Rating: 
Summary: Advance praise for "44"
Review: "Peter Sheridan writes at the crossroads where hilarity and heartbreak, tenderness and savagery meet. The people who live there are often cruel, often magnificent, and always, always human. He captures them perfectly". - Roddy Doyle, author of "Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha""Engrossing.... a beautiful, touching, bittersweet account of family life." - Malachy McCourt, The London Observer "Dublin has rarely come to life as it does in Peter Sheridan's memoir. It has the breadth of great fiction and the truth of great autobiography. His prose is as rich as his characters, ordinary and fabulous, tragic and hilarious." - Neil Jordan
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: A book had never made me cry until this one by Peter Sheridan--and I'm no sniffly, emotional poofta who breaks down during soap operas or weddings. Just a great, great book, well-written and heartfelt. If you like it, you might also enjoy reading "The Star Factory" by Ciaran Carson.
Rating: 
Summary: Irish yarn unravels into beautiful story
Review: As if drawn by a gravitational pull, Irish yarns seem to center on the relationship of children with their mothers. In a break from this natural order, Peter Sheridan's memoir, 44 Dublin Made Me turns to the bond of a boy with his father for its compelling tale. Sheridan writes about his childhood with grace and ease. Readers are catapulted into his large Irish family in 1959 from the first sentence onward. Peter Sheridan is a good Irish boy who enjoys school and loves the hectic life Dublin offers. His best friend, Andy, hates school but loves traipsing around the city in search of fortune. The two boys influence each other in both good and bad ways - Andy gets involved with the church after a stint in reform school, and Peter learns to stand up for himself. In the end though, Andy remains the rogue and Peter the goody-two-shoes. A steady presence throughout the book is Peter's Da. The man has his own outhouse in the garage, preaches to his family like they are his disciples and relies on his wins at the horse races as a major means of income. Peter is his Da's helper and is ordered to do just about every imaginable task - from climbing up an ariel on the roof to fix the TV's reception to digging holes in the garage to fix water pressure. When Peter's brother, Frankie, falls ill, their Da finds himself unable to cope. Peter tries to fill in for his father and be someone for his mother to rely on. After his father regains his strength, he and Peter find their friendship stronger. Peter also runs errands all over the city and helps out with the tenants his parents have taken in. One of these boarders, Mossie, plays a crucial role in Peter's life. Mossie robs Peter of his innocence, terrifies and scars him so deeply that Peter withdraws inwardly. Unable to find comfort, Peter then seeks solace at the hands of the church. Illness and deaths make Peter grow up quickly and 44 Dublin Made Me documents his maturation. Andy gets a girl "in trouble" and quickly marries to take responsibility for the situation. As his world changes, Peter adapts. Sheridan's strength is that he writes his story, which could be sad, as hopeful and happy. Rather than just have stories from his childhood strung together as some memoirs do, 44 Dublin Made Me creates a touching story.
Rating:
Summary: Laugh, Cry and read it again
Review: As soon as I saw this book I knew I had to have it. I have had a childhood in the very same area and was plesantley surprised at the vivid and colourful language used to describe the landscapes and lifestyles I know so so well. I laughed out loud even though everybody on the train thought I was a bit of an idiot. I cryed many tears onto the pages which are now all tattered and dog eared from use. I sympathised and identified with the characters which came to life between the pages. I have pursuaded family and friends to read it and everyone has loved it. It's the best book I have read this year (I read a lot! ) I cant wait for the next one, hurry up Peter! Get that book to press. But one piece of advice. Don't keep other Irish books such as Angela's Ashes in mind as they are each so brilliantley different. Experiance the writer's language of experiance and not your perception of an Irish childhood. Revel in the individuallity of this book and you will enjoy it all the more. Buy it and enjoy it forever
Rating:
Summary: Laugh, Cry and read it again
Review: As soon as I saw this book I knew I had to have it. I have had a childhood in the very same area and was plesantley surprised at the vivid and colourful language used to describe the landscapes and lifestyles I know so so well. I laughed out loud even though everybody on the train thought I was a bit of an idiot. I cryed many tears onto the pages which are now all tattered and dog eared from use. I sympathised and identified with the characters which came to life between the pages. I have pursuaded family and friends to read it and everyone has loved it. It's the best book I have read this year (I read a lot! ) I cant wait for the next one, hurry up Peter! Get that book to press. But one piece of advice. Don't keep other Irish books such as Angela's Ashes in mind as they are each so brilliantley different. Experiance the writer's language of experiance and not your perception of an Irish childhood. Revel in the individuallity of this book and you will enjoy it all the more. Buy it and enjoy it forever
Rating:
Summary: An excellent read
Review: Everything the professional reviewers write is true; this is a marvelous story of how dysfunctional families actually function quite well, thank you very much. But I'm surprised that none of the reviews mention Mr. Sheridan's gift with words. Funny, yes. Poignant, yes. But stated with such a beautiful, lyrical simplicity (if that isn't an oxymoron) that one feels he could write a 500-word description of a garbage heap that could be set to music. And for a memoir of Ireland's premier theater director, it's a lovely trinute to a father who did his best as well as he knew how. Really the only thing I regret about reading this book is that he stopped at 1970 and didn't continue for another 20-odd years.
Rating: 
Summary: Dublin Made Me, but didn't keep me
Review: Has the superior writing of Frank McCourt and Roddy Doyle opened the door for anyone to believe their memoirs are worthy of public interest? Dublin Made Me, is at best a watery account of Sheridan's childhood which fails miserably to grip the reader and maintain interest. This account is more appropriate for bedtime anecdotes handed from father to child, than anything even remotely comparable to the writings of McCourt and other contemporaries. If the reader is anticipating the rawness and vigor associated with the accounts of others who have shown the best and the worst of Dublin life, then they will be disappointed. A very forgettable read.
Rating:
Summary: No Bias Here!
Review: I have to state that I am the Fiachra mentioned in the front inset of the book. i learnt more about my family reading this book than i ever imagined possible. For those who are interested to know Mr. Sheridans 2nd book in just finished and will emotionally move any man or woman as hard as a rock to tears. Like the previous reviewer i had never cried until i read this book. The next book deals with a more adult view on the trials and tribulations of life and the complex issues of love. If you haven't already read 44, do so b4 no.2 hits the shelves.
Rating:
Summary: No Bias Here!
Review: I have to state that I am the Fiachra mentioned in the front inset of the book. i learnt more about my family reading this book than i ever imagined possible. For those who are interested to know Mr. Sheridans 2nd book in just finished and will emotionally move any man or woman as hard as a rock to tears. Like the previous reviewer i had never cried until i read this book. The next book deals with a more adult view on the trials and tribulations of life and the complex issues of love. If you haven't already read 44, do so b4 no.2 hits the shelves.
Rating:
Summary: brilliant, poignant, funny
Review: I read this book, bought another copy as a gift, and ended up reading it again. I agree with the previous review, that I was only sorry that it ended. I really wanted to know what transpired between 1970 and somewhere close to the present. Peter really remembers what it is like to be a child in an adult world, the confusion, the wisdom. Funny, poignant, beautifully written, beautifully human.
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