The Woman Who Walked into Doors: A Novel (A Paula Spencer Novel)

Once again Roddy Doyle writes about the working-class of Dublin, Ireland. The narrator is Paula Spencer -- née O'Leary. THE WOMAN WHO WALKED INTO DOORS is the story of her life. At the time of her narration it is 1995 and she is thirty-nine. She is a widow; she has three children living with her and a fourth who has disappeared (she fears he now is a heroin addict); she works cleaning houses in the morning and a downtown office in the evening; she is an alcoholic; but somehow she is managing to keep the pared-down household afloat. The key to her survival, it emerges, is her grit and her indomitable personality.Paula had a rather dull childhood, made worse by being pigeonholed in secondary school as one of the dumb ones. She had been the first of her group to develop tits, and in school she had to spend inordinate energy preventing the boys, as well as the male teachers, from feeling her up. Her passport to glamour and excitement came when she saw Charlo Spencer at a dance: "He was with a gang but all by himself. His hands in his pockets with the thumbs hooked over the denim and a [butt] hanging from his mouth. It got me then and it gets me now: cigarettes are sexy -- they're worth the stench and the cancer. * * * I was sweating a bit. And I felt the sweat when I saw Charlo. This wasn't a crush -- this wasn't David Cassidy or David Essex over there -- it was sex. I wanted to go over there and bite him."After a two-year courtship they married. Up to that point, life with Charlo was, for Paula, given her background, the fairy-tale life of a princess. But soon after marriage she became pregnant and one night, well into her pregnancy when she felt "ugly, fat and full of someone else's hairy body", Charlo hit her -- punched her square in the face. For the next seventeen years he continued to beat and batter her. "Broken nose. Loose teeth. Cracked ribs. Broken finger. Black eyes. I don't know how many; I once had two at the same time, one fading, the other new. Shoulders, elbows, knees, wrists. Stitches in my mouth. Stitches on my chin. A ruptured eardrum. Burns. * * * He dragged me around the house by my clothes and by my hair. He kicked me up and he kicked me down the stairs." When she needed medical attention, as was frequently the case, Charlo took her to the hospital and stayed with her while she was treated, the ever-solicitous husband. What happened? She had fallen down the stairs. Or she had walked into a door. Yet again.Paula's harrowing story of those seventeen years of abuse is relegated to the last quarter of the novel. The first three quarters set the stage. Despite the many bleak aspects of her life, they are a joy to read because Paula is so irrepressible, constantly surprising and delighting you with her humor or her wisdom. That first part of the novel also contains the story of how Paula came to be a widow. To find out about that, and about how a year earlier she finally ousted Charlo from the house, you will have to read the novel. It will be an unforgettable experience.

I would recommend this book to a friend. It is not a happy story, but the main character is immensely likable, and her story is interesting and worth reading. I liked Paula Spencer. She's funny, insightful, vulnerable and charming. She is also flawed, which makes her seem very real to me. It was hard to read this book though, because the shadow of her tragedy creeps across every page. Doyle waits until the final chapters to tell us, though, about Paula's battering at the hands of a man she loves, her "shattered" husband, Charlo. The title tells us what we do and do not want to know, so I think it's fine that Doyle waits until the end to reveal it all.This book is written in the first person, and as an American the Irish vernacular was initially difficult for me, but Paula's inner dialogue is well written, and very enjoyable. I think I might have picked up a few Irish colloquialisms.Kudos to Roddy Doyle! He has created a wonderful, likable, character in Paula Spencer.

I taught British Literature for twenty years and believe the modern Irish writers are producing the best prose in English today. Roddy Doyle won the Man Booker Prize for Paddy Clark, Ha Ha Ha. His Barrytown Triology deserves to be read for sheer enjoyment. The Woman Who Walked Into Doors broached a touchy subject: spousal abuse. With alcohol abuse being fairly common and divorce not accepted (or even legal until relatively recently), this problem was not often discussed. Irish readers were a bit shocked, even angry,when Doyle wrote about Paula Spencer, who would say she had walked into a door when she had to go to the clinic after being beaten, or thrown down the stairs, by Charlo,her abusive husband. Paula outlives Charlo (the way he dies is hilarious and the reaction of Paula and her sisters is even funnier). Her story continues in Doyle's following novel, called Paula Spencer. She is one of Doyle's most finely crafted characters.

This is a story of a woman's abuse (sexually, physically and emotionally) by her husband - and most surprising, to me at least - it is written by a man.Author Roddy Doyle captures the voice of Irish wife and mother Paula O'Leary Spencer so very well and squeezes every last bit of angst from the tale of this woman's ordeal at the hands of the husband she loved.The story wanders about - from Paula's childhood to her teen years to her courtship by Charlo Spencer and her marriage. And it is not written in any linear form. It hopscotches around through different time periods. But the story works. The reader is able to get an idea of what Paula endured and why.Be warned that there are stark descriptions of abuse in this book. It isn't a "feel-good" story. The author definitely takes the reader into Paula's world so be prepared.

I do not often award a five star. This is an exceptional piece of work. The method the author used to tell the tale definitely put more power to the story; more impact to the character's emotions. How a man achieved this level of understanding to write so convincingly from the woman's point of view is an amazement. He did it, though. This book delivered far more than I expected and I confidently recommend it.

Well written, gritty portrayal of lower class Irish life in the 60s- now. To understand some of the phrasing and Irish idioms, it helps to keep an Irish accent in mind while reading it. The main character narrates a graphic synopsis of her day to day life including aspects of a difficult marriage, family complications, childhood memories, dubious social conventions and alcoholism. It was intersting to contrast growing up in Ireland with the US and note the similarities and differences. Excellent, no frills story of the life lead by many uninspired young women.

Roddy Doyle, The Woman Who Walked Into Doors. I have had this for twenty years and hesitated to read it because of my belief that A man could not possibly write this book credibly. What a waste of energy, moving it from seven different addresses and always putting it in the to be read pile. He does do the subject justice, he knows and portrays it as if he was Paula Spencer. If it is the last book I read I will die satisfied, knowing I read the work of a true artist.

I read this many years ago ‘by accident’. I’d read the Van and Paddy Clark, seeking more Roddy Doyle I got this at the time and didn’t read the blurb. Unlike his upbeat titles I found this book hard hitting, disturbing and depressing. Fast-forward 20 years, I chose to re-read it. I’ve lived my life a little now so-to-speak and I no longer found it how I did 20 years ago. My heart goes out to the character of Paula Spencer in this book. Domestic violence is horrific and Doyle can paint a harrowing viewpoint. Unless children are witnesses the world of DV often takes place in secret behind closed doors. Now here it is in all its complex vulgarity to read. Roddy Doyle’s writing is brilliant, it felt like the book was in a different time as I read it. His discriptions, dialect and ability to enable me to not only feel like I knew the characters well but care about them too was remarkable.I’ve ordered the sequel ‘Paula Spencer’ which I shall start tonight.

Anyone who has experienced marital abuse [which I haven't] or helped to look after those who have "escaped" into a refuge [which I have] will recognise the emotions which kept Paula trapped in her marriage for so long. And the tipping point which got her out of it. I loved Paula. Despite the harrowing subject matter, Roddy Doyle's humour has not deserted him and it is in no way a depressing read. If you don't understand why women stay, read this. Doyle describes amazingly well the belief in so many of these women that if only they try a little harder, do a little better that somehow it will stop. But of course, the first thing that the abuser destroys is any sort of self belief and many battered wives DO end up believing that they somehow deserve their treatment - until they find the courage - and it takes a LOT - to step away from the situation, one way or another.

Although Paula's story is very disturbing and I have no experience with the subject matter, I did relate to her at times, which makes me think that most people who read this book probably will.It sounds depressing to read about a woman in an abusive marriage who is an alcoholic and depressed, but more than that it is insightful and moving. The words feel as if they are coming from someone you know, as you begin to feel real sympathy for Paula, frustration with her family for not helping her more, dislike for the man who ultimately ruins her life. Then there are the parts which everyone can relate to - teenage courtships, trying to see the good in someone flawed, fears that come with parenthood etc - and the book is funny in parts.Some people may say that the main character is weak and should have stood up for herself more. But its not the character herself, but the way in which Doyle conveys her thoughts and feelings which I enjoyed. For me, it was like actually being in someone elses head. She repeats herself, she says one thing then immediately changes her mind, then berates herself for changing her mind. She questions her own memory, she tells you when she is sure of something and when she is not. It all creates a sense of realism and honesty which draws you in to her story. Above all I would say it is an absorbing book.

This book is an amazing descriptive ans emotional book about alcoholism and domestic violence. As a doctor I talk about this to my juniors reminding them ‘if only they’d asked’ to try to bring awareness into the open. I really got into the character and wanted more so I read the sequel. Again, just as captivating.