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Round Ireland with a Fridge | 
enlarge | Author: Tony Hawks Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Category: Book
List Price: $13.95 Buy Used: $0.01 You Save: $13.94 (100%)
Rating: 75 reviews Sales Rank: 106578
Media: Paperback Edition: 1st Pages: 264 Number Of Items: 1 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5 Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7
ISBN: 0312274920 Dewey Decimal Number: 914.1504824 EAN: 9780312274924 ASIN: 0312274920
Publication Date: March 7, 2001 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Shipping: Expedited shipping available Shipping: International shipping available Condition: With pride from Motor City. All books guaranteed. Best Service, best prices.
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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
Product Description Have you ever made a drunken ben? Worse, still, have you eveer tried to win one? In attempting to hitchhike round Ireland wich a fridge, Tony Hawks did both, and his foolhardiness led him to one of the best experiences of his life. Joined by his trusty traveling companion-cum-domestic appliance, he made his way from Dublin to Donegal, from Sligo through Mayo, Galway, Clare, Kerry, Cork, Wexford, Wicklow--and back again to Dublin. In their month of madness, Tony and his fridge met a real prince, a bogus king, and the fridge got christened. They surfed together, entered a bachelor festival, and one of them had sex without the other knowing. And unexpectedly, the fridge itself became a momentary focus for the people of Ireland. An international bestseller, Round Ireland with a Fridge is a classic travel adventure in the tradition of Bill Bryson with a dash of Dave Barry.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 70 more reviews...
A Man, a Mission, a Major Appliance December 14, 2008 Michael Harling (UK) Hawks captures the lunacy of his Guinness-induced bet to circumnavigate Ireland with a refrigerator in tow with great precision and hilarity. He also, perhaps unintentionally, provides tantalizing insight into celebrities as normal people; the scene featuring Hawks--someone having appeared at the Royal Gala--floundering on stage at the Low's Bar Bachelor Festival was priceless. While the trip itself consisted of a rambling sequence of disconnected adventures, Hawks manages to provide a narrative arc for the overall journey, complete with moral and a bit of poignancy. And throughout the book, his unique view of life, Ireland and whatever else pops into his mind will keep you well-entertained. My favorite line in the book (and perhaps in any book) is his description of a generation whose "principle talent is waving at planes," which succinctly and comically encapsulated what could have been merely another banal observation about in-breeding in rural areas. Hawks has a gift for humor and you could do worse than taking a short, or long, ride with him and his 'fridge.
This book is a crack - of engaging funny Irish philosopy December 8, 2008 Sheila A. Walsh (Lutherville, MD United States) I recommend this book if you like to laugh out loud at Irish humor and understand the Irish love of doing an activity just for the fun of it. I have to say there were moments of "aha!" when the Fridge Philosophy was revealed. Go for it have fun.
All in good fun December 1, 2008 H. Robb (Germany) What a bet Tony Hawks made... to carry a refrigerator around Ireland for the measly sum of 100 pounds, but in his written adventure the reader will laugh and laugh. And I am sure this is the basic purpose of the book being written by a stand-up comic. Sure it has a note of travelogue to it, but not in the vein of travelogue such as Bill Bryson. Hawks portrays the Irish people as helpful and up for a chat, and from my experience in Ireland this is very true. The aid he gets from all sorts of people to include the Gerry Ryan radio show was absolutely astounding. They basically mobilized to help this hitchhiker carrying a fridge around their country. Awesome! My favorite part is when he meets the King of Tory Island (probably one of few Kings in the world who lives in what we would call modest means). It took a devil of a time trying to get to the this island for Hawkes, but when he does he gets the pleasure of meeting the King, Patsy Dan and finds the unmarried daughter is not around dashing Hawk's hopes of being a prince. LOL. So he just hands Patsy Dan the flowers meant for his daughter. LOL. Definitely read this book for more funny moments like this, and also for better descriptions than mine. The characters he meets really make the book. I had two books going while reading this, and I grab for this book every time because it made me laugh. Recommended for those seeking humour while reading a travelogue.
A funny quick read November 30, 2008 Mary P (New York, NY USA) I picked this book up while seaching for travel guides on Ireland. I couldn't put it down and laughed out loud enough times that my teenage stepson read it immediately after I was finished with the same laugh out loud reactions. The premise is crazy, the result is a riot, and it was a great read from beginning to end.
Round Ireland w/ a Fridge October 15, 2008 David H. Vanini (Buffalo, NY) Well written book, fun and enjoyable. I got this book just before I went to Ireland. The book is much better then Ireland.
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