Customer Reviews
A truly entertaining slice of working-class Dublin in the sixties - By: Aesop, 27 Oct 2008 
Stories don't come better than this little heart-warmer of widow Agnes Browne raising seven childrenin tough times. There was never a dull moment, & definitely more uproarious moments than I could count. This book will take you from laughter to tearsin turns, & the Browne clan oncein your head will take some trouble evicting ... always supposing you even want to try. A small story with an unimaginably big heart. 'Arf arf arf!' Hilarious.
Drowning in the bath! - By: Miss K Hanlon, 05 May 2003 From the very moment I had this little book with the big storyin my hand, I couldn't wait to open it & start.
I unplugged the phone & ran a hot bath 'cos I just knew I couldn't be disturbed from the life of Agnes Browne & her rowdy brood. Each page was turned with gusto & I almost drowned myselfin the bath laughing out loud at this wonderfully disfunctional family.
Must do.........read thisin public & share the magical talent of Brendan O'Carroll with absolute strangers!
Without Qualification, Flawless - By: taking a rest, 27 Jan 2003 The photograph on the cover of this book is spectacular, & everything Mr. Brendon O'Carroll includes within is wonderful! This Irish tale is unlike any other I have read. The book is not cluttered with Irish cliché's, which even if true to one degree or another, can nonetheless become tiresome. It has often been said that there are no happy endingsin an Irish tale, & while this is the first installment of three, it would take multiple disasters to change the overall mood of this Family & Friends.
The story is about two female friends, the joy they share, their everyday lives, & the pain that all relationships eventually suffer. However this friendship is not subject to damage or limitation. The dialogue is a riotous tear from beginning to end. Your own laughter will continually interrupt your page turning, but the intrusions are part of the fun. The characters laugh until they hold their sides, & you will be as well as Mr. O'Carroll's dialogue is brilliant. There is a scene when a driving lesson is to take place. If I have read better humor I cannot remember what it was.
The wonderful part of the laughterin this book is that it is not only for covering the pain of daily life. The lives you encounter are far from consistently ideal, but the laughter & joy these women share & spread is genuine, not dark, & not meant as emotional misdirection.
This is a brief work; however the Author managed to include so much more than emotional extremes. The 15-year-old eldest son of Agnes meets a man who offers him money for a job that makes no sense to the boy. Think of every negative direction this opening can take & then forget them all. Mr. O'Carroll takes this vignette within, "Mammy", & shows so much of what Humanity could be. The beauty of this mini-tale is that it is not the naïve thoughts of wide-eyed youth. It is a look at how people should treat each other, what should be important when we meet someone, & most importantly how foolish our normal reactions routinely are.
This is one very talented man with a pen.
typical of its time, hilarious but with a serious tone. - By: cazza, 21 Sep 2002 The mammy is so funny you can almost feel that you are part of the family when reading it. Once I started reading it I could not put it down. Though life was difficultin the 60's it brings out the funnier sides of life. Definitely a book to read if you are feeling a bit down because I laughed till I cried at some of the antics Agnus & her best friend get up to. I was unable to put the book down for long I just had to keep reading it. I have also purchased 'The Chiseller & The Granny' the follow up books to this one & cannot wait to read them. I've told everyone I know to read them. Absolutely brilliant!!!! As a history student I have to read some serious stuff so this was the perfect light relief to read.
a fantastic tale of poverty & survival, hope & friendship. - By: cathymcferran@hotmail.com, 21 Sep 2001 Setin the heart of Dublin, a story about one mother's struggle to bring up her children & put food on the table. Although the time frame is short, it beautifully captures the good times through the hardship. Every page will make you giggle or weep. (I had strange looks whilst crying with laughter on the train from Manchester). It lets you laugh out loud at the scenes as you picture them vividlyin your mind, feel your heart sink almost as low as the characters, reminisce with the children as they attempt to realise their dreamsin a lower class background. Brendan O' Carroll provides everything you need.
