- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Penguin; 2Rev Ed edition (26 Feb 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0141031557
- ISBN-13: 978-0141031552
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 437,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Ossians
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'A major Scottish novel. I like rock bands and nihilistic heroes ... but Doug gave me so much more. His descriptions of 'peripheral Scotland' were telling and accurate ... The book kept me guessing and I was genuinely sorry when there was nothing left to read.' - Ian Rankin 'This is the This is Spinal Tap for Scotland's lost generation. Johnstone has taken a small story of a small band lost in a small country and created an epic.' - Ewan Morrison, author of Swung 'Packed with seedy, sticky bars, sullen punters and morose reflections in deteriorating weather, there is an atmospheric beauty to The Ossians' The Independent on Sunday 'The authentic ring of a man who's been there' Guardian 'Johnstone is good at describing the excitement, boredom, sniping and bonhomie of a touring band at the transit-van end of the career arc' The Times 'A gripping, compelling road trip around modern Scotland in the company of a drug-ravaged, untamed visionary' - Niall Griffiths
Review
'A major Scottish novel. I like rock bands and nihilistic heroes ... but Doug gave me so much more. His descriptions of 'peripheral Scotland' were telling and accurate ... The book kept me guessing and I was genuinely sorry when there was nothing left to read.' Ian Rankin'The Ossians is a gripping, compelling, roadtrip around modern Scotland in the company of a drug-ravaged, arrogant, untamed visionary' Niall Griffiths'This is the This is Spinal Tap for Scotland's lost generation. Johnstone has taken a small story of a small band lost in a small country and created an epic' Ewan Morrison, author of Swung
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Indie guitar band The Ossians are on the verge of signing a major record deal and their lead singer Connor decides that now would be a good time to tour Scotland, going to some of the dreariest, bleakest places - in winter. Connor - self-destructive and full of himself - spends most of the tour drunk or high on a cocktail of drugs. But this is definitely not what you would typically consider a rock and roll lifestyle with its series of tedious gigs in seedy venues. And, unlike most tours (I would hope!) the tension mounts with drug dealers, stalkers and gun-toting Russian sub-mariners. I didn't like Connor at all - he's got a chip on his shoulder the size of a bag of King Edwards - but I really loved reading about him and wanted to know what would happen to him. Connor has led a pampered, rather empty, middle-class life and the tour seems to be a search for the holy grail of his own identity, as well as that of Scotland. A thought-provoking and fascinating read. And really good fun. I will definitely be looking out for more from this author.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I can't tell from personal experience whether this is an accurate portrayal of life on the road with a rock band, but it's written with great energy and the author uses the band's tour to explore aspects of modern Scotland and Scottish identity. It deals with serious themes in a very unserious manner and it manages to be both entertaining and thought-provoking. This is exactly the kind of thing popular fiction shoud be doing.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I liked this story and it's well written and easy to read. I liked the author's other novel - Tombstoning - too. For anybody who has not read this guy's work then I would recommend it to you.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Does exactly what it says on the tin
A roller coaster ride through the rock and roll lifestyle.
Slightly repetitive in places but builds up to a rather large anti climax. Read more
Slightly repetitive in places but builds up to a rather large anti climax. Read more
Published on 29 April 2009 by Scott Sharp
An anomaly from start to finish
I'm trying to decide whether I enjoyed or endured this book. It's actually really badly let down by the writing in some areas but it is undeniably a readable thrill ride. Read more
Published on 16 Jan 2009 by Iain Mac
More than a Tutti Frutti for indie kids, a deceptively powerful look...
Never in the field of Scottish literature has so much drinking been combined with so much consumption of herbal and chemical substances. Read more
Published on 4 April 2008 by T. Morton
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.
