Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-cream Float Before He Stole My Ma

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Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-cream Float Before He Stole My Ma

By: Kerry Hudson

Narrated by: Jane MacFarlane

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Shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award, the Saltire Scottish First Book of the Year and the Green Carnation Prize

‘More than just one of the best debuts of the year; one of the best books of the year. It should do for Aberdeen what Trainspotting did for Edinburgh’ Louise Welsh, Herald

When Janie Ryan is born, she is destined to be the latest in a long line of Aberdeen fishwives.

Ahead of her lies a life filled with feckless men, filthy council flats and bread & marge sandwiches.

But Janie isn’t like the rest of them. She wants a different life.

And Janie, born and bred for combat, is ready to fight for it.

Kerry HudsonJane MacFarlaneVintage Digital

Coming of Age

Genre Fiction

Literature & Fiction

Comedy

Coming of Age Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Comedy

Critic reviews

Colourful, funny, joyful and compelling

There's little doubt that this young writer is going to be a star... In the course of this picaresque and haunting tale, Hudson achieves something rare and remarkable. While comparison will inevitably be made between her work and that of Irvine Welsh or Alan Warner, she is wholly individual (Rosemary Goring)

Kerry Hudson’s fine, eloquent debut novel traces the peripatetic childhood of Janie Ryan...her tale is full of warmth and bittersweet humour

Real and heartfelt... Hudson avoids the usual sentimental clichés and gives us, without a shred of hipster cynicism, the hope and tough warmth for which she has such a sharp eye (Jenn Ashworth)

A gritty, tough, sweet , sad, funny story of urban survival. Recommended

A sympathetic coming-of-age tale and a valuable counterpoint to widespread social attitudes to women in poverty (Anthony Cummins)

Concurrently very funny and incredibly sad. The writing sizzles, and the words jump off the page as Hudson describes a world of fags, booze, bingo and worse. We watch our heroine Janie Ryan struggle through it all with humour and a will to survive. I was cheering her on all the way, and I'm sure you will, too (Cathy Rentzenbrink)

A laugh out loud read

Told with such an honest and engaging voice that you can’t help but turn the page

This is a remarkable debut novel of love and loyalty, of fierce passion and scabrous wit, full of characters whose broad vernacular is direct and expressive. This is about a culture with just as much right to be called British as that of middle-class suburbia

Most relevant

Excellent character development and insight. Ultimately an exploration of a harsh, realistic upbringing.
Avoid if easily depressed.