Henry Smart is on the run. Fleeing from his Republican paymasters, the men for whom he committed murder and mayhem, he has left behind his wife, Miss O'Shea, in a Dublin jail, and his infant daughter. When he lands in America, it's 1924, and New York is the center of the universe. Henry, ever resourceful, a pearl gray fedora parked on his head, has a sandwich board and a hidden stash of hooch for the speakeasies of the Lower East Side. When he starts hiring kids to carry boards for him, he catches the attention of the mobsters who run the district. It is time to leave, for another, newer America.
In Chicago there is no past waiting to jump on Henry. Music is everywhere, in the streets, in nightclubs, on phonograph records: furious, wild, happy music played by a man with a trumpet and bleeding lips called Louis Armstrong. But Armstrong is a prisoner of his color, and the mob is in Chicago too: they own every stage--and they own the man up on the stage. Armstrong needs a man, a white man, and the man he chooses is Henry Smart.
In Oh, Play That Thing, Roddy Doyle once again gives us a prodigious, energetic, sexy novel, rich with language and music and, as Henry makes his way across America, teeming with surprises. It is both a saga unto itself--full of epic adventures, breathless escapes, and star- crossed love--and a magnificent follow-up to A Star Called Henry.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
Rhythm is Important:
I purchased this book on the recommendation of another author (in her review of her book she said her writing was influenced by the author). "Oh, Play that Thing" takes place in the 20's and through the dust bowl disaster, The main character is a savvy Irish immigrant who has landed at Ellis Island to start a new life in NYC. The author's way of writing is like a stream of thoughts and words. Reading the first few pages, I wasn't sure I liked the book, but as I got into the head and life of the Irish... more info
WHERE WAS DOYLE'S EDITOR???:
It's hard to imagine Roddy Doyle followed up a book as wonderfully rich and entertaining as A STAR CALLED HENRY with the flop OH, PLAY THAT THING. Where was Doyle's editor??? In A STAR CALLED HENRY, Doyle took the reader on an action-packed ride through turn-of-the-century Ireland with Henry Smart - a hero as incorrigibly loveable as any you'll meet. But in this sequel, where Henry escapes to America and finds himself in trouble with the mob, Doyle's writing suffers from three serious problems:... more info
Skilled writer but poor novel:
After reading both Henry Smart books, I think Doyle possesses great skill to write but fails to deliver an acceptable novel. Oh, Play that Thing has moments that display his eloquence and prose that could lead to a 5-star book. But he fails to put it all together to form a traditional novel with the important features of plot, climax, character development and theme that appeal to readers. Doyle's characters are morally bankrupt, flaky, and create no connection to readers who will not be able to... more info
Hated It!:
The first book was not great, but at least good. This is so dreadful that I couldn't even make it through it. Nonsensical plot, Non-existent plot, Nothing plot. Those terms all describe this one. This isn't worth reading; whether you've read the first one or not. Doyle can be so much better than this!!!
