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What are readers saying about Trainspotting?
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-22 12:17:25.
(Language: English)
 
I have an autographed copy frim Irvine's reading in Chicago @ Barbara'a books.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-02-04 06:22:22.
(Language: French)
Récits sordides, dialogues cyniques d'une jeunesse écossaise sans avenir et misérable dans l'angleterre des années 80.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-07-27 08:11:37.
(Language: English)
Bloody F*#&$^&@ brilliant.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-11-19 06:39:08.
(Language: English)
Most kezdtem el olvasni
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-19 10:58:05.
(Language: English)
This was my second Welsh book - discovered Acid House on a trip to London in the nineties - and I love it. When I heard it was going to be made into a film, I thought, "no way, they're going to ruin a brilliant book. How can a film do this book justice?" But incredibly, the film did a pretty decent job - probably the best interpretation of a complex book I've seen. Back to Trainspotting, probably one of the best examples of how to do dialect and slang without falling into cultural safari mode. He really brings the region and subculture to life with incredible skill. Too bad his writing's gone downhill since - not necessarily skill wise, but I never quite rediscovered the magic and freshness I found in Acid House, Trainspotting and Marabout Stork Nightmares.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-06-25 07:00:20.
(Language: English)
I'm proud to say, in this case, I read Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting before I saw the film (also good) by Danny Boyle. A lot of people are going to put this one down after trying to get through the dialogue (it's written in a Scotting dialect), but trust me. You'll get used to it. Like riding a bike, see? And all the cool kids ride bikes. It's funny at times, depressing at times, laugh-out-loud (I know. Cliche) funny at times. Give it a try. You won't be dissapointed. ...And be sure to see the movie too. Good stuff there.
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Anna posted a review at 2010-09-15 08:42:54.
(Language: English)
Quite different from what I am used to. But this is a compliment. The book is full of WTF moments, humour and unexpected turn of events. In all, fuckin' lov'd it!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-04-10 04:54:06.
(Language: English)
A bunch of stories told with style. Insight into a nihilistic world that will leave you astonished by its crudeness. Very human.
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Melissa posted a review at 2009-07-17 12:35:00.
(Language: English)
A sick and twisted tale of epic proportions, this book will make you want to be a psychiatrist if you already have an inclination toward the social sciences. An extraordinary look into the psyche of individuals with substance abuse problems and their ability (or inability for that matter) to deal with the occurrences arising in their everyday lives.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-04-24 01:23:46.
(Language: English)
watz life...selctg a fridge?
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-12 03:37:06.
(Language: English)
Greatest fucking book of all time, I agree with the Rebel, inc statement that says, "Greatest book written by a man or woman, deseveres to sell more copies then the bible." Welsh does a wonderful job of exploring the lack of scottish national idenity and beats the concept of unionism to a bloodly pit with this novel. Plus it's extreme witty and dark, touching on many issues that shocked scottland in the 1980's. I would totally say this should be a require read for school if I was a teacher.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-22 10:54:01.
(Language: English)
awesome. provocative, not for the faint of heart
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-08 03:32:44.
(Language: English)
This book was a surprising revelation.Knowing the film inside out i eventually decided i should read the source, and in many ways I am glad it is so different. Telling more stories of more characters, but with the same level of interesting modernity as the film the book flies by. The other thing i loved about it was the use of different modes of speech for the narration, so when it's Begbie it reads different to Renton and different to Spud. This may make it hard to read for some but i found myself thinking in a Scottish accent after reading it!
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-07 01:42:20.
(Language: English)
I like many others saw the film first and then read the book. The book is far better than the film with a great mixture of dark humor, varying perspectives from the different characters, and you can easily find yourself rooting for different characters on subsequent reads especially if you just read certain chapters in isolation. I also like that you can do this, as it's essentially a series of short stories that interlink well. I've also found that although I've read and enjoyed all his novels, none of the others have quite measured up. Ironically, isn't that how drug addicts view subsequent hits? In that they never quite match up to the magical first? I can thoroughly recommend reading the book though, and liked the way he wrote the dialog in a Scottish accent. It really helped me 'hear' what the characters were saying.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-04-05 01:49:56.
(Language: English)
irvine welsh has created a filthy masterpiece fir us tae absorb here. the scottish spelling and a few of the words will take a few pages and some effort to fully understand and discern, but once you get going it draws you in infectiously. the novel has a wide-o range of despicable misfit characters that seem to attempt to cover almost every known taboo and area of disgust in our society, and through their testimonies and frank narration and interaction show through irony and perspective and hypocrisy some of the greatest failings of the human, from a personal to a governmental level. a great deal of challenging viewpoints, actions and issues are faced head on by characters who commit terrible crimes and lose themselves and their lives in absolute abandon, in between espousing attractive revolutionary ideals and eloquently presented moral observations. there is far more to this novel then swearing, drugs and poverty. a superb, therefore, and highly recommended effort.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-17 07:06:04.
(Language: English)
Probably one of the best books I've ever read. Don't be put of by its style, its difficult to read at first, but once you've let it works itself into your brain its well worth the effort. The prose, the Endinbrough dialect spoken by the characters, seems at first to be VERY off putting, but perservere, once you get beyond the language (and even the swearing) the story moves along quickly and very entertainingly. The sotries veer from funny to tragic to just plain disgusting (Sunday morning breakfast!). Its hard to love such narcisistic characters, but you do. I recommend highly to anyone.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-04-08 11:09:22.
(Language: English)
Amazing book! Well worth giving it a chance and getting to grips with the language (saying stuff you dont get out loud helps!) -It's surprising how quickly you notice it's not a problem anynore - the way he uses different accents for different characters is really impressive!Was put off reading the book by the film which was good but had a real 'being a junky is cool' vibe to it - not of that in the book - much darker and cleverer - it's mad how the main characters are really likable even though they're all bastards on some level. Will defintely be looking out some of Welsh's other books.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-02-01 04:06:52.
(Language: English)
Harder to read than Anthony Burgess' nadsat in "Clockwork," but damn, is it a whole lot funnier! Irvine Welsh's writing is so blunt and visceral that it leaves no cushy padding between the reader and the action. That's why it has always had the uncanny ability to make me physically emulate the sensations he is describing. In Filth, I felt nauseous, hungry and angry, in Porno I felt high, hyper and horny. Trainspotting was written before he'd really become such a master of detailed description, and it takes you on a fucked up roller coaster that left me dizzy, shivering and exhausted. Kind of like when you're jonesing for a fix.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-11 09:11:36.
(Language: English)
I admit, it was hard to read, and some parts I had trouble understanding. But this has to be one of the best books I've read so far. I've never been so involved in a group of characters in my life. In the end I felt like they were all people I knew, which is super cliche but is hard to avoid with Trainspotting. Everyone is so well developed and I found myself missing the character Rent Boy being in my life. Fortunately, the movie is incredibly true to the story and the acting is fantastic. It really brings the book to life, and I think it's the best book/movie pairs I've seen. I highly recommend both.
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Jennie-Mae posted a review at 2010-02-22 09:43:27.
(Language: English)
I tried reading this about 10 years ago, but couldn't get past the Scottish brogue , but decided to give it another try. I'm so glad I did. Great story. A bit disturbing in parts, but I enjoyed reading it. It takes a bit to get used to the writing and I didn't always know for sure which character's point of view I was reading, but I still really enjoyed it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-14 03:30:57.
(Language: English)
The use of phonetic Scottish accents was brilliant, it gave the novel another dimension and brought the characters to life marvellously. I also loved the way the book jumped to different points of view. At times it seemed to be trying too hard to be shocking and controversial- maybe I read it too quickly, but by the end I felt I had been needlessly bombarded with descriptions of bodily fluids. Everything after the wonderfully disturbing section "Bad Blood" lacked impact and was just mildly depressing.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-10-18 07:22:54.
(Language: English)
A damn cool, kickass modern classic novel. no doubt about it. i have become a better person reading it. an entire class above catcher in the rye. mature smart irreverent daring, i have no idea which is that one aspect about this novel that made it so damn special. or maybe it was the fact that all those qualities shined through so strongly at the same time. like i said before. a true classic.
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Jeremy posted a review at 2010-07-05 10:13:02.
(Language: English)
A fascinating read and a very complex novel about the human condition. There is much more here than just a story about drug addiction and drug culture. Welsh manages to use a range of addictions and a range of characters to chart a kind of disaffected existential condition that any thinking person should be able to appreciate. There is plenty to shock you, particularly how ordinary the process of shock can be, as opposed to over-the-top histrionic shite. The voices are very affecting and the structure sometimes confusing, but certainly worth the effort. This is one of the great novels of the 20th century.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-16 10:13:50.
(Language: English)
The movie seems hopeful in comparison to the novel. What's really interesting is how Welsh changes the POV from chapter to chapter. Don't be intimidated by the dialect; once you get into it, it's not too tough to understand. Plus, it'll also help you read James Kelman and other Welsh novels. Too bad Welsh had to write this masterpiece so early in his career; he will forever be forced to try and top it. And while subsequent novels (including the sequel, "Porno") have plenty of shock value, none have matched this when it comes to plot and character development. You can't put it down, and you'll find yourself coming back and re-reading chapters.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-06 08:20:04.
(Language: English)
I enjoyed this book because there really were no heroes. Just about every character was either a total wanker or an undeserving victim. It was a challenge reading most of the book in a Scottish brogue, but everyone should do that at least once. The moral of the story was that pretty much everyone is fucked no matter what we do & isn't that the truth?
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