"Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood." The quote is from Frank McCourt's memoir of growing up impoverished in Limerick, circa World War II. But the sentiment might just as easily have come from the fictional lips of Henry Smart, the hero of Roddy Doyle's remarkable novel of Dublin in the teens, A Star Called Henry. The son of a one-legged hit man, young Henry is the third child born but the first to live through infancy. He is also the second Henry--the first having died, and become a star in the mind of his mother.

She held me but she looked up at her twinkling boy. Poor me beside her, pale and red-eyed, held together by rashes and sores. A stomach crying to be filled, bare feet aching like an old, old man's. Me, a shocking substitute for the little Henry who'd been too good for this world, the Henry God had wanted for himself. Poor me.

Soon, his father has all but abandoned the growing family, and at 9 Henry is on his own, running wild in the streets, thieving to stay alive. Depressing as all this sounds, Doyle has invested his narrator with such an appetite for life, and rendered him so resolutely unsorry for himself, that it seems almost insulting to pity him.

By the time he is 14, Henry has become a soldier in the new Irish Republican Army and in one long and harrowing chapter, we view the events of the Easter Rising of 1916 from his position in the thick of it. It's not a pretty sight by any means, as the populace is divided in its support and various factions within the Republican Army threaten to splinter and annihilate one another before the British even get there. When the shooting starts, Henry aims not at the British but at the store windows across the street. "I shot and killed all that I had been denied, all the commerce and snobbery that had been mocking me and other hundreds of thousands behind glass and locks, all the injustice, unfairness and shoes--while the lads took chunks out of the military." Though the uprising is eventually crushed and the leaders executed, Henry escapes to live--and fight--another day.

In previous books such as The Barrytown Trilogy, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, and The Woman Who Walked into Doors, Doyle has established himself as one of the premiere chroniclers of modern Irish life. With A Star Called Henry, he works his singular magic on the past. What's more, this is only volume one of the Last Roundup, so it looks like we haven't seen the last of Henry Smart. And that's a very good thing, indeed. --Alix Wilber

"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.

timkcbooks

Penzance, United Kingdom

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since September 7, 1999

Association member:

PBFA

Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.

Item	3 to 15 business days	3 to 60 business days
First item	US$ 26.66	US$ 26.66

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.

Payment methods

Specialty

Poetry, Modern First Editions, Art books

Association member

Members of these associations are committed to maintaining the highest standards. They vouch for the authenticity of all items offered for sale. They provide expert and detailed descriptions, disclose all significant defects and/or restorations, provide clear and accurate pricing, and operate with fairness and honesty during the purchase experience.

Seller's business information

timkcbooks

United Kingdom

Contact sellerView this seller's itemsView seller's storefront

Terms of sale

Prices are in pounds sterling and all payment is through ABE.

All books remain the property of the seller until payment has been received.

I try and describe all books accurately, but if you decide that a book is not as described, please contact me so that we can arrange for it to be returned to me at my expense or other options considered.

ABE's systems automatically assume that books bearing the words inscribed or signed in the description are signed by the author. This is not the case. Only books described as signed by the author are signed by the author. Other uses of the words signed or inscribed are used to denote signed or inscribed by another person - eg ownership inscriptions etc.

ABE's systems automatically assume that mention of a dustjacket indicates that a book is hardback. This is not the case - there are paperback books issued with dustjackets.

If local taxes or duties are chargeable and are not paid by ABE, the buyer will be responsible for paying these.

I cannot be held responsible when ABE's systems incorrectly alter my descriptions.

I send out regular email catalogues - please let me know if you wish to receive these.

Tim Kendall-Carpenter
5 Bon Villas
Newlyn
Penzance
TR18 5BZ

info@timkcbooks.com
07843412251

Shipping terms

Orders are usually shipped within 2 business days of receipt of order. Business days are defined as Monday to Friday excluding public holidays.You will be contacted in the event of a significant delay.

In the event of delays such as industrial disputes, custom delays, pandemics, adverse weather conditions etc beyond the seller's control, the stated shipping estimates will not apply

If you wish your book to be sent by a premium service, we may contact you to let you know extra payment is required.

All books are insured in transit.

Postage rates are fixed unless parcels are too heavy to be sent by Royal Mail. Prices of light items such as pamphlets are deliberately held down as they take account of the fixed postage rates.

Postage includes packing and insurance in transit.

The seller cannot be responsible for tariffs, surcharges, import duties etc applied in the purchaser's country.

A Star Called Henry.

Item description from seller

Bibliographic details

Synopsis

About the title

Review

timkcbooks

Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.

Payment methods

Specialty

Association member

Seller's business information

Terms of sale

Shipping terms