Glue

as i am what i consider a "dedicated" fan of Irvine Welsh's writing, i was eagerly anticipating my copy of "Glue" in the mail, and while i would not go as far as say i was unsatisfied with this book, i was definitely unimpressed.set in the familiar surrounding of the Scottish "schemes," Glue follows three decades in the lives of four friends who have an intimate attachment and loyalty to each other that supercedes even time. although they are different in many ways, they share a unique bond that begins at where most bonds begin, their societal position. all of the same working class neighborhood, the boys [Terry, Carl, Billy, and Andrew] are actually linked up through their parents, if not their elementary school. needless to say, the similarities end there.Carl is a budding DJ, Billy a budding boxer, Terry is a budding sex fiend, and Andrew is a budding loser. all of them are nice lads, and Welsh is an expert at describing the psychology of each character so that the reader can see the inherant differences in each ones modus operandi. they each approach each situation, weather it be girls, thugs, drugs or death, with their own seperate ideas and methods, but their unflappable bond remains unsevered throughout it all.Welsh's prose, written largely in Scottish dialect, is not as tight as expected, and sometimes the plot gets a little tangental, but each chapter, as told from the first person perspective of one of the characters [usually one of the four main guys, but sometimes from an ancillary character] has ceratin gems of insight and developement that carries the reader on to the next. hardly is the language as strong and gritty as "Trainspotting" or "The Acid House", which had some truly inspiring prose, but the fluidity and effortless dialog is still in tact.still, even though it is stressed repeatedly, the reader never gains the same bond with the characters, nor sees the strength of the bond between them. it just never becomes clear just WHY these guys are so loyal to eachother. i personally didnt see the charm. unlike the characters in Trainspotting, which not only are these lads most similar too, but who also make a welcome and sometimes hilarious appearance at different times in the book, i never understood why the antics of certain guys in this book were tolerated. there was no sense of desperation that kept them together [like in Trainspotting] nor were some of them that 'lovable,' regardless of their charisma. in the end, i didnt see much redemption in any of the characters, and didnt care what happened to them.but as i said, its not like i wasnt satisfied, and the growth of the characters, while sometimes tedious, was well done. when you get towards the end of the story it makes sense that they would be where they are, and the writing, while not as stunning as some of his past efforts, is better than a lot of writing you'll find. its a good read for fans of Welsh's, but not essential overall.

First off, I am a mega Irvine Welsh fan. Secondly, don't be put off by the Scottish brogue. It quickly becomes automatic (and oddly enough, much more economic than "typical" English). I am on my 2nd reading of Glue, my 1st being about 15 years ago.Ultimately, this is a deep dive in character study of 4 Scottish rogues, who all grew up in the "schemes" (Scottish public housing) as seen in ~10 year blocks of life. It is NOT a quick read, but instead meant to be savored for it's magnificent dialogue, while delving into the lives of lowest-class Scottish upbringing. While reading this book, you will come to know Terry, Carl, Gally, and Billy better than most people you have ever known.

When I first read Trainspotting a few years back, I was hooked on the harsh style that Irvine Welsh brought to his stories. Although a bit hard to get accustomed to, the novel immediately shot to the top of my favorites and I was recommending it to everyone. I eagerly snatched up anything the man published and although I enjoyed them, I felt like he had lost a step from the power of Trainspotting. "Filth" in particular was a bit of a stretch. I loved the gruesome, abominable main character, but it struggled to maintain a common ground. His latest work, Glue, re-establishes Welsh as one of the few writers who is so in touch with both a beautiful, original style and a firm knowledge of humanity. Through the perspective of four lifelong friends he tells a story of incredible highs and terrifying lows. Throughout all though is the inevitable bond that we can all relate to. The childhood friends who you have nothing in common with other than the fact that you were childhood friends. A beautiful, beautiful book that I never wanted to end.

Welsch is an amazing writer and I love the authentic Scottish dialect he gives his characters. His stories are always real, gritty and full of twists, turns, and surprise endings!

While Terry, Billy, Carl and Gally's friendship is endearing at times, the story falls flat in chunks, only to pick back up again. If you are familiar with Welsh's style, it is much the same, drunken drug fueled nights out at the bar and clubs amongst friends told from different perspectives.It's not his best work, but it is still enjoyable. Like a lot of his works, once you get into it and introduced to the characters you'll be compelled to see how it turns out.

As usual Mr. Welsh has created a book not for the squeamish,politically correct or easily offended. Definitely one of my favorite books is year. I think that he creates strong characters based on his own knowledge. The story of four boys growing up together. They're coming of age and how life ebbs and flows and how it changed us and those around us. How we can drift apart and come together again.He created a book that is both heartbreaking and hilarious in parts. Nice touch with having a few Trainspotting characters make an appearance.

This book just got worse and worse, I tried to stick it out,,,but just was to rough for me to handle. It was written in what seemed to be Scottish brogue, and was very difficult to follow, but it was the raw subject matter and language that totally turned me off. I have no respect for men who think that way and do not enjoy reading about them.

Not one of his best. The part about blatant animal torture did it in for me. It's one thing to disable a watchdog or two during a heist, but another to devote two pages to the descriptive, post-heist torture of these animals. Slow, tedious reading, did not hold my interest at all--and I like Welsh in general. Seems like he was stretching to re-create a Trainspotting-like revival involving 4 new characters, and struggled to do so. I'll stick to his short stories like in The Acid House from now on, for I think that's what he excels at. Shelved. 1.5 stars.

I know Welsh is a fantastic writer but quite gruesome. Another reviewer said this book wasn’t as bad as the others but I am afraid fairly early on in the book the depiction of torturing and killing two dogs was just too much and I didn’t read on as a result. Maybe ok if you have a strong stomach!

One of Great Britain's finest writers gives us this excellent, interesting and touching story of a group of Scottish friends; from their youth to adulthood.The four main characters each have their own distinctive personalities and the interactions between them are realistic, complicated and often very moving. Welsh manages to capture perfectly their individual personalities from the start and develop them as they grow through the novel (from the unbridled confidence of a child, to the introspective, rollercoaster emotions of a teenager, and finally the complex doubts and worries of their adult selves). You really feel you get to know these characters as people, they seem so real - I genuinely feel if I ever visited Leith, I could walk into a bar and be hit on by Juice Terry Lawson or could get into a club to see DJ Carl Ensign Ewart play. There are also cameos from some of Welsh's other well known characters, sometimes just mentions (Lexo, Begbie, Spud, Sick Boy et al).The title of Glue obviously refers to the cheap high that teenagers can get from huffing it but it also refers to the bond that holds this group together- it can be broken but re-mended; the cracks may still show but they just tell the story.

I was unaware of the type of material this would be. Very graphic! Accent so strong and so much swearing could not follow any plot,.Just excess sex descriptions. Went in the bin. Should have researched the author.

I love Irvine Welsh’s books and had read this one before but it was just as enjoyable the 2nd time around. If you like Trainspotting, Ecstasy, Filth then you’ll like this. Really funny, gritty and close to the bone. Not the sort of book you’d donate to the church fair.

the brilliant Scottish writer at his best. the usual mix of entertaining characters (some new but many familiar) and blinding set pieces.. has a feel of trainspotting but with more of a driven plot. lacks the epic quality of skag boys but a more concise novel is hard to put down and you can conceive of reading it in one sitting. the follow up porno has an element of ridiculousness which is not as evident here although the appearance of a fictional mega star is difficult to assimilate. well worth a read for anyone and unmissable for Welsh fans.