Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle (1995, 290 Pages, Man Booker Prize Winner)

My Prior Posts on Roddy Doyle

Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha is the ninth novel by Roddy Doyle I have read.  Obviously I greatly enjoy reading his work.  I think I have now read all of his novels meant for adults and I look forward to his future works.  

The story is set in Dublin in 1968.  It is told in the first person by ten year old Paddy Clarke, growing up in a working class neighborhood.  It is told in a near stream of consciousness format.  At first I was uncertain I would like this work as sometimes novels or stories from the point of view of a child can be overdone but I should have known from the prior eight Doyle novels I have read that I would really like this book.

I am getting behind on my blog posting so I am keeping this post very short, like a reading journal note.  If you want more details, there are lots of good book blog posts on it and Amazon has lots reviews.  It basically is the story of Paddy and his buddies running wild on the streets of Dublin, doing the crazy things ten year old boys do.  I found the creation of the mental state of Paddy perfect, with no false notes.  He has adventures, he tries to cope with his parents fighting, with the brutality of adults and their kindness, with trying to figure out what sex might be, and the death of a friend.  He is far from a perfect angel, stealing and picking fights.  We do see him gain in his understanding of life.  All in all I will join the chorus of those who really liked this book.   

Mel u