Goodreads Ireland discussion

This is the discussion thread for our February-April monthly read of 2014, The Third Policeman by Flan O'Brien, AKA Brian Ó Nualláin, AKA Myles na gCopaleen.

I look forward to discussing this novel with you all and reading your thoughts and views.

Declan. :)

Flann is spelled with 2 "n"s. Ok, shoot me.

@J.S. Too many pseudonyms. Or maybe I was distracted by cake.

Mmmmm! Flan!

@Jamielnn. It's been a while since we head you in a group read discussion. It's good to have you back.

I'm looking forward to this one as well. It will probably be the next book I read.

Read this years ago and looking forward to reading it again.

If you're still near the beginning you probably haven't been near the funny parts yet, Jamielynn. Through the beginning it's mostly surreal, and a little sinister at times.

I won't be starting my reread until at least another week.

I've started reading it. it's very different to anything I've read before but I'm liking it. I'm waiting for the b... bit to start.

@Marcia. The first time I read it I was blown away by how different it was to anything I'd ever read. I recommended it to everyone mostly based on that fact.

@Jamielynn. I love that scene. It has more significance than comedy. Cheap production of bicycles opened up rural life in Ireland.

Apparently, the theme of things getting infinitely smaller is a metaphor for nuclear power/nuclear war -- ? I didn't get that at all when I read the book, though it makes sense now.

I loved the spare style, and the way we're carried into a netherworld that feels surreal and bizarre, where everything makes perfect sense to those who inhabit that world. Not my favorite novel by an Irish author, but a brilliant one.

I never knew about the metaphoric side, Caroline. It completely passed me by. Even thinking back I don't quite see it. It makes me wonder about the point of using such metaphors if they're going to be so subtle and vague.

@Jamielynn. You should read O'Brien's At Swim, Two Birds. I was relieved to have reached a passage that confirmed it was, in fact, a frightfully confusing mess. It's quite funny and original, though.

I didn't see it either, Declan! The whole thing was so surreal. It later made sense that it was a kind of dream or netherworld. He was clearly a poet at heart, unafraid of experimentation.

He was certainly a creative genius. I'd dare say there's a collection of poems floating around somewhere waiting to be published.

I don't understand it being on those lists, Jamielynn. I can see it among the likes of Alice's Adventures... and 1Q84. It's very surreal and need to among these sorts of books.

I can see I'm way behind everyone else. Still waiting for my reader's block to pass. Just as well it's a short book...

@Jamielynn. I didn't feel frustration with the the book, but there was a certain amount of uncertainty and a lot of unpredictability which are aspects of the book I really enjoyed.

@Kate. It's a quarterly read so It'll be open until the end of April. I've had that kind of block where nothing I read stuck to mind.

Anyhow, we'll still be here when you're ready. :)

Well I've now ordered The Third Policeman, and it's supposed to get here Wednesday. I'm excited.

@Sara. Enjoy! I'll put my neck on the block and say I think you'll enjoy it.

@Jamielynn. It is a fantastic journey, if nothing else: A walk inside O'Brien's head.

He did interviews, Jamielynn, but they were done for TV and radio where before archiving was a priority, I'm sad to say.

RTE made a radio documentary about him. I'll be watching it myself, probably this evening.

You're welcome, Jamielynn.

Jeez I lost my post.... Kit Harington from Game of Thrones was on TV and I noticed he didn't look very tall next to the audience (turns out Wikipedia says he's 5'10"- don't think so - and another 5'7.5" more likely).

Sorry for the digression - Declan - thanks for the link to the interview and I am glad this is a quarterly read. I have a lot on my plate but have wanted to read Flann O'Brien for a long time.

Sara - I got this at P&P several months back when it was one of the Bargain Books of the Week, for $5.98. Bargain books are costing more than they used to....

@ Barbara They must have only had a limited number of copies, because when I checked they seemed to be out. Oh well. I only have to wait one more day.

@Barbara. I read a movie article which said he started a bulking regime which saw him reach 12stn and then a shredding regime which saw him back to 10stn.

I'm 5'10" ans I'd my ideal weight is around 13stn. That's more the 40lbs higher than his current weight. I'd say he's more likely around 5'6".

@Jamielynn. He'd be the perfect director for O'Brien's bio. I'd pay to watch that.

Lovely documentary on Flann O'Brien -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84vIS...

- from RTE radio

50 pages in and this isn't grabbing me so far.

I'll keep going with it but finding it a hard read at the moment. Not keeping my attention

@Caroline. Thanks for the link. I'm looking forward to watching it.

@Seraphina. I hope you start enjoying soon. I really do think it will be worth it.

@Caroline. It's the same one I posted. I thought it was a different one. :/ I've been kind of absent minded lately.

I look forward to it, Jamielynn. Don't forget about it and leave us hanging.

Declan wrote: "@Caroline. It's the same one I posted. I thought it was a different one. :/ I've been kind of absent minded lately."

Oh -- didn't realize you'd posted it! :-D

I didn't realise either, Caroline, until I tried to watch it again. :-/

Jamie Lynn wrote: "Seraphina If you can stay with it the ending is interesting. I felt like I was groping in the dark and I was surprised."

Jamie Lynn -- I love the way you phrase things! Do you write at all? (Apologies if you've got a book out or a blog -- I can barely keep track of my own writing . . . )

I'm quite enjoying this book. I agree with Jamie Lynn. It read like Alice in wonderland. I'm also really liking his use of language and the way he describes things and the words he uses.... I'm having to looks some of them up as I haven't heard them before but it's pretty cool.

If you want to see O'Brien using obscure vocabulary at his finest, read At Swin, Two Birds.

Speaking of which, I'll open the spoiler thread shortly.

The spoiler thread is now open. :)

No Laughing Matter: The Life and Times of Flann O'Brien

For anyone wanting to follow up on O'Brien, this biography by his literary contemporary, Anthony Cronin, does a decent job of telling Flann's life from one angle - and, as seems to go with the genius territory, it really was no laughing matter.

Gerard wrote: "No Laughing Matter: The Life and Times of Flann O'Brien

For anyone wanting to follow up on O'Brien, this biography by his literary contemporary, Anthony Cronin, does a decent job of ..."

Thanks for the recommend, Gerald !

I don't know what the hell is going on with my notifications, but I'm only seeing this now.


I've added that book, Gerry. Thanks for filling us in.

I've finally started reading the book - actually re-reading. I'd forgotten a lot of it but it's interesting reading it when you know the end and seeing how he seeded it.

Hope to join you on the spoiler thread soon!

I'm late starting this book--and I'm not reading it, but trying to listen to it on a new ipod, andI haven't quite gotten the hang of how to work it. All I can say so far is that it's one of the weirdest books I've read, but I like it. I need to figure out what's going on, though!

Jamie Lynn wrote: "Haha Cathleen. You sound just like me!!!"

Ha! iIt is weird, that's for sure. But I've been laughing at several points (then wondering if I was completely missing the point!).

Cathleen, chances are you're laughing for the right reasons. It's just that right kind of strange.

Declan wrote: "Cathleen, chances are you're laughing for the right reasons. It's just that right kind of strange."

It's just so weird :) I'll have to read more before I jump over to the spoiler thread. I always loved Monty Python, and parts of the story remind me of some of their sketches.

The watch and the bicycle, by any chance?

Cathleen wrote: "Declan wrote: "Cathleen, chances are you're laughing for the right reasons. It's just that right kind of strange."

It's just so weird :) I'll have to read more before I jump over to the spoiler t..."

I realize I'm replying to my own post here....I'm listening to this as an audiobook, and as much as I'm enjoying the reader/narrator, I also am finding it a little difficult because I'm so used to seeing the words in front of me. I have a tendency to go back and reread passages or lines, and I can't readily do that because I'm listening to it in the car during my commute. The language is a delight.

Declan wrote: "The watch and the bicycle, by any chance?"

What is the deal with the bicycles? :) Yes, those sections made me laugh.

I think it's just a little nod to the importance of bicycles in rural Ireland back then. Most people lived in small towns miles away from anywhere else and bikes allowed them to travel pretty large distances to attend fairs and play sports. The GAA may not have existed (at least not as it stands) without affordable bicycles. Bicycles are actually mentioned in history books as a significant part of the Gaelic Revival.

By the time you've finished this book, you know that bikes were a big deal