The Chisellers continues the story of the Browne family a couple of years after the events of The Mammy. With the elder children now bringing in a wage, life in the tenements is a little more bearable for the family. Agnes receives a letter one morning from the Dublin Corporation, the tenements are to be demolished and the family are to be uprooted across Dublin in a matter of weeks. Agnes and the residents are soon in uproar, protesting at the move.The comedy this time around takes a bit of a backseat, it's still there and the book is in places extremely funny but it's a bit of a serious read in places, and there were a number of developments and twists that I wasn't expecting. Now the children are older, Frankie is a skinhead which is bad news for Rory who is now working in a hairdressers, being chased home of a night by the local gang of skinheads. When Frankie is kicked out of school his troubles soon escalate as he finds himself caught up with some very dodgy people. Dermot is somewhat of a rascal and I loved the story of how he shoplifted a pair of trousers from a local clothes shop. All while Agnes and Mark sat in a cafe upstairs after shelling out close to £100 on a suit, Mark starting to make a good living for himself and his family. The other children again have their roles to play in the story, I'm particularly fond of Trevor. All of the characters just come to life on the page.Once again O'Carroll writes about a time and place that he knows well giving the book a real feel of authenticity, and highlighting the subjects that people at that time had to face, sometimes difficult but writing about it in a very humorous way. Through the drama and the heartache it's a very bittersweet read in places, and once again Agnes Browne and her 'chisellers' are a joy to read about. I was left speechless with certain events towards the end of The Chisellers and wasn't expecting O'Carroll to take the story where he did but it definitely left me wanting to continue with the trilogy straightaway. I love O'Carroll's writing, it's just fantastic, and as with The Mammy I had this read in just a few sittings which is actually a bit of a shame because they are over far too soon. As I recommended The Mammy, The Chisellers comes highly recommended by me also.
I was surprised to discover that the "chisellers" referred to in the title are Agnes' children, and that it is not a pejorative. Where I grew up a chiseller is a con-artist, a moocher, a sponger who takes without giving back. Cultural differences, I guess. This is the story of the Brownes in the 70s, as each child tries to find his or her way in the world, for good or ill. This volume does read like a "transitional" volume of a trilogy, which I guess it is. There are many characters, plot lines are a bit thinner. I didn't laugh as much as I did when reading The Mammy, and I did find myself skimming certain bits, trying to get back to the story. The "fairy tale" element is still rather strong, though not all goes to plan, and fortunately Cliff Richard gets only a passing mention. I got a strong feeling that this volume sets up a lot of things for the next. I just can't get used to this whole "series" thing that modern writers have going on. It reads very quickly, and felt "shorted" here and there for some reason. Looks like I'll have to read the next volume to find out why. sigh
What do You think about The Chisellers (2000)?
In this second book of the Mrs. Browne trilogy, the story begins four or five years where The Mammy leaves off. Agnes Brown's children are growing up, finding their way, following their dreams or talents and meeting with success -- or in some cases -- not. Agnes Browne is still seeing Pierre, the French pizza man. The book, as a whole, had more suspense and intrigue than the first which made for quick page turning.The plot is simple and the book is simply written. It does contain a fair share of foul language. If light reading and a fast read is what you are looking for, you might be satisfied with this trilogy.
—Karen
Secondo capitolo dedicato ai Browne e all’Irlanda con i suoi pub e le sue atmosfere surreali, e nulla è cambiato rispetto al primo.Stesso ottimismo sfrenato. Ogni piccola situazione ha il suo lieto fine; le cose si sistemano sempre e tra l’altro esattamente come ti aspetti, senza colpi di scena o trovate particolarmente fantasiose. Eppure, come nel primo libro, arrivi in fondo e non sei deluso o annoiato; certo, non sei estasiato dalle storie appena lette e di certo non ti rimarranno nel cuore per sempre, ma il senso positivo ti resta incollato addosso. E non è male come sensazione, proprio per niente.Da qualche parte ho già pronto anche il terzo dei quattro o forse cinque libri che compongono la saga; sono curiosa di scoprire quale sarà la mia reazione quando lo leggerò, fra qualche mese o forse anno. Aggiungo che mi piace sempre, alla fine di un libro, leggere i ringraziamenti dell’autore; spesso si assomigliano; ogni tanto sono stringatissimi, alle volte fin troppo prolissi, ogni tanto un po’ freddi e ogni tanto appassionati. Certe volte neanche ci sono. Beh, i ringraziamenti di Brendan O’Carroll mi sono piaciuti tanto. Li ho già letti 3 volte, e si, mi piacciono proprio. Sono sinceri e sono originali ed è bello sentire l’emozione racchiusa in poche, semplici parole.
—Claudia
Plenty of charm and humor is this tale of Agnes Brown and her crew of seven kids in Dublin circa 1970. She always seems to make ends meet with income from her vegetable stand and work some of her oldest kids do. Her eldest Mark is studying to be a carpenter and works to pull off a plan to save a furniture factory from going under. Dermot is smart and popular, but uses brain for brilliant shoplifting. Poor sweet Simon has a terrible stutter. The one who really breaks her heart is Manny, who has taken to running with skinheads and dreams of becoming a drug dealer. Unfortunately, her kind son Rory, who is studying hair dressing and is secretly gay, is subject to bullying from the very gang Manny runs with. As Agnes rides the triumphs and crises of her kids’ lives, she dreams of winning big on bingo, finding true love in a slowly developing romance. Another crisis is the landlord’s plan to move all the families from the tenement she lives in to a new project in a more suburban location. The first in the series, “The Mammy”, was fresh and funny. Here the humor is toned down, the sense of vibrant life in this struggling family still makes a heartwarming diversion for readers jaded by too made dark stories.
—Michael
