Customer Reviews

Home Before Night: Memories of an Irish Time and Place

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This is the tale of a boy growing up in Dalkey in the 1940's and 50's. It is autobiographical and gives an intimate view of Leonard and the influences that effected him in his youth. The book is a collection of cameos of life in a small Irish village just south of Dublin. Dalkey is now part of the greater Dublin Sprawl, but this book captures a time when it was only a village. Leonard regales us with hilarious tales, the dog who attacks priests and policemen, his job interview in a pub where he learns the one great truth in life ( in a pub toilet incoming traffic has right of way). If you know Leonard through his plays (Da and a Life especially) you will have seen some of this material. Even so, the impeccable writing and a real feel for prose makes this book worth a read.

Hugh Leonard writing heals the soul the way a crackling fire warms a body on a winters night. His skill at capturing a life in Dalkey, a place I am so familiar with albeit a more modern one, is unique, setting in place a slice of historical life for generations to come. His settings and story capture a more simple Dublin yet one that we are all familiar with. It breathes life into a lovely town set in a beautiful part of Ireland. This book is my favourite...ever.

Hugh Leonard, an Irish playwright and journalist, was born in Dublin in 1926. He spent fourteen years working for the Irish Civil Service, before he was able to concentrate fully on his writing. Leonard - known in 'real' life as John Keyes Byrne - received the Tony Award in 1977 for the play "Da", which was largely based on his own youth and his relationship with his adoptive father. (It was also made into a movie, with Martin Sheen playing the Hugh Leonard role). "Home Before Night" tells part of his life story in prose form.

This is a hugely enjoyable book - it's very easily read, though some might say it's a touch sentimental. Parts are told from Leonard's own perspective ("I choked and retched, and the wind knifed through my wet clothes"), though other parts are written about Jack ("Jack's da was too slow to take Sonny's meaning"). It's a bit strange to begin with, but it doesn't interfere with the story at all. In fact, some of my favourite parts involve Jack and his pet dog - also called Jack ! Not surprisingly, it's also a little old-fashioned in places - though it's worth pointing out that certain words and phrases didn't mean then what they mean today. Definitely recommended, as is its follow-up "Out After Dark".