And the otherwise quiet and rather passive characters are given to lengthy philosophical exposition and didactic speeches, two of which in particular (Leonard to his putative new girlfriend, and Hungry Paul to his sister) do seem to rather stray into mansplaining. Die titelgebenden Protagonisten dieses Romans Leonard und Paul sind so sympathisch, dass ich dem Autor literarische Mängel wie das gelegentliche Überschreiten der Kitschgrenze verzeihe. Letztlich sind derartige Fehler auch nur selten. Popkulturell steht Hession meist auf der richtigen Seite. Wenn der "Club der Stille" das erste Mal stattfindet wird beispielsweise 4'33" von John Cage gespielt. Damit kann man mich schon bekommen. Wichtiger ist aber die Empathie und Warmherzigkeit, die dieser Roman ausstrahlt. Die humorvollen Szenen, bei denen man nie über die Figuren sondern immer mit ihnen lacht, sind ein weiterer großer Pluspunkt. Ich hatte durchweg gute Laune beim Lesen. The next book to be featured on the Jo Whiley Radio 2 Book Club will be Leonard and Hungry Paul, the brilliant debut novel by Rónán Hession. It is released on 20 March and Ronan will be on the show on Monday 18 March.

On the other hand, most of the sections written about Leonard were much more authentic and interesting and there was some great writing with genuine insight, depth about a person like Leonard. I wish the whole book was like this. I don't quite know how John Boyne juggled the silly and the real in The Hearts Invisible Furies. That worked so well. But in Leonard and Hungry Paul the farcical stuff all but ruined it for me. The three of them . had always seen themselves as bumpers along the blowing lane for him to bounce between, saving him from mundane dangers and guiding him towards his achievements, modest though they were. I have never read a book that is so gentle and careful. I’ve seen the phrase “up-lit” bandied around and this must be a perfect example. But when you read a book about two single men in their 30s who both have no “get up and go” (their idea of a “good night” is sitting at home playing board games and neither of them has ever left their childhood home) and then introduce other members of their families in stories that are also not very exciting, it is just not very, well, exciting. As Mumblin’ Deaf Ro, he has released three albums of storytelling songs. His third album Dictionary Crimes was chosen as Irish Independent album of the year and was nominated for the Choice Music Prize for Irish album of the year. Leonard and Hungry Paul is almost deceptively well written. It’s clever, and insightful; the kind of book that makes you nod in recognition, and marvel at a writer’s ability to voice something you, yourself have thought, yet never articulated.

Bluemoose Books is an independent publisher based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, and describes itself as a “‘family’ of readers and writers, passionate about the written word and stories, [who] delight in finding great new talent.” Admirably in 2020 they have committed to a woman-only list for 2020. Through the new uncharted events both men are facing, their friendship remains steadfast and true. Both are each other's number one supporter. Never second guessing, never judging. The pair are well matched since Leonard is equally unremarkable. He has a job researching and writing the text for children’s encyclopedias, a role that suits him because he’s fascinated by ideas and facts. He never gets credited as the author but that’s OK because “he preferred to play a minor part in someone else’s story rather than being his own star.

Bildiğimiz ezberlerin dışında tiplemeler ve bildiğimiz ezberlerin dışında gelişmeyi başarmış bir evlilik de var kitapta. Yazarın dili çok güzel, yer yer çok komik, yer yer hüzünlü ve iç burkucu ama naifliğini hiç kaybetmiyor anlatı. Çok güzel iç görüler ve gözlemler barındırıyor eser ama yazarımız bunları dev aforizmalar gibi suratımıza çarpmak yerine iddiasız biçimde metninin içine yerleştirmeyi seçmiş ve ne iyi etmiş. (Barış Bıçakçı'nın tam tersi diyebiliriz...) Overall a novel I would recommend, and although not quite to my personal taste (which errs to the bile of Bernhard, the apocalypses of Krasznahorkai, and to the unlikable female narrator genre rather than uplit), that is more a failing of mine. And the dynamics between the three of them – their roles, interactions worked out over many years but now starting to evolve with Grace’s impending marriage and the retirement of Paul’s parents – an evolution which dawns on Hungry Paul more slowly than Leonard – and which unlike Leonard he seems less immediate need to react to – given his concentration on the present moment rather than the future. He's grateful to still have Hungry Paul and his wonderful parents as friends. Hungry Paul is a quiet man, who's obsessed with board games. He's always lived with his parents, was never expected to do much or achieve anything. Therefore he obliged. I am truly grateful that Leonard and Hungry Paul has been selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club: I feel particularly honoured that the book has connected with librarians and the book lovers at The Reading Agency; after all, this is a story about, and a tribute to, the specialness of quiet, gentle people.This is the peace evoked by Ronan Hession’s voice. It’s his voice even more than his story of two single men in their thirties who live their lives as well as they can. This voice comes in at moments when the stillness—of death, of rejection, of nothing at all—takes over. The unspecified location reinforces the slight detach from reality. There is a rough sketch of an urban landscape, streets, shops, restaurants, mentions of McDonald’s and a Tesco but only blueprints, which alleviates the characters from any major specific socio-geographical struggles. Both men reside in their family homes not (like many of us) because of unprecedented rent prices, but because they are happy in these homes. Oh, I loved this book! I liked how Hession showed us these two men slowly and gently, revealing their strengths and flaws, as we got to know them. They are grounded in their home life, in the people they love and care for, and in those who care for them. They don’t make waves, they’re not out to change the world, or even their corner of it. She was [in her stories] always using phrases like “There was an empty chair by the door”. You know, trying to be depressing, because she thought it was more writerly. Leonard was raised by his mother alone with cheerfully concealed difficulty, his father having died tragically during childbirth.

Vielen Dank an Frauke Meurer & Torsten Woywod für den Mut zum Gründen des Verlages und dem Publizieren dieser einzigartigen Lektüre. When we meet Leonard, he is living alone in his childhood home, his mother having died recently. He has a steady job working for a children’s encyclopaedia; he writes (or rewrites) the text the educated researcher submits to make it more accessible for kids. Hungry Paul is Leonard’s best (and only) friend. He still lives at home with his parents, and his older sister’s wedding is a central focus of the plot. Hungry Paul takes judo lessons (he’s not very good) and works one day a week as a substitute letter carrier.

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Leonard’s best buddy, with the great moniker of Hungry Paul, is of similar temperament to him. Neither look to external matters to make them happy, they’re more or less content with their lot in life. Paul also lives at home with his folks, and is happy to go with the flow. I have had a library card all my life. The idea that my wallet contains a small rectangle of plastic that guarantees me a lifetime’s supply of free books from anywhere in the world is almost gameshow-like in its ostentation. And yet, these simple cards are available as a signal of encouragement to anyone who needs it; a statement – an understatement perhaps – that that there will always be a place reserved in the world for the imagination.” Get involved Leonard and Hungry Paul are two 30ish-year-old bachelors, not exactly go-getters. Leonard has just lost his mother, whom he loved dearly. He feels her loss acutely, the house is empty without her presence. He realises how truly lonely he is and that he's not really living. Aspects of his job as a ghostwriter of encyclopedias and other reference books are starting to bug him.

The writing is sharp, witty, observant, the humour is wry and I found myself giggling and smiling often. Instead everyone they meet - family, friends, colleagues, shopkeepers - seems to be similarly nice. Even when Hungry Paul (in one of a number of rather contrived sitcom style setpieces) causes a major scene in a supermarket, falsely claiming it sells out of date good, the store manager sees the bright side and send him away with a free Easter egg. I would have liked to see the duo encounter hostility or negative reactions and see how they dealt with it - but then I am guilty of wishing for a different, and perhaps more conventional book.

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That said, I came at this book a little late and with certain prejudices from friends who had read it as to what to expect, and the book didn't disappoint those expectations, including the negative. We have the chance for you to win 10 copies of this fantastic novel for your reading group! Please enter by Friday 22 March. The thing is, as a child the world looked huge, intimidatingly so. School looked big. Adults looked big. The future looked big. But I am starting to feel that over time I have retreated into a smaller world. I see people rushing around and I wonder – where are they going to? Who are they meeting? Their lives are so full. I’m trying to remember if my life was ever like that.” He’s very conscious, he says, that those who have made the most difference in his own life are self-effacing people who often go unchampioned. “I’m not naturally like that. My wife is a naturally kind person and she’s had a very good influence on me. One of the nice things about One Dublin One Book is that friends of my mother have got in touch and said, ‘I didn’t know you were a writer,’ and I’m able to send them a copy and say, ‘This is inspired by kind people like you were to me.’” The quiet, unobtrusive and meaning-filled book is the story of two friends – Leonard and Hungry Paul – both quiet 30-ish year old men living quiet, unobtrusive but still meaning-filled lives, still based in their childhood homes.