enjoyed the references to Maggie Thatcher, Gerry Adams and Bobby Sands. Oh and he takes a good dig at the press and Hollywood. Very clever stuff!
December 4, 2016
Mixed read really. But boy, what an ending!
I like Colin Bateman's writing style. I love his Mystery Man series. I have to say, I didn't entirely enjoy this book as much as any others of his that I've read, but have to respect Bateman's prowess and, most of all, his way of weaving humour into any situation. As for the ending (no spoilers here) I wasn't expecting that, right at the end...!
I like Colin Bateman's writing style. I love his Mystery Man series. I have to say, I didn't entirely enjoy this book as much as any others of his that I've read, but have to respect Bateman's prowess and, most of all, his way of weaving humour into any situation. As for the ending (no spoilers here) I wasn't expecting that, right at the end...!
July 30, 2012
blackly comic history of Northern Ireland in the 70s and 80s through the eyes of a boy born to an IRA mother and libyan terrorist father who is portrayed as the catalyst for, among other things, the hunger strikes and dirty protests in the Maze, and Quentin Tarantino's films. very quick and easy read but still with plenty of punch. recommended.
April 26, 2013
Entertaining, both story and writing, and a good amount of jokes. The Ireland that was in this book, the Northern one, seems quite a different place from the one I lived in (Cork).
June 9, 2014
Ahh, poor Mo!
December 13, 2014
Nooooo! Only Colin Bateman can write about a suicidal Santa, terrorist training camps in Libya, death by fish fingers and foreskins!. Another 5 star book. Brilliant, funny and wonderful.
August 22, 2016
Really enjoyed this book. Dark comedy with a suicidal Santa. Well written with fabulous characters. Definitely worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews