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Title: Round Ireland with a Fridge
ISBN: 0312274920
Author:
Tony Hawks
Publicate Date: 2001-03-07
Publish: 2001-03-07
List Price: $13.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $7.80
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $1.98
Amazon Merchant Price: $11.16
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| Customer Review: |
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1: All in good fun
What a bet Tony Hawks made... to carry a refrigerator around Ireland for the measly sum of 100 pounds, but in his written adventure the reader will laugh and laugh. And I am sure this is the basic purpose of the book being written by a stand-up comic. Sure it has a note of travelogue to it, but not in the vein of travelogue such as Bill Bryson.
Hawks portrays the Irish people as helpful and up for a chat, and from my experience in Ireland this is very true. The aid he gets from all sorts of people to include the Gerry Ryan radio show was absolutely astounding. They basically mobilized to help this hitchhiker carrying a fridge around their country. Awesome!
My favorite part is when he meets the King of Tory Island (probably one of few Kings in the world who lives in what we would call modest means). It took a devil of a time trying to get to the this island for Hawkes, but when he does he gets the pleasure of meeting the King, Patsy Dan and finds the unmarried daughter is not around dashing Hawk's hopes of being a prince. LOL. So he just hands Patsy Dan the flowers meant for his daughter. LOL.
Definitely read this book for more funny moments like this, and also for better descriptions than mine. The characters he meets really make the book.
I had two books going while reading this, and I grab for this book every time because it made me laugh.
Recommended for those seeking humour while reading a travelogue.
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2: A funny quick read
I picked this book up while seaching for travel guides on Ireland. I couldn't put it down and laughed out loud enough times that my teenage stepson read it immediately after I was finished with the same laugh out loud reactions. The premise is crazy, the result is a riot, and it was a great read from beginning to end.
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3: Round Ireland w/ a Fridge
Well written book, fun and enjoyable. I got this book just before I went to Ireland. The book is much better then Ireland.
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4: Nothing deep, but fun
I enjoyed this book about Tony's adventures in Ireland. Like the cover says--he made a drunken bet no one expected him to keep, kept it anyway, and ended up with this adventure.
I, and several others in my bookclub, have no desire to see the stand up comedian in person. He didn't really come off as a funny guy in the book, particularly because he bombed both times he had a chance to show his stuff, but the book is delightful because it is peopled with quirky unforgettable characters and there's a wry humor in the writing.
SPOILER:
Tony's success in getting around Ireland with the fridge was definitely due to the call-in radio show that followed him from the beginning. He hardly struggled to hitch. Or find a place to sleep. Or eat. But that never diminished my desire to continue reading. It actually made me want to read more--to see how popular the guy could get. The adventure was fun to follow to the end, which was the funniest part of the book with its wonderfully anticlimactic kitchen appliance parade. I think the Irish people redeemed themselves there.
Don't read this book to discover Ireland--it's not a travel story of that sort. You do get some nice imagery/descriptions, but not enough to make it a standout feature of the book. You get more about the people than the land.
One neg is that I really don't feel like I know Tony Hawks much by the end of the book. You know more about some of the Irish characters than you know about him. Very little background info/motivation for actions, etc. is offered, and I wonder why. A little bit (not a ton) of that would have improved the story for me. Another neg is that the book made it seem as if all of Ireland is drunk all the time. It might be because Tony hung out mainly in bars, but it seemed like an unfair implication (then again, I am very unfamiliar with Ireland and Irish people).
In the end, this is a fun read about a crazy adventure in Ireland.
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5: Why you ask? Well why not?
This is a laugh-out-loud funny book. After reading it, I wanted to visit Ireland. Sure, the premise of the book is a bit ridiculous. Traveling around Ireland with fridge to win a bet. However, the author consistently points this out himself. The people he meets are interesting, and his take on them (and the adventure as a whole) is well written and worth reading. As a bonus for those who can't read, there are many pictures in the middle of the book.
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