The Commitments

This is the original Roddy Doyle novel from which came the 1991 classic film, The Commitments. It's a classic, humorous drama-interlaced story about the formation, rise and fall of a fictional soul band from northside Dublin.The story illustrates how two young men aspiring to respectively play guitar and bass are encouraged by their friend-turned-manager to figure out how to play what he calls Dublin Soul. The manager places an ad in the local paper and starts recruiting members both seasoned and still learning, young and - in the case of trumpet player and spiritual guide Joey the Lips Fagen- old. The Commitments gain an immediate following from the moment they start gigging, but they're bogged down by the antics of singer Declan "Deco" Coffe and Joey's "interactions with the female singers. These particulars contribute, along with other matters, to the groups sudden and unexpected demise.Anybody who has both read this book and viewed the film (I actually watched the film dozens of times and purchased the book only recently) will be quick to pick up both the subtle differences between book & film and the immediate ones. For instance, the pivotal end scene when the Commitments disband is amid a mistake made by Joey The Lips Fagen over the supposed arrival of R&B sensation Wilson Pickett during a gig. In the original story, the group simply breaks up. Also, according to the book, four characters reconvene after the original group folds with talk of incorporating four others at a later time. In the film, all the members go their separate ways, except for the two original members, Derek Scully (bass) and Outspan Foster (guitar), who continue to perform together.When first I read the story, it grabbed me so immediately that I stayed up into the night reading. Even though, Mr Doyle didn't use common quotation symbols to indicate characters' lines, it was still quite an immediate read. (I suppose, that's got partly to do with already knowing the essentials of the story.)

great story, great dialogue.

I liked this as much as the movie that they made from this book. Maybe even more. I couldn't put it down and laughed out loud many times. I have most of the songs forming the Soul of the book (and remember when they were released) and verily believe he captured the soul of his characters/friends from No. Dublin. Went out an bought more of his books. Dialogue, dialogue, dialogue. Oh My!

After hearing an interview with Roddy Doyle, I decided to read his work. So I started with The Commitments. I enjoyed the language most of all; I could really hear the members of the band in my head. The book is very short, but takes the reader through the quick history of the band (The Commitments). So if you like music and books with mostly dialogue (and dialect), read it! I intent to read more of Doyle.

I would've given this book a "5-star" rating; that said, however, I was needless to say not impressed with the "large-print" font size used to make up the text in the book. I felt that while the book was actually funny in many regards, nevertheless, it seemed like it had been printed up for geriatrics to read in old folks homes!! This "feature" was conveniently left out of the listing information!

Roddy Doyle is one of the best writers alive right now and has, for me, revitalized Irish Literature, and literature in general. His prose is full of beauty, the dialogue is crisp and clear and real. Not to be missed. I started with A Star Called Henry and that trilogy. Can't wait to get the Guts and everything else he's written.

I wanted to read this because I loved the movie. I usually read the book after watching the movie to get more detail but it was the opposite here. The book was short and the movie had way more things going on. It's a good quick read, but Id stick to just watching the movie on this one.

I heard a review of this author's latest book on MPR, thought he sounded interesting, and decided to read some of his work ... the style would drive an English teacher crazy and is absolutely perfect and while some might find the use of dialect a little distracting I can't imagine this book could be written without it ...

The Commitments is a short book about a group of Dubliners who decide to form a soul band. They slowly build up their ability to play their instruments and hone themselves into a band able to play the pub circuit in Dublin and deal with their internal fights and arguments to get to that stage every band wants where a record label is interested in them making a single. To fine out what happens then you will need to read the book.The banter between the characters is very funny in parts, especially if you read the book taking into account the Dublin accent. The characters are built up even though it is a pretty short book at only 130 pages.The only negative for me is the excessive use of musical descriptions such as Thuh Thuh – Dah Thuh. This sometimes feels like filling where the writer wanted to pad out an already short story.This a classic book and one I would recommend for a quick read over a weekend.

I was astounded at how dull I found this. Roddy Doyle is such a big name, I quite enjoyed his latest ("Love"), the vast majority of readers love the book. But, as another disappointed reviewer here said, this is more of a short story than a novel. It's obviously more of a film (especially with all the music). Back in 1987, it was pioneering — with all the bad language, and writing about a poor Dublin area. There is barely a plot; and with over 10 people in the band there is hardly any characterisation. It also seemed a bit of a fairy tale — in that enthusiasts who had little knowledge of music somehow learnt to play. If I try to pick positive points, I would say that it conveys the chaos and difficulty of organising a dozen people to commit to a project and keep at it. That itself is some kind of reflection of Barrytown (the fictional North Dublin location, which is probably based on Doyle's Ballymun and Kilbarrack). The book is, perhaps, famous for that — arguably following in the traditions of Sean O'Casey and J M Synge in writing about the poor and underprivileged. They brought beauty and humour and a close study of the language. Doyle is known for his dialogue — and The Commitments was very well received at the time.

Not an easy read but well worth persevering with. Very funny in places and its’ depiction of the angst and insecurities of being a teenager coupled with their creative instincts and energy is really well portrayed. Altogether, a delight.

They say that the book is always better than the film. I usually agree but not this time.It's entertaining while it lasts but is a sickeningly short book. It makes you realise what a great job the film makers did in developing the story.If you are expecting the book to, even loosely, follow the format of the movie we all loved, you are likely to be disappointed. It's as if the book came later but they left out 15 chapters.Save yourself a fiver and watch the movie again.

I saw the film and the London show before picking up this 1980's book. The dialog is still hilarious, and the basis for the stage show, but Alan Parker's 1991 film added so much to the plot and expanded the basic characters so effectively that I was disappointed in the book. If you've had no contact with this Dublin fable it's still fascinating. If you know the film then don't bother - except as a piece of research.