Round Ireland with a Fridge

My Dad is 93 and he loves all things Irish. I got him this book for Father's Day and he's still reading it and enjoying it immensely. He likes that the book is a true story and that the author is a likeable guy. His comment on the writing was this : "You want to read every word," so I suppose that means that it is well-written. I am glad I purchased it.

I loved this book from the start! I first read the book shortly after my first trip to Ireland. While my trip did not involve a kitchen appliance, we kept to same kind of 'go where the road takes us' kind of philosophy. I have given this book as a gift a number of times and every friend I've given it to has adored it. People who can laugh at themselves and make you laugh right along are a rare and wonderful breed. Wouldn't it be lovely to find and appreciate the absurd all the time?

Many reviews here have critisised this book as being a rubbish travel book. This is not a travel book and was never intended to be a travel book. It is simply the story of a man who travelled around Ireland with a fridge - end of story. I am Irish and remember when all this happened - I remember listening in to the radio show every day to hear what he was up to and remember his arrival to Dublin when nobody came out to see him. It is therefore interesting to read his actual story and see what was really happening behind his story on the radio. But it's not a travel book!

I don't normally read travel books, but my husband is an avid devourer of same, and so when I gave him this as a gift, I was curious. He would read a few pages and then laugh. A lot. Out loud. I wondered what on earth could be so funny in a travel book. I had never read a book which made me laugh out loud. So after he had finished, I began reading the book.I just couldn't put it down. It was hilarious, right from the ridiculous premise where the author agreed to a drunken bet to hitch-hike round Ireland with a fridge as a travelling companion. He meets a quite a few eccentric characters along the way, none of whom I knew (at least I don't think so, but you can never be quite sure. Nearly everyone in Ireland knows someone who's a cousin of someone else's cousin or brother, or aunt... you get the idea.)My favourite line has got to be when asking for directions, the author got the reply, "You can't get there from here."It's so funny because it's true, people do say that, I'm a culprit myself.How did he manage it? Did people really let the madman with a fridge get into their cars and their lives? Read the book and find out, you won't be disappointed.You'll be laughing out loud too.Reviewed by Annette Gisby, author of Silent Screams and Shadows of the Rose.

To everyone out there who really wants to have a laugh. This book is probably the funniest thing I have ever read. It took me only a few days which is a miracle as normally it takes me about 6 months to read a book (I'd much rather watch TV).This book is based on a true story. Tony makes a bet to travel around Ireland with a fridge. He decides that he doesn't want to wake up in 20 years time and wish he had done it.The whole book is hilarious, so of my favourites are when he takes the fridge surfing and how he gets misunderstood in a loud nightclub - it has happened to us all. If you want a book which makes you smile, cringe and cry (when you have no more to read), then this is most definitely a 5* rating book.I have a copy and will get it out from time to time to cheer me up when I have the grumps.

This is a book that will have you laughing out loud, as you read of Tony's varied stories of his travels around Ireland. It is a purely light-hearted and entertaining read, yet it shows the generosity and love of life that the Irish have. Written in a chatty way, you find yourself cringeing at some of the antics that he gets up to, such as surfing with the fridge, or sleeping in a dog kennel.This is a book you will definitely not want to put down, but at the same time, you don't want it to finish!