Wonderful- Shades of Joyce and Beckett

Very much in the tradition of Irish writing. Word crafted with great care. It sings!
It is reminiscent of Beckett and Joyce in a cerebral way.
Kevin’s reading is intense - honouring the writing days he put into it.
His delivery is a bit too theatrical.
Can I suggest a hot tip. Listen to it at 1.25 speed rather than 1.00. I found that much better.

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6 people found this helpful

I'm a convert

I couldn't read City of Bohane, I just couldn't get through it but thought I'd give this a spin. So happy I did.

Once you get used to Barry's voice, easier if you are Irish, he actually lends an authenticity you wouldn't get from another narrator.

A kind of modern day Waiting for Godot crossed with Snatch. Thoroughly enjoyable.

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Great descriptions, not that deep

Two old men ranting about their past. Not sure how deep this was. Some great descriptions, scenery and characters though. Dark and moody.

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Self indulgent writer with flashes of brilliance

Don't read you own prose like you are having an orgasm. Do me a voice or two (it gets dull listening to one tone all day). Don't take poetic licence and throw fcuks in there by the truck load to dress down the colourful prose when you're writing in 3rd person POV. Don't give me it's authentic Ireland.

I felt the Book is about the authors ability to write rather than telling us a story. I was asking myself if Kevin Barry is that smart kid I knew from school who thought intelligence was soft so he cursed a lot and smoked?

STORY IS KING. Where is the story? Two old men talk about the good old bad days while hoping to bump into the MC's estranged daughter. That's it! The odd flashback I don't mind, but a story inside a (non)stort? No thanks.

I hope the critical acclaim doesn't send Barry's ego into another Barry world. But something tells me that boat has sailed.

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Life in a poetic downward spiral

It’s a tale that has no significance in the grand scheme of things yet I suspect will stay with me and become a reference point. The characters and their relationships are real and with the narration they become people who you know, but would never want to know. They are people without purpose and suffering because of it.

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Narration matters!

Polarised reviews here re narration piqued my interest. So glad I listening to the author deliver his story!

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Polm from Morocco

This book draws you in, and in.
So close, you can taste it.
Polm from Morocco, by the chillum loaf.

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Waiting with the Boys

I found Beatlebone wonderful so I didn't hesitate to get this book. And what a treat it is. I usually like a long listen, and this is very short, but deliciously rich. Barry's voice is wonderful - I live in Ireland and love every version of the accent, from Belfast to Cork, from Dublin to Leitrim (my home ground). His language is glorious: we know these men, the way their lives are tangled together, their strange histories, the choices that have led them to be waiting for the boat from Tangier. I loved every moment, heart-breaking, funny, dark and authentic. The true bliss of the early days of opiate addiction - with it's slippery slide down into the drowning endless need was amazingly well portrayed. These two men are so frightening and yet so fragile. This is a truly beautiful book, narrated to perfection. I will be listening again.

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A Wonderful listen

A gripping story narrated by the author in a wonderful Cork accent. I was spellbound by the language and descriptions. It’s the best package I’ve read or listened to in many years.

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Better read than listen

Switched between reading and listening and I have to say the reader ruined it for me. the pacing was wrong and the prosody sometimes hysterical. good story. probably shouldn't win the Booker. definite influences from Beckett (Godot) and some brilliant single lines ("there wasn't a sparrow safe for miles"). Barry has a brilliant comic sense. But, it is not matched by his darkness.

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