Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks

Round Ireland with a Fridge
by Tony Hawks
$14.95

Paperback: 264 pages

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (March 7, 2001)

ISBN-10: 0312274920

ISBN-13: 978-0312274924

Annotation/Flash talk:

 I could not say it better than the author in his prologue:

“I'm not, by nature, a betting man. However, the pages that follow in this book do not bear testimony to that. In fact they exist wholly as the result of a bet.
    I'm not, by nature, a drinking man. However, the making of the bet which led to this book does not bear testimony to that. Because I made it when I was pissed.
    Everything you read from this moment forth is a tribute to what can be achieved as a result of a shabby night of booze.”

Summary:

On an earlier trip to Ireland, Tony Hawks spotted a man standing on the side of the road trying to hitchhike a ride with a refrigerator in tow.  The story became one of those classic back pocket stories he tossed out as banter at dinner parties with friends.  One night, one drunken night, the subject of the Fridge Man came up again.  Tony’s friends did not believe him.  Tony awoke the next morning to find a wager scribbled in his own hand, betting his friend £100 that Tony could not hitchhike around Ireland with fridge. 

The gauntlet having been thrown, Tony did just that. He arrived in Ireland, was aided is picking up a small cube fridge and proceeded to spend the month of May trying to hitchhike a full circle around Ireland.  Aided some by promotion on a local radio show, Tony worked his way around Ireland, but not with the greatest of ease. 

The fridge became to symbolize more than the bet; it became a philosophy for life and an in-road to the hearts, fellowship and minds of some of the most generous Irish people.  The story in a way is also a travelogue for the beauty of the Ireland.

Genre/Subgenre: Non-Fiction/Humor/Travelogue

Evaluation: 3-stars.