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The Commitments
The Commitments
Dec 4, 2025 2:13 PM

Author:Roddy Doyle

The Commitments

Barrytown, Dublin, has something to sing about.

The Commitments are spreading the gospel of the soul. Ably managed by Jimmy Rabbitte, brilliantly coached by Joey 'The Lips' Fagan, their twin assault on Motown and Barrytown takes them by leaps and bounds from the parish hall to the steps of the studio door.

But can The Commitments live up to their name?

The bestselling book behind the long-running West End stage show.

'Unstoppable fun. A big-hearted, big-night out' The Times

Reviews

A contender for the funniest debut of the year...young, feisty, funky, rude, unpretentious and great fun

—— Time Out

An Irish version of The Blues Brothers...authentic and brilliantly funny

—— Literary Review

An absurd comedy of the commonplace...a charming, truthful and immensely funny story which leaves you gasping for more

—— Sunday Times

One of my favourite trilogies ever, nobody makes hard times as funny as Irish author Roddy Doyle… Beloved classics… The stories will be a balm to your bruised soul.

—— Image

Beautifully observed

—— New York Times

Quietly witty and remarkable in portraying the slipping away of mind and body that comes with old age

—— Michael Dirda , Washington Post

Firefly shimmers with all the passion and transcience of life

—— Telegraph

Jenkins shows she has a gift for tender comedy

—— Scotsman

A moving study

—— Suzy Feay , Financial Times

I can think of no better companion than Janette Jenkins' pitch-perfect reimagining of a regret-tinged twilight of Noel Coward's life

—— Harper's Bazaar

A study in melancholy, very well observed

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

Perfectly-tuned imagining… Jenkins’ telling of it...saves it from any hint of predictability

—— Lesley Mcdowell , Independent on Sunday

Jenkins’s prose is thoughtful and sensitive…and her depiction of Coward’s final stage performance, which was a disaster, is particularly insightful

—— Lesley McDowell, 5 stars , Independent On Sunday

I loved A SONG FOR ISSY BRADLEY: such courage, warmth and intelligence. Carys Bray sweetly and subtly breaks your heart. It's an incredible debut.

—— Charlotte Mendelson, author of Booker-longlisted ALMOST ENGLISH and Orange Prize-shortlisted, WHEN WE WERE BAD

Such strong writing, with so much fine imagery . . . very moving. It sings. The characters are completely believable and their grief is conveyed with a truly admirable, unsentimental lightness of touch, which brought laughter between the tears.

—— Emma Henderson, author of Orange-shortlisted GRACE WILLIAMS SAYS IT LOUD

In places it is devastating, but it is also unexpectedly funny, even joyful, a hugely impressive novel about what it means to grieve – and to be part of a family.

—— The Bookseller

I was hooked by this beadily observed and moving portrayal of grief, doubt and faith.

—— Debut of the Month , Woman & Home

Uncontrollable bawling on public transport alert! … Deeply effecting… A seriously impressive debut

—— Glamour magazine

Just beautiful.

—— Mostly Yummy Mummy blog

Engaging . . . You know what Eggers wants to say, he says it quickly, and he says it with a respectably righteous fury. And, ultimately, he says it with a compassion that's always been present in his work . . . Fascinating.

—— Mark Athitakis , The Washington Post

Within 212 pages, Eggers displays a delicate, haunting, sometimes dire picture of the world. It may not be a comfortable read, but it's an interesting take on what we believe to be true and what we hope to be true.

—— Mark Lopez , Alibi.com

An enjoyable and eccentric journey!

—— Good Book Guide

Wonderful

—— Robert Bound , Monocle

Parks is one of the best living writers of English, and this book is so good you don't want it to end

—— Nicholas Lezard , Guardian

If, like me, you relish Italy, railways and grumbling, this is the most transporting book

—— Christopher Hirst , Independent

A fun, informative and detailed journey

—— By the Dart

Unsurprisingly, every bit as good as the original [The Commitments], Doyle is one of those rare writers who never disappoints

—— Socialist Unity

Wise, wistful and poignant.

—— Sebastian Shakespeare , Tatler

Bittersweet.

—— Justine Taylor , Guardian Online

Long-awaited sequel.

—— Mark Perryman , Huffington Post

Doyle’s ear for dialogue is as acute as ever and there’s a lot of amusing asides about contemporary life in this revisiting of much-loved characters.

—— Irish Independent

A book full of Doyle's dark humour mixed with melancholy and wonderful moments of sheer madness.

—— Good Book Guide

The feat of The Guts is Doyle’s ability to create in Jimmy a character who hangs together even while so many of his certainties have collapsed. And to get a few good jokes in as well.

—— Mark Athitakis , Washington Post
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