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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book definitely reminded me of the Play Waiting For Godot/ ‘The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus and I wouldn’t be surprised if the author was inspired by absurdist/existentialist literature from the earlier 20th century. It definitely represented some important concepts, including police brutality and corruption, poverty, rehabilitation, the way bureaucracy fails those in need, the welfare state, male mental health, disability, the prison system etc. Some moments were quite funny. But for the most part I was slightly bored and slightly confused. I understand the constant repetitive thoughts had their purpose and felt very stream of consciousness and realistic but honestly I do feel like this book could have been cut to at least half the size and wouldn’t have lost anything. There was some sexism and one insensitive and unsavoury comment about certain forms of disability. I was unsure whether the author was aware of the problematic nature of these ideas but chose to express them through the main character to depict him in an imperfect light, or whether these were the authors’ prejudiced ideas coming through. I’m hoping the former!
How long it was, how long
I'll ney be in a hurry to see that yen agin. Sammy yer a wee bugger
I'll ney be in a hurry to see that yen agin. Sammy yer a wee bugger
It won the Booker Prize in 1994. I thought I like reading Irvine Welsh so I'd like this but I could not get into it. I tried and tried. After reading the book's wikipedia page I see it wasn't going to go where I needed it to go.
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Alcohol
challenging
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An experimental book written in a heavy Scottish accent, focusing on a man suddenly turned blind after being locked up in prison. Samuels dialogue and musings are hilarious and Kelman seamlessly blends a third person (objective) narration with the unreliable thoughts of Samuels. Would read it again
I love the style of this book, the way it conveys demotic language as well as the stops and starts and stutters of a mind that's wounded and confused. It's stylistically so much stronger, so much more a statement of intent than many recent Booker nominees and winners. I was amused to read how one of the judges in 1994 said it was inaccessible. Admittedly, it's a stream-of-consciousness novel written with bits of Glaswegian dialect, but it's hardly a difficult read compared to the experimental linguistic gymnastics of Ulysses or the esoteric vocabulary of anything by Nabokov, and both those authors came long before James Kelman.
The relatability of Sammy's paranoia in the wake of his acquired blindness is deeply unsettling. It turns a world that already seems hostile to this working class ex-convict into a place where every strange sound seems suspect. It's easy to imagine that paranoia absorbing anybody who is so used to relying on sight as the primary means of interacting with the world.
The relatability of Sammy's paranoia in the wake of his acquired blindness is deeply unsettling. It turns a world that already seems hostile to this working class ex-convict into a place where every strange sound seems suspect. It's easy to imagine that paranoia absorbing anybody who is so used to relying on sight as the primary means of interacting with the world.
How Late it Was, How Late is the story of a man in Glasgow who's story begins after a massive lost weekend. We're never really sure if it's drink related actual loss, or if Samuels is craftier than he seems and hiding the truth from us. It's a difficult one to rate, as while I really enjoyed reading it, the narrative is so wandering and muddled that it's difficult to get truly gripped. But at this same time, this scrappy style is the real delight of the novel - it's a bit of a mystery to me that doesn't seem to fit a straightup rating.
Kelman's prose reminds me of a more coherent (yep, that is the word I'm wanting!) Samuel Beckett. There is a bit of a plot hidden behind the chatty conversation Mister Samuels has with himself, but we never really find out why he's in trouble or what he did, very much like the Molloy trilogy with Beckett. The joy comes from Samuels's observations of his daily life, his perspectives on his friends, love and relationships, all of which was missing from Molloy (which I really, really hated. I have never been tempted to throw a book into the sea before, but this one came majorly close). And while he has some crazy ideas, and a bizarre way of showing it, his love for those closest to him rings true.
It's a really, really strange book, but it's a pleasure. But it's not a gripping rollercoaster, more a slightly tipsy stumble towards reality.
Kelman's prose reminds me of a more coherent (yep, that is the word I'm wanting!) Samuel Beckett. There is a bit of a plot hidden behind the chatty conversation Mister Samuels has with himself, but we never really find out why he's in trouble or what he did, very much like the Molloy trilogy with Beckett. The joy comes from Samuels's observations of his daily life, his perspectives on his friends, love and relationships, all of which was missing from Molloy (which I really, really hated. I have never been tempted to throw a book into the sea before, but this one came majorly close). And while he has some crazy ideas, and a bizarre way of showing it, his love for those closest to him rings true.
It's a really, really strange book, but it's a pleasure. But it's not a gripping rollercoaster, more a slightly tipsy stumble towards reality.
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
‘You know the score Sammy, ye go up to court ye dont start acting the clown, ye have to play the game. It's them that make the rules.’
I thought this book was pretty incredible. It is so interesting to read something that feels so much like a literary classic but written in language that's more like what i hear in my everyday.
The structure of the plot reminded me of Kafka. It was almost like a normal guy reacting to a Kafka-esque nightmare with all the appropriate 'fucks' and 'cunts'.
My only issue was the ending. although I completely understand why it was set up like that. It cements idea that this uncertainty goes on forever and we see Sammy rejecting yet another seemingly genuine connection. But I was still left wanting more. Maybe that's a good thing.
I highly recommend this, it was probably my favourite read of 2024 so far.
I thought this book was pretty incredible. It is so interesting to read something that feels so much like a literary classic but written in language that's more like what i hear in my everyday.
The structure of the plot reminded me of Kafka. It was almost like a normal guy reacting to a Kafka-esque nightmare with all the appropriate 'fucks' and 'cunts'.
My only issue was the ending. although I completely understand why it was set up like that. It cements idea that this uncertainty goes on forever and we see Sammy rejecting yet another seemingly genuine connection. But I was still left wanting more. Maybe that's a good thing.
I highly recommend this, it was probably my favourite read of 2024 so far.