Fork in the Road

Rating:
Summary: What a ride!
Review: I recently spent a weekend reading this book. I made time for eating and sleeping, but not much else.

I haven't read something in a while that so satisfied all of the reasons I like to read: I read to laugh and this book has some amazing one-two punches that had me laughing uproariously. I also read to find heart and this book is full of heart, these characters are complicated, made up of all the broken pieces that drain us and all the warm qualities that make us human. I read to find the truth, or someone's own version of it, and this book is very true to its characters. These characters are three dimensional and more, so complicated that you're never sure which direction they're going to take.

This story buoyed me up yet broke my heart at the same time. Denis Hamill has written a fine book, let's hope the movie people don't screw it up. It'll be damn near impossible to put Gina Furey on the screen, but I wish them a lot of luck as she is an incredible character.

Rating:
Summary: Compelling
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, at times staying up way into the night. I liked the interesting format of the story, shifting between Colin's directorial eye and the plot itself. The only problem I had is that at times it was a little too unbelievable. First that Colin would be so willing to to put up with the trials of being with Gina and second that Gina would be willing to put up with the trials of being in America.

Overall, it was a compelling story, and a refreshing change of pace. Read a few pages into the first chapter, and you won't want to stop.

Rating:
Summary: 14 pages was enough for me
Review: I've been trying to read more fiction, and I picked this book up at the airport. I like books about Ireland, I liked the title, I liked the cover art. I hung in there through chapter one, despite what I thought was a contrived death of the mother scene. In chapter two, Colin, the central male character, is in a Dublin hotel bar when he feels a pickpocket at work. Incredible as it may seem, Colin doesn't grab for his wallet and spin around as you might expect. No, he lets the pickpocket work away; then, at the last moment before the wallet is stolen he whirls around to encounter a beautiful female pickpocket. Instantly smitten, Colin gives chase as the young lady runs out of the hotel, but Colin unfortunately must give up the pursuit because he has developed a giant erection and is unable to run effectively. At this point I decided to pack it in. Is this book a spoof of some kind? Black comedy? Based upon other reviews, apparently not. If you are like me and expect characters to behave in a somewhat plausible manner, avoid this book.

Rating:
Summary: One of My All-Time Favorites!
Review: In this extraordinary novel, Denis Hamill gives new meaning to the phrase "bringing characters to life." They are so riveting that several months after reading it, I can still remember exact scenes, dialogue, and details. This novel is one of my all time favorites, and I've been telling everyone to read
it.
The fork Colin Coyne takes veers through the Irish sub-culture of tinkers, or travellers. Colin has fallen for an enigmatic tinker woman, Gina Furey, and this wreaks havoc in his life. Gina and company are the type who would "steal the sugar out of your punch," as my Irish grandmother would say. Colin and Gina's story is so compelling it was very hard to put this book down. I plan to read it again, for the pure pleasure of it.
This is the best detour you'll ever take!

Rating:
Summary: Irish flavor and unforgettable characters
Review: In this novel, a young American filmmaker named Colin meets Gina as she is picking his pocket in a bar in Dublin. Both lives become forever changed at this point and the rest of the book is about choices made, cultural differences, love, family ties, and making movies. It is a roller coaster of emotions and a wild ride with characters you will never forget. Street talk makes you feel like you are really in Dublin as the author transports the reader to another place in today's world. Denis Hamill writes scenes that are hilarious, tragic, gritty, and fun from Dublin to Los Angeles to NYC. The jacket art caught my eye and once I started reading, I couldn't stop.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Journey
Review: It's actually hard to write a review for this book because it brings you through every range of emotion. Cracking up hysterically, to down right livid, to steamy eyed warm hearted feelings! You must read it!! If you are Irish or even just a fan of Ireland and its culture you will especially enjoy this novel.

Rating:
Summary: Preposterous But Strangely Compelling
Review: The plot is preposterous, and it's at times difficult to believe that the protagonist, Colin, would continue to suffer through the antics of the beautiful tinker, Gina Furey. But consider the children...he is afraid of disrupting their lives further by starting a custody battle.

The previous reviewers seemed to be polarized. They either hated the book or loved the book. I was mesmerized by it, staying up late and reading when I should have been studying for mid-terms. The characters seem to come alive, and the dialogue and the scenes that are painted in your mind and vivid. This should be made into a movie, but considering the level of profanity and crude acts, it might be tough to hang on to an R rating.

The plot tension created by not knowing how Colin would resolve the custody situation with Gina kept me turning pages until the end. Nothing was resolved until late in the book, but you knew that something had to happen soon, because there weren't many pages left! The ending was shocking, but appropriate. I couldn't have imagined any other way out for Colin and the children.

I will be looking for other works by this author, and hope that each are as spell-binding as "Fork in the Road".

Rating:
Summary: The luck of the Irish
Review: This Pygmalian-like, trans-atlantic "comedy-drama" details the story of two star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of the tracks and continents, who meet by accident and affect each other's life forever. At times poignant, and at times hysterically funny, it is entertaining and provides a unique view of Irish life in the 21st century. There are no shamrocks or leprachauns in this hip, over the top fable. Fun reading.

Rating:
Summary: A true original
Review: While doing research for his screenplay, Colin Coyne, a young American filmmaker from Bayside, Queens has his pocket picked in a Dublin pub. When he discovers that the pickpocket is the beautiful and headstrong Gina Furey, Colin falls hard for her, and his life changes forever. Convincing himself that he's just doing research, Colin is swept up into Gina's world, and before he realizes it, the fine line between fiction and reality blurs as Colin's life with Gina slowly unwinds as his next film. Like the spell Gina casts on Colin, FORK IN THE ROAD casts a spell on the reader as well. Gina is a character that the reader loves to hate, but ultimately can't help liking, and one of the most interesting and unique characters in fiction. Unlike anything Denis Hamill has written before, FORK IN THE ROAD is an unforgettable and engaging novel that at times is hilarious and charming, and poignant and heartbreaking.