The Young Wan
I had previously read all the Agnes Browne series and this book was just as entertaining and humorous. I was just so excited to learn that Brendan O'Carroll had written this book on the family's earlier life. Many of my friends are reading the whole series now and say they are the best books they have ever read! The Young Wan certainly lived up to my expectations after having read the previous three and I'd recommend it to anyone who has a good sense of humour.Everyone I know who reads the books say "I feel sad to think I've finished them as the family came to life in the books and I really felt I knew each one of them!"
Kay Paine
The Young Wan
I just think "He Nails it all", l've done this series and just so enjoyed them all.
A GOOD SOLID FUN READ - FROM HILARIOUS TO BITTER/SWEET
Not having read the Agnes Browne trilogy, this was my first exposure to the author. I, infact, did not realize that it was a prequel to other books, having picked this one up purely by accident. What a lucky find for me? I cannot remember when I have enjoyed a work as much. The author is a natural story teller, quite a fine writer and has the ability to make his characters jump off the page. While parts of this book were indeed sad and somewhat bitter/sweet, others were absolutely hilarious. I do feel the author's greatest strenth is character developement. You can actually see and feel the characters in your mind's eye. The book, set in Dublin during the 1940s, captures street life quite wonderfully. The market place, where much of the story takes place truely comes alive. For a pleasureable read I do highly recommend this one.
Poor Writing, Interesting Characters
Contrary to what others think, I found the writing to be decidedly amateurish. I spent years reading and correcting pulp-like fiction written by high school students; this book takes me back to those stacks of stories. The vocabulary is repetitive; some sentences are run-on; the tense is weak ("...the siren was screaming...," "...the man was spitting at...," "Bosco was running hard..."); the grammar is sometimes unusual ("...went to follow...," "...he..made after the other men..."); and occasional slang seems inappropriate ("...a wino..."). There is a too-obvious effort to try to imitate speech patterns. And there are certainly trite and overused descriptions of people: the Irish as the sterotype.
The Young Wan
Brendan O'Carroll's The Young Wan shows the beginnings of the matricarch of the Browne Family. Agnes marriage to the Redster is explained in all of its colorful history in this installment. This prequel offers the same deadpan humor that helps the Irish navigate through their poverty as the Trilogy. This light hearted if not at times tragic novel will have reader laughing, crying and marveling at the strength of friendship and family.
(15 reviews)
