- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd (4 July 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0224060066
- ISBN-13: 978-0224060066
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 13.4 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,561,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Clubland
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Mersey might still be one of the world’s muddiest rivers, but the Liverpool depicted in Kevin Sampson’s Clubland is keen to leave its murky past behind. Brussels-bound bureaucrats toast the success of the post-Toxteth regeneration; young people are flocking to its universities and money men are clambering over each other for a slice of the lucrative club trade.
Veteran gangster – and hero of Sampson’s earlier thriller Outlaws--Ged Brennan wouldn’t normally turn down an opportunity to earn more money. He’s got a wife and kids with decidedly upmarket tastes, after all. But he’s also got strong principles. The idea of a decriminalised zone in the heart of clubland--where prostitution and drug use would be tolerated--appals him. Unfortunately, he’s not in the best position to fight a crusade. The council are head-hunting him as the figurehead for their latest scheme. He’s just handed over a string of strip clubs to his wayward--and distinctly warped--cousin Moby. And there’s Marguerite, hot-shot lawyer and Haitian ice-queen. Who, in addition to being the widow of Ged’s dead brother, has very much her own ideas about the future of clubland.
This is a highly original tale of tangled loyalties, set against a backdrop of shifting values. Ged Brennan is a protagonist to rival TV’s Tony Soprano: gentlemanly and coarse, principled yet disarmingly ruthless. His journey through the mean streets of Merseyside is sometimes shocking, sometimes disturbing, always tinged with wit. Read it--and be grateful you’re not living it.--Matthew Baylis
Review
"His ear for the language of the street is astounding." -- Linda Grant
"Kevin Sampson uses his pen like a pathologist uses a scalpel. He's the literary equivalent of filmmaker David Lynch. You may not like the world he takes you into, but his immense talent makes sure you can't look away. Brilliant." -- Mike Hodges, director of" Get Carter and "Croupier.
"Kevin Sampson uses his pen like a pathologist uses a scalpel. He's the literary equivalent of filmmaker David Lynch. You may not like the world he takes you into, but his immense talent makes sure you can't look away. Brilliant." -- Mike Hodges, director of" Get Carter and "Croupier.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There was a point in this book - about halfway through - where I decided to post a review and it was going to be very positive. It has been interesting seeing Sampson develop as a writer. I found Powder ok in terms of being well-researched, but it rambled. The two friends who borrowed it found it unreadable. Leisure had its moments but was instantly forgettable. It didn't feel as though Sampson was particularly passionate about it and had a kind of writing-by-numbers feel. In Outlaws though, there was a marked change in style and to me it seemed as if he had found the direction and voice he was looking for.
This voice has continued into Clubland. The topics dealt with are ambitious, as is the multi-protagonist 1st person style. Yet he writes with a flowing confidence and a growing maturity. The speech patterns and thoughts of the different characters are more or less clearly defined enough for there to be little confusion. Ged in particular is a superb, totally believable character and the vernacular helps transport the reader into the scouse world, in the same way Irvine Welsh and Roddy Doyle used their own regional vernacular for their chosen home towns.
What is clear is that Sampson is a smart cookie whose own mind-set, interests and values are changing. His insight into queer politics and gender issues are very well-researched and credible.
The only place for me where the book fell down was that it almost seemed as though he was trying to prove how smart he has become and this detracted from the story. I felt the ending to be particulrly unsatisfactory. Also the multi-protagonist style made it sometimes difficult to work out where ones sympathies should lie.
Novels can entertain, inform and educate. With Clubland, some of the entertainment value has been sacrificed so that the latter two qualities can prevail.
Yet Kevin Sampspon has come of age as a writer. He has a broad range of reference, from the street, to the dance floor to the local council offices. For me, he no longer needs to prove how clever he is - we can now all take that as read. Next time, I'd like just a little more entertainment value and for the dark and bubbling humour to once more shine through.
We need more urban writers like Kevin Sampson.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have bought two of Kevin Sampson's novels, Powder and Leisure, and abandoned them both prematurely, for reasons of personal taste. I bought Clubland on the recommendation of a friend who like me, has worked in the profession of lapdancing. It is perhaps one of the most authentic, exhilarating and utterly raw interpretations of an arcane world that for so long, literary fiction has got wrong. Everything from the language to the clothes, to the personal politics that motivate the characters and plot are spot on. I really loved this book. And I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the politics of sex work, sexuality, and innercity life.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am currently doing an MA in gender studies and bought this on recommendation of my tutor. I saw the front cover, read the blurb and was sceptical to say the least. For a male whose previous works of fiction have sought the male bastions of football violence and the Liverpool underworld, I thought it ludicrous if not slightly corrupt that he should be tackling the subjects of sexual identities and 'queer'politics. The issue of queer politics is academically ambitious to begin with, and to be taking this into the realm of popular culture, I believed the author had bitten off far more than he could chew.
Either Kevin Sampson spends the bulk of his life researching his subjects or he has lived through these experiences himself. This book was not just convincing but frighteningly real. He writes each of his characters in the first person, and you come away, confident, that they actually exist! I urge anyone studying sociology, gender studies, postfeminism or queer theory to read this book immediately. It is more insightful, viable and ultimately entertaining than any academic book you will ever read. He takes conventional truths surrounding gender, sex and sexuality and dismantles them with a seamless finesse.
The story centres around a city council's proposal to transform a run down area into 'The Loin' a permissive zone for sex tourists and drug users. From mysogynist gangsters, to butch lesbian councillors and self labelled 'foo' sex workers, everyone wants a say, and everyone has their own agenda, whether it be political or personal to pursue. The result is a gritty, twisted, sad and often funny page turner that disects the whole spectrum of modern inner city life, in a way that is fresh and authentic.
Without a doubt, the best book ever written on this subject. Kevin Sampson is a genius.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Pulp fiction for Scallys - part 2
Read this immediately after 'Outlaws' and was disappointed. Thought it missed the opportunity to build on the characters but just made them a bit more cartoony. Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2009 by John Ryan
Great sequel to 'Outlaws'. Strong, funny and rude...
Ged Brennan and his clan are back. After the little difference of opinion that closed 'Outlaws' Ged's trying to go a little straighter. Read more
Published on 16 July 2003 by Peter Fenelon
scouse sopranos
Kevin Sampson has moved up a gear with Clubland, which scores five in every aspect except perhaps the ending which is a little disapointing, approaching the final pages, its clear... Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2003 by simon gurney
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