The Cripple of Inishmaan [Paperback]

Martin McDonagh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1998

In 1934, the people of Inishmaan learn that the Hollywood director Robert Flaherty is coming to the neighboring island to film a documentary. No one is more excited than Cripple Billy, an unloved boy whose chief occupation has been grazing at cows and yearning for a girl who wants no part of him. For Billy is determined to cross the sea and audition for the Yank. And as news of his audacity ripples through his rumor-starved community, The Cripple of Inishmaan becomes a merciless portrayal of a world so comically cramped and mean-spirited that hope is an affront to its order.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Martin McDonagh's cruel, but not altogether heartless comedy [and] the sly viciousness and in-bred eccentricitiy of McDonagh's smalltown anti-heroes.' Daily Telegraph (10 November 2008) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

In 1934, the people of Inishmaan learn that the Hollywood director Robert Flaherty is coming to the neighboring island to film a documentary. No one is more excited than Cripple Billy, an unloved boy whose chief occupation has been grazing at cows and yearning for a girl who wants no part of him. For Billy is determined to cross the sea and audition for the Yank. And as news of his audacity ripples through his rumor-starved community, The Cripple of Inishmaan becomes a merciless portrayal of a world so comically cramped and mean-spirited that hope is an affront to its order.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1 edition (September 8, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375705236
• ISBN-13: 978-0375705236
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #885,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martin McDonagh is the author of six plays, including the Tony Award-nominated The Beauty Queen of Leenane.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite McDonagh!!!!, December 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cripple of Inishmaan (Paperback)

Wonderfully dark, mean and hysterical, but under it all is the message that we all need family, community and each other. McDonagh has an incredible way with very natural stage dialogue and his characters are unique and vivid. I laughed on every page and winced with every vicious attack. Although some may argue that the play is hateful and sad, I have read few plays as ultimately life affirming. To use every characters' sentiments, Ireland mustn't be such a bad place if Martin McDonagh writes so well about it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Aran Island Black Humor, January 12, 2009

By 

Justin Mclaughlin (Minturn, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cripple of Inishmaan - Acting Edition (Paperback)

The Cripple of Inishmaan is familiar territory for Martin McDonagh - the setting is the Aran Islands during the 1930s. Generally the play is a bit less violent that his others, but not much. Cripple Billy is the main character, a young man mocked ceaselessly by the townsfolk for his physical deformities. Out of all the townspeople he is the only one who is not either insane or overtly cruel. Like other McDonagh plays, the dialogue gains humor from blending an exaggerated Irish idiom with ridiculous back and forth banter that either gets nowhere, or covers absurd topics (see Hitler's mustache or the repetition of Yalla-mallas, a type of sweetie). The play inhabits a world where everyone is predictably cruel which the audience, alongside cripple Billy, slogs through for one or two decent things. Plot twists are constantly turned on their head, only to be turned back again, and in some cases turned back once more. Most of this is achieved through lies, which all of the characters, including Billy are engaged in copiously. The violence toward the end with a lead pipe was a weak spot in the play - it really felt out of place. Unlike other McDonagh plays, this one displays a bit more human compassion, which in the end is exposed (however fleetingly). All in all the play is quite deliciously miserable, and you can appreciate the romping good time the author had in writing it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Characters, June 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cripple of Inishmaan (Paperback)

I wish the story didn't end. Mr. McDonagh has a great gift for telling a story. The way his characters interact is outstanding. If you haven't read his Beauty Queen of Leenane, I highly recommend it!