Rating: 
Summary: Portrait of a glam rock loving transvestite
Review: "It's bombing night and I haven't got a thing to wear!" So says Paddy Braden, a mad Irish transvestite bomber hooker, whose story this is. So goes the entire book, a cool mixture of humor and utterly gruesome and horrific scenes described in the most offhand, cheery kind of voice. If you can get into the idea of an Irish orphan who does a killer impression of Dusty Springfield, and moves to London, where she hooks up with the IRA, you need this book. 'The Crying Game' is pablum next to this. This Irish author is probably not going to be loved by Brits, but Americans I'm sure he's going to be on the short list.
Rating:
Summary: a grotesque comic/tragedy
Review: . Pussy Brady, the hero, struggles with life in Northern Ireland as a transvestite prostitute. . For all of his scathing remarks, he is vulnerable and the reader will be drawn to read on. He seems caught in a world that overwhelms him. Although he plays the sophisticated sarcastic woman of the world, it is obvious that he is not. It is this gap between how Pussy would like to be seen and how he is that is so compelling. One hopes for better things but knows that they are unlikely to happen for him.
Rating: 
Summary: Turn your brains on, kiddies
Review: The novel, Breakfast on Pluto by Patrick McCabe is a prime example of "smart literature". An appropriate definition of smart literature is, "a book you have to think about to like". I am guilty of turning my brain off the first time I read this piece of work. I thought it was vulgar and uncontrolled. When I actually turned my brain on for the second reading, I learned how wrong it was in that assumption. This novel follows the story of a young transvestite prostitute in Ireland who was abandoned at birth. He is searching for love, money, revenge, and his mother. The Northern Ireland War is the stunning backdrop for this novel. The conversation and insight by the protagonist is intriguing and his struggles to find himself and his mother are heart wrenching. When he finally spirals down in to depression and insanity, the reader feels the innocent little boy trying to grasp at one last little piece of a dream. His vengeful fits explode like searing fire off of the pages. Breakfast on Pluto is a short, fast read. If your brain is on, that is. If you don't get it the first time, read it again and the piece will fall together like a Chanel scented puzzle. Some people may be turned off to the graphic sex and rape, (I was one of them) but it is crucial to the story. This is a book that deserves to be read and Patrick McCabe is an author that deserves to be highly credited for his work. For a rating of this book, I give it a 4 out of 5 stars. (Hey, that 2 time reading irked me a lot at first, what can I say.)
Rating:
Summary: Turn your brains on, kiddies
Review: The novel, Breakfast on Pluto by Patrick McCabe is a prime example of "smart literature". An appropriate definition of smart literature is, "a book you have to think about to like". I am guilty of turning my brain off the first time I read this piece of work. I thought it was vulgar and uncontrolled. When I actually turned my brain on for the second reading, I learned how wrong it was in that assumption. This novel follows the story of a young transvestite prostitute in Ireland who was abandoned at birth. He is searching for love, money, revenge, and his mother. The Northern Ireland War is the stunning backdrop for this novel. The conversation and insight by the protagonist is intriguing and his struggles to find himself and his mother are heart wrenching. When he finally spirals down in to depression and insanity, the reader feels the innocent little boy trying to grasp at one last little piece of a dream. His vengeful fits explode like searing fire off of the pages. Breakfast on Pluto is a short, fast read. If your brain is on, that is. If you don't get it the first time, read it again and the piece will fall together like a Chanel scented puzzle. Some people may be turned off to the graphic sex and rape, (I was one of them) but it is crucial to the story. This is a book that deserves to be read and Patrick McCabe is an author that deserves to be highly credited for his work. For a rating of this book, I give it a 4 out of 5 stars. (Hey, that 2 time reading irked me a lot at first, what can I say.)
Rating:
Summary: Pussy's Platinum Read
Review: CM-A book I would have to read again to completely comprehend. Enjoyable & witty, a challenging read. K-Took me 2/3 of the way through the book to really understand what was going on and get used to his style of writing. Once I did, I really enjoyed the book, but it was almost too late by then!M-The style and irish colloquialisms caused difficulty initially in getting into this book, yet to combat that-read it all at once. This allows one to jump into Paddy Pussy's head-as frightful as that might be! Paddy is a troubled and naive person that lives his life to the beat of a different drummer, yet his quirkiness almost seems sane in the insane world of religion & politics of Northern Ireland. Patrick McCabe is a genious. J-I really enjoyed the exclamatory style of writing, despite the dark subject matter. Pussy's spirit was very admirable. The quick change of Pussy's emotion and the events that occured kept me interested, even though it was hard to follow. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I would have read it all at once instead of in so many segments. - Poor, poor pitiful Pussy! So pitiful & used, yet so in touch with him, er um, herself! A little fragmented, but overall a decent read. - Hum..I am still trying to figure out what was real & what was fantasy..I guess that was the point. Loved the use of language and the colorful descriptions of people and events. It was very interesting.. - Interesting entering the mind of such a different person. A lesson in optimism.
Rating:
Summary: Wierd title ...good read
Review: I read this book for a neighborhood book club, discussion. I thought the group leader had flipped when she recommended it. However this was a good study in human behavior, denial, hardship, depravity, lovelessness, and some sort of triump over it. Worthwhile reading and very well written.
Rating:
Summary: Wierd title ...good read
Review: I read this book for a neighborhood book club, discussion. I thought the group leader had flipped when she recommended it. However this was a good study in human behavior, denial, hardship, depravity, lovelessness, and some sort of triump over it. Worthwhile reading and very well written.
Rating: 
Summary: Not all that
Review: I was expecting to be wowed by Breakfast on Pluto, but it just didn't do it for me. I thought that Pussy's character was overblown to the point of triteness. Really, even with all her issues, she was quite the one-note sreechy diva. And the violent, o-the-brutality-of-The Troubles interludes just left me shrugging my shoulders. Overall, the book felt like a patchwork of gimmicks, from the narrative structure to the transvestite prostitutes to the torture scenes to the...well, I could go on. I haven't given up on Patrick McCabe, though; I'm planning on reading "Butcher Boy" to find out once and for all whether there is any truth to the McCabe hype.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointment
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. The author assumed that the reader knew the history of the political conflicts & religious wars between Ireland and London, and wrote in unknown jargon, making the book confusing and hard to follow. Pusey, a transvestite prostitute, was desperate for love. All Pusey really wanted was to find his birth mother and have his father acknowledge him. He knew he needed to fortive his father, but allowed rage and lust for vengenance to control him against the man who would never acknowledge him. Pusey slipped in and out of reality, making it difficult to differentiate between what was real and what was only imagined. Escape for Pusey came in fantasis of Vic Damone, Dusty Springfield, and music. Had this book been written in a different sytle, I think I would have enjoyed it more.
Rating:
Summary: Not Worth The Time
Review: I'm a pretty patient reader so I stick with most things I pick up. And it's a shame that I'm so persistent because I should have put this one down and started something else. I've read some bad stuff and this ranks right up there. Patrick McCabe is a talented author. Both The Butcher Boy and Carn were excellent novels. So I was confused when I got through the first few pages of Breakfast on Pluto. Was it me? Was this genius and was I failing to recognize truly brilliant writing? I've figured out that the answer is no. Breakfast on Pluto is just plain bad. Unfortunately, its had the side effect of turning me off Patrick McCabe in general. Maybe one day I'll try something else by him but for now, I'd rather move on.
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