Point Books Concering The Commitments (The Barrytown Trilogy #1)
| Original Title: | The Commitments |
| ISBN: | 0749391685 (ISBN13: 9780749391683) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | The Barrytown Trilogy #1, Jimmy Rabbitte #1 |
| Setting: | Barrytown(Ireland) |
Roddy Doyle
Paperback | Pages: 144 pages Rating: 3.95 | 13977 Users | 511 Reviews
Define Appertaining To Books The Commitments (The Barrytown Trilogy #1)
| Title | : | The Commitments (The Barrytown Trilogy #1) |
| Author | : | Roddy Doyle |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 144 pages |
| Published | : | December 6th 1990 by Vintage (first published 1987) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Cultural. Ireland. Music. European Literature. Irish Literature. Humor |
Relation Conducive To Books The Commitments (The Barrytown Trilogy #1)
I was going to attempt to write this review in the working class Dublin slang that Roddy Doyle’s colourful characters use, but, ya know, Jaysis, I’d come o’ looking like a fuckin’ eejit.I’m one of the few people on the planet who’s never seen the Alan Parker movie, and when I was in London last fall, I noticed there was even a long-running stage version of it. But I guess through cultural osmosis I knew what the book was about: the making (and abrupt unmaking) of a north Dublin soul band.
It’s riotously fun, filled with piss and vinegar and great snatches of music, and boy do these characters know how to talk. (No wonder it was adapted for actors to perform.) Slagging each other over a few pints, joking about everything, is a sport – it’s the way they communicate.
I say “characters,” but there’s not a lot of depth to them. (A day after finishing this I devoured the second in the Barrytown Trilogy, The Snapper , and among other things it shows that Doyle can write complex, nuanced characters.) In fact, for half the book I had to keep going back to the page that listed the band members’ names and what instrument they played:
Jimmy Rabbite; manager.
Outspan Foster; guitar.
Deco Cuffe; vocals.
Derek Scully; bass.
James Clifford; piano.
Billy Mooney; drums.
Dean Fay; sax.
And Joey The Lips.
Later they’re joined by three women – the Commitmentettes. And here’s what happens: they rehearse; Jimmy books them first one gig then another; they perform them both; another character (Mickah the bouncer) joins them; they get a nice write-up in a local paper; one player gets interested in jazz; the vocalist (whom everyone hates) gets a big ego; and all the men are attracted to Imelda, one of the backup singers.
So: not much plot. There's a rich sense of social milieu, but mostly this book is about people interacting, bouncing off each other. Here’s a little exchange between the drummer and the vocalist:
– An’ here, you, George Michael. If yeh ever call me a fuckin’ eejit again you’ll go home with a drumstick up your hole. The one yeh don’t sing ou’ of.
He started to pick up the drum.
– The one yeh talk ou’ of.
Touché! And it’s not all salty dialogue. Here’s a little bit of exposition during the band’s first performance:
The ones not from Barrytown studied Mickah [the bouncer]. He wasn’t what they’d expected; some huge animal, a skinhead or a muttonhead, possibly both. This Mickah was small and wiry, very mobile. Even when he was standing still he was moving.
“Even when he was standing still he was moving”: that’s fine writing. Other gems are sprinkled throughout, showing you that Doyle is a novelist, not just a playwright or screenwriter. And he's an artist.
Fair play tha’.
Rating Appertaining To Books The Commitments (The Barrytown Trilogy #1)
Ratings: 3.95 From 13977 Users | 511 ReviewsRate Appertaining To Books The Commitments (The Barrytown Trilogy #1)
This is a very early novel by one of my favorite Irish authors, Roddy Doyle. It is part of his focus on contemporary Dublin life. It is bawdy, funny, touching, profane, surprising and thought-provoking. Doyles writing style pulls you into a Dublin pub and doesnt make it easy for you to sort things out. I wont say much more except the title refers directly to a band that Jimmy Rabbitte is asked to form and manage, composed of young Dubliners. The following selection from early in the book shouldThe Commitments is a small band formed in Dublin by a group of young and unemployed folks. Their one goal in life is to bring SOUL to Dublin. The biggest problem is the leading members really don't know that much about music history, so they hire a friend to manage them and help create the image they have for themselves.There isn't a lot of story here. Quite simply it is about music, but deeper than that is the will to be more, to bring more to the table. Quick read, which was nice in that it
A quick little read; heavy on dialogue. Irish dialogue. Very thick and very fast. I loved the movie and wanted to read the book before I watched it again. I really liked the antics of Jimmy and the gang as they progressed from a group of wannabe musicians to small time fame in central Dublin. There's a great group dynamic going on behind the story; everyone's in love with the backup singers, everyone hates the lead singer, Joey The Lips Fagan keeps everyone on an even keel, and Jimmy tries to
The Commitments by Roddy Doyle - Very Good Loved the film, loved the soundtrack and now I love the book.I doubt it needs a review, I suspect most folk know the story. A group of young Dubliners form a band to bring "Soul to the Irish Brothers and Sisters". They are an odd assortment led by Jimmy Rabbitt: the manager and driving force of the group. It takes time for them learn their instruments and the songs and there's a lot of banter along the way. Finally they find their sound and start to
I loved this book! Studying for a music course currently and hating it, this managed to reignite my passion for performing and love of soul music in particular. It also made me think about jazz and soul in different ways. I also thought it was an excellent example of how to write a book with pretty much just dialogue. Despite it being very short all the characters were easy to picture because of the emphasis speech and there were several moments I actually laughed out loud.
Thats the problem with reading a book after watching the movie (or vice versa). If you liked the first, the second has to be really brilliant for you to like it.The 1991 Alan Parker movie is one of my all times favorites, and the bookit was ok, but from my point of view, a disappointment.First, a short book that has a considerable percentage of it wasted on lyrics of songs in uppercase is kind of lame..considering that I saw the movie (which had a different set of songs), where you actually saw
First book of the year ... off of my "100 books" poster. Fun read, at least the parts I could understand.
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