Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 Hilarious February 24, 2007
Book Worm (Kent UK)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I've not read anything this funny in a while. Tony manages to tell the story of his travels around Ireland whilst being extremely witty and funny at the same time. I know it is a cliche, but this book really will have you laughing out loud, the passengers on my train will testify to that! A great read.
 Way too much time on his hands August 11, 2006
Joseph Haschka (Glendale, CA USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
"Everything you read from this moment forth is a tribute to what can be achieved as a result of a shabby night of booze."
Thus does Tony Hawks elegantly describe the genesis of his journey chronicled in ROUND IRELAND WITH A FRIDGE. To be more precise, it was the result of a drunken gamble made with a buddy that in itself doesn't make much sense. The bet was for 100 British pounds, and the refrigerator cost Hawks 130 pounds. What was he thinking? By the way, in case you're wondering, the fridge in question was a small cube perhaps two feet or less on a side, not one of the behemoths in which one stores provisions for a family of six (or beer and frozen pizza for a single bachelor).
The terms of the wager allowed Hawks, a comedian by profession, one calendar month to hitchhike the circumference of Ireland with fridge in tow. A month can accommodate a fair number of paying gigs. So, with apparently that much free time on his hands, one wonders how successful a comedian Tony was at the time (1997). Well, that's neither here nor there. In any case, the author's talent for dry humor translates well to the printed medium, as when he observes:
"Shooting hordes of insubordinate natives was acceptable when 'needs must', but jumping a queue was always quite intolerable. The whole raison d'etre for a vast British Empire had been a desire to teach the ignorant peoples of the world how to queue correctly." Quite right. I think even the Queen would agree.
Indeed, it's the humor of ROUND IRELAND WITH A FRIDGE that supports the narrative as far as it goes. It falls short as a travel essay, which, in my mind, should be descriptive of the locale being traversed. Beyond this reader's conclusion that the Irish are remarkably tolerant of and generous to eccentrics, most of the insights gained don't extend beyond the walls of the many pubs where Hawks spends his hours when not actually on the road. Granted, this isn't entirely the author's fault. The friendly Irish are just always offering to buy him a pint. However, as an example, at one stage in his journey Tony and the fridge are coveyed between points A and B by a white van with "Galway Swan Rescue" emblazoned on the side. Now, I'd like to know what a swan rescuer does, but Hawks never tells, and my curiosity remains unsatisfied. This lack of useful information pervades the volume as a whole. In the end, the book's 247 pages were amusing enough to warrant three stars, but it's mindless reading with a capital "M". Even telling how he got a splinter while Doing It in a doghouse didn't add as much to the saga as he probably thought it might. Is Tony a girl's dream date, or what?
 A purposeless idea, but a damn fine one June 23, 2006
Crazy Eddie (Guildford, UK)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Round Ireland with a Fridge is by turns funny, poignant, philosophical but always different. Some might argue that Tony biased the experiment by getting in touch with the Gerry Ryan Show, and that perhaps it wasn't 100 per cent realistic (as hitch-hiking) given his antipathy to hostels and his sometimes profligate spending. Perhaps also, there is an argument to be made about the amount of time he spent in pubs. This is to miss the point of the book, however, which is to show that there are times when you just need to kick back and relax. Even if you happen to be involved in a tour round Ireland. With a Fridge. That there are times when you can over plan things and that chances are if you are feeling smug and self-satisfied then real life will soon catch up with you and make you regret it. As for remarks about consistency, I would invite the reviewer to read the relevant sections more carefully, and future readers to make up their own minds. This book isn't the greatest ever written and there are disappointments to be found within its pages (so a star off) but bit it is above average so stick with it all the way - it probably won't change your life, but it may make you rethink it, slightly.
Brilliant February 14, 2006
C. J. Hardy (UK)
Though I have never really been a big reader this book was recomended to me and I have to say I have never read anything as funny as this book before. The humour is a work of genius. It really will keep you laughing out loud from the start. Certainly not a book to read on the train or in a waiting room, I could not contain my laughter.
The story of one man hitch-hiking round the parameter of Ireland with a fridge could not have been told better than this. If your looking for a seriously funny book that will make you want to read exerts out to your friends becasue they are just funny, then buy this book.
GREAT BOOK! January 17, 2005
Aj Viljoen (Kuwait)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
Maybe not as outrageously funny as some of the other reviewers seem to think, I found this a very good read, nonetheless. Tony Hawks seems to be the guy everyone likes, and he seems to make friends very easily, whereever he goes, no doubt due to his terribly good looks and his good nature. This is relevant, because it gets him into hilarious situations (such as having to hike around Ireland with a fridge). But, of course, you already knew that. Here's the important bit: the book isn't THAT funny.
BUT: it is a very enjoyable read, and somewhere between the covers is a challenge to everyone, namely to act irresponsibly every now and again, all in the name of fun. And he seems to be able to pull it off, with great results. Now I want to go and do the same. It is a fun read, which causes some (very informal) introspection, but leaves you feeling that maybe this world isn't such a bad place, after all...
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