Donal Ruane

This book can be described in one word: colourful. It's colourful in characters, stories and especially in languange. Through this book Donal Ruane proofs that the Irish people do have the gift of the glib gab. The language is not the kind that parents would be comfortable with to be spoken in front of the children, but it's certainly very rich, if you know what I mean. For example, he loves the word a**h*** and this word really peppers the book throughout.

Tales in a rearview mirror is a compilation of little tales that comes from Ruane's experience driving taxi at night in Dublin for several years. Maybe because he operated at night, it seems that a large number, a disproportionate number in fact, of his clientelles are of the dubious kinds, hence the colourfulness of the characters. The snapshots of these episodes in the characters' lives are as colourful - some are happy shots, some sad, some are tragic, some are simply weird. For all aspiring writers out there, take Ruane's example, be a taxi driver. It gives you a chance to encounter humanity and observe its colourfulness.

The book is definitely interesting, especially for people trying to master English not only the proper and correct BBC type, but the everyday Irish English one. My Irish husband gave me this book as part of the Irish culture education package for me. And it's a good choice language-wise, though I had to learn to be immune to the number of bad words it contains before plodding along with the reading.

It's not a good choice of book if one is preparing to live in Dublin, as it really does not give a flattering view of the city. To me as a tourist on a short visit it seemed a very charming city. But apparently not to Ruane. The closing chapter was solely dedicated on a lamentation of how bad it is now compared to the good old days. Basically Ruane bitched and moaned about Dublin as a metropolis that it is now. Oh well, go live in the village Ruane, and for feck sake, stop swearing!… (más)