Round Ireland with a Fridge

Hawks, Tony. Round Ireland with a Fridge. New York: St. Martin's Press. 2000. Print

First Sentences:

In 1989 I went to Ireland for the first time. I don't know why it had taken so long. Some parts of the world you make a conscious effort to visit and others have to wait until fate delivers you there.

When the moment arrived for me to set foot on the Emerald Isle, it was as a result of a badly written song.

Description:

I dare you not to read further than this quoted passage. What was the "badly written song" that brought him to Ireland? (Spoiler Alert: I Wanna Have Tea with Batman, written by the author of this book). And what's the fridge in the title got to do with travel? Or Ireland for that matter? It's these intriguing questions that draw me into this type of book every time: the promise of adventure, humor, a quirky narrator, and skillful storytelling.

The author, Tony Hawks, is a British radio personality, writer, and performer He is also someone who honors his drunken bar bets. When he awakens one morning to find his signature on a note outlining a bet for 100 pounds that Hawks couldn't hitchhike around Ireland in 30 days with a small mini refrigerator at his side, well, there was simply nothing for him to do by give it a try. 

Round Ireland with a Fridge relates this off-beat travel adventure, chronicling Hawks thumbing for rides in Ireland standing next to a refrigerator, hoping someone, anyone, will give him a lift. Incredibly, they do.

Ride after ride slowly moves him along the roads that circle the country. But along the way, something strange begins to happen. It is the fridge that becomes the object of interest, not Hawks. People want to autograph and leave messages on the fridge, take it to parties, bring it surfing (yes, there is surfing in Ireland, much to Hawks' amazement). Hawks is allowed to accompany the fridge on these local jaunts, of course, but clearly the spotlight is on the fridge.

Can he get all the way around Ireland (with a fridge) in one month and win the bet? I won't spoil the ending, but suffice to say there are adventures and kooky characters aplenty along the way to keep you reading to the very end. Hawks is a gifted storyteller, self-effacing and always dryly humorous. It is one of the funniest and most fun books I have ever read. And I say that from my heart.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough to everyone. It is fairly unknown, but I don't know why. So please, please, get it, read it, give it as a gift, and tell everyone about it; it is that good. Make yourself and the world smile. 

Happy reading. 


Fred

www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Hawks, Tony. Playing the Moldovians at Tennis  

Hawks bets he is a strong enough tennis player to defeat athletes of a national soccer team at tennis. The country of choice? Moldovia. He must travel to this unknown country, arrange the challenge, then defeat all 11 members individually to win the bet. Hijinx ensue!