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The Ossians
 
 

The Ossians [Kindle Edition]

Doug Johnstone
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Kindle Price: £1.19 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
* Unlike print books, digital books are subject to VAT.

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Product Description

Review

'The Ossians is a gripping, compelling, roadtrip around modern Scotland in the company of a drug-ravaged, arrogant, untamed visionary' Niall Griffiths

A powerful and moving commentary on the country and its defining myths (Ian Rankin )

A rock odyssey so exhilaratingly authentic, you can hear the chords and smell the vomit (Christopher Brookmyre )

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 )

Doug Johnstone has got the tone of this just right...One for the young hipsters and the old rockers (Scott Pack The Friday Project )

Entertains in the uncharted corners of an unseen Scotland (List )

A Blast (Scotland on Sunday )

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

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 491 KB
  • Print Length: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Faber and Faber Crime (5 July 2012)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B0086KQ09Q
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #49,715 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Great fun 18 Mar 2011
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.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Scottish Odyssey 22 April 2008
By Homer
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.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Good story 25 Jan 2011
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.
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