Derry was our weekly shopping place and like Belfast, it was being blown apart during at that time, so I could relate to his story. Eldest son Ward Jansen was a well respected investigative reporter for the Miami Times, his stories largely on issues of civil rights.

lol) the atmosphere and feeling of growing up during the troubles felt very true to me and it transported me back to my own childhood. I am not sure how it would read if you aren't from Norn Iron, but I loved it!

This is the memoir of a young boy who lived in the Shankill area of Belfast in the mid-1970's at the height of the troubles. meanwhile he is growing up, managing his paper route. Macaulay’s pre- and adolescent wonder is well-written and entertaining.

Review originally posted on Bibliophilia, Please, Readers’ Top Histories and Biographies of the Last 5 Years. Tony is old enough to realize what is going on around him but is still busy growing up. A fantastic story of a young boy living amongst the 'Troubles' and life in Belfast, but with a naivety that comes with age. On the one hand, Macaulay's youth is typical. I laughed out loud throughout. I didn't even realize that until I would wonder why he said what he did in certain places at the beginning of the book; even though I knew he was a Protestant, it still didn't sink in for a while; I kept wondering why he said things that made him sound like he wasn't Catholic! Meanwhile, Ward and Yardley's investigation stirs up deep-rooted issues of race and acceptance which could cause serious consequences for everyone involved. Ward and Yardley being given this assignment was largely on the impetus of letters from Charlotte Bless.

Even in the face of really horrible things, Macaulay maintains his humor!


Taglines We were aware of what was going on, of the ‘us and them’ nature of society, and we occasionally felt it interrupt our own lives – but on the whole we had normal, happy childhoods and Tony has put this across fantastically.

Terrific holiday read. But into the mix comes the fiancée of the imprisoned convict who stirs up confusing feelings of love and lust for the young Jack. I am not sure how it would read if you aren't from Norn Iron, but I loved it! There are no discussion topics on this book yet. As such, Charlotte became integral to the investigation, she who accompanied the trio to the prison whenever they needed to visit Hillary. An idealistic reporter, Ward Jansen (McConaughey) and his younger brother, Jack Jansen (Efron) investigate the events surrounding a murder to exonerate a man on death row, Hillary Van Wetter (Cusack). But all that is minor and actually adds to the verscity of the whole account, which offers me the perspective of a near contemporary growing up in the same city, but effectively half a world away. Four years later, Charlot… We were aware of what was going on. Hillary Van Wetter was jailed for the murder of an unscrupulous local sheriff, Thurmond Call. This is a memoir by Tony Macaulay. playing the violin in the school orc. | experiencing his first crush. Synopsis It could probably have done with a little more shaping with the help of an experienced editor... for example some of the colloquial ticks in his writing, particularly at the begining and/or ends of chapters, seemed a little forced "so they did." Although I grew up a decade or so later, and in Ballymena (which gets some stick from Tony in the book. I’m not sure what I was expecting from this book... but it certainly wasn’t a laugh-out-loud funny account of the Troubles. Cringey and cliched, Tony Macaulay spent his formative years growing up in the working class neighborhood of the Upper Shankill in Belfast during the Troubles of the 1970s. Bleached blonde white trash from Mobile, Alabama, Charlotte had routinely written to inmates including Hillary.
He describes his life as a pre-adolescent who experienced the culture of the times growing into his teenage years amidst the turmoil of that violent period. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Tony Macaulay is a respected professional community relations and youth worker based in Belfast. A fantastic book. Sure, there are cars and businesses being blown up when you're trying to make your way home from school, but you still have to undertake the serious business of growing up, chasing the girls, buying questionable mail order items (sea monkeys, anyone? [5] Lee Daniels stepped in as director [6] and the project began in summer 2011. To see what your friends thought of this book, Paperboy: An Enchanting True Story of a Belfast Paperboy Coming to Terms with the Troubles. Welcome back. I didn't find these references beyond me.....everyone should know about the huge popularity of parallels, tartan and the Rollers, but the lingo might confuse folk from different parts of the world. [7] The film was shown at the 2012 festival at Cannes. I’m not sure that someone not from Northern Ireland would necessarily engage with it as much as I did but. The satire was so understated and clever that it was easy to escape into a non-political world of the adventures of a Paperboy in the cultural context of 1970s Belfast, while surfacing now and then to take in the political ironies. Things didn't necessarily happen exactly in the order you remember... And as I heard one other speaker say recently "The older I get the clearer my memory of things that never happened."

As a Protestant, Tony was aware of the presence of "paramilitaries" of the UVF and UDA and of the threats posed by the IRA. He describes his life as a pre-adolescent who experienced the culture of the times growing into his teenage years amidst the turmoil of that violent period. ), loving the BCR and getting your paper route (er - round) done on time and without incidence (thievery, bombs, etc.). | This has got to be the funniest book ever written about growing up in Northern Ireland. In terms of the language, the first line hit me in the face, so it did, and the pace and confidence of the story and the writing really started to build about a quarter of the way through. This is a book I will definitely go back to read again. "Paperboy" is the memoir of Tony Macaulay, a young boy who takes on a job as a paperboy in Belfast during the 1970s. It becomes clear that Anita's recollection of the situation is not so much to tell if they are able to prove Hillary innocent, but rather to relay the interrelationship between this collective of players, most specifically Ward, Jack and Charlotte, and how Jack's love for both played into what happened. The ordinary stories of lives being shaped against the backdrop of the troubles.

This has got to be the funniest book ever written about growing up in Northern Ireland. Younger brother Jack Jansen has returned home after a failed stint at university as a star swimmer. Eldest son Ward Jansen is a star reporter for a Miami newspaper and has returned home with close friend Yardley to investigate a racial murder case. I didn't find these references beyond me.....everyone should know about the huge popularity of parallels, tartan and the Rollers, but the lingo might confuse folk from different parts of the world. while he was still a boy he witnessed the fights, the bombs going off the fight for and against the IRA. For example that customers were searched for bombs upon entering a shop only comes up right in the middle of the book. This is a memoir by Tony Macaulay. Although I grew up a decade or so later, and in Ballymena (which gets some stick from Tony in the book. It brought back lots of memories from my own childhood that I had forgotten about.

51 reviews It’s Belfast, 1975. Consumed by guilt, Ward commits suicide.

He has spent the past 30 years working to build peace and reconciliation at home and abroad, working with hundreds of youth and community groups to break down barriers of mistrust, hatred and division. I really thoroughly enjoyed this book. However the journalists embellish the facts and play up certain aspects of the story while downplaying others, and Yardley sleeps with Charlotte. I laughed frequently and I shed a wee tear a couple of times when I least expected it. Given that I previously trashed a theatre production that Tony was in to his face (without realising he had been in it... the production had been about 15 years before) I hope he will forgive any mild criticism of this book. Anita, the chain-smoking maid of the Jansen family, recounts to an unseen reporter the events of the summer of 1969, when idealistic reporter Ward Jansen came back to his hometown of Lately in Moat County, Florida, to investigate the events surrounding a murder in an effort to exonerate a man on death row, Hillary Van Wetter. Taking PEN in Hand : Literary Honors for 1996 Give a Boost to 13 Writers, From Poets to Journalists to Novelists and Critics, Cannes: Millennium/Nu Image To Deliver 'The Paperboy', Nicole Kidman in Talks to Join Lee Daniels' 'Paperboy' Amid Cast Shuffle (Exclusive), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Paperboy_(novel)&oldid=962363141, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 13 June 2020, at 16:15. It's always strange reading something by someone you know well. I smiled throughout, despite appreciating the horrific circumstances they were facing every day.

It also was the first one I've read by a Protestant. Call had previously stomped Wetter's handcuffed cousin to death. Despite never having met in person, Hillary and Charlotte became engaged. [1] The reviewer added that "the pacing works to the novel's advantage, forcing us to linger in its eerie emotional straits. The city lies under the dark cloud of the Troubles, and hatred fills the air like smoke. We need to hear more of these stories. Dr. Tony Macaulay is a bestselling author, leadership consultant, peacebuilder, broadcaster and suicide prevention advocate from Northern Ireland. Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron star in the film, with Oscar winner Nicole Kidman taking on the role of Charlotte. But she knew it was meant to be when it turned out Paul was the paperboy from years ago her dad had always raved about. I didn't even realize that until I would wonder why he said what he did in certain places at the beginning of the book; even though I knew he was a Protestant, it still didn't sink in for a while; I kept wondering why he said things that made him sound like he wasn't Catholic! In prison Wetter receives correspondence from Charlotte Bless, a woman he has never met but who has fallen in love with him and is determined that he should be released and that they should marry. Wetter is now on death row and awaiting execution. Complications ensued when Jack himself fell for Charlotte - his first love - who he saw, if he were to admit to himself, his mother, a high school sweetheart, and an oversexed Barbie doll all rolled into one.