Black Hoodie: The Deportees Audiobook (Unabridged)

" A bit uneven but good--worth it for The New Boy. "

" Hilarious vignettes about the super-accelerated melting pot that is Ireland. "

" A great collection of stories dealing primarily with Irish pride and race relations. Ireland has recently become a melting pot of non Irish culture. This book deals with race relations from the Irish perspective. "

" Roddy Doyle must have been hard up for some cash and decided to publish this book. Sad to say, as much as I love him this was not his best. True, this was a collection of short stories that appeared in an Irish newspaper so, of course themes and development had to be truncated but, geez. Why publish a book with the stories? I mean, I was entertained a bit but this was certainly nothing to get excited over. "

" This is great for a fun and easy read.... It's been banned from the bedroom as my husband finds my constant giggling annoying.... "

" Insightful & witty stories that portray the changing population of modern day Ireland ... always funny & entertaining - love Roddy Doyle! "

" Listening on CD. I tried to read Roddy Doyle some years back and couldn't get into it. Listening to the words is preferable, and enjoyable so far. "

" An interesting collection of stories. Hugh Lee does a passable job of reading. His accents (especially the American and African ones) are a little over the top. "

" depressing.. realistic and depressing (with, perhaps, the exception of The Pram). But good. "

" I love Doyle, and it kills me to only give it 3 stars, but this is not his strongest effort. I was fascinated by the subject and his take on it, but the collection of columns format is not my favorite. "

" I generally shy away from short stories (something about high school English and excruciating stories that were supposed to inspire) but I picked this up and loved it. So much that I plan to read all Roddy Doyle books offered at the library! "

" Wonderful stories of Ireland as it looks at its changing ethnicity and what it means to be Irish. Very personal look. I listened to it. The story, Deportees is a band put together by Jimmy Rabbit of Committment fame. "

" Roddy Doyle's voice is one of the most unique in fiction, and this collection of short stories didn't disappoint. All the charm of his best novels of the 1990s packed into pocket-sized narratives that set familiar themes (and a few familiar characters) against a newly evolved backdrop. "

" Not usually a short story fan, but I really enjoyed these stories, which place the reader in Doyle's Dublin, a place he's brought alive for me. "

" Another colorful-against-a-grey-backdrop series of stories that made me laugh, shiver under the covers with fear, and feel grateful, yet again, that I didn't move to Ireland. (Though I've enjoyed my visits there!!!) "

" I couldn't even finish these short stories. Sadly I think Roddy Doyle is no longer interesting... although it is interesting what has happened to Ireland "

" Remarkably uneven! The title story is awesome. The one about the test the government comes up with to mark Irishness is dreadful. Most are somewhere in-between. "

" Four stars instead of five only because I don't care for short stories. Roddy Doyle is a feckin god, though. "

" There is nobody too f*cked up for Roddy Doyle to love. His love for all humanity always cheers me, gives me hope. "

" It was surprising for me to not like the title story, especially after having liked "The Barrytown Trilogy" so much. Some of the other stories rang true to my favor of this author. He always gives a clear and convincing voice to his characters. I am always on the lookout for new material from Doyle. "

" Roddy Doyle is an exceptional writer...this book of short stories is an easy, spunky read but just did not humor me as I was hoping. "

" I love Roddy Doyle! The book was grand! "

" A hilarious and insightful collection of short stories. Roddy Doyle at his best. "

" Roddy Doyle is one of my favorite authors. "

" I'm not usually a fan of short story anthologies -- there is usually too much muck to wade through. But Roddy Doyle has written an engrossing and passionate work that never disappoints. "

" Classic Doyle - humour with a powerful message "

" A hilarious and insightful collection of short stories. Roddy Doyle at his best. "

" Stories about immigrants in Ireland. His dialogue and regular characters always seem very authentic. "

" Insightful & witty stories that portray the changing population of modern day Ireland ... always funny & entertaining - love Roddy Doyle! "

" A chance to revisit Jimmy Rabbitt (the goofy promoter from "The Commitments") and enjoy a truly masterful short story writer. Grand. "

" I love Roddy Doyle! The book was grand! "

" depressing.. realistic and depressing (with, perhaps, the exception of The Pram). But good. "

" I think I expected a little more from this book, based on Roddy Doyle's previous books. "

" Some great stories here, but given the constrained format, some were better than others. Still, Doyle is one of the few contemporary writers I really admire. He has a way of getting inside his characters' skin that is uncanny--and wholly convincing. "