Skagboys - Irvine Welsh

LongTail

I see Irvine Welsh has penned a prequel to Trainspotting which is due for release in a few weeks.

Very excited to read this as I've worked my way through all of his collection at this stage and though there have been some hard slogs, I'll always enjoy anything that revolves around the guys from Trainspotting.

It takes a while to get around to his style of writing in these books as it’s done with a THICK Edinburgh accent.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Skagboys-Irvine-Welsh/dp/0224087908

Kinski

I get the impression Welsh's work became very self-indulgent after the Trainspotting film made him a big-name. Ectasy is one of the worst books I've ever read.

Boom_Bap

I've always had time for Welsh's novels and some after Trainspotting are his best work. One of my personal favorites is Bedroom Secrets of the MasterChefs.

I've only recently read Crime and thought that it was refreshing that he was writing outside of Scotland but yet still not completely severing ties.

HOS 1997

I've been waiting for this book for ages.

Glue, Porno and Filth are some of my favourite books.

eire4

This is good news. I loved Trainspotting and Porno was pretty good too. I will definitely be checking this one out.

LongTail

19th April on Amazon folks. Not long now!

eire4

LongTail wrote: »

19th April on Amazon folks. Not long now!

Probably like most others I usually don't like film versions of books I liked. But I was ok with the film version of Trainspotting. I enjoyed it.

MadameGascar

Yay, will defiantly be checking this out. The slang and dialect is tricky for about the first 20 pages but it always manage to go with it eventually. A prequel for Trainspotting will interesting.

misty floyd

Irvine Welsh reading in the pavillion theatre, Tuesday 24th April:

https://paviliontheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/126521528/events

Should be good.

calex71

Going to pick it up this week loved Porno nearly wet myself laughing at certain points but if this ends the same way as the others

With renton getting the money

i'll be slightly annoyed.

Sl!mCharles

Going to get this next week masel'! Trainspotting is one of my favourite books, absolute masterwork IMO.

HOS 1997

calex71 wrote: »

Going to pick it up this week loved Porno nearly wet myself laughing at certain points but if this ends the same way as the others

With renton getting the money

i'll be slightly annoyed.

It is a prequel to Trainspotting so it can't end like the other two knowing what we already know.

I have bought it but trying to keep it for my holidays. Can't wait to get reading it though.

robbie7171

Just finished Skagboys, went down to the bookshop and bought a brand new shiny copy of it, something I rarely do since my conversion to Kindle! Absolutely loved it, thought it is as good if not better than Trainspotting....

DazMarz

I have this book and it's in my pile of 'Books To Read Soon'... Love Irvine Welsh's books. Some absolute classics in there, and hopefully Skagboys will be just as good!

farmchoice

I loved trainspotting. I loved it so much I nearly did not buy Skagboys because I was so afraid it would disappoint and in some way ruin the integrity of trainspotting.

Anyway I bought it and I have to say it is brilliant. As mentioned above it is as good as Trainspotting. It is a complete return to form for welsh.

I have heard it suggested that a lot of this book was written when he wrote trainspotting and edited out, and I think that is quite likely. In fact I think the reader on a second read would be make a good guess at which chapters were written at the time and which were written later.

Having said that, after reading both books I would not recommend that readers new to these books read skagboys first. I would still advise reading trainspotting first, as I believe it to be a seminal work.