Stephen Bauer's journey into puberty is recounted to the air "Ring-a-Ring-a-Rosie, as the light declines, I remember Dublin city, in the rare oul times!"
The narrator, uses his native Irish colloquialisms and brogue to perform a retrospective on his youthful experiences. He portrays them colourfully through his protagonist Stephen. The dialect, the myths, the religion, the crazy quirks of real people is what make this a memorial to days gone by - and all seen through the trusting, innocent eyes of an emerging young man named Stephen Bauer.
The chapters are interlinked by Stephen looking toward his angel "Nimberely Nobody" to guide him through his encounters. His life revolves around his aunts, a matriarch, a mystic woman, the banshee, the devil, an abuser, a teacher , a trip to heaven, his fear of capture by Hitler and tortured (his dad being a Jew,) a twelve-year-old's heartbreak, and who to marry? This book is a sociological study of Dublin at that time, and is illuminated by the boy Stephen's unfettered innocence.
It is a delightful collection of interlinked stories.
A childhood reflection of bygone days - Dublin '40s
"It is very good, great dialogue,like a film script" - Jim Sheridan, Film Director.
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