Who Thinks Ross O'Carroll-Kelly Books are Funny?

MayoSalmon

Rough Sleeper wrote: »

Yeah it was kinda funny around the beginning of the 2000's when the Celtic Tiger was in full swing. It's a one-trick pony and I'd imagine the kind of people who still find it funny (12 books WTF?) are the same ones who still make jokes about "ironic" moustaches or shout "Ah heor, leave it ouh" in pub smoking areas .

12 Books about the same ****e and people still love it...jaysis fair play to him so!

dee_mc

MayoSalmon wrote: »

12 Books about the same ****e and people still love it...jaysis fair play to him so!

You could say the same about Harry Potter or any other popular book series: you're either into them or you're not, doesn't make them shite if you're not into them

Ihatecuddles

Standman wrote: »

No need to take it personally, wasn't having a go at you!

I know, I was just taking the mick out of you!

BillyMitchel

They are genius. He (Paul Howard) gels both sides together perfectly. Ive read them all from first to the last one and as soon as I've finished I look forward to the next one.

I'd say if I picked them up half way through the collection without knowing the full story and backgrounds it might be a bit different.

The way he perves after his sister and tries to justify it is hilarious or when he gets emotional and just balls out crying is brilliant. Riding the gangsters misses on the stairs was another. Its just genius.

Really want to see one of the plays.

le la rat

That could have been kicker on Saturday

elefant

le la rat wrote: »

That could have been kicker on Saturday

George Hook still maintains he's the best Irish rugby to have never made it.

charlietheminxx

I love the books. I've read them all over the last 9 years... though I work in Dublin 4 and spent 2 years in UCD, so that probably helps me appreciate the spot on accuracy in the most over exaggerated parts! It's always made me laugh, and I've really enjoyed watching the characters develop.

Call Me Jimmy

mauzo! wrote: »

I think they are hilarious!!

Taking the stairs the same way you'd take the Seoige sisters....two at a time

Laboured imo, are the books filled with that?

ShoulderChip

This guy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY6MeAsWGJk

downonthefarm

Tommy booooowe

TheBody

I love Ross! He's my moral compass!!

I've read all the books a few times. They are hilarious! They should be on the Leaving Cert!

AndonHandon

I read The Shelbourne Ultimatum and thought it was hilarious, some brilliant one liners and good characters.

Mousewar

I think they're brilliant.
When they first came out I assumed the author was a one-trick pony and the books would be based entirely on jokes about the D4 accent. However, reading them you realise how well put together they are. The stories actually stand up by themselves without the jokes and one-liners. With them, they're hilarious. I think, because they're comedy books, they don't get the recognition they deserve. Paul Howard is genuinely brilliant writer.

TheBody

They chronicle the madness of the boom years VERY accurately.

keano_afc

The only books that consistently make me laugh out loud. I did think the quality had waned in recent books but they're still brilliantly funny. I've been to the plays as well and loved them. Massive Rosser fan.

anncoates

They actually started out as a satire of the Celtic Tiger but are now actually very dated - and ironically evocative of - the era, not least because the people he was lampooning love the books too.

longhalloween

tomboylady wrote: »

They are some of the only books that will actually make me laugh out loud. I had tried to read them years ago but didn't 'get' them. After spending a year in UCD, I completely understood them and binged on back-reading all the old ones.

They're only funny if you're familiar with Dublin and the stereotypes.

"She had a face like Parnell St."

justback83

ClovenHoof wrote: »

He has very poor taste in general. Nice man, but does everything the radio and TV tells him to do. He likes Westlife and whoever last won X Factor.

His favourite song is by Bryan McFadden, the cak about 'Grew up in the heart of Dublin."

You're some mate!

justback83

These books are hysterical!!

"She was that ugly Cillit Bang wouldn't shift her"

joe swanson

Excellent books. Very funny.

LynnGrace

I love them, read every one of them.

Call Me Jimmy

I've yet to see a single half-decent quote from this thread and I get the feeling that every second sentence is an excuse for another flat simile.

goose2005

Czarcasm wrote: »

I can't tell if that was intentional humor or not...

Yeah I read some of the books, but again, if you're not familiar with the types of characters and situations/places he writes about, the language can be a bit hard to understand, which takes away from the comedy value.

He ain't no Adrian Mole, that's for sure!

TO be honest, Adrian Mole went downhill far quicker than the ROCK books did. In a 13 3/4 year old the naiveté was funny; in an adult Adrian comes across as a tiresome idiot.

spiralism

goose2005 wrote: »

TO be honest, Adrian Mole went downhill far quicker than the ROCK books did. In a 13 3/4 year old the naiveté was funny; in an adult Adrian comes across as a tiresome idiot.

Adrian Mole is an example of when it's stretched out far too long. Adult Adrian is a pathetic character that you struggle to care about. Teenage Adrian is ****ing gas

Say Your Number wrote: »

His daughter is hilarious.

Ahh i think she's the worst thing about the latter books. Horrible character with no redeeming qualities whatsoever and a total karma houdini to boot. Love Ronan though on the other hand. Ross's extended family is just brilliant in general.

One thing i noticed in the latter books is that his friends are phased out in favour of his family, probably because they were too one-note and Howard clearly just didn't know what to do with them. Christian, JP and Oisinn havent offered much at all to the later books except Ross having occasional run ins with their women. Fionn was a great foil to Ross all the way through the series yet he gets put on a bus so to speak.

Big big difference between the early books and the more recent ones. Still love them though and the standard is great, 3 of the last four had me in ****ing knots

Say Your Number

spiralism wrote: »

Ahh i think she's the worst thing about the latter books. Horrible character with no redeeming qualities whatsoever and a total karma houdini to boot.

She is horrible, but most of the lines she comes out with usually have me laughing out loud, I like its come full circle, with Ross being an obnoxious brat to his parents and his daughter being equally bad to him.

spiralism

Say Your Number wrote: »

She is horrible, but most of the lines she comes out with usually have me laughing out loud, I like its come full circle, with Ross being an obnoxious brat to his parents and his daughter being equally bad to him.

Maybe but at least Ross had redeeming qualities, was the main character and one key difference in the early books is that he frequently got his comeuppance. Honor gets away with all of it and is just completely horrible in every way

Mousewar

spiralism wrote: »

Maybe but at least Ross had redeeming qualities, was the main character and one key difference in the early books is that he frequently got his comeuppance. Honor gets away with all of it and is just completely horrible in every way

Not sure that's true. She got kicked out of her fancy school and had to go to a 'public' school which she hates. In fact she nearly broke down on her first day. She has no meaningful relationship with her parents nor does she have any real friends. She seems like a sad lonely little girl who is definitely paying the price for her behaviour.

Katgurl

I would marry Paul Howard in the morning for entertainment value alone. I thought I was going to pass out laughing at the one where there's the Heineken Cup semi-final; Leinster V Munster - Rosser spots his old nemesis the captain of Newbridge College (Focking boggers) and starts giving him $hit not realising they're both cheering on the same team; he thinks Leinster is only Dublin.

I defo think Honor is the weakest link though tbh, can't warm to her at all.

Chancer3001

Genius books, genius writing, hilarious stuff.

dee_mc

Katgurl wrote: »

I would marry Paul Howard in the morning for entertainment value alone. I thought I was going to pass out laughing at the one where there's the Heineken Cup semi-final; Leinster V Munster - Rosser spots his old nemesis the captain of Newbridge College (Focking boggers) and starts giving him $hit not realising they're both cheering on the same team; he thinks Leinster is only Dublin.

I defo think Honor is the weakest link though tbh, can't warm to her at all.

She's pure evil, I don't think you're supposed to warm to her! I love how in the latest book Ross and Sorcha begin to realise Honor's attitude just might be connected to how they're bringing her up