The Thrill of It All Hardcover – International Edition, August 7, 2014

I enjoyed the book overall, and indeed sitting next to me is my Ibanez Classical guitar bought by my parents for me in 1966 so I appreciated the references. I did find that sometime the story was over researched and could have done with more depth in the characters. Would I say to anyone don't read it . no it works well. Some may find it slower then they think.

If you were born in the 60 's....therefore are now around 50 yr old...and into your music .You will reall enjoy book.Joe has a great command of the English language and there are very funny descriptions in it.Fran sounds a bit like Freddie mercury .I loved the bits where rob and the dad had arguments.

A very enjoyable read with lots of situations which hark back to 60's and 70's. Not only that, there are incidents and characters that resonate in the present as well. I missed some depth with not having a musical background, but this was not essential to the overall 'thrill' of reading this book.

Whilst showing all of Joseph O'Connor's talented writing and wit I found it to be a bit of a lad's book.

A very slow moving book. The last quarter was the best

Fabulous book..I grew up in Dublin at this time and had similar experiences..Joseph's writing is like an unforgettable song..love it all

Awful! Found the language very difficult on parts. Couldn't get onto the book at all. Struggled to finish it.

Excellent read!

This book has everything I love; complex characters, twists and turns, pathos, pitch perfect capture of Luton. Top moment was the hysterical explosion of rage and virulent sarcasm from the incomparable Jimmy waving the electricity bill at his teenage sons. Any teenager living in a working class family in the early 80s has been there! Giving it to all my friends. Not going to recycle this one - will be opening it a random in an I-ching style for brilliant one liners whenever I need to laugh or cry.

The Star of the Sea by this author is one of my favourite novels so I had high expectations of this one when I came across it. The plot is based around some friends forming a band in the 1980s and my husband is more of a music fan than me so he read it first - pronouncing it to be "a good read" - then my turn next.After a couple of abortive starts when I really couldn't get into it I finally got going with this novel.There is some lovely writing but the plot lacks any excitement at all and I quickly got bored with this book. It felt that the author was trying too hard to be cool and show his knowledge of the period.It all moved too slowly which made it feel too much like real life. Books don't need to be packed with action but a slow paced novel needs to have something else to make it exciting (fascinating characters or beautiful descriptions) and this book was lacking.

In this novel, author Joseph O’Connor has woven a fascinating tale of a fictional band, which reads like a real biography. In a way, it could well be a true story as it mirrors so many events in the life of bands and musicians that I have read – indeed, O’Connor is well placed to write such a tale, as his sister is the singer Sinead O’Connor.The novel is told from the point of view of Robbie Goulding, ex-member of famous band The Ships in the Night. The first part of the book takes him from 1981 – 1987; beginning with his initial meeting with charismatic lead singer Francis Mulvey when they were both seventeen, in the rather uninspiring location of Luton Polytechnic. From the start, Fran is mesmerising and exotic and it is obvious that he is very different to everybody else around him. It is a useful tool to use Robbie as our narrator as he is certainly the more down to earth of the pair.As the book progresses, the fledging pair of buskers become a band, with the arrival of twins Trez (Sarah-Therese Sherlock) and Sean. This is the story of so many bands, from early gigs, to the excitement of first appearing on radio or television, the promise of success, missed opportunities and living in squalor. From the beginning, there are also the self destructive indulgence of drugs, in Fran’s case, and drink, in Robbie’s. We follow the band from Luton, to London to New York, as things get harder, then success eventually comes.We know from the beginning that things for The Ships do not end well. As happens so often, there is recrimination, lawsuits and a parting of the ways. However, O’Connor does a great job of showing the inside of the music business with all its highs and lows and also how young so many members of bands are and how ill equipped they are to cope with the enormous life changes of fame – so often fleeting – and sudden wealth.The second part of the book takes place in the current time period – that is 2012. Having told the story of the rise of The Ships, we catch up with Robbie and see how his life has turned out. This is a wonderful novel, showing how bands so often do become family to each other – it is full of huge themes like friendship, unrequited love, dealing with fame, ambition and talent. This is a warm, brave and wonderful novel and I recommend it highly.

Though from the generation 10 years older than this book's narrator, the guitar hero Robbie Goulding, I feel the story offers an insightful glimpse into the highs and lows of rock and roll stardom. Life in Robbie's band is as often tawdry as it is glamourous. O'Connor successfully captures the band's entangled, complicated, relationships; how the other side of respect and bonding can be contempt and loathing. He uses Robbie's words to show how the emotions inspiring the band's creativity also drive their acrimonious split. The personalities of the four band members and of the supporting cast are well drawn.The book has a strong sense of place, whether Luton, London or New York. The description of tacky pretentious 1980's student life is well observed.The Thrill of it All succeeds in demonstrating how perspectives and priorities are inevitably changed over time. It is an entertaining thought provoking read for anyone who might feel music gives meaning to their life.

A curious read given the premise. The writer clearly has a wonderful grasp of prose and uses this to great effect at various points.But the story. The narrative is based around a hugely successful band yet you never get the sense of scale or even a hint of rock'n"roll hedonism.The story revolves around the characters living in bedsits and the associated hard times they endure. 100 pages of this should have been devoted to the band when they hit the big time.The last twenty pages hint at what the book should have been.Very dull. Very disappointing. Oh and very dull...