The Informer (Paperback)

by Liam O'Flaherty (Author) "It was three minutes to six o'clock in the evening of the fifteenth of March 192-..." (more)
Key Phrases: inquiry room, infinite things, Katie Fox, Biddy Burke, Aunt Betty (more...)

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Product Description
A tale of temptation, betrayal, and reprisal, this powerful novel is set in the aftermath of the Irish Civil War. It tells of Gypo Nolan, who informs on a wanted comrade. The source of the Academy Award-winning film directed by John Ford. Preface by Denis Donoghue.


About the Author

Liam O'Flaherty (1896-1984) was born in the Aran Islands of Ireland. He performed a number of odd jobs before writing his first novel in1923. Awarded the Irish Academy of Letters Award for Literature, O'Flaherty wrote fourteen novels, a number of short stories, and countless other works. The Informer was first published in 1925.

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Product Details Paperback: 192 pages Publisher: Harvest Books (July 17, 1980) Language: English ISBN-10: 0156443562 ISBN-13: 978-0156443562 Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,016,067 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
It was three minutes to six o'clock in the evening of the fifteenth of March 192-. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
inquiry room, infinite things

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Katie Fox, Biddy Burke, Aunt Betty, Revolutionary Organization, Francis Joseph, Titt Street, Bartly Mulholland, Connemara Maggie, Gypo Nolan, Rat Mulligan, Bogey Hole, Dunboy Lodging House, Executive Committee, Tommy Connor, Comrade Gallagher, Good God, Good Lord, Commandant Dan Gallagher, Commandant Gallagher, Louisa Cummins, Peter Mulligan, Mount William Crescent, Court of Inquiry, Almighty God, Barney Kerrigan

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 4 books:

• The Playboy of the Western World and Other Plays: Riders to the Sea; The Shadow of the Glen; The Tinker's Wedding; The Well of the Saints; The Playboy ... of the Sorrows (Oxford World's Classics) by J. M. Synge in Front Matter
• The Secret Agent (Oxford World's Classics) by Joseph Conrad in Front Matter
• James Connolly (Life and Times Series / Historical Association of Ireland) by James L. Hyland in Front Matter
• Odd Man Out by F. L. Green in Front Matter

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	82% buy the item featured on this page: The Informer 3.9 out of 5 stars (8) $10.20
	11% buy The Informant: A True Story 4.6 out of 5 stars (100) $11.53
	7% buy Famine 4.7 out of 5 stars (12) $11.70

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews 5 star:  (3) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 3.9 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Story, August 8, 2005 By  Howard J. Herskovitz - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This is a good novel about Ireland's ongoing troubles. It spares us the contrived world of the Clancy brothers and rebel songs. The story is set in the years after the establishment of the Irish Free State. The protagonists, unlike in the movie, are not patriots per se but rather communists or IRA members who wanted complete independence from the United Kingdom. Gypo Nolan and his victim Frankie McPhilip are less than valued members of the organization. The story deals with successful efforts to track down Gypo who informed on Frankie. It is noted that Gypo betrayed Frankie to the police not to the Black and Tans. It is a gripping story and it is also a good antidote to stories of the noble Irish and the evil Brits. Please note carefully O'Flaherty's description of the leader of the organization. The author was a member of the Communist Party who had a somewhat different take on the situation in Ireland. If you want an alternative view of the Irish troubles which is also a good read this is the book for you. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Fenian Hulk Finks on Friend, Fatally Fails to Flee, January 10, 2006 By  Robert S. Newman "Bob Newman" (Marblehead, Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    This review is from: The Informer (Paperback) In the confused political situation in Ireland between 1916 and 1925, all kinds of ideologies competed, common criminals took up party work only to revert to their original callings. Leaders were betrayed, assassinated, jailed. The long dream of independence came to life, but in a fog of disappointment and disillusion. When the dust settled, all the brilliant men lay dead. O'Flaherty has set his novel in the politico-criminal underworld of this period, with a large dollop of that disillusion. Nobody comes out smelling like a rose. Gypo Nolan, the main character, harbors great physical strength, but little brain. Unlike most protagonists, he thinks little. The author describes his feelings or changes of mood, an interesting tack to take. Gypo informs on a former colleague in the Party, who is promptly surrounded by the police and gets shot dead during the standoff. With his 20 pound reward burning a hole in his pocket ( it might have been equivalent to about 20 weeks pay for a worker), Gypo treats a crowd to fish and chips, then drinks, fights, and whores, giving a big part of his loot away to a sad woman he meets by chance. The Party suspects Gypo, who fingers an innocent man. At the subsequent "trial", the truth comes out. Gypo is locked up, but escapes. The denouement is not long in coming. THE INFORMER is fast paced, highly descriptive. I felt that sometimes the urge to describe everyone and everything in detail got the better of the author, his descriptive style began to resemble a Thomas Hart Benton mural, with each individual a caricature of a `type' or a `stock character'. The "firm jaws", the "mouths belonging to an average Irishwoman of the middle class", "he looked like a waiter thrown out of employment through old age".....very graphic, colorful, but somehow cartoonish. Anyway, little gripes aside, this is a novel that will hold your attention. It hangs together very well, connecting Irish history and society with a film-noir atmosphere of suspense, action, and intrigue. It catches the Dublin and the Ireland of the time, now changed out of all recognition by prosperity and respectability. And more luck to Ireland for that. 5 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great, August 4, 2003 By  Thor Vadir "herrdirektor" (Beverly Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews This review is from: The Informer (Paperback) A review of this book is most fair when it is broken into three sections of 60 pages each. The first two sections are fantastic as it takes us through the story of Gipo, a man haunted by informing on his best friend. O'Flaherty does a fantastic job of painting the scene of poverty in Dublin that would lead to someone informing on their buddy... and then we have the pleasure of watching him use the blood money. If it ended on page 120, I would definitely give the book 5 stars. The last 60 pages are very boring and drawn out. Whereas the story could have been a fascinating tell of the above mentioned material, the last is so obvious, that it is physically painful waiting for the conclusion. All in all, the book is a great study in the darker side of human behavior. I am glad that I read it for that reason. However, the climax leaves a lot to be desired.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars The Informer A great book! A twelve hour window into 1920s Dublin, it follows an informer that get tattles and gets his 'friend' killed. Published 16 months ago by M. Tretter 4.0 out of 5 stars Good read I've read this book twice. It was actually better the second time. The movie adaptation is even better than the book, with the lead actor receiving the Oscar for that year... Read more Published on April 17, 2005 by moviegal 1.0 out of 5 stars What was that? I don't understand what happened in this book. There was hardly any plot line. The characters did not develop well enough either. I wish I could have given this zero stars. Published on September 1, 2001 4.0 out of 5 stars A good book that became a great movie This is an absorbing study of life in Ireland in the mid-20s. The struggle for Irish "freedom" is an underlying theme, but the characters are very human. Read more Published on April 18, 2000 5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest book i've read in a while this book is great, it deals with a friend who turns on another friend and realizes what he has done right before he dies. Read more Published on January 20, 1999 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Harvest Books (July 17, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156443562
• ISBN-13: 978-0156443562
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,016,067 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Story, August 8, 2005

By	Howard J. Herskovitz - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a good novel about Ireland's ongoing troubles. It spares us the contrived world of the Clancy brothers and rebel songs. The story is set in the years after the establishment of the Irish Free State. The protagonists, unlike in the movie, are not patriots per se but rather communists or IRA members who wanted complete independence from the United Kingdom. Gypo Nolan and his victim Frankie McPhilip are less than valued members of the organization. The story deals with successful efforts to track down Gypo who informed on Frankie. It is noted that Gypo betrayed Frankie to the police not to the Black and Tans. It is a gripping story and it is also a good antidote to stories of the noble Irish and the evil Brits. Please note carefully O'Flaherty's description of the leader of the organization. The author was a member of the Communist Party who had a somewhat different take on the situation in Ireland. If you want an alternative view of the Irish troubles which is also a good read this is the book for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fenian Hulk Finks on Friend, Fatally Fails to Flee, January 10, 2006

By	Robert S. Newman "Bob Newman" (Marblehead, Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Informer (Paperback)

In the confused political situation in Ireland between 1916 and 1925, all kinds of ideologies competed, common criminals took up party work only to revert to their original callings. Leaders were betrayed, assassinated, jailed. The long dream of independence came to life, but in a fog of disappointment and disillusion. When the dust settled, all the brilliant men lay dead. O'Flaherty has set his novel in the politico-criminal underworld of this period, with a large dollop of that disillusion. Nobody comes out smelling like a rose. Gypo Nolan, the main character, harbors great physical strength, but little brain. Unlike most protagonists, he thinks little. The author describes his feelings or changes of mood, an interesting tack to take. Gypo informs on a former colleague in the Party, who is promptly surrounded by the police and gets shot dead during the standoff. With his 20 pound reward burning a hole in his pocket ( it might have been equivalent to about 20 weeks pay for a worker), Gypo treats a crowd to fish and chips, then drinks, fights, and whores, giving a big part of his loot away to a sad woman he meets by chance. The Party suspects Gypo, who fingers an innocent man. At the subsequent "trial", the truth comes out. Gypo is locked up, but escapes. The denouement is not long in coming.

THE INFORMER is fast paced, highly descriptive. I felt that sometimes the urge to describe everyone and everything in detail got the better of the author, his descriptive style began to resemble a Thomas Hart Benton mural, with each individual a caricature of a `type' or a `stock character'. The "firm jaws", the "mouths belonging to an average Irishwoman of the middle class", "he looked like a waiter thrown out of employment through old age".....very graphic, colorful, but somehow cartoonish. Anyway, little gripes aside, this is a novel that will hold your attention. It hangs together very well, connecting Irish history and society with a film-noir atmosphere of suspense, action, and intrigue. It catches the Dublin and the Ireland of the time, now changed out of all recognition by prosperity and respectability. And more luck to Ireland for that.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great, August 4, 2003

By	Thor Vadir "herrdirektor" (Beverly Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Informer (Paperback)

A review of this book is most fair when it is broken into three sections of 60 pages each. The first two sections are fantastic as it takes us through the story of Gipo, a man haunted by informing on his best friend. O'Flaherty does a fantastic job of painting the scene of poverty in Dublin that would lead to someone informing on their buddy... and then we have the pleasure of watching him use the blood money. If it ended on page 120, I would definitely give the book 5 stars.

The last 60 pages are very boring and drawn out. Whereas the story could have been a fascinating tell of the above mentioned material, the last is so obvious, that it is physically painful waiting for the conclusion.

All in all, the book is a great study in the darker side of human behavior. I am glad that I read it for that reason. However, the climax leaves a lot to be desired.