Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #135804 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

Amazon.com Review
On his only prior visit to Ireland, English songwriter-comic Tony Hawks had seen a man hitchhiking with a refrigerator. For years, he was wont to tell the tale during late-night drinking matches, and after one particularly heavy-duty night of partying, he awoke to find a bet scrawled pillowside: a friend wagered 100 pounds that Hawks wouldn't travel Ireland for a month with a refrigerator at his side.

Out of this stupid premise, a ridiculously amusing book was born. Quickly discovered by the Irish media, the thumbing Englishman finds that he and his box fridge are elevated to celebrity status, and there's no dearth of rides, places to stay, or goofy people to meet, from kings to spoons players to locals who take his fridge surfing. As insightful about the strange inner workings of Hawk's mind as it is about charming peculiarities of Irishmen--it's doubtful that Hawks would have been similarly embraced by Germans, Italians, or the French--Round Ireland with a Fridge is an entirely silly, heartwarming tale told in a rollicking funny and refreshing style. --Melissa Rossi

From Publishers Weekly
When British writer, performer and musician Hawks makes a drunken bet for ?100 that he can "hitchhike round the circumference of Ireland, with a fridge, in one calendar month," he starts, in 1997, an unexpectedly wonderful adventure into the good-natured soul of the Irish people. Though the book begins inauspiciously as a bad parody of Dave Barry's travel books, with Hawks assuming a smug distance from the people and events he encounters, happily fate intervenes in the form of a jovial radio-show host who convinces Hawks to phone in daily to share updates about his travels with the fridge. Almost overnight, Hawks becomes a regional legendA"The Fridge Man"Awith all sorts of people willing to help him achieve his goal, however silly it may be. What could have been a convenient contrivance actually allows a kinder and far funnier Hawks to appear, as his daily talks with his radio "fans" bring him unexpected delights, including encounters with an overenthusiastic innkeeper and his family, the amazing champion surfer Bingo, various musicians and lots of pub visits. In the end, Hawks's book becomes a lively celebration of contemporary Irish society and the goodwill of its people that neither revels in irony nor descends into mawkishness. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Yes, a fridge. People sometimes do the craziest things when they've had too many beers. Hawks, known throughout Great Britain for his humor and appearances on various radio and television shows, made a drunken bet with a friend that he could successfully hitchhike around Ireland with a refrigerator as his traveling companion. Once sober, he realized the magnitude of the task he'd set himself but agreed to honor the bet anyway. The result is a hysterically funny travelog, in which Hawks shares his warm regard for the Irish, his amusing contacts with the natives, anecdotes from places he stayed, and brief tales about those who gave him rides. Anyone who enjoys Bill Bryson or Dave Barry will greatly appreciate Hawks for a writing style that seems to be a stew made of one part Monty Python, one part Benny Hill, and two parts Barry. Highly recommended for public libraries and academic libraries with browsing collections.
-Sandra Knowles, Henderson Cty. P.L., Hendersonville, NC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Nothing deep, but fun
I enjoyed this book about Tony's adventures in Ireland. Like the cover says--he made a drunken bet no one expected him to keep, kept it anyway, and ended up with this adventure.

I, and several others in my bookclub, have no desire to see the stand up comedian in person. He didn't really come off as a funny guy in the book, particularly because he bombed both times he had a chance to show his stuff, but the book is delightful because it is peopled with quirky unforgettable characters and there's a wry humor in the writing.

SPOILER:
Tony's success in getting around Ireland with the fridge was definitely due to the call-in radio show that followed him from the beginning. He hardly struggled to hitch. Or find a place to sleep. Or eat. But that never diminished my desire to continue reading. It actually made me want to read more--to see how popular the guy could get. The adventure was fun to follow to the end, which was the funniest part of the book with its wonderfully anticlimactic kitchen appliance parade. I think the Irish people redeemed themselves there.

Don't read this book to discover Ireland--it's not a travel story of that sort. You do get some nice imagery/descriptions, but not enough to make it a standout feature of the book. You get more about the people than the land.

One neg is that I really don't feel like I know Tony Hawks much by the end of the book. You know more about some of the Irish characters than you know about him. Very little background info/motivation for actions, etc. is offered, and I wonder why. A little bit (not a ton) of that would have improved the story for me. Another neg is that the book made it seem as if all of Ireland is drunk all the time. It might be because Tony hung out mainly in bars, but it seemed like an unfair implication (then again, I am very unfamiliar with Ireland and Irish people).

In the end, this is a fun read about a crazy adventure in Ireland.

Why you ask? Well why not?
This is a laugh-out-loud funny book. After reading it, I wanted to visit Ireland. Sure, the premise of the book is a bit ridiculous. Traveling around Ireland with fridge to win a bet. However, the author consistently points this out himself. The people he meets are interesting, and his take on them (and the adventure as a whole) is well written and worth reading. As a bonus for those who can't read, there are many pictures in the middle of the book.

What a HOOT!
I plan to order several more copies of this book and give it to many of my friends. It makes me laugh out loud! Very well written.