LONGLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE 2021

'One of the year's funniest books' i Paper

'Funny, smart, soulful and sometimes devastating ... It made me laugh and cry' EMILIE PINE, author of Notes to Self
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Patrick Freyne has tried a lot of stupid ideas in his life. Now, he is here to tell you about them: like the time (aged 5) he opened a gate and let a horse out of its field, just to see what would happen; or the time (aged 19) he jumped out of a plane for charity, even though he didn't much care about the charity and was sure he'd end up dead; or the time (aged old enough to know better) he used a magazine as a funnel for fuel when the petrol cap on his band's van broke.

He has also learned a few things: about the power of group song; about the beauty of physically caring for another human being; about childlessness; about losing friends far too young. Life as seen through the eyes of Patrick Freyne is stranger, funnier and a lot more interesting than life as we generally know it. Like David Sedaris or Nora Ephron, he creates an environment all his own - fundamentally comic, sometimes moving, always deeply humane. OK, Let's Do Your Stupid Idea is a joyous reading experience from an instantly essential new writer.
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'Patrick Freyne is a comic genius' MARIAN KEYES

'Clever, lovely and great, great fun' RODDY DOYLE

'Funny and adorable' NINA STIBBE

'The most gorgeous and heartbreaking book about humans and why we need each other' DAISY BUCHANAN

'Hilariously, painfully, Freynefully brilliant' JOSEPH O'CONNOR

'Wonderful ... One of my books of the year' RYAN TUBRIDY

'Full of humour and tenderness, this book is an absolute JOY' SINEAD GLEESON

'F*cking fantastic. Patrick is a brilliant writer' BLINDBOY BOATCLUB

'A cracking, sad, funny, honest, brave and hilarious read' LIZ NUGENT

'Guffaw-out-loud funny' Business Post

'A writer of rare humour, depth, and humanity. These essays are a delight' MARK O'CONNELL, author of To Be a Machine

'Goosebumps! Guffaws! It's got it all. I love this book' DOIREANN NI GHRIOFA

About the Author
Patrick Freyne spent most of his twenties trying to be a rock star before turning to the much more stable and secure world of journalism. He is a features writer at the Irish Times. OK, Let's Do Your Stupid Idea is his first book.

Reviews
One of the year's funniest books ... witty, wise and worth returning to again and again * i Paper *
Funny, smart, soulful and sometimes devastating, this book shows life in all its shades. It made me laugh and cry -- Emilie Pine, author of Notes to Self
Warm, wry, charming, absorbing ... It's the most gorgeous and heartbreaking book about humans and why we need each other -- Daisy Buchanan * via Twitter *
Funny and adorable -- Nina Stibbe
I was reminded - very happily reminded - of Kurt Vonnegut. But Patrick Freyne is his own writer and this book is clever, lovely and great, great fun -- Roddy Doyle
Patrick Freyne has a distinct and enviable gift for story-telling ... Full of humour and tenderness, this book is an absolute JOY -- Sinead Gleeson, author of Constellations
One of the best-written, smartest and gosh-darn-it funniest books I've read in a very long while -- Seamus O'Reilly
Hilariously, painfully, Freynefully brilliant -- Joseph O'Connor
Whether he's writing about his childhood on a military base, working in a kebab shop with a nazi in his teens, playing in punk bands in his twenties, or grappling with the question of whether to have children, Patrick Freyne is a writer of rare humour, depth, and humanity. These essays are a delight -- Mark O'Connell, author of To Be a Machine
A cracking, sad, funny, honest, brave and hilarious read -- Liz Nugent * via Twitter *
No one makes me laugh like Patrick Freyne -- Paul Howard
Superb ... The stories move from breathtakingly vulnerable to extraordinarily funny, and all with such skill and lightness of touch. I loved it -- Louise O'Neill
I don't know another writer who could balance poignancy and hilarity with such grace ... Goosebumps! Guffaws! It's got it all. I love this book -- Doireann Ni Ghriofa * via Twitter *
Guffaw-out-loud funny * Business Post *
A riotous read from the get-go ... An absolute tonic for our times * RTE Guide *
F*cking fantastic. Patrick is a brilliant writer -- Blindboy Boatclub * via Twitter *
Lovely ... It's very worth reading -- Dara O Briain * via Twitter *
A wonderful book ... done with a gorgeous twist of humour and great emotional insight ... One of my books of the year -- Ryan Tubridy * RTE Radio 1 *
Exquisite ... One of the funniest writers in Ireland * Irish Examiner *
Immensely readable, warm, human and very, very funny * Irish Daily Star *
Pixies were loud-quiet-loud. Patrick Freyne is funny-sad-funny. I really loved his new book -- Ed O'Loughlin * via Twitter *
Readers are sure to find themselves touched by Freyne's writing ... Delightful * Journal.ie *
Freyne's thoroughly entertaining debut is a flash of warmth and wit in the darkness * Totally Dublin *
Genuinely moving ... [It] will evoke warmth in anyone who isn't totally sociopathic * Hot Press *
A delightful insight into the mind of the hilarious Patrick Freyne * Irish Country Magazine *
So honest, so funny, and most importantly, 11/10 for self-deprecation -- Sarah Breen
Brilliant ... An absolute mind hug -- Niall Breslin
Freyne's radar is precision-honed to find the madness within the mundane * Sunday Independent *
More moving that I ever expected and somehow funnier than I assumed -- Emer McLysaght * Irish Times, Best Books of 2020 *



Book Information
ISBN 9780241992531
Author Patrick Freyne
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 162g
Dimensions(mm) 203mm * 130mm * 15mm