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Smile
Smile | Roddy Doyle
From the author of the Booker Prize winning Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, a bold, haunting novel about the uncertainty of memory and how we contend with the past. Just moved into a new apartment, alone for the first time in years, Victor Forde goes every evening to Donnelly's for a pint, a slow one. One evening his drink is interrupted. A man in shorts and a pink shirt comes over and sits down. He seems to know Victor's name and to remember him from secondary school. His name is Fitzpatrick. Victor dislikes him on sight, dislikes, too, the memories that Fitzpatrick stirs up of five years being taught by the Christian Brothers. He prompts other memories--of Rachel, his beautiful wife who became a celebrity, and of Victor's own small claim to fame, as the man who would say the unsayable on the radio. But it's the memories of school, and of one particular brother, that Victor cannot control and which eventually threaten to destroy his sanity. Smile has all the features for which Roddy Doyle has become famous: the razor-sharp dialogue, the humor, the superb evocation of adolescence, but this is a novel unlike any he has written before. When you finish the last page you will have been challenged to reevaluate everything you think you remember so clearly.
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Eva_B
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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Pickpick

I love Roddy Doyle. I picked this up as I hadn‘t read any of his books for a while. I didn‘t read the blurb first so had no idea what it was going to be about. Once I started and found mention of Christian Brothers schools, I knew this book would further fuel my disdain for the Catholic Church. I wasn‘t wrong. Classic Doyle and well worth reading.

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vlwelser
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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Pickpick

This is one of my favorite Irish authors. His books are kind of grim but they are beautifully written.

The book is actually about the aftereffects of sexual abuse experienced at school. So you've been forewarned.

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TheEllieMo
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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I‘ve never read a Roddy Doyle book, but think I probably should. Any recommendations?

#Smile #BoundTogetherJune
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@OriginalCyn620

OriginalCyn620 👍🏻📚😊 4y
24 likes1 comment
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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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Pickpick

Pick
Audiobook read by the author 👍
Short novel of a man coming to terms with his limited success, inferiority, and lack of self-confidence, stemming from his inability to face abuse that happened to him as a youth.
Surprise twist ending that could allow for more than one interpretation. Would love to hear Roddy Doyle‘s explanation.

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TheEllieMo
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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OriginalCyn620 👍🏻📚😊 5y
36 likes1 comment
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BarbaraBB
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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Pickpick

Roddy Doyle used to be one of #MyFavoriteThings when I was young. I had forgotten all about him though until I came across this new book of his. And he still knows how to deliver.
This is the shocking story of Victor, a middle-aged Irish man trying to get his life together after his wife leaves him. In the pub he meets a man he went to school with although he doesn‘t remember the man. Or does he?

#MusicalNewYear

Cinfhen Sounds really good! I don‘t think I‘ve ever read this author before 😕 6y
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen You could try him for the Irish prompt! But then again, there are many alternatives! 6y
Cinfhen What book do u suggest I start with?? 6y
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BarbaraBB My favorite was this one but I read it years and years ago so I‘m not sure how I‘d like it now 🤞😘 6y
CarolynM @Cinfhen My favourite is (edited) 6y
BarbaraBB @CarolynM @Cinfhen I loved that one too indeed! 6y
Cinfhen Thanks for the suggestions Barbara and @CarolynM 6y
Emilymdxn I just bought this one and haven‘t got round to reading it yet! The woman who walked into doors is v important to me, it‘s my favourite novel about domestic abuse (as a survivor I find a lot of novels about it a bit 🙄🙄), I love how it‘s funny in places and complex and not all misery porn, it‘s an amazing book I recommend to anyone interested in Roddy Doyle 6y
BarbaraBB @Emilymdxn Oh wow, as a survivor that book must have hit home hard 😳. I loved it too though. 6y
vivastory I've been meaning to read Doyle for awhile now 6y
BarbaraBB @vivastory Have you received my book yet? My track & trace said it has been delivered so I hope so 🤞😘 6y
Reggie This sounds good. 👍🏽 Stacked!! 6y
94 likes3 stack adds12 comments
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CatLass007
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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#JB mail is the best mail! Thank you for the lovely card, @AmyG and thank you @Jas16 for the ARC of #Smile.

AmyG 💕 6y
Kaye ❤️ 6y
82 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Jas16
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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And I didn‘t come close to 24 hours for the readathon but I had fun and cleared some books off of my towering TBR. Loved having two readathon weekends in a row.

2BR02B Great job! 👏👏👏 6y
robinb Way to go! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 6y
63 likes2 comments
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Jas16
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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Mehso-so

I love Roddy Doyle‘s writing and was drawn into this book from the first page. I enjoyed most of this book but I don‘t think the twist ending really worked. Last book of the #reversereadathon

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Libby1
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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Pickpick

I just finished this book and feel like I‘ve been bludgeoned.

I‘m not even sure how to rate it as it swung wildly between the cringeworthy and the shocking. Maybe it was meant to provoke such a visceral reaction? It also seemed to lose its way in the middle.

I will rate it as a Pick to be on the safe side, but it was not a book I enjoyed. It was, however, one that has made me think, and that‘s sufficient to earn a Pick from me.

andrew61 I heard him discussing it a few times when it came out and it sounded interesting so i may try and look it up- I've not read him for years and The van is one of the funniest books ive read. 6y
Libby1 @andrew61 - this one definitely wasn‘t funny but was intriguing. 6y
74 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Libby1
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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1. Green and purple 💚💜
2. Autumn
3. Historical fiction
4. Reading (Duh! 🤪)
5. Ice cream
6. Coffee or Diet Pepsi (NOT Coke!)
7. Magnetic bookmarks

#GettingToKnowYou
@Tiffy_Reads

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Spiderfelt
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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Mehso-so

This was a real head scratcher. Certainly not as charming as previous Roddy Doyle books. I'm just not sure what to make of the ending. And even if the ending had made sense, the rest of the book was 🤷‍♀️. If hadn't been a selection for the Tournament of Books longlist, the description alone was not compelling enough to prompt a listen. I should listen to my instincts more when it comes to ToB.

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jpmcwisemorgan
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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42 likes1 stack add
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RidgewayGirl
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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I can‘t help agreeing with him a little.

batsy That's perfect. 7y
charl08 It's the "sure" at the end that completely nails it. The man's a genius. 7y
peacegypsy 😂 Good summary! 7y
18 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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RidgewayGirl
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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The book I just finished, the book I‘m reading now, and the next book in line all share a pleasing color scheme.

Liz_M Flannery O'Connor!!! 😍 😍 7y
13 likes1 comment
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Aaronlisa
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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It‘s been ages since I read Roddy Doyle. This book caught my eye in a local bookstore and so far it‘s intriguing.

1 like1 stack add
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PegStar
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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This book had such an unexpected and major twist at the end that I MUST read it again to see if I should have picked up on some clues!
Welcome to my new followers....I am loving Litsy😻

TK-421 Welcome to Litsy! 7y
kspenmoll Welcome! Happy to have you join! 7y
MicheleinPhilly Welcome! It‘s a marvelous place! 7y
DeeLew Welcome! 💜 7y
Grrlbrarian Welcome! 👋 7y
22 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Rhondareads
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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A new Roddy Doyle book always makes me smile @penguinrandomhouse 😁

9 likes1 stack add
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BookishTrish
Smile | Roddy Doyle
Mehso-so

Nobody writes dialogue like Roddy Doyle. He's freaking brilliant at it. At he's not scared to tackle Dark subject matter. I'm just not sure what he was trying to do here came together cohesively. I'd bet it'd make an interesting book club discussion.

BarbaraBB I used to read a lot by Doyle. Somehow I forgot about him in the past years. But you‘re right: his dialogues are brilliant. 7y
Booksnchill I love him but haven't gotten to Smile- wonder if it would be better on audio? 7y
Spiderfelt I just finished the audio. It was well done, but I think I missed some bits as my attention often wanders when I'm listening. The ending left me utterly confused. What happened there? Was Fitzgerald saying 'look at me, the same thing happened to both of us and this is how you could have turned out? 7y
48 likes3 comments
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DeborahSmall
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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#noalibis also hosted Roddy Doyle on Wednesday and were kind enough to get it dedicated for me ❤️

ScorpioBookDreams No Alibis seems like a great shop that goes out of their way for their customers xx 7y
DeborahSmall @ScorpioBookDreams there's no other bookshop like it. I love it ❤️ x 7y
Jas16 I am very jealous! Love Roddy Doyle! 7y
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LeahBergen Oh, I like this cover better than the ARC I received. 👍🏻 7y
TrishB Brilliant customer service 👍 7y
DeborahSmall @Jas16 he'll keep a signed copy for you to collect in November if you'd like , let me know and I'll email him x 7y
57 likes6 comments
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TheJOMOreader
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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First in line for this hold! We read The Woman Who Walked Into Doors in high school, & it's stuck with me ever since. I am thankful (in retrospect) to have gone to a school with teachers who pushed the envelope with required reading, & believed the students could handle tough material. I didn't realize until I looked it up TODAY, though, that TWWWID was only about a year old when we read it. I just assumed all assigned reading was old stuff. Oops!

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BookishTrish
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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Two weeks after my trip to Ireland ends, I get to go back again in this ARC from Roddy Doyle #Ireland #goodreadsgiveaway #bookmail

LauraBeth Nice! Cheers 🍻 7y
Tillie I really could use a sip of one of those... 7y
MrBook Ohh-hhh-hhhh! Love me some Guinness! 😎👌🏻🙌🏻 7y
Minervasbutler Guinness in Dublin is a whole other level of Guinness ;) 7y
63 likes5 comments
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LeahBergen
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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Check out the creepy tagline on this cover:
"He says he remembers you. Why can't you remember him?"

Thanks for the Goodreads ARC, @PenguinRandomCa @penguinrandomhouse !

Kalalalatja Yikes! 7y
Balibee146 Eeek! 7y
AbstractMonica Sounds creepy 👀🤔👌🏼 7y
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cleoh I read the tag line before the title and it sounds terrifying 😱 7y
Jess7 I like the cover! 7y
DeborahSmall He's doing a reading in Belfast next month. It's 2 days before the John Connolly reading so I've chosen JC as can only get to one. 💕 7y
DeborahSmall Let me know if you like it and I'll email David at No Alibis and ask him to get me copy signed for you. I can pick them up on the Friday 15th 😘 you're parcel finally on the way!! 7y
LeahBergen @DeborahSmall I probably won't get around to it any time soon (you know how that is 😆) so don't worry about getting a signed one for me. Lucky you, getting to see John Connolly, though! I know he's one of your favourites. And a parcel for me ... YAY!!!! 😘😘😘 7y
rubyslippersreads You're scaring me. 😱 7y
83 likes3 stack adds9 comments
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Jas16
Smile | Roddy Doyle
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Yay surprise #bookmail!!! I love Roddy Doyle and just found out this book was coming out a few days ago. Cannot believe my friend sent me an ARC. I owe her some chocolate for sure.

LeahBergen I love your bookmark! ❤️ 7y
56 likes1 comment