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Book Reviews Title A Star
Called Henry Fiction-Net
Rating Buy It
From Amazon.co.uk - BUY
NOW! Cover
Story A historical tale
marking a new turn in Doyle's writing. Born in the
slums of Dublin in 1902, his father a one-legged
whorehouse bouncer, Henry Smart has to grow up
fast. He eventually becomes a Fenian, a rebel, a
republican legend - one of Michael Collins's boys,
an assassin on a stolen bike. We
Say What can I say? I
really didn't like Roddy Doyle's novel, A Star
Called Henry. While Doyle created a memorable
character and I learned a lot about what motivates
an IRA terrorist, I was not hooked. Perhaps it was
my state of mind while reading this novel. What
started out as a promising story quickly began to
drag. Unfortunately I had to struggle and force
myself to finish this novel. What saves this novel
from being an unworthy read, is Doyle's ability to
create memorable characters. A Star Called
Henry is the story of a young man named Henry
Smart. Forced to live with his dead brother's name,
Henry seems determined to prove to the world that
he is his own man. What makes his character so
fascinating is the fact that he has survived
poverty and despair to become a feared member of
the IRA. Although Henry is a cold-hearted killer it
is hard not to like him. Poverty created a thief
and criminal while Doyle created a character that
was both likable and believable. Henry Smart is a
character worthy of Ireland's best legends.
I found myself
caught up with the relationship between Miss O'Shea
and Henry, more than the struggle surrounding them.
Miss O'Shea was a teacher that was kind to Henry
and his brother Victor. It is Miss O'Shea that
teaches Henry how to write his name. Their
relationship develops over the short years and like
Henry, the reader may find themselves searching the
pages for her appearance. All in all, A
Star Called Henry, failed to capture my interest.
While it had a wonderful character and good
dialogue, I couldn't lose myself in the story. I
will have to read another book by Doyle because I
don't believe that A Star Called Henry was
representative of his abilities. Review by: Yumi
Nagasaki-Taylor |
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