Customer Reviews

The Van

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had seen the screen versions of Roddy Doyle's, "The Commitments" and "The Snapper", prior to reading his written work. As I have now experienced his work in both mediums, its as funny on the page as it is on the screen. "The Van" is the last in this trilogy and it definitely focuses on the older of the generations. The movies actually enhanced the book as the actors were spectacular and the memories of their performances kept returning to mind.

The book is almost pure dialogue, and the humor will certainly leave you in pain. The issue of colorful language has been mentioned and while there is no denying its prevalence I don't believe there was any increase in this particular book. When his work is read every word is as clear as the reader's vocabulary, when on screen the accents often rendered dialogue difficult to decipher. The cadence of his writing is so well done, that even when spoken the humor works with a word or two missing, the structure implies the emotion.

Mr. Doyle also wrote, "The Woman Who Walked Into Doors", and this was the previous work of his that I had read. As a writer he has remarkable range as the previous work was dark and violent, and the humor too was black as pitch. It was not just sad it was unsettling. His ability to portray the Human Condition whether bleak or bright, or even with humor when it is all that keeps a character going, in simply brilliant.

If you have not read this man's work or seen the movies I would recommend both formats. His material is great regardless of the medium.

This is a wonderfully engaging read, I couldn't put it down. The language and the characters were very realistic, in fact they were people I felt I knew from my own childhood. If the language offends you then may I suggest you are privileged. Unfotunately, this is a side of life that too many of us know too well. If you can stand the swearing and you enjoy Roddy Doyle then this one should not be missed. It will make you laugh out loud.

I loved this book. As an first generation Irish American I could relate to the characters who seemed like my relatives in Ireland. The humor is great and the imagery very real.

Doyle is a master of putting you directly into the rhythm of life in Barrytown. The language is extremely coarse -- it's not a book for your grandma -- but the sentiment and the purity of intent and emotion are unmatched by anything else on the shelf. You will laugh hard and often. I had to put the book down a few times to accomodate rib-aching spasms of laughter at the goings-on.

The Ireland of Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr. and his out-of-work friends from Barrytown,the lower class section of Dublin, is not the Ireland of James Joyce, "Danny Boy," or The Chieftans. The lives of Jimmy and his lads move from the laughter and tears of real homes to their great adventure of operating a fast-food van during the World Cup of 1990. Hysterical bumbling, too much drink, deep friendships tested, and the detail of real lives are all created in the truest of voices by one of Ireland's greatest living writers.Prepare to wet yourselves!! And watch for the movie coming soon. Doyle has given us The Commitments and The Snapper, too

The plot of the story is interesting enough, about a man on the dole looking for some way to improve his life. The story has its moments. The writing style is quite different, and it was difficult to get into the story. It was OK for one time, but it is not an author I will follow on a regular basis.

When Jimmy Rabbitte's best friend Bimbo is made "redundant" at the Dublin company where he has worked for many years, he is devastated. Jimmy, who is also unemployed, offers a shoulder for Bimbo to cry on, and both agree that they will not work at McDonald's, no matter what. When Bimbo finds a dilapidated "chipper van," which they can fix up and then use to sell burgers, fish, and chips at major football games, rock concerts, beaches, and other gatherings (though not horse shows because "those blokes only eat caviar"), the two go into business together, with Bimbo in charge, since he is the one who has bought the van. Ignoring the health requirements and the required licenses, they drive to large gatherings all summer, sell their home-made foods, and then return home with their earnings.

Working together in a marginal business creates problems for the two "best friends." Hot-tempered Jimmy resents the fact that he has to take orders from Bimbo. Bimbo resents the fact that Jimmy is not patient with customers, and that he does not work as hard as he might. Bimbo's wife and Jimmy do not get along, and Bimbo is caught in the middle. And when the health inspector arrives, their friendship itself is at stake.

Set in roiling north Dublin, where humor and family togetherness are the keys to surviving the tumult of the neighborhood, this novel, nominated for the Booker Prize in 1991, depicts real, working-class Dubliners leading real, hard-scrabble lives, often centered around the pub and sports. Dialogue and dialect make these characters come alive, and the relationship between Jimmy and Bimbo is depicted honestly. The third novel in Roddy Doyle's Barrytown Trilogy, this is by far the most fully developed, with well drawn, well-developed characters, a vibrant setting, dialogue which ranges from hilarious to furious and sometimes even tender, and a plot with which everyone can identify.

Doyle has become a novelist in the course of writing these three books, rather than simply the creator of brilliant dialogue within sketchy stories, as we see in the first two novels. His writing acquires greater depth here, and his roots in this neighborhood and his identification with it are obvious. The three novels, taken together, show the literary evolution of one of Ireland's fine modern novelists and presage Doyle's international success and his Booker Award for Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha in 1993, just two years after this novel was published. n Mary Whipple

Funny is the only word which keeps appealing to me about this novel it is so, witty and of all the books i have ever read i find this one rather amusing i never thought it would happen with a book but the language and irish humor pop up time and time again to make for superbe reading

I greatly enjoyed this book. I have no knowledge of Ireland, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of the culture, but it is a very funny book with a strong emphasis on friendship. I do think the story took too long to get started, but in the end it was well worth the read.

Having read and adored Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha I eagerly opened The Van. I had heard that the book was very funny, saw that a movie was made of it, and had overheard that the book was well-received. I was very disappointed upon sitting down with this thing. Let me say first that I am an American, and that I feel lost in the working-class world of the British Isles. Unemployment, the dole, fish & chips, soccer, sports-betting, pubs, pints, drunks, nasty teenagers, brutish thugs, surly family life, sulking friends, cloudy days. And the slang--piles and piles of it, growled out loud. In short, I found it hard to enter this world, to care about the characters, to join them in their lives. Whereas Doyle's Paddy Clarke transcends its local, The Van feels defined by it--even trapped by it. I am reminded of the goddawful film Sweetie - Criterion Collection. I am sure that this book must be a pleasure for folks who are in tune with this world. But from across the pond, as they say, their world of greasy food, bitterness, and hostility--all of which define our lead characters--is a world better left over there and unread.