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celtic_wiccan's review
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kafiro_ka_kafka's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Idk
druidinary's review against another edition
dark
funny
5.0
Every story in this collection, even the ones that are only a couple of pages long, are brilliant! Some are in Scots; others English. My favourite are those that mix the two languages, such as when Englishmen characters with their English narration walk in to a Glasgow bar, the dialogue suddenly jarring.
joeyoudan's review against another edition
3.0
Not Welsh at his absolute best, but he gets near it… though not often enough for my liking. The short stories, can take em or leave em. Didn’t do too much- for me, they seem almost like attempts by Welsh to capitalise on his rep as a crazy disgusting writer of depraved tales.
However, the novella ‘A Smart Cunt’ I really liked, and showcases Welsh’s talent better. Because it’s longer, it allows for a bit more thought, and Welsh is probably at his best when his preferred Edinburgh setting. Nothing much happens, but, arguably, it says more about drug culture and the reasons behind it than Trainspotting does. It’s certainly more of a ‘drug book’ than Trainspotting (though I hate that term) but it’s more confined to that subject. It does give a pretty sobering, despondent, nihilistic take on human life that, for me, is beautifully etched as follows Brian meandering along without purpose.
However, there are a few issues with ‘A Smart Cunt’ that mean that it isn’t genius, and it can’t lift the collection higher than 3stars. The whole notion of Brian being too clever for his surroundings, and thus suffering the consequences of that feel a bit hamfisted (as well as being basically identical to Renton). He keeps getting called ‘Smart Cunt’ but often he isn’t really being clever, so the other characters seem to lose credibility as they’re pissed off at him for little to no reason a lot of the time. And, you don’t really get the other side of the story from alternate POV’s as you do in Trainspotting, so he just comes across as a misunderstood guy that’s been through some shit. Which, overall, doesn’t feel as complex as how Renton is carefully built. And, the judgement of the novella as a whole is basically dependant on one’s like/dislike for Brian, because the plot simply follows him. And so, Brian’s weaknesses are the novella’s, and though they are admittedly few, and the novella remains impressive, they are such to retract, if only slightly, from its quality.
However, the novella ‘A Smart Cunt’ I really liked, and showcases Welsh’s talent better. Because it’s longer, it allows for a bit more thought, and Welsh is probably at his best when his preferred Edinburgh setting. Nothing much happens, but, arguably, it says more about drug culture and the reasons behind it than Trainspotting does. It’s certainly more of a ‘drug book’ than Trainspotting (though I hate that term) but it’s more confined to that subject. It does give a pretty sobering, despondent, nihilistic take on human life that, for me, is beautifully etched as follows Brian meandering along without purpose.
However, there are a few issues with ‘A Smart Cunt’ that mean that it isn’t genius, and it can’t lift the collection higher than 3stars. The whole notion of Brian being too clever for his surroundings, and thus suffering the consequences of that feel a bit hamfisted (as well as being basically identical to Renton). He keeps getting called ‘Smart Cunt’ but often he isn’t really being clever, so the other characters seem to lose credibility as they’re pissed off at him for little to no reason a lot of the time. And, you don’t really get the other side of the story from alternate POV’s as you do in Trainspotting, so he just comes across as a misunderstood guy that’s been through some shit. Which, overall, doesn’t feel as complex as how Renton is carefully built. And, the judgement of the novella as a whole is basically dependant on one’s like/dislike for Brian, because the plot simply follows him. And so, Brian’s weaknesses are the novella’s, and though they are admittedly few, and the novella remains impressive, they are such to retract, if only slightly, from its quality.
dantespeak's review against another edition
challenging
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
3.0
I admit I had very little idea what to expect when I picked up THE ACID HOUSE, but TRAINSPOTTING worked for me so I thought why not.
Welsh does bizarre, in your face scenarios; flawed, mad, bad, unlucky or just flat out odd characters; and he does a great line in Scottish venacular. What he doesn't do is pull any punches.
As with many short story collections from a single author, there are some that will work better than others for all readers. But to be a reader of this book you're going to have to have a high tolerance for "language", in your face drug taking, and being dragged backwards through the wild side.
The only proviso I'd make is if you've not read other collections or books, this may not be the best place to start.
Welsh does bizarre, in your face scenarios; flawed, mad, bad, unlucky or just flat out odd characters; and he does a great line in Scottish venacular. What he doesn't do is pull any punches.
As with many short story collections from a single author, there are some that will work better than others for all readers. But to be a reader of this book you're going to have to have a high tolerance for "language", in your face drug taking, and being dragged backwards through the wild side.
The only proviso I'd make is if you've not read other collections or books, this may not be the best place to start.