Trainspotting: Amazon.co.uk: Irvine Welsh: Books

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Review

'Welsh has certainly described the world surrounding Edinburgh's underground drug movement with a most amazing intimacy'.
--www.bfkbooks.com --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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`A complex, episodic read'
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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The sweat wis lashing oafay Sick Boy; he wis trembling. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

120 Reviews

5 star:		(97)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (120 customer reviews)

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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the film, 7 Aug 2004

By	"gregmanc" - See all my reviews

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.

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16 of 17 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

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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!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Brillant wriiting
I've picked up and put down this book many times, but finally I got over the initial difficulty of reading it in the Edinburgh vernacular and once I got used to it, I thoroughly... Read more

Published 10 days ago by F. Granville

5.0 out of 5 stars cant believe ive waited this long to read it
Quite simply amazing. Film is like a watered down version of the book. Irvine Welsh's collection of books are now on order.

Published 3 months ago by Mr. S. Lattimore

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 5 months 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 5 months 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 10 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 10 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 18 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 18 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 19 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 19 months ago by Fruitcake

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