Game of Throw-ins

2016 novel by Paul Howard

9781844883455
Dewey Decimal
823.92Preceded bySeedless in Seattle Followed byOperation Trumpsformation 

Game of Throw-ins is a 2016 book by Irish author Paul Howard and is the sixteenth novel in the Ross O'Carroll-Kelly series.[1][2][3]

The title refers to the TV series Game of Thrones and the rugby throw-in.[4]

Plot

Ross joins a struggling Seapoint rugby team. Ronan is in a turf war with a rival Love/Hate tour operator. Honor is in love with a Justin Bieber lookalike. Fionnuala is marrying a 92-year-old billionaire.[5]

Reception

The Irish Times praised it, saying "This is sharp satire that manages the difficult trick of creating characters we care about. It is a very funny book, often hilarious, providing storylines that mostly keep the page-turning going. Yet it has a genuine heart of darkness hidden beneath the layers of craic, great gags, great storytelling and human warmth. In this way, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly is Ireland."[6]

Anne Gildea, also in The Irish Times, wrote that "I’m in love with the latest Ross O’Carroll-Kelly – Game of Throw-ins. The passage where Ross is confused, mid-match, about the line-out codes the captain has assigned is one of the funniest things I’ve come across in print."[7]

The Irish Independent's Tanya Sweeney wrote that "the entertaining fun of this SoCoDu satire has clearly yet to wane."

Trinity College Dublin's tn2 Magazine awarded it 3/5, saying that it was "not the best title in the series, but it’s a solid entry nonetheless. The overarching themes of time, change and broken families are balanced perfectly against the hilarious antics of Ross and his lunatic family."[8]

Game of Throw-ins was nominated for Irish Independent Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the 2016 Irish Book Awards.[9][10][11]

It was the third-bestselling book at WH Smith in Ireland for 2016.[12][13] It sold 23,997 copies in 2016 overall.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Game of Throw-Ins".
  2. ^ Campbell, Niamh (21 March 2016). "Title And Plot Of New Ross O'Carroll-Kelly Book Revealed".
  3. ^ Game of Throw-ins. 4 May 2017.
  4. ^ O'Carroll-Kelly, Ross (1 September 2016). Game of Throw-ins. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 9781844883462 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Ross O'Carroll Kelly. Big in Ireland. And er...Belize". RTÉ.ie. 8 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Game of Throw-ins by Ross O'Carroll-Kelly review: Ross is back on the pitch, as funny as ever". The Irish Times.
  7. ^ Doyle, Martin. "Irish comedians' favourite funny novels". The Irish Times.
  8. ^ Mullooly, Michael (26 September 2016). "A Game of Throw Ins- review".
  9. ^ "Pens at dawn as top authors do battle for Irish fiction crown". Independent.ie. 6 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Shortlist celebrates the very best of Irish writing". Independent.ie. 30 October 2016.
  11. ^ Doyle, Martin. "Shortlists revealed for Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2016". The Irish Times.
  12. ^ "Sales volumes up as Irish authors prove a draw for store". Independent.ie. 11 March 2017.
  13. ^ "WH Smith sees Irish revenues grow to record levels". www.irishexaminer.com. 11 March 2017.
  14. ^ Doyle, Martin. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is Ireland's 2016 bestseller". The Irish Times.
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