Paperboy: An Enchanting True Story of a Belfast Paperboy Coming to Terms with the Troubles

By: Tony Macaulay

Narrated by: Tony Macaulay

Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

It's Belfast, 1975. The city lies under the dark cloud of the Troubles, and hatred fills the air like smoke. But Tony Macaulay has just turned 12 and he's got a new job. He's going to be a paperboy. And come rain or shine - or bombs and mortar - he will deliver....

Paperboy lives in Upper Shankill, Belfast, in the heart of the conflict between Loyalists and Republicans. Bombings are on the evening news, rubble lies where buildings once stood, and rumours spread like wildfire about the IRA and the UDA.

But Paperboy lives in a world of Doctor Who, Top of the Pops and fish suppers. His battles are fought with all the passion of Ireland's opposing sides - but against acne, the dentist, and the "wee hoods" who rob his paper money. On his rounds he hums songs by the Bay City Rollers, dreams about outer space, and dreams even more about the beautiful Sharon Burgess.

In this touching, funny, and nostalgic memoir, Tony Macaulay recounts his days growing up in Belfast during the Troubles, the harrowing years which saw neighbour fighting neighbour and brother fighting brother. But in the midst of all this turmoil, Paperboy, a scrappy upstart with a wicked sense of humour and sky-high dreams, dutifully goes about his paper round. He is a good paperboy, so he is.

Paperboy proves that happiness can be found even in the darkest of times; it is a story that will charm your socks off, make you laugh out loud and brings to life the culture, stories, and colourful characters of a very different - but very familiar - time.

©2013 Tony Macaulay (P)2016 Tony Macaulay

Falling Down Funny and Achingly Sad

I listen while I walk the Dog and coming from a very close Irish family descent I had to stop and catch myself from laughing so hard that I might fall into a Hedge. I can't say enough about this beautiful, hysterical, sad and transformational book. One of the best reads of 2019 for me.

Great memories

Perfectly captures the innocence of the young people who were growing up in the midst of "the troubles" My husband was a paperboy and then on a bread truck.in the exact same years snd his mom was even a seamstress. Only difference was he grew up on Falls Road. Same experiences yet a universe apart. We both loved the book.

Brilliant!

I loved this book! I was about the same age and of Irish American parents. I remember watching the news and thinking I'll never get to go to Belfast. My family came from North Ireland. It felt like I got a piece of a part that I had been missing. As kids we had so much in common. I did get to go to Belfast and it like Tony Macaulay's book was amazing!

brilliant and funny

a great memory obviously and so funny

I hope more books will come from this author 😎

Surprisingly Funny

Great read if you've lived around people from or lived with people of the Uk. Witty, funny, and charming. It is rare that I find a book that makes me laugh out loud, but this continually had me butsing my guts laughing. It totally caught me off gaurd since the subject matter is quite serious .

Definitely a re-read because I liked it so much.

A personal window into N Ireland 1970s

Brilliant! Delightful turn of phrase and imagery. Superb dramatic reading! Warning: strong language in places, but it is never gratuitous. I bought this audiobook to hear and study the accent of N Ireland. I had no idea the story itself would be so good, so engaging, and so well-written. I look forward to the next audiobook I can find by Tony Macaulay, and hope he has read his own book again!
Note: N Ireland dialect and phraseology glossary is in the final chapter. There were things I looked up along the way for clarity; this glossary is quite helpful.

This book is wrote with the characteristically dry and dark Northern Irish sense of humour. Great read!

Great story with plenty of funny and relatable stories. Refreshing tale of the experiences of The Troubles in Northern Ireland from a young persons unique point of view.

Recommend this for anyone. For people who grew up in Northern Ireland its particularly relevant but also for readers interested modern political history and that of the conflict in Ulster. This book is told with characteristically dry and dark Northern Irish sense of humour. Great read!

Very Entertaining.

Any boy who had a paper route will love it. Anyone who loves a good story need not be a paperboy. It's a great story.

Hilarious-would give even more stars if possible

This was one of the funniest books I’ve ever heard. The author’s narration really makes the story come alive. I was laughing out loud and likely will do a re-listen, which is rare for me.

Bad Quality Recording; Remarkably Uninteresting

What was most disappointing about Tony Macaulay’s story?

The quality of the recording was terrible -- repeated lines, broken words, guitar sounds between chapters that were too loud relative to the recording. Beyond that, the story could have been any childhood in the 70s. It was littered with banal pop cultural references, and the central paperboy story didn't resonate at all. If this was meant to illustrate the ordinariness of childhood in a extraordinary (and extraordinarily violent) time, it succeeded. But ordinariness does not a compelling narrative make!

How could the performance have been better?

Professional sound control with a professional reader.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Macauley spent some time on structure, ensuring that certain jokes -- however weak -- persisted through the narrative.