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The Outside Boy  By  cover art

The Outside Boy

By: Jeanine Cummins
Narrated by: Alan Devally
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Publisher's summary

The Outside Boy is a poignant coming-of-age novel about an Irish gypsy boy’s childhood in the 1950s from Jeanine Cummins, the national best-selling author of A Rip in Heaven and American Dirt.

Ireland, 1959: Young Christopher Hurley is a tinker, a Pavee gypsy, who roams with his father and extended family from town to town, carrying all their worldly possessions in their wagons. Christy carries with him a burden of guilt as well, haunted by the story of his mother's death in childbirth.

The wandering life is the only one Christy has ever known, but when his grandfather dies, everything changes. His father decides to settle briefly, in a town, where Christy and his cousin can receive proper schooling and prepare for their first communions. But still, always, they are treated as outsiders.

As Christy struggles to find his way amid the more conventional lives of his new classmates, he starts to question who he is and where he belongs. But then the discovery of an old newspaper photograph, and a long-buried secret from his mother's mysterious past, changes his life forever....

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company

©2010 Jeanine Cummins (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

What listeners say about The Outside Boy

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Written with feeling and emotion!

Thanks for this wonderful book.
The narration was magnificent! The feeling and emotion in Jeanine Cummins words are masterful.

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Outstanding

I enjoyed everything last word spoken, Alan Devally’s voice and breath brings life and love to the authors story..just amazing!!

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The Outside Boy by Cummings

Loved it , it's a trip into the gypsy culture as a young Irish boy unravels the mystery of his beginning.

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All Around Great

Jeanine Cummins never fails and Alan Devally is the icing on top!! Highly recommend this book in audio especially.

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Wonderful !

I adored this story! Marvelous narration, descriptive writing, profound, engaging, with believable in-depth characters. Perfect!

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Fabulous!!

I rarely write reviews, but this book deserves it. This is the best book I have ever listened to. The characters just come to life and the story kept me on my toes and had me laughing out loud at their banter. I’m of Irish descent and this brought me into a whole world I never knew existed. Oh, and the narrator was fantastic and PERFECT for this story. More, please!!!

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An emotional masterpiece

I laughed out loud, I smiled, I cried. A beautiful story of heartbreak, struggle , love and resolve. The reader was brilliant and so animated with all the proper accents and brogues. Highly recommend

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Amazing

I am so sad that the book is finished! I never wanted it to end. So good!!

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One of my favorite books ever!

I loved everything about this book. The writing, the narrator, the story. I love everything Irish having been there 4 times, and this book captured the spirit of the people and the land. I laughed and cried throughout. I will revisit this beautiful story many times.

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Good story

Loved the readers voice! The book and his inflection made me laugh out loud several times. It was very descriptive I liked the book and recommend it.

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