Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma: A Novel

by Kerry Hudson Narrated by Jane MacFarlane

Overview

“A witty and lively novel set somewhere between the worlds of Roddy Doyle and Irvine Welsh.” -William Dalyrymple, The Guardian

Reminiscent of early Roddy Doyle, Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma begins with our singular heroine's less than idyllic birth and quickly moves to a spectacular fight that lands Janie and her mother in a local women's shelter. From there it's on to a dodgy council flat and a succession of unsuitable men, including the hard-drinking, drug-dealing, ice-cream-buying Tony Hogan. Kerry Hudson's arrestingly original debut will enthrall readers with Janie's tragicomic and moving story about coming of age in a non-traditional family amid the absurdities of the 1980s and Thatcherite Britain.

Editorial Reviews

AUGUST 2014 - AudioFile

Jane MacFarlane’s polished Scottish accents and knowledge of Aberdeen slang and expressions give this coming-of-age debut a sound of authenticity. Born to a teenage mother, Janie Ryan recounts the first 16 years of her life, beginning with her less-than-idyllic birth. MacFarlane gives Janie’s very unchildlike observations an air of innocence as she interprets the world around her. Her ma, Iris, is desperate to find a man who’ll rescue the two of them from a life of poverty, hostels, and council estates. MacFarlane portrays Iris’s raw emotional intensity as she drags her daughter through countless abusive father figures, drugs, alcohol, and violence until Tony Hogan comes between them. MacFarlane’s expertise gives the dialogue a natural flow, whether it’s a cursing, screaming row or a rare good moment. M.F.T. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

12/16/2013
Hudson’s debut explores the cycle of poverty, seen through the eyes of young Janie Ryan, as she scrapes her way through a tempestuous childhood. Janie is born in 1980s Scotland, her family quickly tagging her the latest in a succession of Aberdeen fishwives, all of whom are known for their fiery tempers. Days after Janie’s birth, in fact, the rage of Iris, her mother, leaves the pair homeless. Iris and Janie scramble for government-assisted housing in some less-than-desirable corners of Britain. As a child, Janie tries to be hopeful, but her mother’s attraction to drug- and alcohol-fueled relationships puts a better life out of reach. Soon the more traditional pressures of growing up—boys, friends, fitting in—add to Janie’s burden, putting her at risk of taking up her mother’s bad habits. Hudson’s novel boasts comfortable prose—neither flamboyant nor spare—guided by a sharp eye. At times, her story is too consistently dire, but the author nevertheless sustains the reader’s interest. (Feb.)

From the Publisher

Wickedly, brilliantly, inescapably funny in spite of its often-horrific scenarios, Hudson's debut is, by equal turns, startling, devastating, and exhilarating.” – The Boston Globe

“Sharp and insightful, Hudson's tender and courageous coming of age tale is impossible to put down. A gutsy debut that will engage and enthrall from page one.” – Lisa O’Donnell, author of The Death of Bees

“This bittersweet novel is warm and humorous, too.” –Booklist

“Funny and dark” – Kirkus Reviews 

“[Told] with hope and a biting sense of humor.” – ShelfAwareness

“…A witty and lively novel set somewhere between the worlds of Roddy Doyle and Irvine Welsh.” – William Dalrymple in The Guardian
   
“Colorful, funny, joyful and compelling” – The Observer
  
“Full of warmth and bittersweet humour” – The Financial Times
    
“Concurrently very funny and incredibly sad. The writing sizzles” – The Bookseller
     
“More than the best debut of 2012; it's one of the best books of the year.” .” – Louise Welsh in The Herald (Scotland)
   
“A sympathetic coming-of-age tale and a valuable counterpoint to widespread social attitudes to women in poverty” – Metro (UK)
   
“Real and heartfelt, carried along by stunning, earthy dialogue that captures the rough poetry of daily speech…Hudson avoids the usual sentimental clichés and gives us, without a shred of hipster cynicism, the hope and tough warmth for which she has such a sharp eye.” – The Guardian

AUGUST 2014 - AudioFile

Jane MacFarlane’s polished Scottish accents and knowledge of Aberdeen slang and expressions give this coming-of-age debut a sound of authenticity. Born to a teenage mother, Janie Ryan recounts the first 16 years of her life, beginning with her less-than-idyllic birth. MacFarlane gives Janie’s very unchildlike observations an air of innocence as she interprets the world around her. Her ma, Iris, is desperate to find a man who’ll rescue the two of them from a life of poverty, hostels, and council estates. MacFarlane portrays Iris’s raw emotional intensity as she drags her daughter through countless abusive father figures, drugs, alcohol, and violence until Tony Hogan comes between them. MacFarlane’s expertise gives the dialogue a natural flow, whether it’s a cursing, screaming row or a rare good moment. M.F.T. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2013-11-26
A coming-of-age debut novel from London-based author Hudson. This (apparently semiautobiographical) novel traces the first 16 years of the life of a Scottish girl, born into picaresque poverty to a single mother, who is trying to find a man (any man) who can help them elevate their circumstances and secure some stability. The problems (in the novel and with it) begin with the protagonist's birth, because she is apparently the narrator as soon as she leaves the womb. And both her perceptive abilities and language (often foulmouthed) vary widely, as the reader must determine how much faith to put in a narrator who can neither walk nor talk and who may (or may not) realize how dire (or not) her circumstances might be. Yet, it's a testament to the author's compelling voice that the reader feels he or she knows and cares about narrator Janie, her mother, Iris, and many of the ne'er-do-wells they encounter on life's crooked path. Beyond the frequent profanity, the language abounds with working-class colloquialism: "Grandma had cooked mince, tatties and skirlie." Janie never knows her father, supposedly an American, but his would-be substitutes range from "a known psychopath" involved in the drug trade to a deadbeat who can't find or keep work. After the birth of a second daughter, Iris suffers from depression and drugs, leaving preschool Janie to holler, "I'm warning yeh, I'm the grown-up here. I'm the ma!" Aside from a family that is loving in its way, Janie ultimately values "those librarians [who] were the only ones who knew how much hope was snagged in those books.'' (Sounds like a budding author.) And the greatest fear, for the reader at least, is that her fate will simply recycle her mother's, that, as Iris says, "Aye, we're peas in a pod alright Janie." A funny and dark sensibility can't quite overcome the flaws of this novel, which ends with plenty of unfinished business, suggesting a sequel or a series.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169380996
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	01/28/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

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