44, Dublin Made Me

by Peter Sheridan

Book Overview

It is half an hour before midnight in the early 1960s and snow coats the cramped, gray streets of Dublin. On the rooftop of 44 Seville Place, a ten-year-old boy clings to the steel rod of a television antenna.When his father urges him to turn the antenna toward England, the boy reaches up and pictures from a foreign place beam into their home. And our young hero, Peter, and his family will never be the same again. As the tumultuous 1960s unfold, the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670885142
• ISBN13: 9780670885145
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 1 year and up
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 6

Customer Reviews

Laugh, Cry and read it again

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

No Bias Here!

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.

An excellent read

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.