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Snobs, Dogs and Scobies
Snobs, Dogs and Scobies
Snobs, Dogs and Scobies
Ebook134 pages1 hour

Snobs, Dogs and Scobies

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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Snob: Ruán’s life is golden. He lives in a beautiful home on a beautiful street and he’s sure he’ll breeze through the exams. Everything is perfect. Dog: Emma lives just a few doors down from Ruán, but she knows she doesn’t belong. She tries to ignore the neighbours’ whispers – how did she and her mother get a house on Ashfield Avenue? And why would Ruán talk to a dog like her? Scobie: In the council estate around the corner, Colm, tired of the problems in his family, decides to take matters into his own hands. The Leaving Certificate exams are the only thing Ruán, Emma and Colm have in common … or so they think, until an accident changes everything.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 1, 2011
ISBN9781908195623
Snobs, Dogs and Scobies
Author

Elizabeth O'Hara

Elizabeth O’Hara is the pen name of Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, a well-known author for adults and children in Irish and English. She has won the Bisto Book of the Year Award and two Bisto Merit Awards for her children’s books. 

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Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Three Dublin teenagers approach their Leaving Certificate - a final examination at the end of their secondary school careers - in this Irish young adult novel, original published in Irish as Hurlamaboc. Privileged golden boy Ruán, whose mother Lísín is the preeminent "home-maker" on prestigious Ashfield Avenue; misfit Emma, whose single mother Eileen is the only working woman on that same exclusive street; and reserved Colm, who spends most of his out-of-school time working at the local Spar, in order to avoid his abusive alcoholic father, and miserable home-life in the nearby council estate - all three find themselves confronting unexpected challenges and tragedies as the Leaving Cert looms. Although from very different socio-economic and familial backgrounds, the teens find their lives interwoven in unexpected ways...I enjoyed reading Snobs, Dogs and Scobies, which I initially picked up because it was published by Little Island, a small, independent children's book publisher based in Dublin, and owned and run by renowned Irish children's author, Siobhán Parkinson. Although I purchased it almost two years ago, I've only just now gotten around to reading it, after living in Dublin for some time. I think this is probably fortunate, as there is quite a bit of vocabulary I might otherwise have stumbled over, and any number of Dublin and/or Irish places and contexts I might have found confusing. These range from references to such things as the Dart and Luas - the train and tram systems here in Dublin - to the idea of the 'land of twitching curtains,' referring to the Irish propensity for keeping tabs on their neighbors, and not necessarily in a good way. The narrative here alternates between the three main characters, allowing the reader to witness events from multiple perspectives. I found it amusing that Emma seems to criticize Ruán for his "communist" ideas, in his interactions with 'scobie' Colm, seemingly unaware that Ruán's friend see her as a 'dog,' and unworthy of his attention. Of the three characters, I liked Colm the most, and found his journey to Wales fascinating. I found myself wondering if O'Hara was obliquely hinting that he was gay, in her brief references to his friendship with Welsh boy Dafydd, which Colm sees as "the most important bit" of his experience in Wales, and which he is inexplicably reluctant to discuss with Ruán, when they meet. However that may be, I found the low-key friendship between the two boys, begun when they were in primary school together, and then seemingly abandoned until circumstance brings them together again, rather moving. All in all, a worthwhile read, one I would recommend to those looking for Irish young adult fare.

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Snobs, Dogs and Scobies - Elizabeth O'Hara

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