Reviews

Swing Hammer Swing! by Jeff Torrington

snash's review

5.0

"What a city was Glasgow! It was really more into vaudeville than it was into violence, a fact seldom appreciated."

I've never read anything that comes remotely close to capturing the energy of Glasgow as this book - laughed out loud more times than I could count.

sashahawkins's review

challenging dark funny reflective

2.5

andrew61's review

4.0

An interesting novel told as the narrative of a young Glaswegian man in 1960's gorbals area of Glasgow as the hammer swings on the tenements. Whilst his wife is in hospital with complications in her pregnancy he spends a week going from one scrape to another, numerous drinks and an adulterous fling. It takes a bit to get used to the dialect , and the character is a contradiction intellectual who is drowning in his environment. It is funny and I think it would pay to read again. Overall I'd recommend if you enjoy a gritty read!