A Monk Swimming - Malachy McCourt

Advantages: Funny in places, not too long, well written
Disadvantages: Repeats itself, not as funny or clever as he thinks he is, riding the bandwagon of his brother's fame

...to New York after escaping a poverty stricken background in 1950s Limerick. Admittedly, I came to this book as a result of reading brother Frank’s work (both of which I have written ops about, hint, hint!), viewing it as something of a continuation, rather than a book in its own right. Given that the words “international bestseller” are emblazoned in red letters across the book (both front and back), I think I can safely assume ...
...and found casual employment as a dock worker. Before too long though, Malachy’s life begins to diverge from that of his brother and takes a course of hedonism and heavy drinking, leading ultimately to the joint ownership of a successful Irish bar bearing his name. This is accompanied by forays into acting, a part in a critically acclaimed off Broadway production, appearances on “The Tonight Show” and all-round minor fame, which ... Read review

Advantages: Well written a dry humor
Disadvantages: a tale not finished

...put the book down after a frantic two days trying to find time to read, I felt I had to rush to the aid of Malachy and defend an excellently written book which has been slammed by the critics. Malachy by his own admission is a bit of a charmer, a bit of a ladies man and more than partial to the odd drink – Hence the title. Malachy’s story begins as with his brother’s sequel to Angela’s Ashes (Ti's) with Malachy’s arrival ...
...the world. Armed only with a sharp wit and the Irish charm Malachy manages to charm his way in to jobs, and then drink his way back on to the dole. Fans of brother Franks books will recall some of the events told in this book, yet Malachy has a way of telling them so that you always end up seeing things from his point of view. As he finds his way in America Malachy has more ups and downs than Reginald Perrin but always seems to come up smelling of ... Read review

Advantages: Evocative of more glamorous times
Disadvantages: Shallow

Perhaps I'm going to be a little harsh on this book, after the joy of reading his brother Frank's books. At times I was reminded of the great david Niven's books "The moon's a balloon" and "Bring on the empty horses" in a similar autobiographical style, but when you're not that famous namedropping is so passe. Content I got pissed, I got fucked and I travelled; end of story. Yes I was harsh, there are some quite humorous moments and yes there ... Read review