Skippy Dies

By: Paul Murray

Narrated by: Patrick Moy

Length: 21 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

Skippy and Ruprecht are having a doughnut-eating race one evening when Skippy turns purple and falls off his chair.....And so begins this epic, tragic, comic, brilliant novel set in and around Dublin’s Seabrook College for Boys. Principally concerning the lives, loves, mistakes and triumphs of overweight maths-whiz Ruprecht Van Doren and his roommate Daniel ‘Skippy’ Juster, it features a Frisbee-throwing siren called Lori, the joys (and horrors) of first love, the use and blatant misuse of prescription drugs, Carl (the official school psychopath), various attempts to unravel string theory... while at the same time exploring the very deepest mysteries of the human heart.

Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2010 and shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction

©2010 Paul Murray (P)2011 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"Marvellous, witty, heartbreaking, intensely moving, excellent. The writing is second to none, the banter brilliant. Crazy, but beautiful." ( Daily Telegraph)

"One of the most enjoyable, funny and moving reads of this year. A rare tragicomedy that’s both genuinely tragic and genuinely comic." ( The Guardian)

"Savagely funny, brimful of wit, energy, poetry and vision, unflaggingly entertaining. A triumph." ( The Sunday Times)

"Hilarious, heartbreaking, totally engrossing. A triumph." ( Daily Mail)

Perfection. Listened to it twice! *****

I LOVED this book. The narrator is the best I have heard, completely exceptional in every way, the different voices of all these different boys were all very clearly defined and easy to follow. The changes in pace were perfect... very impressive. The story is complex and yet fast paced, the dialog is brilliant and funny.
This book is basically about a group of boys at a Catholic boarding school. It's in contemporary times, they have iPods and internet porn. There is a messed up teacher, the kind of 'result' that these young boys can expect from life, he is not the hero. The hero is an unlikely character who dies in the first 10 minutes. We then go back in time to see what lead up to that moment and the final part of the book takes you past the moment of Skippy's death.
The language is brilliantly written, the interactions between the boys ring so true and are in turns hilarious and heartbreaking. The adults surrounding these boys are far more deluded and messed up than the boys and that's part of the charm. Yes there is sex, and bad language, and descriptions of porn and violence.
This is not a kids book. But it felt like a very real description of what goes on inside the heads of boys. I am a woman, so I found that fascinating. I must say the writer clearly has an issue with women, all the female characters are pretty unlikeable and mostly one dimensional. I was worried I would not like the book with all this testosterone flying around, but I love love loved it. I miss all the boys, and am still thinking of them...
It really rewards a second listen as you pick up on stuff and connections you missed in the first. If you liked Dead Poets Society the movie, then you will love this, very similar feel. GET IT NOW!

A mixed bag but worth it

Patrick Moy is such an outstanding narrator... so much so I was occasionally 'distracted' by his performance. The story is layered and character led and, despite wandering out where the buses don't go, it is a nourishing read with surprises, chuckles and winces. My only issue was it was a story in search of a genre... but perhaps that's what made it interesting. Recommended.

Excellent narrator for a hilarious and sad story

What made the experience of listening to Skippy Dies the most enjoyable?

Skippy Dies not only is a great story (hilarious and sad at the same time), but was even more enjoyable due to the excellent narration. All the characters, with their different accents, were really brought to life by Patrick Moy.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Skippy Dies?

All the conversations amongst the boys who are in the midst of their puberty. Hilarious!

Have you listened to any of Patrick Moy’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't, but sure would like to after this one.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh heaps of times, although it was extremely sad at other times.

Any additional comments?

A great listen. Not only because of the above-mentioned things, but also because of the critical attitude of the author towards traditional catholic boarding schools like this one, without becoming moralistic.

Enjoyed both the story and the narration!

I’ve been meaning to read this book for several years but I’m glad that I listened to the audio book version. As an Irish person I thought the narrator was excellent, getting the accents/speaking style of the characters very much in line with their characteristics and bringing to life the stereotypes that the author developed so well. It was almost a satire of a particular segment of Irish society.

The story itself deals with some heavy topics (teenage drug use, depression, self-worth and mental health) but is told in a humorous way. The multiple layers show a critique of society. I think it’s an excellent story but will particularly appeal if you know pre-recession Dublin and Ireland. It’s definitely not for children or younger teenagers who might not understand the challenge the book is making.

I don't get the fuss at all.

I found this story boring, and I felt the characters were all unpleasant. I've only listened to 5 hours of it, but I can't bear to listen to the next 16 so I'm giving up. I don't understand all the rave reviews, especially the idea that this book is funny. How?
The protagonists are depressed, self involved, racist, sexist teenage boys who are so lacking in intellectual curiosity or personal introspection that they may as well be caricatures. The adults around them are mostly sad, bickering, doubting, dishonest, ineffectual and/or bulling in their nature.
The story is mostly internal dialogue and conversations, very little plot development so far. Therefore this novel hinges on the reader's relationship with the protagonists. Since I found the protagonists to be depressing cliches, this was not a book for me.

Patrick Moy deserves an oscar

I am such a massive fan of this book, made me laugh out loud, made me think hard, made me wish for it to be longer. Buy it just to listen to the narration ❤️❤️❤️

good family book

This is a book you could plug in and play on a long road trip for the whole family..
Good story, enjoyable, funny, poignant and entertaining. Suitable for all ages..

Inspired, funny, heartrending & addicitive!

Skippy Dies is based primarily in the all male Seabrook College, home to day and boarding pupils alike. It fixes in on both the young teenage students and their teachers, and their lives away from school.

The book opens with as the title states, Daniel `Skippy' Juster dying. At first the reason for his death seems obvious, but the plot then goes back in time and we slowly discover that the cause of Skippy's death isn't as simple as people initially suspected.

It deals beautifully with the story behind each of the main characters, exploring their past, their family life, what brought them to the here and now and their current emotional state. When you add the girls school next door into the mix the story really takes off.

As I said the title is very self explanatory, but all is not what it seems, so my advice is to let Murray take you on this wonderfully touching journey of discovery.

I don't want to give away too much other than to say all the characters are wonderfully portrayed in such fantastic detail and brought to life by the first class narration of Patrick Moy. Combine Murray's style of writing and Moy’s storytelling and the result you have is both hilarious and poignant.

This is not one to miss.

Not my cup of tea

I'm obviously out of step with the rest of the world. Despite the rave reviews this book has had, I'm third of the way through & I'm giving up. I've really tried to like it but I just can't . I'm bored. The characters are bland and, apart from the first few lines, I'm not finding it funny. Unless you are interested in the workings of the adolescent male mind, or want to hear (again) about the tortures of growing up as a Catholic in Ireland, I wouldn't recommend it. I'm just glad I got it at sale price.

Brilliant book briliantly read

I am two-thirds through this book and am enjoying it so much I need to write a review now. I read and loved Paul Murray's first novel An Evening Of Long Goodbyes, which was severely underrated and overlooked, and I have had to wait 7 years for this, his second book. But oh boy was the wait worth it. This is a rare creature: an epic comic novel. Its setting is intimate, its ideas are expansive and its structure is subtley complex and tightly-knit. This is all woven from a painfully truthful portrait of adolescence. (I must add here I normally run a mile from books about adolescence, having no desire to be reminded of it.) As many great comic novels have, there is also a dark heart beating in it producing some unexpected, profoundly moving moments. If that is not enough to recommend it, I have to say this book is seemingly written to be read by Patrick Moy, whose interpretation is so pitch perfect, it turns the whole listening experience into an absolute joy.

A modern Great Irish Novel.

This is an absolute joy. Superbly written, packed with great characters, and as funny as it is profound, informative and moving.

Patrick Moy's narration and voice work are equally excellent too and bring the characters bursting to life.

The most enjoyable book I've read this year

Just got hooked on the story, it was funny, sad, thought provoking, shocking and clever.I loved how various themes were explored and woven seamlessly into the plot.

The narration by Patrick Moy was brilliant and was just the icing on the cake.

Highly recommended.

Totally memorable

I listen and enjoy many audio books. This is however is one that will be a hstandout for me. The reader brings out the characters in such a way that they stay with you even when you have stopped listening and are going about your day. It is on its own a great epic a book, darkly funny and heartfelt but Patrick Moy gives it a life of it's own. If you could recommend a book to any friend as a listen over a read this is a good choice.

Surprisingly good

I can't remember why I bought this in the first place and it languished for a year, before I started without much enthusiasm. ( a boys boarding school??!)

Once I stuck with it past the first chapter I was gripped. I had to listen to it all over again, partly because I wasn't ready to part with the characters yet, but I picked more details 2nd time around.

The narration was part of what made it so listenable. One of my criteria for audiobook ratings -( I listen while driving on the freeway) is how much I tune out and have to press the replay button. Not much with this one.

Didn't want it to end

Having never been a teenage boy, I wasn’t sure if this book was quite for me, set as it is in a public boys’ school. But it was. I loved it. I loved Skippy. And I know the title should have given me a clue, but I was so gutted when he died. I was gutted for Ruprecht, for Geoff, Dennis and Mario. Even though they’re a bunch of childish losers. And I was gutted for me. I cried on the tube again, and I laughed. It’s a dark, silly, charming book, but be warned, Skippy does die. .

I am so glad I got this book

This is a brilliant book. It kind of creeps up on you. For the first 30 minutes or so I was all 'meh, I might just leave this and give Bill Bryson another shot'. But I kept on and I am glad I did. So if you feel the same, just keep going a bit longer and let it get under your skin.

I had never heard of the writer or the reader - both are fantastic. Turns out that the book isn't about anyone Australian at all! It's funny, dark humour mind you, very dark. But parts of it made me laugh out loud, but it was OK because I was just on my own in the dining room. Anyway, I only bought it because it was in the sale but it would have been worth the full price. The reader is magic, his voices are amazing, really, he just acts the whole thing. Creepy, menacing, (do not let that put you off, I have a very low menace threshold), hilarious and very clever.

Superb writing skills, complex but fascinating plot, mesmerising characters, great narration.

Bittersweet Teen and Middle Age Irish Angst

In the beginning Skippy (Daniel) dies during a doughnut eating contest with his fellow boarders at their strict Irish school. We retrace the steps that led to this competition and delight in the banter of the 14yr olds as they discover girls, drugs and adult emotions. The teachers at the school have their own problems and the headmaster in particular is brilliantly brought to life by the narrator. Be warned, this is quite sad, despite the comedic undertones and quite serious issues are always on the sidelines demanding attention.