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Description edit
Life as seen through the eyes of a ten-year-old Irish boy, Patrick Clarke, is a poignant voyage through a bewildering, ever-changing world of family, friends, dreams, and growing up. Winner of the Booker Prize. Reprint. Tour.
It is 1968. Patrick Clarke is ten. He loves Geronimo,... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
In this novel 10-year-old Paddy Clarke tells us about his life in Ireland in the 1960s. He and his friends are responsible for a lot of mischief around their small town. Paddy's younger brother also tags along most of the time. Meanwhile, Paddy notices a lot of changes are happening in his... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters/People edit
- Kevin: Paddy's best friend
- Liam: Paddy's friend, Aidan's brother
- Sinbad: Paddy's younger brother whose real name is Francis
- Ian McEvoy: Paddy's friend
- Aidan: Paddy's friend, Liam's brother
- Charles Leavy: one of the boys in Paddy's class from the corporation houses
- Mister O'Keefe: Kevin's father
- Sean Whelan: one of the boys in Paddy's class from the corporation houses
- Patrick Clarke: a 10 year old boy and our narrator
- David Geraghty: a boy in Paddy's class with polio
- Edward Swanwick: a boy in the town who goes to a different school
- Damien: Add a description of this character.
- Mister O'Connell: Aidan and Liam's father
- Catherine: Paddy's younger sister
- Donnelly
- Kilmartin
- Mister Finnucane: the headmaster of Paddy's school
- Brian Sheridan
- Henno: Paddy's teacher
- Mister Arnold
- Terence Long
- Mister Hanley
- Mister Hennessey
- Deirdre: Paddy's infant sister
- Eddie
- Granda Clarke
- Missis Quigley
- Alan Baxter
- Benson
- Margaret
- Thomas Clarke
Quotes edit
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“Limbo was for babies that hadn’t been baptised and pets. It was nice, like heaven, only God wasn’t there. Jesus visited there sometimes, and Mary his mother as well. They had a caravan there. Cats and dogs and babies and guinea pigs and goldfish. Animals that weren’t pets didn’t go anywhere. They just rotted and mixed in with the soil and made it better. They didn’t have souls. Pets did. There were no animals in heaven, only horses and zebras and small monkeys.”
Paddy Clarke -
“I looked at Sinbad. He was just my little brother. I hated him. He never wiped his nose. He cried. He wet the bed. He got away with not eating his dinner. He had to wear specs with one black lens. He ran to get the ball. No one else did that. They all waited for it to come to them. He went through them all, no bother. He was brilliant. He wasn’t selfish like most fellas who could dribble. It was weird, looking at him. It was great, and I wanted to kill him. You couldn’t be proud of your little brother.”
Paddy Clarke -
“I went to thump him and before I had a fist made I was crying. I hung on to his nose for a while longer, just to be holding him. I didn't know why I was crying; it shocked me. I let go of his nose. I put my arms around him. My hands touched around the back. He stayed hard and closed. I thought my arms would soften him. They'd have to.”
Paddy Clarke
Setting & Locations edit
First Sentence edit
We were coming down our road.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 1993 of 46 in Booker Prize Winners. (authoritative list)
Preceded by The English Patient, and followed by How Late It Was, How Late.
This is book 75 of 96 in Waterstone's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)
Preceded by All Quiet on the Western Front.
Authors & Contributors edit
- Roddy Doyle (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Secker and Warburg
Country: Ireland
Publication Date: 1993
ISBN: 0-436-20135-6
Page Count: 282
Publisher: Secker and Warburg
Country: Ireland
Publication Date: 1993
ISBN: 0-436-20135-6
Page Count: 282
Awards edit
- Man Booker Prize (1993)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PR6054.O95 P33
- Dewey: 823.914
Subjects edit
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