Fiction

Love

Love

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-01 06:51:43
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Roddy Doyle
  • ISBN：1984880470
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Summary

Two old friends reconnect in Dublin for a dramatic， revealing evening of drinking and storytelling in this winning new novel from the author of the Booker Prize winning Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

One summer's evening， two men meet up in a Dublin restaurant。

Drinking pals back in their youth， now married and with grown up children， their lives have taken seemingly similar paths。 But Joe has a secret he needs to tell Davy， and Davy has a sorrow he wants to keep from Joe。 Both are not the men they used to be。

Joe has left his wife and family for another woman， Jessica。 Davy knows her too， or should - she was the girl of their dreams four decades earlier， the girl with the cello in George's pub。 As Joe's story unfolds across Dublin - pint after pint， pub after pub - so too do the memories of what eventually drove Davy from Ireland: his first encounter with Faye， the lively woman who would become his wife; his father's somber disapproval; the pained spaces left behind when a parent dies。

As the two friends try to reconcile their versions of the past over the course of one night， Love offers a delightfully comic yet moving portrait of the many forms love can take throughout our lives。

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Reviews

Suse ，

Man sollte das Buch in einem Rutsch lesen， sonst geht die Besonderheit verloren。 Die Besonderheit besteht darin， dass ein Treffen von alten Freunden in Irland ， genauso wie in diesem Buch beschrieben abläuft。 Inkusive der Art und Weise der Redewendungen und Eigenarten。Man sollte schon ein wenig wissen， wie Iren "ticken"。Dann macht das Buch Spaß und Sinn。 Man sollte das Buch in einem Rutsch lesen， sonst geht die Besonderheit verloren。 Die Besonderheit besteht darin， dass ein Treffen von alten Freunden in Irland ， genauso wie in diesem Buch beschrieben abläuft。 Inkusive der Art und Weise der Redewendungen und Eigenarten。Man sollte schon ein wenig wissen， wie Iren "ticken"。Dann macht das Buch Spaß und Sinn。 。。。more

Dolf Patijn ，

I've read the first four books of the Barrytown pentalogy， The woman who walked into doors and A Star called Henry， and loved them。 That's why I bought this book。 Although it had its moments， this book just didn't work for me。 For anyone new to Roddy Doyle I would say don't start with this book。 I've read the first four books of the Barrytown pentalogy， The woman who walked into doors and A Star called Henry， and loved them。 That's why I bought this book。 Although it had its moments， this book just didn't work for me。 For anyone new to Roddy Doyle I would say don't start with this book。 。。。more

Sherry ，

I learned a long time ago that should you be in the company of drunks， either get drunk with them or leave the party。 I didn’t heed my own advice on this one and read the whole book。 Yes， there were some amusing times， and even some real and sad ones， but overall it was quite boring。 Two old friends， who hadn’t seen each other in many years go on a pub crawl in Dublin and ‘catch up’ on their lives。

Nana ，

An authentic tour of Dublin’s pubs and guaranteed to induce a hangover just from the reading， this book is a toast to memory。 That fluid thing you conjure from your mind when you meet up with a friend over an uncountable amount of beer and words。 It’s a thing abou’ getting’ older。。。 So many memories， you know。 It becomes harder to separate wha’ happened from wha’ might’ve happened an’ wha’ didn’t happen but kind o’ seemed to。

Linda ，

I love Roddy Doyle books and this one didn't disappoint even though it did take me awhile to get into it。 I love Roddy Doyle books and this one didn't disappoint even though it did take me awhile to get into it。 。。。more

Susan Carroll Cooper ，

There were part arts of this I really loved。 I liked that it was almost entirely just dialogue between two old friends。 But i found it repetitive and honestly a bit tedious at times。 The ending was incredibly moving。 Maybe 2。5 stars。

Audrey ，

I was halfway through this book when I realized I hadn't read something written by a male author in awhile。 Which， isn't to say that there aren't incredible works of literature written by men， but there was a marked difference of some of the emotional depth missing from this one。 The entire story unfolds over a night that Joe and Davy （both in their 50s or so） catching up over a few pints。 We jump around through time as they share tales of their friendship。 Largely this read to me like a convers I was halfway through this book when I realized I hadn't read something written by a male author in awhile。 Which， isn't to say that there aren't incredible works of literature written by men， but there was a marked difference of some of the emotional depth missing from this one。 The entire story unfolds over a night that Joe and Davy （both in their 50s or so） catching up over a few pints。 We jump around through time as they share tales of their friendship。 Largely this read to me like a conversation you overhear in a bar that gets a bit interesting for them the longer they drink， but you're completely sober and a bit disinterested。 。。。more

Jacob ，

Needed a break in the midst of working my way through Dune， and I’m glad I found this book… Published in 2020， the book’s premise is pretty simple - two long time friends meet up in Ireland - and the dialogue-heavy style covers their journey through a night of going out to pubs。

Susie Castledine ，

I am sobbing

Steve Horn ，

men will be boys and die。

Carofish ，

This is so cleverly written。 It is set as a long conversation between men who haven’t seen one another for years。 it is poignant and Heart-wrenching。 The characters feel very real and so do the places。 This is great Irish literature。 Good to read Roddy Doyle again

Ann ，

A story about love and relationships that is intimate and sad and sweet， deeply Irish and specifically male。 It’s so rare to hear men talk about love this way， but here it is—in classic Roddy Doyle style—presented almost entirely in dialogue， over pints。 At times it moved so slow， I grew impatient， exactly the way one feels while waiting for their increasingly inebriated friend to just get to the damned point。 And when it was over， I felt the way I feel after drinking too long and saying too muc A story about love and relationships that is intimate and sad and sweet， deeply Irish and specifically male。 It’s so rare to hear men talk about love this way， but here it is—in classic Roddy Doyle style—presented almost entirely in dialogue， over pints。 At times it moved so slow， I grew impatient， exactly the way one feels while waiting for their increasingly inebriated friend to just get to the damned point。 And when it was over， I felt the way I feel after drinking too long and saying too much and listening too little to someone I loved。 That’s good storytelling。 This started out as a ⭐️⭐️⭐️“liked it” but i upgraded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “really liked it” and eventually ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️as I thought about it more。 。。。more

Ian Banks ，

This has the potential to be a terrible novel but the thin plot is wonderfully handled by Mr Doyle。 Two old friends meet in a pub and go on a crawl from here。 It’s interspersed with reminiscences from the narrator as he contemplates his past and the mess he thinks his mate has made of his life。 It treads a thin line between being heartfelt and mawkish and mostly makes it to being a good read。

Charles ，

Two old blokes go pub to pub getting pissed。 One tries to explain to the other that he is not the cliched man-who-leaves-his-wife-for-another-woman。 The narrator tells us several times that the topic is boring。 And， really， maybe， it is。 Unless you like listening to these men， and I did。 Unless you have ever been trying to explain the magic of love and realized you sound like an idiotic pop song。 Unless you are old enough to not remember half of what you remember。 If the first 40 pages make you Two old blokes go pub to pub getting pissed。 One tries to explain to the other that he is not the cliched man-who-leaves-his-wife-for-another-woman。 The narrator tells us several times that the topic is boring。 And， really， maybe， it is。 Unless you like listening to these men， and I did。 Unless you have ever been trying to explain the magic of love and realized you sound like an idiotic pop song。 Unless you are old enough to not remember half of what you remember。 If the first 40 pages make you ask if you should finish it， you probably don't need to。 The first time they ask if they should get another pint， ask yourself if you want to get another one with them。 I was more than happy to go along for the crawl， even though I predictably ended up bawling， and unable to explain why。 。。。more

Spiros ，

We join our heroes at lunch， on a sweltering Dublin afternoon， 37 years after they discovered That One Pub， George's， the pub that initiated them into the adult world。 Davy and his wife Faye are living in Wantage， Oxfordshire， having moved from Dublin shortly after their wedding。 Joe has recently left his wife， Trish， for a woman he had first met at George's all those years previously， and hadn't seen until parent's night at his daughter's school one year ago。 Over the course of the evening （and We join our heroes at lunch， on a sweltering Dublin afternoon， 37 years after they discovered That One Pub， George's， the pub that initiated them into the adult world。 Davy and his wife Faye are living in Wantage， Oxfordshire， having moved from Dublin shortly after their wedding。 Joe has recently left his wife， Trish， for a woman he had first met at George's all those years previously， and hadn't seen until parent's night at his daughter's school one year ago。 Over the course of the evening （and into the next morning） Joe will try， with varying degrees of candor， to explain his situation to Davy in a seemingly unending number of pubs， and over countless pints。 We are in no doubt of the events in Davy's life over the past 37 years; he is narrating， and only too willing to spill his guts to us。 Joe's account of himself is a little more suspect; whether it's the need to justify his actions battling with a desire to unburden himself to his old friend， or whether is the effect of a truly epic amount of Guinness， the story never does fully cohere。 Which doesn't stop both men's stories from being both outrageously funny and deeply affecting。 Especially for me， who hasn't been in any of his favorite bars for going on 15 months now。 。。。more

Ross Mccall ，

Though ultimately poignant and meaningful， I found this a frustrating read。 In parts it felt like reading a writer who has written great comedy in the past and now thinks whatever he writes is funny if it occupies a similar world。 Almost completely written in dialogue without chapter breaks as such， it was at least a fairly quick read。 I bought it because the characters appeared to occupy a similar current lives experience to me， but in the end I felt little connection to either of them。 Strong Though ultimately poignant and meaningful， I found this a frustrating read。 In parts it felt like reading a writer who has written great comedy in the past and now thinks whatever he writes is funny if it occupies a similar world。 Almost completely written in dialogue without chapter breaks as such， it was at least a fairly quick read。 I bought it because the characters appeared to occupy a similar current lives experience to me， but in the end I felt little connection to either of them。 Strong finish or it might have only gotten one star from me。 。。。more

Alex ，

Two old friends meet for drinks and talk about love。 It's a story of male friendship， warm and real， that contains more instances of the phrase "fuck off" than any other book I've read in my life。 Good old Roddy Doyle。 Two old friends meet for drinks and talk about love。 It's a story of male friendship， warm and real， that contains more instances of the phrase "fuck off" than any other book I've read in my life。 Good old Roddy Doyle。 。。。more

Lynn ，

A good read but hard to keep up with who is saying what。

Kevin Christiansen ，

I enjoyed the dialogue between the two friends （it felt like being a fly on the wall in a pub in Dublin） and the periodic change of perspective as Davey reflected back on a number of memories in his life during the dialogue。 It did， however， get a bit tedious at a few different points。 I found myself thinking "get to it already"。 Overall a solid read。 I enjoyed the dialogue between the two friends （it felt like being a fly on the wall in a pub in Dublin） and the periodic change of perspective as Davey reflected back on a number of memories in his life during the dialogue。 It did， however， get a bit tedious at a few different points。 I found myself thinking "get to it already"。 Overall a solid read。 。。。more

Steven John ，

I got half way through。 Some amusing moments， I'm a sucker for the Irish patois and the plot of two old mates reminiscing about a gorgeous girl in their shared past will ring true with many straight men。 But get past page 180 of 320 ish is a real struggle。 Like that sixth pint， it loses all its sparkle and becomes little more than an endurance test。 By 220 I felt like calling a taxi and going home to bed。 If I read the two words "fuck off" one more time， I swear （forgive the pun） I'd throw the b I got half way through。 Some amusing moments， I'm a sucker for the Irish patois and the plot of two old mates reminiscing about a gorgeous girl in their shared past will ring true with many straight men。 But get past page 180 of 320 ish is a real struggle。 Like that sixth pint， it loses all its sparkle and becomes little more than an endurance test。 By 220 I felt like calling a taxi and going home to bed。 If I read the two words "fuck off" one more time， I swear （forgive the pun） I'd throw the book through the window。 By page 240 I was totally sick of it。 Repetitive， bland， shaggy-dog story that would have a made a decent novella - but 320 page novel - to use those really unfunny words one more time - fuck off！ 。。。more

Sue ，

I have never been so glad to finish a book！ Sorry Mr Doyle， just not my cup of tea at all。I found it monotonous and tedious。 I couldn’t relate to， or feel anything for， the two characters at all。I received the book free as a precursor to a Telegraph “A night with Roddy Doyle” session online。 Which promises spoilers。 I’m hoping for explanations as I never did get what Joe was trying to get across！

Dave Kavanagh ，

This is Roddy Doyle at his strongest and in a zone he is comfortable with， two guys in a pub。 However， this may not be the story you were expecting。In a novel that is set over a single evening and that consists of mainly dialogue， Doyle explores love in all of its forms through his characters。 Enter Davy and Joe who were friends as boys and have managed to remain friends into their late middle years。 The men begin their evening in a restaurant and once finished there go on a pub crawl through Du This is Roddy Doyle at his strongest and in a zone he is comfortable with， two guys in a pub。 However， this may not be the story you were expecting。In a novel that is set over a single evening and that consists of mainly dialogue， Doyle explores love in all of its forms through his characters。 Enter Davy and Joe who were friends as boys and have managed to remain friends into their late middle years。 The men begin their evening in a restaurant and once finished there go on a pub crawl through Dublin， visiting old haunts while all the time heading for a single pub， 'Georges' that is central to the back story- and yet they never reach it。 As the evening role by， both men in turns become drunker， funnier， more belligerent and then equally sorry for their belligerence。 Joe for his part is telling Davy the story of his separation from his wife Trish， while also explaining poorly his current odd relationship with a woman who he may or may not have had a relationship with in his youth。 Davy， who is （mostly） happily married to Faye， （a wild harridan from Wexford） has been living in England for most of his adult life is both scandalised and fascinated by what Joe is telling him。 Throughout the story Davy wavers from wanting to know all， to wanting walking away and never seeing Joe again， however， it is only as we reach the finale that we learn why Davy is back in Dublin。The characters are used cleverly by Doyle as a vehicle to chart the complex and not often discussed emotions of men。 He does it wonderfully without being overt。 The dialogue is authentic as are the settings。 If I was to make any criticism it would be that the mid section of the book was a little repetitive， but then， we are dealing with two characters who are slowly becoming more inebriated， so repetition would be expected so can be forgiven。 There are some wonderfully observations in the book， some had me nodding in agreement while others had me smiling。 The book may take a little time to come to terms with， but once you finish it， the characters will remain with you for a long time to come。 。。。more

Brian ，

This surprised me。 I was expecting the throwaway frivolity of the “Two Pints” books， but this was a lot deeper。 Two Dubliners in their late 50’s go on a pub crawl and we gradually get a sense of their shared history， but also of how time and memory play out。 I recall an interview with Roddy Doyle years ago when he mentioned that he was influenced by the great George V Higgins， particularly in the use of dialogue。 “Love” is almost entirely dialogue-driven， which takes a huge amount of talent to p This surprised me。 I was expecting the throwaway frivolity of the “Two Pints” books， but this was a lot deeper。 Two Dubliners in their late 50’s go on a pub crawl and we gradually get a sense of their shared history， but also of how time and memory play out。 I recall an interview with Roddy Doyle years ago when he mentioned that he was influenced by the great George V Higgins， particularly in the use of dialogue。 “Love” is almost entirely dialogue-driven， which takes a huge amount of talent to pull off。 Doyle manages this， but there are layers behind the banter and wisecracks。 Very impressive。 。。。more

Joe ，

This is the first book I started in all my 50 years in this planet that I could not finish。 I just couldn’t get thru the banal dialog and just no plot。 The book is entirely a bar conversation that meanders as you would expect from two drunk men in a pub。 I know there is this ‘mystery’ in the book that others have said is revealed at the end- for me I just couldn’t bring myself to continue to read thru the boring dialog just for the apparent pay off at the end。 Honestly- I don’t even care that I This is the first book I started in all my 50 years in this planet that I could not finish。 I just couldn’t get thru the banal dialog and just no plot。 The book is entirely a bar conversation that meanders as you would expect from two drunk men in a pub。 I know there is this ‘mystery’ in the book that others have said is revealed at the end- for me I just couldn’t bring myself to continue to read thru the boring dialog just for the apparent pay off at the end。 Honestly- I don’t even care that I don’t know what happens… on to another book。 。。。more

Natalie Mckenzie ，

I’d give it 2。75 stars if I could。 I really like Doyle’s work， but this one did not meet my 100 page threshold （meaning I was still not that interested in the story after page 100）。 I still finished it because I had nothing else lined up to read instead and I desperately rely on reading before bed as part of my routine。As with many of Doyle’s books， it took me a while to get a hang of which character was talking。 Eventually， you don’t mind the lack of quotation marks and proper names。I just didn I’d give it 2。75 stars if I could。 I really like Doyle’s work， but this one did not meet my 100 page threshold （meaning I was still not that interested in the story after page 100）。 I still finished it because I had nothing else lined up to read instead and I desperately rely on reading before bed as part of my routine。As with many of Doyle’s books， it took me a while to get a hang of which character was talking。 Eventually， you don’t mind the lack of quotation marks and proper names。I just didn’t find Joe’s story about meeting up with Jess all that compelling。 He takes the whole friggin book to poorly articulate his own thoughts on what he has done。 And then Davy keeps asking for more detail！ Move on！ It’s not interesting！The final pages， however， were quite moving and left me with a great deal to think about。 。。。more

Wendy ，

Odd， but enjoyable。

Maria Woods ，

Entirely made is dialogue which I found a bit much。 I suspect it would make a good audio book。 I also found it frustrating as it never really got to the point。 I really didn’t care about Joe， Davy was a little more interesting but not much。

Dorrie ，

He's one of my favorites。 This was a little different， but very enjoyable。 He really knows his characters！ He's one of my favorites。 This was a little different， but very enjoyable。 He really knows his characters！ 。。。more

Brenda ，

Two Irish men in their 60 ‘s on a Dublin pub crawl talking about their lives and loves。 I skipped many pages。。。 read the ending。 The novel which was mostly dialogue was too long and tedious。 I lost interest but did want to know what happened with Jessica。 Finding out was rather disappointing。 Two pints（ 2017） which was similar in format but much shorter， more humorous and a much more enjoyable read。

Dan Mielcarz ，

Sitting here with tears in my eyes at the end of this。 Brilliant。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Love

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Love&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Love&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0