Tony Hogan Bought Me an IceCream Flo..., Kerry Hudson
Tony Hogan Bought Me an IceCream Flo..., Kerry Hudson
List: $17.50 | Sale: $12.25
Club: $8.75

Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma

Author: Kerry Hudson

Narrator: Jane MacFarlane

Unabridged: 8 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 01/28/2014


Synopsis

“A witty and lively novel set somewhere between the worlds of Roddy Doyle and Irvine Welsh.” —William Dalyrymple, The Guardian

Reminiscent of early Roddy Doyle, Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma begins with our singular heroine’s less than idyllic birth and quickly moves to a spectacular fight that lands Janie and her mother in a local women’s shelter. From there it’s on to a dodgy council flat and a succession of unsuitable men, including the hard-drinking, drug-dealing, ice-cream-buying Tony Hogan. Kerry Hudson’s arrestingly original debut will enthrall readers with Janie’s tragicomic and moving story about coming of age in a non-traditional family amid the absurdities of the 1980s and Thatcherite Britain.

About The Author

Kerry Hudson was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. Growing up in a succession of council estates provided her with a keen eye for idiosyncratic behaviors, and plenty of material for this, her first novel. She lives and writes in London.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Tayari on December 28, 2013

This is a really good book with a not-so-great-title (or cover.) I love coming of age stories and this one does not disappoint. Janie has a wonderful voice and the author is very brave with some of her point of view decisions. An infant narrating from a crib? But Kerry Hudson pulls it off. I saw that......more

Goodreads review by Shelleyrae on January 23, 2014

Janie Ryan narrates 'Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma' from the moment of her birth, greeted by curse laden screaming, boozy breath and muttered recriminations. Her teenage mother lasts barely a week under her mothers roof before she drags Janie first to a refuge, then t......more

Goodreads review by Elaine on December 28, 2012

Seems like I'm in the minority in not enjoying this one. It was certainly a vivid (and from the limited experience I had in the early 90s with Scottish council estates and people living from dole check to dole check, very realistic) depiction of growing up in desparate poverty in Britain's very rece......more

Goodreads review by Vanessa on December 06, 2017

Full disclosure: although we’ve never interacted, I am friends with the author on GR. Which made me kind of afraid to publicly post that I was reading this. What if I didn’t like it? What if I DNF’d it? I definitely don’t have Michiko Kakutani’s nerves of steel. I once left a very disorganized aerob......more


Quotes

“Wickedly, brilliantly, inescapably funny in spite of its often-horrific scenarios, Hudson's debut is, by equal turns, startling, devastating, and exhilarating.” – The Boston Globe

“Sharp and insightful, Hudson's tender and courageous coming of age tale is impossible to put down. A gutsy debut that will engage and enthrall from page one.” – Lisa O’Donnell, author of The Death of Bees

“This bittersweet novel is warm and humorous, too.” –Booklist

“Funny and dark” – Kirkus Reviews 

“[Told] with hope and a biting sense of humor.” – ShelfAwareness

“…A witty and lively novel set somewhere between the worlds of Roddy Doyle and Irvine Welsh.” – William Dalrymple in The Guardian
   
“Colorful, funny, joyful and compelling” – The Observer
  
“Full of warmth and bittersweet humour” – The Financial Times
    
“Concurrently very funny and incredibly sad. The writing sizzles” – The Bookseller
     
“More than the best debut of 2012; it's one of the best books of the year.” .” – Louise Welsh in The Herald (Scotland)
   
“A sympathetic coming-of-age tale and a valuable counterpoint to widespread social attitudes to women in poverty” – Metro (UK)
   
“Real and heartfelt, carried along by stunning, earthy dialogue that captures the rough poetry of daily speech…Hudson avoids the usual sentimental clichés and gives us, without a shred of hipster cynicism, the hope and tough warmth for which she has such a sharp eye.” – The Guardian