Filth
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Filth for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Irvine Welsh has produced more than his share of revolting characters in his short yet spectacular writing career, but in the creation of Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson he has surpassed himself. The protagonist of Filth is, both personally and professionally, utterly corrupt; a thief, drug user, misogynist and racist, with standards of appearance and personal hygiene that are simply beyond belief. It goes without saying that his wife and children have left him but, oddly, he still has few drinking mates, and even some of the women he so hideously abuses are still prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. "The undeniable sexuality which is part and parcel of the complete dominance over another human being", opines the viciously selfish Robertson, is just part of what makes, "poliswork such a satisfying career." But, strangely, as we chart his inevitable decline...from what is admittedly a very low baseline--a solid, almost conventional, underlying morality begins to assert itself. Amid the degradation we come across a hint of reason as Welsh's stunningly direct dialogue and hideously imaginative plot combine in a thrilling, undeniably unsettling novel. --Nick Wroe
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
With the festive season almost upon him, Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson is winding down at work and gearing up socially - kicking off Christmas with a week of sex and drugs in Amsterdam. There are irritating flies in the ointment, though, including a missing wife, a nagging cocaine habit, a dramatic deterioration in his genital health, a string of increasingly demanding extra-marital affairs. The last thing he needs is a messy murder to solve. Still it will mean plenty of overtime, a chance to stitch up some collegues and finally clinch the promotion he craves. But as Bruce spirals through the lower reaches of degradation and evil, he encounters opposition - in the form of truth and ethical concience - from the most unexpected quarter of all: his anus. In Bruce Robertson, Welsh has created one of the most corrupt, misanthropic characters in contemporary fiction , and has writt en a dark, disturbing and very funny novel about sleaze, power, and the abuse of everything. At last, a novel that lives up to its name.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are lots of reason why not everyone will like this book. Bruce Robertson for the most part, acts in the type of manner befitting a sadistic, emotionally retarded bully whose sexual preferences and work ethic only reinforce this. But there are moments of beauty too in his story.
Irvine Welsh does not pull any punches here, so those with a delicate disposition should be warned. Underneath Bruce's depraved acts however, you begin to get a sense of real pain in this man. Early in the book, that is only hinted at a couple of times by Welsh but it is enough to tell you that there is humanity there. And so you read on, interested to know what might have been the catalyst that made Bruce the man he is when we meet him and what brings him to his denouement.
He's in the middle of a police investigation, one he is straining to keep a hold of but that he needs control over - to protect his own interests, party personal and partly to wangle more overtime. The ever-growing tapeworm in his gut is beginning to have power over him, which weakens him and becomes more a part of him than any other being is allowed. I found the idea of using the tapeworm becoming his conscience to be extremely effective as Bruce is a tired man, tired and haunted - his conscience gives us the background story that Bruce cannot speak of and draws us in further.
Bruce is a brilliant character and unlike other reviewers I did find something in him that made him interesting and redeeming - if only in a purely narrative sense; the hints of the man underneath made me want to reach out to him. His quick sense of humour and his seemingly black & white view of the world are in steep contrast to horrific levels to which he stoops at times. This combined with the thriller plot and local references to Edinburgh, Scotland, the UK and Amsterdam make Filth the most emotional charged and laugh-out-loud book I have read in quite a while. Very glad I read it.
Irvine Welsh does not pull any punches here, so those with a delicate disposition should be warned. Underneath Bruce's depraved acts however, you begin to get a sense of real pain in this man. Early in the book, that is only hinted at a couple of times by Welsh but it is enough to tell you that there is humanity there. And so you read on, interested to know what might have been the catalyst that made Bruce the man he is when we meet him and what brings him to his denouement.
He's in the middle of a police investigation, one he is straining to keep a hold of but that he needs control over - to protect his own interests, party personal and partly to wangle more overtime. The ever-growing tapeworm in his gut is beginning to have power over him, which weakens him and becomes more a part of him than any other being is allowed. I found the idea of using the tapeworm becoming his conscience to be extremely effective as Bruce is a tired man, tired and haunted - his conscience gives us the background story that Bruce cannot speak of and draws us in further.
Bruce is a brilliant character and unlike other reviewers I did find something in him that made him interesting and redeeming - if only in a purely narrative sense; the hints of the man underneath made me want to reach out to him. His quick sense of humour and his seemingly black & white view of the world are in steep contrast to horrific levels to which he stoops at times. This combined with the thriller plot and local references to Edinburgh, Scotland, the UK and Amsterdam make Filth the most emotional charged and laugh-out-loud book I have read in quite a while. Very glad I read it.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was my first Irvine Welch book and once I'd got used to the Edinburgh dialect I soon got into the swing of it and the whole sorry tale of Bruce, the rancid, corrupt, loathsome, sexist, racist, homophobic beast who masquerades as an officer of the law. They say no man is above the law, but Bruce is a law unto himself and he exploits his position to cheat, swindle and seduce all the way through the story... all the way to getting his comeuppance.
This is not a nice story but as you would expect from Mr Welsh, it's a darkly comic tale of one man's descent into madness and enduring crapulence. At times it made me laugh out loud, at others it churned my stomach and I think that is what Welsh intended. Bruce is never so bad that you can't hate him completely, but on the rare occasions when he does something right you still can't quite warm to him.
The book is easy to get into and has sufficient twists to keep you guessing, but the use of the tapeworm as a plot device just gets annoying after a while.
Dare top read this book and you'll be giving yourself a treat if you can stomach it. If buying for a friend, make sure he/she is very broaded-minded. Not for the squeamish.
This is not a nice story but as you would expect from Mr Welsh, it's a darkly comic tale of one man's descent into madness and enduring crapulence. At times it made me laugh out loud, at others it churned my stomach and I think that is what Welsh intended. Bruce is never so bad that you can't hate him completely, but on the rare occasions when he does something right you still can't quite warm to him.
The book is easy to get into and has sufficient twists to keep you guessing, but the use of the tapeworm as a plot device just gets annoying after a while.
Dare top read this book and you'll be giving yourself a treat if you can stomach it. If buying for a friend, make sure he/she is very broaded-minded. Not for the squeamish.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Both Bruce Robertson and the tapeworm are sick, classic Irvine Welsh characters. Like a lot of Welsh characters, Robertson shows signs of good as well as evil, and you're never quite sure whether he's at heart a good guy just misdirected - that's what makes the book interesting. There's some really disgusting, hilarious moments in the book that only Welsh could conjure up. A lot of other reviews suggest that the book might be too long, without direction and meandering through the middle part. I'll leave that up to the reader to decide. But I really would recommend finishing the book. The last half a dozen chapters really hit you hard and they'll leave you thinking about it for a few days.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Darkly disgusting
By far the best Welsh book I've read, never have ever have I despised a character so much, yet it made me want to read on more and more. Who needs an Antagonist anymore???? Read more
Published 1 month ago by S Kyei-Donkoh
Must read
Another masterpiece by Irvine welsh a must read you will not be disappointed you have to read it to believe it people must read this before the film comes out.
Published 2 months ago by d
What a porker ... er, I mean, corker!
Pigs have not been for unfairly treated since Ned Beaty's famous scene in Deliverance! ... Robbo - the porcine protagonist of Welsh's meaty tome is a legend on the force - he's... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Pulp Pusher
Pretentious twaddle - three hours of my life I'll never get back!
Irvine Welsh wrote one good book, but the rest appear to be of little or no merit. This one is a quick read, as you'll end up skimming through the wholly misconceived tape worm... Read more
Published 20 months ago by BestBritishBargains
Interesting to say the least but the worm is a pain in the arse
I have read a couple of IW's books recently and I was really looking forward to this book. It was an interesting plot and I liked the story line. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Blue Dragon
Welcome to scottish copper Bruce Robertson's hell
One of my favourite books of all time, and personally speaking Irvine Welsh's masterpiece - and he has done many. Read more
Published 22 months ago by The TV Man
first but not last
This is my first Irvine Welsh novel. The direct use of Scottish accent to text can be challenging to begin with - but you do get used to it. Read more
Published on 17 April 2010 by C. E. MCKEOWN
Depressing.... BUT gets much better half way through
PORNO impressed me so much that I went daft for 'IW', but FILTH is poor.
I read fast so I made page 100 in 2 days but then I stalled. Read more
I read fast so I made page 100 in 2 days but then I stalled. Read more
Published on 9 Feb 2010 by Justice Peace
get "FILTHY"
Welsh again delves deep into the realm of the bitter and twisted and produces a magnificant portrayal of a tortured sole. D. Read more
Published on 21 Jan 2010 by C. Sawdon
Classic Welsh
While its no Trainspotting, this book is still typical of Welsh, dark and amusing. Any lover of his writing should enjoy this, although the worm did start to get a bit irritating!
Published on 6 Jan 2010 by taylzo
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
