Product Description

I hereby bet Tony Hawks the sum of One Hundred Pounds that he cannot hitchhike round the circumference of Ireland, with a fridge, within one calendar month'. A foolhardy attempt to win a drunken bet led to Tony Hawks having one of the most unforgettable experiences of his life. Joined by his trusty travelling-companion-cum-domestic-appliance, he found himself in the midst of a remarkable, inspirational and, at times, downright silly adventure. In their month of madness, Tony and his fridge surfed together; entered a batchelor festival; and one of them had sex without the other knowing. The fridge got christened, and they even met the poorest king on Earth. An absurd story of an extraordinary adventure, Round Ireland with a Fridge follows the fearless pair as they battle towards Dublin and a breathtaking finale that is moving, uplifting, and a fitting conclusion to the whole ridiculous affair.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2014 in Books
• Published on: 1999-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
On his only prior visit to Ireland, songwriter/comic Tony Hawks had seen a man hitchhiking with a refrigerator. For years, he was wont to tell the tale during late-night drinking matches, and after one particularly heavy-duty night of partying, he awoke to find a bet scrawled pillow-side: a friend wagered 100 pounds that Hawks wouldn't travel Ireland for a month with a refrigerator at his side.

Out of this stupid premise, a ridiculously amusing book was born. Quickly discovered by the Irish media, the thumbing Englishman finds that he and his box fridge are elevated to celebrity status, and there's no dearth of rides, places to stay or goofy people to meet, from kings to spoons players to locals who take his fridge surfing. As insightful about the strange inner workings of Hawk's mind as it is about charming peculiarities of Irishmen--it's doubtful that Hawks would have been similarly embraced by Germans, Italians, or the French--Round Ireland with a Fridge is an entirely silly, heart-warming tale told in a rollicking funny and refreshing style. --Melissa Rossi

Review
Whilst in Ireland for an international song competition, comedian Tony Hawks was amazed to see a hitch-hiker trying to thumb a lift with a fridge. Years later, following an alcohol-fuelled evening, he accepted a 100 pound bet that he couldn't hitch around the coast of Ireland with a fridge. This is what happened. (Kirkus UK)

Synopsis
I hereby bet Tony Hawks the sum of One Hundred Pounds that he cannot hitchhike round the circumference of Ireland, with a fridge, within one calendar month'. A foolhardy attempt to win a drunken bet led to Tony Hawks having one of the most unforgettable experiences of his life. Joined by his trusty travelling-companion-cum-domestic-appliance, he found himself in the midst of a remarkable, inspirational and, at times, downright silly adventure. In their month of madness, Tony and his fridge surfed together; entered a batchelor festival; and one of them had sex without the other knowing. The fridge got christened, and they even met the poorest king on Earth. An absurd story of an extraordinary adventure, Round Ireland with a Fridge follows the fearless pair as they battle towards Dublin and a breathtaking finale that is moving, uplifting, and a fitting conclusion to the whole ridiculous affair.

Customer Reviews

Genius look into the inner workings of a modern bloke
I don't read usually, then my sister bought me this book for my birthday and one day when the internet was down and the tv wasn't any good I picked it up... it was a revelation, reading can be a real laugh! Via the thought processes of Tony Hawks he describes moments that we'll all know - unrequited love - and moments that we don't - standing in the rain on the side of an Irish road with a fridge - all with the sort of language usually heard in British pubs amongst mates. It's pure genius. Read it and weap.

Fridge Craic
This book does live up to expectations: it's funny, quirky and most of all, totally readable and I loved it. The storyline is that Hawks has a bet with a friend that he will be able to hitchhike around Ireland with a fridge within a calendar month because Ireland's a magical place and strange things happen there. The characters he meets along the way are priceless and the scene in the dog house made me laugh out loud.

A brilliant and funny travelogue, it's a stonking good read!

Lives up to your expectations
I didn't know much about Tony Hawks apart from seeing him on TV occasionally but he's not my kind of comedian generally. While reading this book, I initially had to come to terms with his very wordy and educated form of language; he is unlikely to find the Times crossword a challenge! However, both the trip and the comedy began together in earnest and everything just got better. His subtle descriptions of the hillarity of people and circumstance is wonderful and frequently leads to outbursts of laughter... or should I use that awful LOL expression? My opinion of Mr Hawks will lead me to pay much more attention to him in the future... wonderful book.