Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
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Book Reviews of Trainspotting
Book Review: Read it!
Summary: 5 Stars
Trainspotting is a truly honest look at modern life from the perspective of a group of young people in Scotland. It's written in Scottish dialect, which is frustrating at first but ultimately adds to the overall appeal of the novel and really draws the reader into the lives of the characters, and although there are several characters, the story is not difficult to follow. The range of characters show life from all perspectives, and not just life in Scotland. The character's frustrations, motivations, and observations can really be applied to any culture. This book is one of my favorite books of all time. There are some amazing passages that comment on the absurdity of modern life in an honest and humorous way. The "choose life" speech is so popular because it speaks to this generation in it's disregard for socially constructed ideals. People reading this book will question what it is that makes society really care about people using drugs: why is it our problem? Is it simply because their giving up on life reflect the futility of our lives? Are we simply trying to make them play our game and "choose life" along with everyone else? It's really a wonderful book for anyone who wants to examine the motives behind societal constructions.
It's surprising how funny this book can be, considering some of the truly grotesque or disturbing moments that make up much of the story. Welsh writes clearly and brilliantly, and I laughed out loud at several passages in the book. There are other parts that are truly disturbing and thought-provoking, like the descent of a once clean Tommy into drug addiction and ultimate death.
I would recommend seeing the movie as well. The film makers did a decent job of maintaining the essence of the novel and not altering (most of) it for audience-approval, although a lot of the book is missing from the movie due to time constraints. Also, there are some scenes that are just better portrayed on screen, like the infamous toilet scene. Ideally, I'd watch the movie, read the book, then watch the movie again if there were time, just to be able to really note the differences in the two. If you've seen the movie already and haven't read the book, read it. You know books are always better than movies, and while the film is a good adaptation it leaves a lot out.
I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in getting a picture of a different face of society. Like I said, it's amazingly well-written, humorous, disturbing, and profound. If you are even remotely interested, I would definitely pick it up.
Book Review: Take a trip to rock bottom... and see yourself
Summary: 5 Stars
This isn't merely a book about heroin addiction. This isn't simply a book about the underbelly of society. Trainspotting is so much more than any rubberstamp explanation, "What's it all about?" This is a book that is deceptively simple: an account of life in urban Scotland narrated by a group of people connected by friendship, addiction, pain, loss, illness, sex and death. Through the eyes of these young adults we see beyond these connections to what really drives their society (and often pushes it to the breaking point): classism, racism, sexism, the shadow of regime and military occupation, a government that has abandoned them, adults who discount them, a society that has disowned them.Each story (many of which were originally featured as short stories in magazines or literary collections) takes on the distinctly unique voice of the character at hand, whether it be the cocksure Sick Boy, the eager to please Spud, the masochistic Begbie or the intellectual, self-loathing Renton. Welsh doesn't attempt to moralize his characters or even have them explore too deeply into their all-too-apparent dysfunctions - these speak volumes on their own. He simply has them observe, each giving a distinct insight to their collective station in life. The end result, coupled with the clever use of Scots dialect, is completely immersive. You begin to see and feel through the eyes and experiences of these characters in a way too rarely experienced through the written word.
Trainspotting is hardly uplifting or inspiring. There are moments that are difficult to read through, that are hilarious, silly, sickening, boring. Altogether... real.
This book, along with works by Chuck Palahniuk, Douglas Coupland and George Saunders, has been cited as one of the novels that defines my generation. I'm still not sure if I should be alarmed or flattered by this fact. I think I'll take the latter. Trainspotting, along with the other examples, excels at showing that we are a generation of voids surrounded by a million examples of why we should just give up, but we don't. We remain eternally hopeful, as do Welsh's bittersweet characters, that the best is yet to come, even if it never does.
An important, powerful book and highly recommended!
Book Review: READ THIS.
Summary: 5 Stars
I won't say this book is 'provocative' or 'thought-provoking' or 'harrowing' or even 'disturbing', because it's all been said before. Irvine Welsh is everything that hasn't been said before in a book, but what everyone knows already and realises in themselves after they read 'Trainspotting'. I won't say that this book 'deserves to sell more copies than the bible' (rebel inc.), like it says on the cover, because as far as i'm concerned the bible doesn't deserve to sell any copies. However, 'Trainspotting' is wickedly truthful, however psychotic it is. I won't say that 'once i picked it up, i couldn't put it down', because in fact, it was probably the strangest thing i'd ever read besides Shakespeare. It took my ages to figure out what all the 'bairns' and 'brars' and 'kens' actually meant. I bought the book, and after reading four pages, thought, 'what the hell is this??!'. I will say, three years later, that it's like a bible to me now. The bible of the youth voice. You can be forty and have the voice of the youth as long as you don't forget. The youth mentality won't change. It's always been about p****** people off and doing what other people won't. Welsh knows this deliciously. I have to say the movie was good, 'cos it gave Renton and Sickboy and Spud and Begbie a face, and a voice. The book was better because it gave all of them a personality that John Hodge didn't bother portraying i the screenplay, having to fit the entire saga into one and a half hours. I love this book because it's just pure fun and truth. But i love all of Welsh's other books because it's Irvine Welsh. Anyway, that's not the point. READ Trainspotting, and if you're a chick, you'll strangely fall in love with Renton, or even Sick Boy... and you'll miss them all after you turn the last page. But read Welsh's other books, and you'll find them again in great comfort. My point is, (if anyone is actually going to listen to anything that i've said), Get used to the dialect and read Trainspotting. 'Endy ****** story'. A telepathic note to Welsh: You write chicks like retards. Even the smart ones. To amazon.com: That wasn't a spiteful remark, I deeply feel that he should know this.Book Review: Phonetic spelling
Summary: 5 Stars
Trainspotting was my first Irvine Welsh novel. Trainspotting is about scottish junkies who try so hard to keep themselves entertained. They keep themselves entertained with violence, drugs, sex and music. Mark Renton is the meain character. Renton goes in and out of his drug abuse. While "in" his drug abuse stage he hallucinates himself in a nightmare. While "out" he tries to find a job, a relationship and most importantly the meaning of life.
Trainspotting has very unique characters. Every character in Trainspotting has his/her own strong importance in the novel. Mark Renton sticks close to his friends through his journey in finding the meaning of life. Reading in phonetic spelling wasn't quite easy. Irvine Welsh took the choice and enhancing the reading with real scottish talk. Having phonetic spelling in the novel made me feel like I was more involved with the book.
The actions used in this novel keeps you interested and catches you off guard. Having characters like Begbie reminds you of the alchoholic people that are out there. Begbie's always starting unecessary fights with people that have done him no harm. Sick Boy is the nicer version of Mark Renton, with a little [...] side. Irvine Welsh has a unique way of describing the important scenes.
Irvine describes such situations with in depth detail of body parts, song lyrics, dialog combinding and the flavor of objects. I recommend this book to people who want to read any of Irvine Welsh's books. You HAVE to go through Trainspotting to get to Glue, Filth or Ecstasy because of the phonetic spelling. (only if you're new at it) I recommend it to the people out there that are looking for a new way of reading and like hearing about the foreign, lowlife, sexually frustrated way of living.
Book Review: By Adam W., a 7th Grader
Summary: 5 Stars
Trainspotting is a brilliant book that delves deep into the mind of an addict. Or more so addicts, as there are multiple narrators through out the story. Each chapter is a short story but yet a somewhat central plot ties them all together. The main character (who's in most of the chapters) is Renton, a drug addict and a failure to his parents. Through out the book he engages in many various, disgusting, vile things as well as an attempt or so to stop his addiction after getting another addicted and seeing the horrors of heroin.
Everything has pinpoint accuracy. Even the language and the accent is perfect. There are certainly some strong points in the fact that you can actually feel the need for heroin and how the characters become slaves to it. It's an uncommon, unbiased view.
Trainspotting has no candy coating. There is no kid friendly wrapping, it's all the terrible truth. However it's still hilarious. It's the kind of dark humor that's not expected in a book about addicts.
The plot isn't terribly complex. It's a rather loose one, since it's just a bunch of short stories. Renton and his buds are druggies, and they basically do a lot of drugs and various assosiated acts. Renton introduces Tommy to heroin early on, which ends up affecting his conscience later on.
I would not advise skipping over reading this book to see the movie. Both are absolutly brilliant but the book is different. Going into their minds is dark, real, and somewhatr funny. Everyone should read this book that doesn't mind 8 swears a paragraph and constant vile activities.