A star called Henry

About “A star called Henry”

Roddy Doyle's novel follows Henry Smart, born in the Dublin slums in 1901. His father is a one-legged man who works as a bouncer and enforcer in a brothel. From a young age, Henry is forced to survive by stealing and begging, becoming a skilled and confident street figure. By 1916, he is fourteen, six feet tall, and a member of the Irish Citizen Army. A year later, he is involved in the fight for Irish independence, acting as a rebel and killer. Using his father's wooden leg as a weapon, Henry becomes a Republican legend, associated with Michael Collins, and is known as a cop killer and assassin who operates on a stolen bicycle.