Borstal Boy (A Nonpareil book)
by Brendan Behan

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Book Reviews of Borstal Boy (A Nonpareil book)

Book Review: A true definitive in Irish Prose
Summary: 5 Stars

It is a tale of the human spirit making the most amidst the confines of detention, the tawdry bigotry of dealing with the bland Irish paddy stereotype & the solitude of being a stranger alone in a foreign land.

Yet Behan finds strength to make the most of it all, by using his whimsical whit to parlay his fellow inmates at borstal that ultimately earns their loyalty & friendship, his sarcastic 'bedevilment' & street wise sense that earns the respect of the guards and governor and the gift of the gab to talk himself both in and usually out of situations.

The language is the most striking piece of this work. The true colloquialism of the Dublin accent, coupled with the seanachai's (old Irish story tellers) tradition of storytelling interlaced with all its pagan & christian overtones & the ability to use the English language in a rather unique Irish way ("I have him bewitched, balloxed and bewildered, for there is an art & science in taking the piss out of a screw, and I am a well trained young man at it") will enthrall the reader and provide many hours of enjoyment.

This is a true definitive in Irish Prose and a classic in modern literature. Pick it up straight away.

Summary of Borstal Boy (A Nonpareil book)

Authors Books

• Subjects > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Authors
• Ethnic & National > Irish
• Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Irish