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Mark Renton #3
Porno
Diez años después de Trainspotting, Sick Boy está en franca decadencia. Acaba de dejar su piso en un barrio pijo de Londres y se ha mudado a un agujero miserable, y tras una noche de drogas y sexo indiscriminados, decide aceptar la oferta de su tía Paula: lo dejará a cargo de su pub en Leith y se marchará con su amante español a Alicante.
Pero en el Port Sunshine el negocio no está solamente en las bebidas: Sick Boy descubre que un grupo liderado por «Juice» Terry Lawson, su antiguo conocido, se reúne a follar y a filmar sus orgías en uno de los salones privados. Y que en Edimburgo hay un floreciente negocio de vídeos porno realizados en las trastiendas de los pubs, con los clientes como estrellas. Y Sick Boy, que siempre está maquinando negocios, se pondrá, con la ayuda de la guapa Nikki Fuller-Smith, estudiante de cine de día y trabajadora del sexo por las noches, a hacer una película porno de altura, con calidad suficiente como para ser vendida internacionalmente y circular por Internet. Y también incluirá en el equipo a su viejo amigo Renton, el que diez años antes los traicionó y huyó a Ámsterdam con el dinero del alijo de heroína. Pero cuando Sick Boy maquina algo, la cosa tiene más complicaciones y trampas que la tela de una araña, y entre los hilos también se mueven Spud, el único que había recibido a escondidas su parte del dinero de la droga, y Begbie, el psicópata del grupo, que después de pasar unos años en la cárcel volverá a la acción aún más paranoico y furioso que antes.
Pero en el Port Sunshine el negocio no está solamente en las bebidas: Sick Boy descubre que un grupo liderado por «Juice» Terry Lawson, su antiguo conocido, se reúne a follar y a filmar sus orgías en uno de los salones privados. Y que en Edimburgo hay un floreciente negocio de vídeos porno realizados en las trastiendas de los pubs, con los clientes como estrellas. Y Sick Boy, que siempre está maquinando negocios, se pondrá, con la ayuda de la guapa Nikki Fuller-Smith, estudiante de cine de día y trabajadora del sexo por las noches, a hacer una película porno de altura, con calidad suficiente como para ser vendida internacionalmente y circular por Internet. Y también incluirá en el equipo a su viejo amigo Renton, el que diez años antes los traicionó y huyó a Ámsterdam con el dinero del alijo de heroína. Pero cuando Sick Boy maquina algo, la cosa tiene más complicaciones y trampas que la tela de una araña, y entre los hilos también se mueven Spud, el único que había recibido a escondidas su parte del dinero de la droga, y Begbie, el psicópata del grupo, que después de pasar unos años en la cárcel volverá a la acción aún más paranoico y furioso que antes.
600 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Irvine Welsh
143 books7,058 followersProbably most famous for his gritty depiction of a gang of Scottish Heroin addicts, Trainspotting (1993), Welsh focuses on the darker side of human nature and drug use. All of his novels are set in his native Scotland and filled with anti-heroes, small time crooks and hooligans. Welsh manages, however to imbue these characters with a sad humanity that makes them likable despite their obvious scumbaggerry. Irvine Welsh is also known for writing in his native Edinburgh Scots dialect, making his prose challenging for the average reader unfamiliar with this style.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 738 reviews
March 17, 2023
So now, ye should prolly ken tha I jist finished up this Irvine Welsh cunt’s book ehs cault Porno. I cannae honestly be puttin masel n a spot of callin it the bes book ays ever read, likesay. But I’d some kinda daft liar if I cault it pure trash also! I cannae rightly say whae I felt like eh went wrong. Ehs like written a follow-up to dem lads fae Trainspotting — Rents n Simon “Sick Boy” n even Spud n the Beggar Boy! Ehs given ays dis tale a betrayal n redemption and wrapt it all up raun some scam fae Sick Boy to get tae riches fae makin some stag film, likesay.
Now, ye should ken tha ehs nae a bad book. Ehs got ehs gauns on and like some really well writ passages. This Welsh cunt’s got a keen eye fae ehs stories, mind. This one jist don inspire like Trainspotting did — it didnae knock ays on ma arse, likesay. Again, ehs nowt without ehs charms n aw. Mibbe ehs jist used up all ehs bes work? I dinnae ken nowt aboot tha. One thing ehs got in spades like is ehs still got this full on fuckin mastery of ehs words.
Ehs like this. Ave ye ever done that optical illusion wi some cunt’s inverted flag? Ken wha ays mean? Mibbe ye seen dis one? Well this daft cunt Welsh, ehs writin ehs like some kinda afterimage only ehs wit words in YER BRAIN! Ye pick up the book tha ehs writ and struggle to get yer way through some fully dense passage tha is like full of all dese mashed up words that ye cannae ken on tha spot and so it takes ays fully way too long tae parse through it and it gies masel a right migraine tryin tae fae figure it oot. And but then whin I puts tha book doan and says to masel FUCK IT, I’M ALL DUN then the words that ehs writ are right stuck in ma heid.
I tells ye, ehs fuckin horrible. But now ahm jist so stuck on tha pish wi ehs language tha I cannae hardly make a fully qualified statement aboot ehs fuckin plot! Somethin about betrayal and jist bein consumers, likesay. But anyways, mibbe I’ll run doan tae tha fuckin boozer and grab a lager wi ma mates to put the edge off and sort masel right oot.
[http://blog.founddrama.net/2006/12/po...]
Now, ye should ken tha ehs nae a bad book. Ehs got ehs gauns on and like some really well writ passages. This Welsh cunt’s got a keen eye fae ehs stories, mind. This one jist don inspire like Trainspotting did — it didnae knock ays on ma arse, likesay. Again, ehs nowt without ehs charms n aw. Mibbe ehs jist used up all ehs bes work? I dinnae ken nowt aboot tha. One thing ehs got in spades like is ehs still got this full on fuckin mastery of ehs words.
Ehs like this. Ave ye ever done that optical illusion wi some cunt’s inverted flag? Ken wha ays mean? Mibbe ye seen dis one? Well this daft cunt Welsh, ehs writin ehs like some kinda afterimage only ehs wit words in YER BRAIN! Ye pick up the book tha ehs writ and struggle to get yer way through some fully dense passage tha is like full of all dese mashed up words that ye cannae ken on tha spot and so it takes ays fully way too long tae parse through it and it gies masel a right migraine tryin tae fae figure it oot. And but then whin I puts tha book doan and says to masel FUCK IT, I’M ALL DUN then the words that ehs writ are right stuck in ma heid.
I tells ye, ehs fuckin horrible. But now ahm jist so stuck on tha pish wi ehs language tha I cannae hardly make a fully qualified statement aboot ehs fuckin plot! Somethin about betrayal and jist bein consumers, likesay. But anyways, mibbe I’ll run doan tae tha fuckin boozer and grab a lager wi ma mates to put the edge off and sort masel right oot.
[http://blog.founddrama.net/2006/12/po...]
February 22, 2017
Perfect. Love these boys, they are like my family.
Film was 10/10 too.
Film was 10/10 too.
June 17, 2010
this books really doesn't need to exist. it was great but what i loved about 'trainspotting' was that the ending was a whole "this is how it is" vibe. 'porno' never needed to be born. i always appreciated authors that really loved their characters and this is an instance where you can tell that irvine welsh just really wanted another chance to tell the stories of these great characters.
it was strange, but pleasing, to read about them again. i almost want to say "read about them as grown-ups" but i don't think that's what i would call them. in any case, they are not as nihilistic as they were the first time around. just don't mistake that as being tamed or toned down, they aren't that either. the same recklessness is present but this time each character thinks they have the key to moderation, although this is rarely the case.
my favourite part is how cleverly welsh intertwines the 'trainspotting' characters' lives with characters from his other novels. simple things like that give life to all of the novels, making the world he has created simultaneously smaller and larger.
although it took me some time to adjust to how much had changed for these people [and the place they call home:], i did enjoy what he had done. for me, it didn't seem like an author who had run out of ideas but a man who had thought long and hard over a plot and realized he had more to say...or rather the gang of characters did. in the end i think justice was served.
it was strange, but pleasing, to read about them again. i almost want to say "read about them as grown-ups" but i don't think that's what i would call them. in any case, they are not as nihilistic as they were the first time around. just don't mistake that as being tamed or toned down, they aren't that either. the same recklessness is present but this time each character thinks they have the key to moderation, although this is rarely the case.
my favourite part is how cleverly welsh intertwines the 'trainspotting' characters' lives with characters from his other novels. simple things like that give life to all of the novels, making the world he has created simultaneously smaller and larger.
although it took me some time to adjust to how much had changed for these people [and the place they call home:], i did enjoy what he had done. for me, it didn't seem like an author who had run out of ideas but a man who had thought long and hard over a plot and realized he had more to say...or rather the gang of characters did. in the end i think justice was served.
February 10, 2018
La nostra tragedia è che nessuno ha una vera passione
Ogni tanto vado a rileggermi i capitoli dedicati a Franco Begbie. E' una delle migliori caratterizzazioni che mi sia mai capitato di trovare. La cattiveria di Welsh è una catarsi.
-----
Non gli do le 5 stelle solo perché nella traduzione per rendere lo slang vengono aboliti buona parte dei congiuntivi. Lei mi guarda è come se non mi crede e voglio che si siede... Ma per dei personaggi del genere si potrebbe sopportare anche l'abolizione della grammatica tutta. Avevo iniziato rileggendomi solo i capitoli di Francois Begbì, ho continuato non tralasciando niente, ammirando Welsh che tirava fuori il peggio da ciascuna delle sue creature. Irvine non facendo mistero della sua ammirazione per Tarantino, monta il libro come se fosse uno dei suoi film e può capitare di leggere il medesimo episodio da due punti di vista diversi. I protagonisti sono così umani da non avere nessuna virtù. E allora perché non prendere un Magic Marker? Ma come gli sarà venuto in mente quel finale..?
"La nostra tragedia è che nessuno ha una vera passione... Se negli ottanta il mondo era -io- e nei novanta era -esso- nei duemila è -oide- Prima era importante la sostanza, poi lo stile era tutto. Adesso viene tutto simulato.
-----
P.S. Ho cambiato idea, gli do 5 stelle.
-----
Il 2017 è stato l’anno dell’uscita di T2 al cinema, architettato sulla traccia di Porno. Il regista Danny Boyle ha fatto una cosa sensata, non ha ripercorso il libro ma ne ha solo tratto spunto. In un’intervista ha detto che non avrebbe avuto senso ripresentare i protagonisti invecchiati a girare scene che temporalmente erano accadute 20 anni prima. T2 è un prodotto a sé stante che racconta dei personaggi del libro ai giorni nostri.
Ecco in proposito Welsh in un’altra intervista
Il suo romanzo, Porno, è il seguito di Trainspotting, ma in T2 il lato per così dire pornografico della vicenda non ha tanto spazio come nel libro. Le secca?
«No, al contrario, sono stato fra i più convinti assertori della necessità di aggiornare la storia rispetto al romanzo. Non mi piacciono i cosiddetti film dentro un film e non sono nemmeno un grande fan della pornografia all’interno di una pellicola tradizionale, ovvero non esplicitamente pornografica. Inoltre consideravo importante che Boyle girasse un film sui protagonisti della vicenda raccontanti al tempo di oggi, nell’Edimburgo contemporanea, piuttosto che nella defunta e bizzarra era delle produzioni porno del 2000, che nel 2017 ci appare lontana come la preistoria».
Ho visto il film al cinema e l’ho apprezzato molto, è carico di tutta la nostalgia che cola da questo magnifico pezzo della sua colonna sonora
Wolf Alice - Silk
Ogni tanto vado a rileggermi i capitoli dedicati a Franco Begbie. E' una delle migliori caratterizzazioni che mi sia mai capitato di trovare. La cattiveria di Welsh è una catarsi.
-----
Non gli do le 5 stelle solo perché nella traduzione per rendere lo slang vengono aboliti buona parte dei congiuntivi. Lei mi guarda è come se non mi crede e voglio che si siede... Ma per dei personaggi del genere si potrebbe sopportare anche l'abolizione della grammatica tutta. Avevo iniziato rileggendomi solo i capitoli di Francois Begbì, ho continuato non tralasciando niente, ammirando Welsh che tirava fuori il peggio da ciascuna delle sue creature. Irvine non facendo mistero della sua ammirazione per Tarantino, monta il libro come se fosse uno dei suoi film e può capitare di leggere il medesimo episodio da due punti di vista diversi. I protagonisti sono così umani da non avere nessuna virtù. E allora perché non prendere un Magic Marker? Ma come gli sarà venuto in mente quel finale..?
"La nostra tragedia è che nessuno ha una vera passione... Se negli ottanta il mondo era -io- e nei novanta era -esso- nei duemila è -oide- Prima era importante la sostanza, poi lo stile era tutto. Adesso viene tutto simulato.
-----
P.S. Ho cambiato idea, gli do 5 stelle.
-----
Il 2017 è stato l’anno dell’uscita di T2 al cinema, architettato sulla traccia di Porno. Il regista Danny Boyle ha fatto una cosa sensata, non ha ripercorso il libro ma ne ha solo tratto spunto. In un’intervista ha detto che non avrebbe avuto senso ripresentare i protagonisti invecchiati a girare scene che temporalmente erano accadute 20 anni prima. T2 è un prodotto a sé stante che racconta dei personaggi del libro ai giorni nostri.
Ecco in proposito Welsh in un’altra intervista
Il suo romanzo, Porno, è il seguito di Trainspotting, ma in T2 il lato per così dire pornografico della vicenda non ha tanto spazio come nel libro. Le secca?
«No, al contrario, sono stato fra i più convinti assertori della necessità di aggiornare la storia rispetto al romanzo. Non mi piacciono i cosiddetti film dentro un film e non sono nemmeno un grande fan della pornografia all’interno di una pellicola tradizionale, ovvero non esplicitamente pornografica. Inoltre consideravo importante che Boyle girasse un film sui protagonisti della vicenda raccontanti al tempo di oggi, nell’Edimburgo contemporanea, piuttosto che nella defunta e bizzarra era delle produzioni porno del 2000, che nel 2017 ci appare lontana come la preistoria».
Ho visto il film al cinema e l’ho apprezzato molto, è carico di tutta la nostalgia che cola da questo magnifico pezzo della sua colonna sonora
Wolf Alice - Silk
September 19, 2017
Hey, I think I already read this some years back...
Yes, it's one of those books with the movie posters which we are always embarrassed to have. But this time they renamed it; the book Porno is now called T2 Trainspotting because of that film. It's almost false advertising in fact, as the new movie is very loosely based on the original prose novel sequel to you-know-which movie.
Yet here I am and I would still like to do a review that is in part film review and book, because it comparisons cannot help being made.
The novel Porno is longer than Trainspotting, and Welsh seems to have a lot more to say, but overall it is inferior in almost every way. It isn't as powerful, or as classic, and doesn't seem necessary. Still one does enjoy going back to the colorful characters of Trainspotting.
This time the shocking vice isn't heroin but rather a pornographic film as part of Sick Boy's scam. The plot is far more structured than the interweaving short stories of Trainspotting, with much of Welsh's later work follow 3-act structure and all that. Oddly though our favorite of the cast Renton isn't really the protagonist. It's more about Simon/Sick Boy and the narration from his point of view can be both fun and disturbing to say the least. It is interesting that the 1996 Trainspotting film had such an impact on the literary world, with Diane who was minimal in the book returning as a character, and even the part with Rents sending Spud money in the post-credits scene has become official cannon.
The plot point of Begbie going after Rents is probably the only major thing that transferred to the new film. So there's the four narrators: Sick Boy, Begbie, Rents, and Spud. And one new addition to the mythos, English porn star Nicki. Her point of view is fascinating, a rare female narrator in the Welsh-verse with feminine attributes indeed but also does the whole graphic sex worker thing. Interestingly, Porno as a novel is very ahead of its time by engaging in an ongoing debate as per feminism with regards sex work, issues about far more in recent times.
The Slovenian main female lead in T2 is quite a different character, and frankly not as compelling. As for my take on the movie, Danny Boyle's directing -- and the editing -- is indeed awesome, but it doesn't work as a film on it's own. Even worse than in most sequels, it only exists as a reaction to the original and the overall point is just plain nostalgia. Worth watching, but simply not in the same league as the real Trainspotting. I suppose another thing though worth noting is that Porno and T2 but share a theme of the gentrification of old Scotland which is at least acknowledged.
Porno/T2 the novelization (not really, it's just the book Porno) is worth reading for an Irvine Welsh completist but don't expect the same impact as the first book. Oh and lastly I must say it would have been nice to see Juice Terry, the guy from Glue in the Welsh-verse, in real life cinema... but without the pornography storyline I guess there was no place for him.
Porno and T2, a book and movie that have almost nothing to do with each other!
Yes, it's one of those books with the movie posters which we are always embarrassed to have. But this time they renamed it; the book Porno is now called T2 Trainspotting because of that film. It's almost false advertising in fact, as the new movie is very loosely based on the original prose novel sequel to you-know-which movie.
Yet here I am and I would still like to do a review that is in part film review and book, because it comparisons cannot help being made.
The novel Porno is longer than Trainspotting, and Welsh seems to have a lot more to say, but overall it is inferior in almost every way. It isn't as powerful, or as classic, and doesn't seem necessary. Still one does enjoy going back to the colorful characters of Trainspotting.
This time the shocking vice isn't heroin but rather a pornographic film as part of Sick Boy's scam. The plot is far more structured than the interweaving short stories of Trainspotting, with much of Welsh's later work follow 3-act structure and all that. Oddly though our favorite of the cast Renton isn't really the protagonist. It's more about Simon/Sick Boy and the narration from his point of view can be both fun and disturbing to say the least. It is interesting that the 1996 Trainspotting film had such an impact on the literary world, with Diane who was minimal in the book returning as a character, and even the part with Rents sending Spud money in the post-credits scene has become official cannon.
The plot point of Begbie going after Rents is probably the only major thing that transferred to the new film. So there's the four narrators: Sick Boy, Begbie, Rents, and Spud. And one new addition to the mythos, English porn star Nicki. Her point of view is fascinating, a rare female narrator in the Welsh-verse with feminine attributes indeed but also does the whole graphic sex worker thing. Interestingly, Porno as a novel is very ahead of its time by engaging in an ongoing debate as per feminism with regards sex work, issues about far more in recent times.
The Slovenian main female lead in T2 is quite a different character, and frankly not as compelling. As for my take on the movie, Danny Boyle's directing -- and the editing -- is indeed awesome, but it doesn't work as a film on it's own. Even worse than in most sequels, it only exists as a reaction to the original and the overall point is just plain nostalgia. Worth watching, but simply not in the same league as the real Trainspotting. I suppose another thing though worth noting is that Porno and T2 but share a theme of the gentrification of old Scotland which is at least acknowledged.
Porno/T2 the novelization (not really, it's just the book Porno) is worth reading for an Irvine Welsh completist but don't expect the same impact as the first book. Oh and lastly I must say it would have been nice to see Juice Terry, the guy from Glue in the Welsh-verse, in real life cinema... but without the pornography storyline I guess there was no place for him.
Porno and T2, a book and movie that have almost nothing to do with each other!
April 21, 2018
O Welsh βασικά ξέρει μια ιστορία να πει. Τη λέει όμως φανταστικά.
Ξέρει κ τη γενιά του και την γειτονιά του. Η τομή στην dark side του Leith είναι αιματοβαμμένη, βουτηγμένη στην μιζέρια και στη ντρογκα, αλλά δείχνει ζωή. Το ύφος του απαράμιλλο, και η στακατη γραφή του σε βάζει κάπου εκεί δίπλα να το βιώνεις και συ αυτό που συμβαίνει. Σχεδόν ντοκουμενταρίστικο
Ξέρει κ τη γενιά του και την γειτονιά του. Η τομή στην dark side του Leith είναι αιματοβαμμένη, βουτηγμένη στην μιζέρια και στη ντρογκα, αλλά δείχνει ζωή. Το ύφος του απαράμιλλο, και η στακατη γραφή του σε βάζει κάπου εκεί δίπλα να το βιώνεις και συ αυτό που συμβαίνει. Σχεδόν ντοκουμενταρίστικο
April 23, 2021
Essendo un gran fan del film Trainspotting (purtroppo ho letto il libro solo l'anno scorso. Mea culpa.), mi sono accinto a leggere questo seguito poco prima che uscisse nelle sale T2 con una certa apprensione, essendo di solito i sequel letterari e cinematografici delle amare delusioni.
Sorpresa! Sarò pazzo ma forse secondo me "Porno" é persino migliore dell'originale.
I cattivi ragazzi di Edimburgo sono tornati alla grande in un racconto corale, sboccato e divertentissimo, che mi ha fatto divorare letteralmente gli ultimi capitoli la scorsa notte senza neanche accorgermi che erano passate quasi due ore.
Un racconto con una trama, un filo portante, meno intenso e disturbante, con molta meno droga e molto piú sesso (titolo e copertina mi avevano fatto venire un leggerissimo sospetto...) ed ironia dell'originale Trainspotting, il quale era quasi un'antologia di racconti brevi narrati dal punto di vista di molti più personaggi (che più o meno tutti fanno qui una breve comparsata).
La storia di "Porno" é invece raccontata a turno dai maturati (quasi tutti in peggio!) Renton, Spud, Sick Boy e Begbie, che ormai più di mezzo mondo conosce bene, con l'aggiunta della bella Nikki.
Una storia appassionante e spassosa in cui Simon David Williamson/Sick Boy e Begbie offuscano gli altri personaggi con le loro personalità eccessive, straripanti, estreme e psicopatiche, in un crescendo che culmina in un finale liberatorio ed esilarante.
Se quando andrò a vederlo il film sarà bello anche solo un decimo di questo libro (anche se la storia pare sarà molto diversa, e dato il tema del racconto non poteva essere altrimenti), mi riterrò più che soddisfatto.
Stupendo.
December 12, 2020
Having just watched the movie, it's obvious that neither the movie nor the book tried to be anything that trainspotting was. At the same time, book and the movie are two different things, so we've got two sequels to the original. While book replaces heroin addiction with sex and consumerism, movie picks up the whole nostalgia thing. Both of them work well with their own traits and I just can't vote for one.
November 2, 2019
"Ama entelektüel olarak bilmek yeterli değil çünkü "gerçek" artık "doğru" değil. Gerçek bilgi duygusal ve duygularda yatıyor artık, gerçek duygular fotoşoplanmış imajlardan, sloganlardan ve repliklerden doğuyor."
Trainspotting'den bildiğimiz ekip bu kez başka bir sektöre geçiş yapıyor, porno. T2 filmini de kitabı okumadan izlememiştim, artık orada da neler dönmüş izleyeceğiz...
Devam kitabı da henüz dilimize çevrilmedi sanırım...
🌟
Trainspotting'den bildiğimiz ekip bu kez başka bir sektöre geçiş yapıyor, porno. T2 filmini de kitabı okumadan izlememiştim, artık orada da neler dönmüş izleyeceğiz...
Devam kitabı da henüz dilimize çevrilmedi sanırım...
🌟
May 10, 2007
A very satisfying sequel to Trainspotting, in which all your favorite characters return. The plot centers around Sick Boy's desire to get revenge on Mark Renton, who's returned to Edinburgh from Amsterdam to help Sick Boy and some of the rest of the old crew produce an indie porn flick. Yup. Meanwhile, our dear Begbie has been released from prison and is dead-set on essentially murdering Rents.
More fun and less intense than Trainspotting, and each chapter is still told by different characters. Less about drugs and more about sex (go figure) and revenge. Irvine Welsh still writes everything in Scottish brogue, so once again, it can be difficult to get used to reading, but after reading a few pages out loud you should get into the language, and it's worth the work.
And, get this, some of the actors from Trainspotting the film have said they'd love to make the film of the sequel. Let's hope, people, let's hope!!!
More fun and less intense than Trainspotting, and each chapter is still told by different characters. Less about drugs and more about sex (go figure) and revenge. Irvine Welsh still writes everything in Scottish brogue, so once again, it can be difficult to get used to reading, but after reading a few pages out loud you should get into the language, and it's worth the work.
And, get this, some of the actors from Trainspotting the film have said they'd love to make the film of the sequel. Let's hope, people, let's hope!!!
September 15, 2014
Am I crazy for thinking this almost rivals Trainspotting? Probably. I never see people include this on their list of favorite Irvine Welsh books, but it's right up there for me. Sequels are usually disappointing, and the idea of seeing your favorite slackers 10 years on (give or take), skag-free, with adult responsibilities doesn't sound very appealing, but, trust me, they haven't changed that much.
And while Trainspotting felt like more of a short story collection than a conventional novel, Porno is more linear, less chaotic, more focused. It's written in the same style of alternating first-person narrators with wildly different views on common events, but the number of characters and locations is pared down so as to be less confusing. Welsh does as much with his characters' voices (the language, slang and dialect) as anyone I've read, and there's certainly nothing else like it in literature that I'm aware of. His narrators sometimes have this manic stream of consciousness style that is just spellbinding. No real action is taking place, and yet, I can't put the book down to save my life. Hours fly by like minutes and I end up finding myself pissed off at the sun for rising in a couple hours and making me go to sleep.
The onlay bad thing aboot readin' an Irvine Welsh novay is ah cannae stoap thinkin' en Scoatish dialect for yonks afterwords, likes, but ah'm no really complainin', ken? It just gies pure seared intae ma brain and thairs nowt ah can dae aboot it, likesay. Now let's jist hope Danny Boyle does the adaptation justice, the doss cunt. Otherwise, eh'll be gittin' a burst mooth!
And while Trainspotting felt like more of a short story collection than a conventional novel, Porno is more linear, less chaotic, more focused. It's written in the same style of alternating first-person narrators with wildly different views on common events, but the number of characters and locations is pared down so as to be less confusing. Welsh does as much with his characters' voices (the language, slang and dialect) as anyone I've read, and there's certainly nothing else like it in literature that I'm aware of. His narrators sometimes have this manic stream of consciousness style that is just spellbinding. No real action is taking place, and yet, I can't put the book down to save my life. Hours fly by like minutes and I end up finding myself pissed off at the sun for rising in a couple hours and making me go to sleep.
The onlay bad thing aboot readin' an Irvine Welsh novay is ah cannae stoap thinkin' en Scoatish dialect for yonks afterwords, likes, but ah'm no really complainin', ken? It just gies pure seared intae ma brain and thairs nowt ah can dae aboot it, likesay. Now let's jist hope Danny Boyle does the adaptation justice, the doss cunt. Otherwise, eh'll be gittin' a burst mooth!
October 5, 2022
It is wonderful when one of your favorite writers revisits his favorite hometown. Irvine Welsh has tried to expand into the USA and written other great novels. But Renton and gang are loved across the world. I am an Indian and I love Renton and his merry band of unreliable cheating drug addicts more than similar fictional gangs created in my country and even the Goodfellas. Welsh is forced to take a dip into this world for a novel (like a Hindu takes a dip in the Ganges) every once in a while because, well, his audience loves it. This world is his greatest creation. Maybe even an albatross around his neck because Americans might not care about all this Scottish dysfunction. Read this in Glasgow a month before I left the country. If I wrote a novel as great as Trainspotting filled with all these wonderful working class characters, my next novel would be one with them involved in a heist. Welsh goes one up and lets them make a porno. Of course, they all double cross each other in the end. Sad what happened to good old Francis Begbie at the end of this novel. Is he a force of nature? Or just a cunt? As a huge Irvine Welsh fan, he should simply continue to write novels featuring each of these wonderful characters that started with Trainspotting. The possibilities are endless. Do not do stupid shit like kill off one of these characters (like you did in T2). Or what you did to Begbie in The Blade Artist. Look, if those frauds at Marvel can bring back Wolverine, I urge Irvine Welsh to write multiple novels about Renton and his friends/enemies with different scenarios about their futures. I would read them.
September 16, 2021
For me, it's over 100 pages too long, and I didn't get that same pumped up adrenaline buzz I got from reading Trainspotting - helped by the fact the film and its soundtrack was playing out in my head whilst reading it - but it was still entertaining, and very filthy; which of course didn't surprise me, to read of the boys again and their antics. As for Begbie, we witness once again one of the most memorable antagonists ever! Certainly Welsh is at full force here when it comes to his frenetic literary style, maybe even more so than Trainspotting, and the seedy world of amateur pornography felt like a perfect fit, but Porno never really got inside enough to strike a chord; never did I feel it piss and shit and vomit all over me in the way that Trainspotting did through its bleakness and black humour; through its powerful and unforgettable gut wrenching scenes. Remains to be seen whether I'd read the next sequel or Trainspotting's prequel. If I do then I'd likely read something outside of the Renton books first.
January 28, 2014
Someone else on here likened it to fan fiction and thats kind of what this is, fan fiction written by the author.
So all this poverty/violence/junky porn fiction was getting a little overworked and obvious? then chuck in some 'real' porn to spice it up. Irvine Welshs greatest skill as a writer for me is his ability to take a despicable lowlife scumbag character and make you see his humanity, like in Filth. His worst quality is that he can't write women characters for shite, they're two-dimensional bits of wallpaper to decorate the background. Like with all of his books I felt a little more cynical, grubby and disappointed in the world when I finished it.
So all this poverty/violence/junky porn fiction was getting a little overworked and obvious? then chuck in some 'real' porn to spice it up. Irvine Welshs greatest skill as a writer for me is his ability to take a despicable lowlife scumbag character and make you see his humanity, like in Filth. His worst quality is that he can't write women characters for shite, they're two-dimensional bits of wallpaper to decorate the background. Like with all of his books I felt a little more cynical, grubby and disappointed in the world when I finished it.
December 2, 2017
10 días y 595 páginas después. La mítica continuación de Trainspotting. La saga de los cuatro drogadictos más queridos por la cultura pop. Lo primero es que ahora tengo unas irrefrenables ganas de leer Skagboys, la precuela.
Por supuesto que hubo cosas que me gustaron y otras que no. Sigo detestando con todas mis fuerzas (aunque llegó a mi memoria esa plática que tuve con alguien que me decía que Spud representaba todo lo bueno de la sociedad) a Spud, Sick Boy me parece un incomprendido egocéntrico con buenos puntos, Renton un hijo de perra traicionero (en el libro no se gana tu corazón como en la película), y Begbie uno de mis psicópatas favoritos de toda la vida.
Sí me preguntaran que preferí si la película o el libro sería algo que no me arriesgaría a decir porque van de cosas totalmente diferente. Totalmente. Aunque conservan escenas o tintes parecidos son muy diferentes, por el simple hecho de que tienen momentos y fines diferentes. Me encantaría hacer un análisis terriblemente profundo de la psique de todos los personajes. Desde el más majarra (HOSTIA PUTA la traducción destruye al libro totalmente, SO CACHO CABRON) hasta el más ingenuo.
Hay tanto que aprender en este libro, pero apuesto que no tanto como en Trainspotting. Es un libro que disfruté y quise leer más rápido, pero igual creo que digeri a buen tiempo.
Creo que me excedere más en la reseña y puede que sea de lo mejor del año. Sí extrañaba a Welsh.
Jo que sí habrá reseña, tío.
Por supuesto que hubo cosas que me gustaron y otras que no. Sigo detestando con todas mis fuerzas (aunque llegó a mi memoria esa plática que tuve con alguien que me decía que Spud representaba todo lo bueno de la sociedad) a Spud, Sick Boy me parece un incomprendido egocéntrico con buenos puntos, Renton un hijo de perra traicionero (en el libro no se gana tu corazón como en la película), y Begbie uno de mis psicópatas favoritos de toda la vida.
Sí me preguntaran que preferí si la película o el libro sería algo que no me arriesgaría a decir porque van de cosas totalmente diferente. Totalmente. Aunque conservan escenas o tintes parecidos son muy diferentes, por el simple hecho de que tienen momentos y fines diferentes. Me encantaría hacer un análisis terriblemente profundo de la psique de todos los personajes. Desde el más majarra (HOSTIA PUTA la traducción destruye al libro totalmente, SO CACHO CABRON) hasta el más ingenuo.
Hay tanto que aprender en este libro, pero apuesto que no tanto como en Trainspotting. Es un libro que disfruté y quise leer más rápido, pero igual creo que digeri a buen tiempo.
Creo que me excedere más en la reseña y puede que sea de lo mejor del año. Sí extrañaba a Welsh.
Jo que sí habrá reseña, tío.
May 7, 2013
Its hard to know what to say about this book. Trainspotting has been such a favorite of mine for ages that I was a little excited to finally get around to reading the sequel. I think the biggest problem I have with the book is that I'm not convinced that it needed to exists. It almost comes off as a piece of fan fiction Welsh wrote as a fan of his own characters. Thats not to say that parts of it aren't entertaining, because they are. The beginning is alright with the set up of the current scheme (as ridiculous as that scheme may be), and the end was sort of exciting. Much of the second section of the novel suffers from drawn out narrative and not much as far as plot of character development. The whole middle section could be a fraction of what it is and probably be more effective.
In short, if you've got the time and curiosity, go ahead and read it. Its not a total waste of time. But its far from being the classic it tries to follow and new-comers will want to read something more fining to Welsh's abilities.
In short, if you've got the time and curiosity, go ahead and read it. Its not a total waste of time. But its far from being the classic it tries to follow and new-comers will want to read something more fining to Welsh's abilities.
January 20, 2016
ABSOLUTE BRILLIANCE! I was afraid that Porno would disappoint after Trainspotting but Welsh lifted this one to a whole new level. I liked the fact that Welsh didn't just emulate Trainspotting but did something very different. This book seems to be written for the screen. Cannot wait to see the film adaptation.
April 14, 2021
A worthy sequel to the brilliant Trainspotting that sees Sick Boy in the spotlight as he goes on a quest to make a quality porno movie. Core characters from the first book get involved in various ways, including Renton, Spud, and Begbie, and everything follows a delightfully twisted trajectory.
The book has everything you would expect from Welsh – dark and irreverent humor, outrageously good characterization, and a sense of sordid realism. As a sequel to the incredible Trainspotting, it is nonetheless very different. It's shorter – about half the length – and has something that TS, for all its brilliance, didn’t really have – a plot. Whereas TS was really just a bunch of interconnected anecdotes sprawling all over the shop, Porno is a story in a more traditional sense. This is a double-edged sword. Whereas TS’s meandering nature sometimes made it a wee bit boring, its outrageously vast scope also made it feel very profound, as though it were some sort of universal artwork seeking to encapsulate all the varied facets of humanity between two cardboard covers. The narrower focus of Porno means that it is both less profound but more consistently engaging, and in this sense the two books sort of even out. Other things even out too, such as the choice of main character. Mark Renton, who had the most page time in the first book, and was therefore arguably the protagonist (though you could argue the protagonist was Leith), is a more likeable character than Sick Boy, because he’s less of a Narcissistic prick. But Sick Boy is generally more dynamic and entertaining than Renton, with even funnier internal monologues. What all of this means is that Porno is a worthy sequel to Trainspotting, especially since characters this well crafted and entertaining only get more endearing with repeated encounters.
The book has everything you would expect from Welsh – dark and irreverent humor, outrageously good characterization, and a sense of sordid realism. As a sequel to the incredible Trainspotting, it is nonetheless very different. It's shorter – about half the length – and has something that TS, for all its brilliance, didn’t really have – a plot. Whereas TS was really just a bunch of interconnected anecdotes sprawling all over the shop, Porno is a story in a more traditional sense. This is a double-edged sword. Whereas TS’s meandering nature sometimes made it a wee bit boring, its outrageously vast scope also made it feel very profound, as though it were some sort of universal artwork seeking to encapsulate all the varied facets of humanity between two cardboard covers. The narrower focus of Porno means that it is both less profound but more consistently engaging, and in this sense the two books sort of even out. Other things even out too, such as the choice of main character. Mark Renton, who had the most page time in the first book, and was therefore arguably the protagonist (though you could argue the protagonist was Leith), is a more likeable character than Sick Boy, because he’s less of a Narcissistic prick. But Sick Boy is generally more dynamic and entertaining than Renton, with even funnier internal monologues. What all of this means is that Porno is a worthy sequel to Trainspotting, especially since characters this well crafted and entertaining only get more endearing with repeated encounters.
June 30, 2013
A very interesting story about predators and their prey. It's so long since I've read Trainspotting that I'd forgotten the characters quite a bit but I soon remembered them as they were still the same selfish, opportunistic lot. I never thought I could really like a book that had no characters that I could like. A realistic portrayal of good and bad in one person is fine but I need to root for the protagonist in some way and care about what happens to them. Well I did like Porno but although there were quite a few protagonists, as the story swaps between their different viewpoints, I didn't like any of them!
Actually no, I liked Spud. Bless him he had no luck in life and he was so well meaning and had no malice in him. I didn't mind Rent boy too much either. He was a thief and selfish predator but he had grown a bit and did have some of the milk of human kindness in him.
The reason I liked this book enough to give it 4 stars is because I became fascinated by the characters. I actively disliked Simon "sick boy"Williamson and Nikki too but I was fascinated by those two the most. I wanted to see what would happen to them and if they would "get their comeuppance" -no I'm not telling!:)Porno is very character driven and I love that. The changing viewpoint helps you get right inside each persons mind ...their horrible, sick, minds. Its very cleverly done.It made me want to watch the film of Trainspotting again and maybe read some more of Irvine Welsh's books.
Actually no, I liked Spud. Bless him he had no luck in life and he was so well meaning and had no malice in him. I didn't mind Rent boy too much either. He was a thief and selfish predator but he had grown a bit and did have some of the milk of human kindness in him.
The reason I liked this book enough to give it 4 stars is because I became fascinated by the characters. I actively disliked Simon "sick boy"Williamson and Nikki too but I was fascinated by those two the most. I wanted to see what would happen to them and if they would "get their comeuppance" -no I'm not telling!:)Porno is very character driven and I love that. The changing viewpoint helps you get right inside each persons mind ...their horrible, sick, minds. Its very cleverly done.It made me want to watch the film of Trainspotting again and maybe read some more of Irvine Welsh's books.
April 25, 2017
Welsh zna kako prikazati dno ljudskog dna, bavi se ljudskim smećem , a opet u svakome od njih nalazi se nešto, neka životna priča koja ih čini upravo takvima kakvi jesu. On može istovremeno i nasmijat i zgroziti svog čitatelja, gotovo u istoj rečenici i upravo zato ga obožavam.
Ovdje se pojavljuju likovi iz Trainspottinga, prošlo je gotovo desetljeće i oni su "odrasli", tako da Porno zapravo zaokružuje cijelu priču (a tko je gledao Trainspotting 2, vidjet će da je puno toga uzeto upravo iz ove knjige).
Ovdje se pojavljuju likovi iz Trainspottinga, prošlo je gotovo desetljeće i oni su "odrasli", tako da Porno zapravo zaokružuje cijelu priču (a tko je gledao Trainspotting 2, vidjet će da je puno toga uzeto upravo iz ove knjige).
August 29, 2019
I marked this "to read" years ago because I love Trainspotting and I love porn, but, as so frequently happens with me, other books pushed it from the "next" stack to the "soon" stack and from there to "some day." When I learned about the imminent release of T2, I scrambled to work Porno into my always-crowded to-read schedule. As it happens, T2 only lasted a week or two where I live and, busy grown-up and slow reader that I am, by the time I finished the novel, I had to drive thirty miles to see the movie at the last cinema still screening it, apparently, in the Mid-Atlantic region. Though based only loosely on Porno, T2 was good and I was really surprised that it closed so quickly. I'd've thought all the middle-aged adolescents I see at all the legacy rock shows would've kept it in theaters a little longer. I guess we only drag ourselves out of the house to see Bush at the tribal casino.
In my milieu, at any rate, Trainspotting was huge, unquestionably one of the most iconic movies of the nineties. I didn't read the novel until a few years and a few viewings transpired, so, while I found it, with its mordant, junkie reprobate's sensibility and its piquant if unyieldingly dense Scots narration, a thrilling read, my cinema memories inevitably bled into the reading experience. I have a hard time, from this vantage, teasing out what I specifically liked about the novel. Reading and viewing the two works so close together this time enabled close comparison with simultaneous mental distinction. Porno and T2, it seems to me, are both about the relative rarity of growth and maturation. Welsh would agree, I think, with my first therapist, who told me at our initial meeting that people don't change that much. For April (my therapist), the stubborn stasis is a function of inherent human limitation. I think Welsh ascribes at least some of it, though, to the despair and dope and pop culture in which alienated youth of late-stage capitalism are steeped. Like Trainspotting, Porno is told by multiple narrators, but the main point-of-view has shifted here from relatively-nice-guy-with-a-demanding-monkey Mark Renton to calculating manipulator Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson. Sick Boy was a charming cad in the first book, but irresponsibility and opportunism don't age well. I had a hard time liking him this time around, although we are, at least in part, I think, supposed to ascribe his selfishness and casual cruelty to his ravenous cocaine consumption.
The McGuffin of Porno is Sick Boy's plan to film and distribute a pornographic movie starring his friends and neighbors, and I was really impressed with Welsh for writing a book about porn that addresses the morally squicky aspects of dirty movies while avoiding sentimental, finger-wagging judgments. I think this is one of the few pieces of writing I've read by a writer willing to reveal a modern, media-saturated male human's inevitable familiarity with porn. Welsh, it is obvious, has watched a few wank flicks and he writes about them from the point of view of a real consumer and not some sort of asexual, detached, slightly disapproving social scientist. He is appalled, to be certain, by our desires and his own, but his disgust for the world of adult video is hardly greater than his disgust for the world in general.
I really liked Porno. Much better than I expected. The writing is ambitious and accomplished and, while the characters don't, on the whole, 'develop' a great deal, they are richly, recognizably human. Like the movie, it was a better retread than I expected. I might even return to the well for Glue and Skagboys. Apparently Welsh has, with his oeuvre, been constructing a heroin-saturated Caledonian Yoknapatawpha of sorts.
In my milieu, at any rate, Trainspotting was huge, unquestionably one of the most iconic movies of the nineties. I didn't read the novel until a few years and a few viewings transpired, so, while I found it, with its mordant, junkie reprobate's sensibility and its piquant if unyieldingly dense Scots narration, a thrilling read, my cinema memories inevitably bled into the reading experience. I have a hard time, from this vantage, teasing out what I specifically liked about the novel. Reading and viewing the two works so close together this time enabled close comparison with simultaneous mental distinction. Porno and T2, it seems to me, are both about the relative rarity of growth and maturation. Welsh would agree, I think, with my first therapist, who told me at our initial meeting that people don't change that much. For April (my therapist), the stubborn stasis is a function of inherent human limitation. I think Welsh ascribes at least some of it, though, to the despair and dope and pop culture in which alienated youth of late-stage capitalism are steeped. Like Trainspotting, Porno is told by multiple narrators, but the main point-of-view has shifted here from relatively-nice-guy-with-a-demanding-monkey Mark Renton to calculating manipulator Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson. Sick Boy was a charming cad in the first book, but irresponsibility and opportunism don't age well. I had a hard time liking him this time around, although we are, at least in part, I think, supposed to ascribe his selfishness and casual cruelty to his ravenous cocaine consumption.
The McGuffin of Porno is Sick Boy's plan to film and distribute a pornographic movie starring his friends and neighbors, and I was really impressed with Welsh for writing a book about porn that addresses the morally squicky aspects of dirty movies while avoiding sentimental, finger-wagging judgments. I think this is one of the few pieces of writing I've read by a writer willing to reveal a modern, media-saturated male human's inevitable familiarity with porn. Welsh, it is obvious, has watched a few wank flicks and he writes about them from the point of view of a real consumer and not some sort of asexual, detached, slightly disapproving social scientist. He is appalled, to be certain, by our desires and his own, but his disgust for the world of adult video is hardly greater than his disgust for the world in general.
I really liked Porno. Much better than I expected. The writing is ambitious and accomplished and, while the characters don't, on the whole, 'develop' a great deal, they are richly, recognizably human. Like the movie, it was a better retread than I expected. I might even return to the well for Glue and Skagboys. Apparently Welsh has, with his oeuvre, been constructing a heroin-saturated Caledonian Yoknapatawpha of sorts.
March 11, 2017
l feel so much in love with both Mark Renton and Simon ! And with Irvine Welsh for creating them.
February 11, 2016
This the sequel to 'Trainspotting' and in many ways, it surpasses it. I can sum up the novel in two phrases culled from it: "Nobody except destructive exploiters...have any passion." and "We live in an anal society."
Two things are made apparent: 1) the novel is a snarky-as-fuck indictment of pretty much everything our culture stands for and 2) it's about sex. Don't be fooled, though, by my curious bifurcation. The two are hardly separable and that's the point. Welsh's genius lies in his ability to break down everything that is wrong with our world and embody it in his characters, Dostoevskyian-style. The Trainspotting crew is all here to fill this need: reformed Renton, psychotic Begbie (out of jail and on the hunt for Renton), wayward Spud (who's trying to write a history of Leith and get himself killed), and, most importantly, Sick Boy.
Sick Boy is the novel's main focus and you will never read about a more charming, anti-anti-hero, anti-villain shit-ass son of a bitch. He wants to make a porno movie and reap the benefits of our consumer culture. Only Welsh can scold our culture through a Sick Boy diatribe involving the second quote above where the film auteur argues that anal sex is part and parcel of our capitalist, globalized culture.
I don't want to get too jargony or smarmy, but it is what it is. And frankly, it's goddamn funny. The novel might make some uncomfortable, whether because of its blatant and often explicit sex scenes or as a thinly-veiled crotch-kick at everything we stand for, I'll let other readers decide.
Why is it better? It's tighter, more character focused, and the scumtafucks we loved in Trainspotting get a lot of room to develop.
Nowt but ta recommend.
Two things are made apparent: 1) the novel is a snarky-as-fuck indictment of pretty much everything our culture stands for and 2) it's about sex. Don't be fooled, though, by my curious bifurcation. The two are hardly separable and that's the point. Welsh's genius lies in his ability to break down everything that is wrong with our world and embody it in his characters, Dostoevskyian-style. The Trainspotting crew is all here to fill this need: reformed Renton, psychotic Begbie (out of jail and on the hunt for Renton), wayward Spud (who's trying to write a history of Leith and get himself killed), and, most importantly, Sick Boy.
Sick Boy is the novel's main focus and you will never read about a more charming, anti-anti-hero, anti-villain shit-ass son of a bitch. He wants to make a porno movie and reap the benefits of our consumer culture. Only Welsh can scold our culture through a Sick Boy diatribe involving the second quote above where the film auteur argues that anal sex is part and parcel of our capitalist, globalized culture.
I don't want to get too jargony or smarmy, but it is what it is. And frankly, it's goddamn funny. The novel might make some uncomfortable, whether because of its blatant and often explicit sex scenes or as a thinly-veiled crotch-kick at everything we stand for, I'll let other readers decide.
Why is it better? It's tighter, more character focused, and the scumtafucks we loved in Trainspotting get a lot of room to develop.
Nowt but ta recommend.
June 13, 2023
If you follow the series of Irvine Welsh novels about the seedy Scottish underworld, then Porno is a necessary chapter as part of Welsh's evolution into a more conventional author (despite the graphic nature of the plot--alluded to in the very title). But if you just read the groundbreaking and experimental Trainspotting 1, then this sequel will feel like an unnecessary distant second.
It helps to read Glue first, and it also helps to read Blade Artist and Dead Men's Trousers later. It's a lot of fun to revisit these characters and see what Renton and Sick Boy have been up to. Welsh has been a very prolific writer over the years, there's even a prequel in the series, so this book holds up pretty well as part of the broad canon of the Welsh-verse.
It's more plot-based, with a specific scam of making a movie being what brings Sick Boy and Rents back together. Franco is the villain, and poor Spud is there too. There's a new main character as well, Nikki the porn star. The ending is satisfying, and it all circles back well to the big betrayal where Trainspotting concluded so many years ago...
Note: Trainspotting 2 the movie was barely an adaptation of this. That film was probably too reverential as a legacy sequel, coasting on nostalgia of the legendary original. The novel has a completely different story and is a more interesting in my view. Just know that either way, living up to anything as good as Trainspotting is basically impossible.
It helps to read Glue first, and it also helps to read Blade Artist and Dead Men's Trousers later. It's a lot of fun to revisit these characters and see what Renton and Sick Boy have been up to. Welsh has been a very prolific writer over the years, there's even a prequel in the series, so this book holds up pretty well as part of the broad canon of the Welsh-verse.
It's more plot-based, with a specific scam of making a movie being what brings Sick Boy and Rents back together. Franco is the villain, and poor Spud is there too. There's a new main character as well, Nikki the porn star. The ending is satisfying, and it all circles back well to the big betrayal where Trainspotting concluded so many years ago...
Note: Trainspotting 2 the movie was barely an adaptation of this. That film was probably too reverential as a legacy sequel, coasting on nostalgia of the legendary original. The novel has a completely different story and is a more interesting in my view. Just know that either way, living up to anything as good as Trainspotting is basically impossible.
March 16, 2017
Though I really loved diving into the world of Trainspotting again, the plot in this sequel seems a bit forced and the point where everything starts to come together happens about ten pages before the end of the book, so there's little time to catch your breath and find some closure. Character development is great though, and so many of them are somehow brought back in from the first book, which is amazing. I just wish the ending was different or more worked out: I absolutely loved the open ending of Trainspotting, but Porno honestly feels a bit like a weak attempt to recreate Irvine Welsh's great success. All in all though, the negatives mostly come from the fact that I was so over the moon about Trainspotting.
February 4, 2017
I've had this on my shelves for a long long time, and was hoping that it'd come out on audiobook, which is the medium through which I enjoyed the first two in the series, but given that the film based on the book was due for release, I decided to read the copy physically, despite its imposing length and seemingly impenetrable Scottish dialect in parts.
All the main characters and many of the minor ones from the previous books make an appearance in this one, the story picking up a number of years after 'Trainspotting' left off. The narrative is typical Welsh - very close to the bone and indeeed beyond in many instances - but in a way that, in my eyes, perfectly captures the characteristics of those he is attempting to create. I got the cultural references that would probably be lost on a lot of readers, given the obscure Hibs players mentioned etc, and while I felt uncomfortable at times, and actively disliked most of the characters, I still appreciated the book.
It'll be interesting how closely the film sticks to the narrative of the novel, if at all.
All the main characters and many of the minor ones from the previous books make an appearance in this one, the story picking up a number of years after 'Trainspotting' left off. The narrative is typical Welsh - very close to the bone and indeeed beyond in many instances - but in a way that, in my eyes, perfectly captures the characteristics of those he is attempting to create. I got the cultural references that would probably be lost on a lot of readers, given the obscure Hibs players mentioned etc, and while I felt uncomfortable at times, and actively disliked most of the characters, I still appreciated the book.
It'll be interesting how closely the film sticks to the narrative of the novel, if at all.
January 10, 2017
qué puedo decir de Porno?
Con este libro Irvine Welsh se ha convertido en uno de esos escritores que aparte de crear, personajes y historias increíbles, tiene una manera de escribir PERFECTA. Da los detalles que tiene que dar, describe lo que TIENE que describir .... PERFECTA.
El hecho que todos sus capítulos sean en primera persona , teniendo personajes tan distintos hace que todo parezca muy real y aunque por partes es muy pertubardor.... también es MUY necesario.
Tengo muchas ganas de ver la película de Trainspotting 2, porque estoy segura que será completamente distinto al libro y eso me emociona muchísimo.
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pd: quiero conocer a alguien como Mark Renton en mi vida :) .
Con este libro Irvine Welsh se ha convertido en uno de esos escritores que aparte de crear, personajes y historias increíbles, tiene una manera de escribir PERFECTA. Da los detalles que tiene que dar, describe lo que TIENE que describir .... PERFECTA.
El hecho que todos sus capítulos sean en primera persona , teniendo personajes tan distintos hace que todo parezca muy real y aunque por partes es muy pertubardor.... también es MUY necesario.
Tengo muchas ganas de ver la película de Trainspotting 2, porque estoy segura que será completamente distinto al libro y eso me emociona muchísimo.
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pd: quiero conocer a alguien como Mark Renton en mi vida :) .
June 30, 2017
I loved this soooo much more than I expected to! It was great to see the old boys again, and the new characters were just as entertaining. The voices were sharp and moved in and out of each other very well - I remember finding the differentiation difficult to see in Trainspotting but here it was good. Everything about this just seemed exciting and fresh, especially the writing.
Kind of wish there was more of Renton, because for me this was very much Sick Boys story. Yet then again, this wasn't Trainspotting, and it wasn't trying to be Trainspotting, and I appreciate that this novel had to take a new direction, and I really bloody loved this book anyway.
Kind of wish there was more of Renton, because for me this was very much Sick Boys story. Yet then again, this wasn't Trainspotting, and it wasn't trying to be Trainspotting, and I appreciate that this novel had to take a new direction, and I really bloody loved this book anyway.
September 28, 2016
Me gustó mucho, aunque tiene casi el mismo final de Trainspotting, aunque más emocionante por lo de Begbie y Sick Boy. Me pregunto si saldrá la continuación y también quiero ver la película. Este fue mi primer intento de reseña, no me juzgen (?)
September 19, 2011
I don't usually read books with that much swearing in them but.. Loved this one! :))
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