Of Wee Sweetie Mice and Men

This was the first Bateman book that I was given to read by my pastor while living in Northern Ireland and I loved it so much that I reread it 3 times! Bateman is witty, punny and so very clever. His style may not be for everyone, as it takes someone who is tuned into "that type" of humour so be aware.

'Of Wee Sweetie...' is a light, funny look at how Americans view the Irish, and vica-versa. The story is rather simple. A kind-hearted, semi-talented Irish heavyweight fighter comes to New York to fight Mike Tyson. Dan Starkey, a less than semi-talented journalist, is brought along to document the Irish fighter's American experience. Things get interesting when the fighter's wife gets kidnapped and a black extremist group is suspected.Colin Bateman makes good use of his humourous prose; he has great (and often crude) one-liners. He makes good fun of Americans and the Irish of all persuasions. I think only the most sensitive will be offended.Bottom line: lightweight but very funny. Recommended.

Dry as a bone and with a sarcasm you'd kill for. Dan Starkey is an exceptional hero. Bumbly and ineffectual with a razor edged wit. One of the best authors to come out of Ireland in the last 20 years, Bateman can make you cry with laughter and smile with sympathy. If you enjoy dark edged humour, you must also try Christopher Brookbyre.

A wonderful sequel to Divorcing Jack, still with the same black humour, but a little bit more sentimentality thrown in.It has you laughing, it has you crying, and you will enjoy every second of it. My favourite Bateman book by far.