Brilliant stuff. Roddy Doyle gives us three stories of a family filled with a purity of heart, a pragmatic outlook on life, and hilarious tragedy. "The Commitments" Introduces you to this close-knit family in the Barrytown suburb / slum of Northern Ireland. Many saw the movie, but as always it is nothing When Compared To The Book. Each story has its own appeal, But They really shine When read in Conjunction with the others in the series. You want to read each again and again.
What I love best about Doyle's writing style is his use of phonetic spelling to capture the accents of his characters. I was "thinking" in another tongue for weeks, and loving it!