"Fame goes, but money never does. It's got its own beauty. It's never gone to ashes in my mouth."
- J.P. Donleavy
Fairy
Tales of New York
by
Ian Shuttleworth
J.P. Donleavy's knack of writing in English, Irish and American idioms with equal fluency is employed with fine results in this 1961 quartet of snapshots of returning expatriate Cornelius Christian. Cornelius's acquired English drawl is set against the hustle of Noo Yawkese and the inevitable Irish-American scallywag's brogue, as his fortunes rise and fall almost with the barometer. The sketches are deftly fashioned, retaining their warmth and humour after three decades, and the company revel in the breadth of their numerous characters.
Patrick Ryecart gives an understated
screen performance which makes Cornelius seem even odder in those surroundings
than the script suggests, and the women's parts need considerable development
before they become even token: but if it's unpretentious diversion you're
after, this will do nicely, sir.
To
purchase books by J.P. Donleavy, go to
the
Buyers' Guide.
