Bookworm's Reviews > A Pint of Plain

Far too ramble-y for my taste. I suppose I had a bunch of strikes against me on this: I picked it up on a whim. I don't drink. I've never been to Ireland (and rarely visit a pub). But I thought that this would be an interesting to read.
 
It was tough to get into, when this guy claims he was an expert of any sort on Irish pubs based on watching a film and visiting pubs in other countries and thinking it was what it was like in Ireland. Overall I found his style rather rambling and meandering.
 
I think my main problem is that the guy is looking for something that only matches his ideal, in his head. And as he is an ex-pat, it looks like he brought an unfortunate and impossible bar to meet. I'm not exactly sure what or where he thinks he will find his "perfect" pub, because it sounds like he is searching for something that no longer exists, or is searching for something that really only exists in the movies or film .
 
Another review points out that a map and/or pictures would have been great, and I agree. For a travelogue it can be very helpful for someone to be able to actually SEE what he's talking about instead of relying on his descriptions. And it would be fun to retrace his path for those interested.
 
I suppose if you're familiar with Ireland and/or the history of pubs this might be a good pickup. And even then I'd recommend library or bargain.