Round Ireland with a Fridge

by Tony Hawks

Overview

Have you ever made a drunken bet? 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312274924
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/07/2001
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	264
Sales rank:	224,713
Product dimensions:	5.55(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Tony Hawks lives in London and divides his time equally between writing, performing, and playing tennis. He makes regular appearances on British radio and is currently the host of The Best Show in the World.

Editorial Reviews

Round Ireland with a Fridge is a sort of alternative Michael Palin tome and a far better read thatn you would expect. It is part autobiography, part travelogue, and part Guinness-addled ramblings.” —The Irish Times

“One ridiculous and sumbline example of the high-concept travel book is the British comedian Tony Hawk's Round Ireland with a Fridge....The whole book is driven by the sheer lunacy of the original proposition, and the sweet bottom line is that anything that brings people together and shows them this good a time isn't stupid at all.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A rambling but ultimately warmhearted diary-like account that combines elements of Let's Go Ireland, Cheers, and Seinfeld...Hawks has produced a witty, silly, tribute to the hospitality and generosity that the Emerald Isle is famous for.” —The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.)

From the Publisher

When British writer, performer and musician Hawks makes a drunken bet for 100 that he can "hitchhike round the circumference of Ireland, with a fridge, in one calendar month," he starts, in 1997, an unexpectedly wonderful adventure into the good-natured soul of the Irish people. Though the book begins inauspiciously as a bad parody of Dave Barry's travel books, with Hawks assuming a smug distance from the people and events he encounters, happily fate intervenes in the form of a jovial radio-show host who convinces Hawks to phone in daily to share updates about his travels with the fridge. Almost overnight, Hawks becomes a regional legend--"The Fridge Man"--with all sorts of people willing to help him achieve his goal, however silly it may be. What could have been a convenient contrivance actually allows a kinder and far funnier Hawks to appear, as his daily talks with his radio "fans" bring him unexpected delights, including encounters with an overenthusiastic innkeeper and his family, the amazing champion surfer Bingo, various musicians and lots of pub visits. In the end, Hawks's book becomes a lively celebration of contemporary Irish society and the goodwill of its people that neither revels in irony nor descends into mawkishness. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Yes, a fridge. People sometimes do the craziest things when they've had too many beers. Hawks, known throughout Great Britain for his humor and appearances on various radio and television shows, made a drunken bet with a friend that he could successfully hitchhike around Ireland with a refrigerator as his traveling companion. Once sober, he realized the magnitude of the task he'd set himself but agreed to honor the bet anyway. The result is a hysterically funny travelog, in which Hawks shares his warm regard for the Irish, his amusing contacts with the natives, anecdotes from places he stayed, and brief tales about those who gave him rides. Anyone who enjoys Bill Bryson or Dave Barry will greatly appreciate Hawks for a writing style that seems to be a stew made of one part Monty Python, one part Benny Hill, and two parts Barry. Highly recommended for public libraries and academic libraries with browsing collections.--Sandra Knowles, Henderson Cty. P.L., Hendersonville, NC Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Library Journal