The Boy in the Boat

A wonderful surprise as I mistakenly ordered this book. I was looking to buy "The Boys in the Boat", which I recently have ordered. But back to the "Boy in the Boat" which I found to be well written and held my attention from the first page until the last. I recommend this book for an insight to what was a view of Ireland and the struggles of it's people. The main character is most interesting in his upbringing - or lack of - and the many trials he endured during his life. Lots of sadness, brutality and the will to succeed despite his own demons from within. Brian O'Raleigh is an author I plan to read more of and about.

It came be confused with The Boys in ... Very different books. This is well written about a person who lived under a terrible father and later become one too. His life to that point is earth shaking and eye opening and heart shaking. It is wo!rth the read

I both enjoyed and admitted the author being able to admit he had been such a fool to his demon rum. The story tells the weakness of man against his own weakness. It is a good, well written book with a message which I enjoyed reading.

I really enjoyed this autobiography, although I did not realize it was a story of the author's life until I was really underway in the story.
A lot of emphasis on his battle with alcohol, but a happy ending nonetheless. I really enjoyed it.

Very insightful to team participation, and a trip down memory lane for me, as I crewed on a boat while in High School in Karachi Pakistan. Our coach had been an Olympic athlete, rowing in the '56 Olympics..

Another story about someone who was abused as a child by a parent, cleric, teacher, etc and had their whole life ruined by it. I would like to read a book about someone who takes responsibility for their own failures instead of blaming everything on people surrounding them. ow refresthing that would be.

Alcohol fueled book with alcohol causing horrid family problems until finally help is accepted. However for 100's of pages of drinking we, the reader gets a reprieve. Yes, nicely written but too much drinking for me the reader to get comfortable. The main character as a boy is likable and deserving of sympathy, but as an adult this reader says, Enough!

Growing up with an alcoholic father and then dealing with it himself in adult life, though fiction, helped me to understand alcoholism in my own life. It was a struggle reading it at times, but it was great to follow the characters journey with the addiction and how the other characters related to him.