The Woman Who Walked Into Doors - Roddy Doyle

I don't think I'm sexist - but I truly believe that male writers write better about some subjects than female writers - and vice versa. It's a matter of personal taste I suppose, but, as an example, I've yet to read an account of a fight by a female writer that seemed sufficiently realistic. Perhaps it's because we women are far too sensible to engage in fisticuffs, but, described by a woman, a fight always seems to be more handbags at dawn than hard men at war. But I've changed. Truly I have. Because it was prejudice like this that prevented me from reading "The Woman who walked into Doors" by Roddy Doyle. True, Doyle is one of ...  Read the complete review

As many of you know I'm at University studying a Q.T.S. course to become a Primary School Teacher. However, that isn't all I'm doing, I'm also doing an English Degree (or a part English degree) alongside my teacher training. The reason I mention this is because on my current module, "Writing Now" we are studying Contemporary writers and Roddy Doyle's The Woman Who Walked Into Doors, is next on our study list. Having read this book over the holiday's I found no trouble at all getting into the story. The way Doyle has written the book it is as if Paula, the main character, is telling you personally her life story, as if ...  Read the complete review

The woman who walked into doors is a masterpiece that is the only word to describe it. The plot set in Dublin centres around a woman, Paula and her life from growing up to marriage and children. Paula has a happy childhood, but a miserable marriage. Here husband, Charlo beats her up, in disgusting ways, not just the odd slap, but real nasty violence, snapping fingers, pulling arms out of their sockets etc. This drives Paula into an alcoholic, with no self-confidence and almost a recluse. Paula cannot admit to the beatings, she loves her husband how can this possibly happen! In her own mind she is clumsy, “she walks into doors”. After every ...  Read the complete review

I really couldn't get on with this book at all (and this is rare for me!). The topic of the book is domestic violence, and so I felt I should have strong feelings about both main characters (Paula, the victim, and Charlo, the wife-beating husband), but I actually found the characters very flat and difficult to relate to. This may be because of the style of writing, and what I felt was complete overuse of swearing - if it was designed to shock, it failed miserably and just turned me off the whole book. I was also not impressed with the storyline itself, whereby nothing really seemed to happen, except violence. Maybe this is the point the book is trying to make, in ...  Read the complete review

I have just finished reading this book and I loved it, Paula Spencer is a survivor. In spite of a difficult childhood,an abusive husband and a society which tries to sweep it's domestic problems under the carpet, she endures and lives to tell the tale. Roddy Doyle is an amazing writer, it must have been such a challenge for him to write as a woman, but it does it so well- perhaps better than a woman could. ...  Read the complete review