See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

111 used & new from £0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Trainspotting
 
 

Trainspotting (Paperback)

by Irvine Welsh (Author) "The sweat wis lashing oafay Sick Boy; he wis trembling ..." (more)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (118 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


4 new from £2.94 105 used from £0.01 2 collectible from £3.50

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Porno

Porno

by Irvine Welsh
3.9 out of 5 stars (39)  £5.99
A Clockwork Orange (Penguin Modern Classics)

A Clockwork Orange (Penguin Modern Classics)

by Anthony Burgess
4.6 out of 5 stars (222)  £4.49
Fight Club

Fight Club

by Chuck Palahniuk
4.5 out of 5 stars (80)  £4.00
Trainspotting [DVD] [1995]

Trainspotting [DVD] [1995]

DVD ~ Ewan McGregor
4.4 out of 5 stars (52)  £10.98
The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye

by J. D. Salinger
4.1 out of 5 stars (266)  £4.49
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; New edition edition (11 Jul 1994)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0749396067
  • ISBN-13: 978-0749396060
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 74,644 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #23 in  Books > Fiction > Cult Authors > Welsh, Irvine

Product Description

Review
This collection of loosely gathered tales centres on the bleak lives of a group of twentysomething friends (or rather associates; 'Nae friends in this game.') in Edinburgh. Addiction, violence, sex and the baser bodily functions are the main concerns of the slacker characters and these topics are treated with a direct language that may not be to everyone's taste. Innovative in its prose-style, ground-breaking in its subject matter, startling and gripping in its voice - I should say voices for Welsh is wondrously profligate with the characters he invents, the stories they tell, the many different yarns, opinions, jokes and rants that pour out of the mouths of his pithily (and sometimes painfully) observed Edinburgh folk. That's one way the novel triumphs over the (admittedly very enjoyable) film version: it's so much richer, more complex, truer to life as it's lived by millions of people today, in Scotland and beyond. If the structure of Trainspotting is a little loose and baggy, well, the same could be said of the Canterbury Tales and Oliver Twist. A startling first novel that will leave your head buzzing. (Kirkus UK)

Review
`A complex, episodic read'
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
The sweat wis lashing oafay Sick Boy; he wis trembling. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


 

Customer Reviews

118 Reviews
5 star:
 (96)
4 star:
 (11)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (5)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (118 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the film, 7 Aug 2004
This review is from: Trainspotting (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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing - visceral slices of life from the Edinburgh streets, 7 Jan 2005
By J. E. Davidson (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Trainspotting (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

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, 22 Aug 1996
By A Customer
This review is from: Trainspotting (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!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourite books of all time
If you like Welsh you might like David Simon, you know, from The Wire- so I'm going to go ahead and recommend 2 of his books here: Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets, and The... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Verve

1.0 out of 5 stars very poor
A crude novel written for voyeurs, dressed up as social commentary. Welsh is famously supposed to get inside his protagonists heads. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Phil

5.0 out of 5 stars Stay up and read as the sick boy says the morning takes care of itself,likesay
This is a fantastic read, I read it years ago and only recently picked it up. I never really read books more than once but, this book is brilliant. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. J. E. Reynolds

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't read this in public.
I remember it well. A day off from work in Aberdeen. Rather than sit in my digs all day, I set off up Union St and popped into one of the big bookstores and bought Trainspotting... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. S. Dunne

5.0 out of 5 stars A cult classic that has stood the test of time
Originally published in 1993, Irvine Welsh's seminal novel about a group of Edinburgh junkies is still as forcefully mesmerizing today as it was the first time I read it some 12... Read more
Published 14 months ago by M. J. Pucci

5.0 out of 5 stars A cult classic that has stood the test of time
Originally published in 1993, Irvine Welsh's seminal novel about a group of Edinburgh junkies is still as forcefully mesmerizing today as it was the first time I read it some 12... Read more
Published 14 months ago by M. J. Pucci

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Welsh stories.
An excellent story by Welsh told with a gritty scottish text. An classic book far better than the film based on the novel.
Published 15 months ago by Mr. Paul Elliott

4.0 out of 5 stars Trainspotting
I read Trainspotting after I had seen the film and I think having read it that it's the best thing to do. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Fruitcake

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!!!
A modern day urban classic about drugs, sex, violence, and rock and roll. Funny yet harrowing in equal measure this book is not for the faint hearted or prudish but for everyone... Read more
Published 17 months ago by noggy1810

5.0 out of 5 stars Trainspotting wonderment
I had not seen the film before i picked up this book, which was good as i had no expectations of the story. Read more
Published 17 months ago by The Chosen One

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (1 discussion)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
Great book, try reading this 0 January 2009
See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical...

Ecstasy: Three Tales...

"Welsh's world is spiky, trashy and brutal. It is also brilliant... Read more
£7.99 £5.99

Find similar items

 

More From Irvine Welsh

Reheated Cabbage

Reheated Cabbage by Irvine Welsh

In these pages you can enjoy Christmas dinner with Begbie, and see how... Read more
£12.99 £6.49

 

We've Got Converse

Converse
Stock up on your favourite styles with great deals on Converse shoes.

Shop Converse

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates