Choose us. Choose life. Choose mortgage payments; choose washing machines; choose cars; choose sitting on a couch watching mind-numbing and spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fuckin junk food intae yir mooth. Choose rotting away, pishing and shiteing yersel in a home, a total fuckin embarrassment tae the selfish, fucked-up brats ye've produced. Choose life. (20031017)
Trainspotting
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Review
The voice of punk, grown up, grown wiser and grown eloquent (Sunday Times )
An unremitting powerhouse of a novel that marked the arrival of a major new talent. Trainspotting is a loosely knotted string of jagged dislocated tales that lay bare the hearts of darkness of the junkies, wideboys and psychos who ride the down escalator of opportunity in the nation's capital. Loud with laughter in the dark, this novel is the real Mccoy (Herald )
A page-turner... Trainspotting gives lies to any cosy notions of a classless society (Independent on Sunday )
The best book ever written by man or woman... Deserves to sell more copies than the bible (Rebel Inc )
A novel perpetually in a starburst of verbal energy - a vernacular spectacular... The stories we hear are retched from the gullet (Scotland on Sunday )
An unremitting powerhouse of a novel that marked the arrival of a major new talent. Trainspotting is a loosely knotted string of jagged dislocated tales that lay bare the hearts of darkness of the junkies, wideboys and psychos who ride the down escalator of opportunity in the nation's capital. Loud with laughter in the dark, this novel is the real Mccoy (Herald )
A page-turner... Trainspotting gives lies to any cosy notions of a classless society (Independent on Sunday )
The best book ever written by man or woman... Deserves to sell more copies than the bible (Rebel Inc )
A novel perpetually in a starburst of verbal energy - a vernacular spectacular... The stories we hear are retched from the gullet (Scotland on Sunday )
Review
`A complex, episodic read'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The first thing to point out is that the book is very different from the (excellent) film.
This is an amazing book; essentially a collection of vignettes about Edinburgh street life among the heroin users strung together by a common cast and a narrative about Renton escaping.
Making heavy use of the local patois, the book can be difficult to read but it is well worth preserving because the language is an essential element in bringing the amazing cast of characters to life.
The film does have an impact here - as the casting affects your image of the characters - this is not really a problem as the casting was generally excellent - Ewan McGregor and Jonny Lee Miller fitted my mental images of Renton and Sick Boy very well. Robert Carlyle did not conform to my mental image of Begbie but that doesn't really matter as in many ways he was even more terrifying.
Also note that this is not a book for the faint-hearted - it is often graphic and disturbing in its portrayal of drug addiction (particularly the places you might stick needles) and violence (you will certainly think twice before insulting a waitress).
Essential reading
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
As a reader currently accustomed to standard paperback
bestseller crap "Trainspotting" was a welcome change. I
admit, I didn''t discover this book in its obscurity but
was influenced to read it after the great media-hype
surrounding the film, but I still feel gratitude I read the
book before watching the movie. This book, unlike other
mind-numbing American novels later turned into films,
intrigues the reader and teases his thoughts and his
perception of border lines and what is acceptable and
unacceptable. The novel never urges the reader to try any
drug but rather shows the real side of drug use, the ups
and downs of mainly Heroine and alchohol, in a funny and
provokingly interesting way. With the use of intricate
scottish slang Welsh manages to expose the dark realities of
hopeless junkie lives and bring out the humor of those empty
lives, while still incorpporating hilarious sex scenes, harsh
violence and drug use. A definate must-read, this book will
hopefully open the minds of its readers, if there is any hope
in the youth of this great world of ours!
bestseller crap "Trainspotting" was a welcome change. I
admit, I didn''t discover this book in its obscurity but
was influenced to read it after the great media-hype
surrounding the film, but I still feel gratitude I read the
book before watching the movie. This book, unlike other
mind-numbing American novels later turned into films,
intrigues the reader and teases his thoughts and his
perception of border lines and what is acceptable and
unacceptable. The novel never urges the reader to try any
drug but rather shows the real side of drug use, the ups
and downs of mainly Heroine and alchohol, in a funny and
provokingly interesting way. With the use of intricate
scottish slang Welsh manages to expose the dark realities of
hopeless junkie lives and bring out the humor of those empty
lives, while still incorpporating hilarious sex scenes, harsh
violence and drug use. A definate must-read, this book will
hopefully open the minds of its readers, if there is any hope
in the youth of this great world of ours!
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Greg
Format:Paperback
If you've read any other of Irvine Welsh's books and are looking for another hit of his hard-edge and often funny writing style then go to the source, the original, train spotting. Seeing the film will not spoil your experience nor will any comparisons stop you flying through the book, it's simply the most addictive book i've read to date. The characters are, as allways, jumping straight out from the page and are well pictured giving a good dynamic between them. I've never enjoyed a book more and thoroughly recommend the book to anyone who fancies a good read.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
CLASSIC..
CLASSIC FILM WHO DOESN'T LOVE THIS...AMAZINGLY WELL WRITTEN YOU HIT THE HIGHS AND LOWS WITH EACH CHARACTER..LOVED IT ONE TOO READ OVER AND OVER.
Published 13 days ago by andie c
3.0 out of 5 stars
Scottish lives of desperation on drugs
I generally like the Scot's dialect but a whole novel of it is too much. I bought the e-book because the film was so good. Now I think I should have bought the DVD instead.
Published 28 days ago by wilson john haire
2.0 out of 5 stars
're-reading
Just read this again after reading 'Skagboys', the prequel to Trainspotting to which I gave 3* and think it is more cohesive than this novel. Read more
Published 28 days ago by eanrut
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant characters, insight into another world
I read this book after reading Rounder's People, which I loved and I wanted another story with scotish characters. Read more
Published 1 month ago by MidlandsGirl
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book ...
A great book. He's never quite matched 'Trainspotting', but we can't hold that against him - a tough book to match. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Craven
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rather different to the film
I remember seeing Trainspotting at the cinema many years ago but for some reason never got around to reading the book, this was clearly a mistake and one I am glad to have... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. David P. Stephenson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Welsh at his best
One of my all time favourite films. My favourite author - this is one of his best works. I can't recommend this trilogy highly enough. Read it!
Published 2 months ago by Martin A. Owen
5.0 out of 5 stars
oh aye
Welsh must be the greatest creator of characters in modern Scottish literature. The protagonists here have already long been immortalised. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Charlie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing novel that never gets old
It's hard to remember just how groundbreaking this was when it first came out. I had to spend the first five chapters just working out what was being said. Read more
Published 4 months ago by MrReview
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Modern Classic
I, like many people, saw the film before I read the book. That probably detracted somewhat from the book, but it is still a great read. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Craig Twyman
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