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Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

List Price: $14.00
Your Price: $10.50
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: From the mind of a ten-year-old
Review: Funny, Fascinating, hilarious look at life through the eyes of a ten-year-old Irish boy named Roddy Doyle, who is trying to deal with his parents' impending split-up. It is amazing how well Roddy Doyle can recall the life and energy of being ten.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The whole adds up to less than the sum of it's parts.
Review: In Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha Roddy Doyle attempts--with some success-to see the way a child views, and understands, the world evolve and mature. The book starts out with Paddy a feisty 10 year old and follows him through adolescence. As Paddy grows up and starts to realize that there are real problems and issues out there that really do affect him and that he's got to come to terms with, the narration does an admirable job of maturing along with the boy.

The problem for me, as it appears to be for many to others who have commented on this book, was that I never engaged with the story on an emotional level. The story never grabs you and sucks you in. Reading this is sort of like having an out-of-body experience-you see it all, understand it all, but never develop any sort of feelings about the enterprise.

The writing style is interesting, the story moves along, there are some interesting insights. Unfortunately, this appears to be one of those books where the whole seems somehow to add up to less than the sum of it's parts. In the end you are left with a book you can appreciate but for which you have no particular fondness.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very entertaining
Review: I'm not very familiar with Irish literature, but I think this was a good book to start with. The book does a really good job of expressing the voice and experiences of a ten-year old. It can get a little confusing in parts, because Paddy tends to get sidetracked in his narratives, but I love the honesty and complexity of it. I read this in my English class, and I'm not sure I would have come upon this book if I hadn't had to read it for school. The writing style is a bit different from what I'm used to, but it made the book more interesting. Overall, I would recommend this book because it does a really good job of portraying childhood and gives some insight into what it was like to grow up in Ireland in the 1960's.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: the memories of childhood
Review: The book Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle reveals the world by the point of Paddy, a 10-year-old boy. The world seen through his eyes is filled with lots of curiosity and unpredictable things. The childhood events are depicted by lively, pure and innocent conversations between Paddy and his friends. Paddy gets to know about the parental conflicts and becomes exposed to the ¡°adult¡± world. At the end, he catches the moment that his father hits his mother, and his father leaves the house on the same day. His father comes back home on day before Christmas Eve, and they shake each other¡¯s hands. His identity formed by having ¡°complete¡± family begins to collapse when he first finds out the tension between his parents. However, he figures out his own way of protecting himself from the world that has taught him the life strategy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Paddy now sees the world...
Review: Doyle has created a masterpiece out of nothing. At first glance, it may seem that he simply enumerated common instances in human life, through a ten-year-old boy's eyes. It reminds you of your childhood and makes you smile, looking back on good memories. But there is something more than that. Paddy has grown up and become mature throughout the book. Through the relationships with people around him, Paddy has started to realize what is going on out in the real world. He is not embraced by his Da anymore, Paddy shakes hands with him.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha
Review: I feel that Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha is an interesting book, but often hard to relate and get into. I think this is because it is written from a 10 year-old's perspective and what amuses and is observed by Paddy is often just extremely simple events that I feel can be hard to relate to. However, I feel this book is refreshing in the way that it is written from a 10 year-old's perspective as well. His observations and the way he plays can often get a little hard to get into, but it is still very interesting to see how he does think, and some of the childish, and unaware observations that are seen. This is refreshing to see, because many books are filled with a lot of analyzing and critiquing. Although, this is interesting, it too can also be a little hard to follow and relate to. It is nice to read a book that is based on observation through a child's eyes.
I like how the author describes how Paddy and his friend's play, loyalty and being amused by simple things are definitely aparent in the scenes when the kids are all together. The way they play shows the boyish style of play and also the friendships and lack of friendships that are also involved. Reading these scenes when the kids interact with each other, another world is discovered. There are leaders and followers, best friends, enemies, fights, partners, and brotherly bonds. It is hard to forget how much children create when younger and this book does a great job in emphasizing these relationships that can be easily overlooked and thought unimportant.
The book has a sad theme to it also. Towards the end, it seems as if Paddy has lost much of his innoncence, because of the relationships between his father and close friends. He discovers more of himself and does a good amount of maturing. This can be seen as a wonderful thing, but you can't help to feel a little sadness because the simplicity, games, loyalty, and an overall happiness of a child's world is often lost with this maturity.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Voice
Review: I think this book is pretty decent. In this book the author can brings out the voice of a young kid. The sentence, speech in the book are all really easy, clear sentences. It's like a conversation between two young boys, innocent and funny. Through this book, I understand more on what is usually on a young kid's mind. They can only see the surface of an object. They see things really simple. They won't look deeper inside of an object. They live in a carefree simple life. Although people will always say that for people who think simple, they are basically living in a lie. However, I think that a simple life makes you a happier person because you don't see the ugly part of the world.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: review
Review: As a literary work, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, was a well written novel, but it did not hold my attention and I am not sympathetic with the subject matter. The author explored correctly the mind of a ten year old boy, but some of what happens is lost in this endeavor. I will give the book that it delved into territory mostly untouched, is a pioneer in this new way of writing, and it is a starting point that will be developed hopefully in the future. This book I a good literary beginning more than just a "good read".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: In the Thoughts of a Ten Year Old
Review: This book is a work of art. It successfully captures the thoughts and cares of a ten ear old boy. Although the train of thought form that the book is written in can be confusing at times, the randomidity of the events superdly reflects the way a ten year old thinks and successfully conjures up memories from your childhood when you were ten years old. A few examples are your changing opinions of your friends as you fight and/or mature, the level of importance school has on you as you get older, and the way you worshipped your parents and how you began to view them in a different light as you mature. I highly suggest reading this book to all readers at the high school level and above.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Cliche but amusing
Review: I found that Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha, was a typical story about the triumphs and tribulations of growing up. It was refreshing to read the stream of consciesness style of writing. However, in theme, plot, and message there was very little that distinguished this book from a million other books about childhood. Although well written and amusing at times, Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha was unoriginal and did not provoke thought.


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