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Both a prequel to the world-renowned Trainspotting, and an alternative version of it, Skagboys is Irvine Welsh's greatest work.
Mark Renton seems to have it all: he's the first in his family to go to university, he's young, has a pretty girlfriend and a great social life. But Thatcher's government is destroying working-class communities across Britain, and the post-war certainties of full employment, educational opportunity and a welfare state are gone. When his badly handicapped younger brother dies the family bonds start to weaken, his life flips out of control, and he succumbs to the defeatism and the heroin which has taken hold in Edinburgh's grimmer areas.
His friends face similar challenges. Spud Murphy is paid off from his job and faces long-term unemployment, while Tommy Lawrence feels that only love can save him from being sucked into a life of petty crime and violence -- exemplified respectively by the thieving Matty Connell and psychotic Franco Begbie. And then there is Sick Boy, the supreme manipulator of the opposite sex, scamming and hustling his way through life.
Skagboys charts their journey from likely lads to young men addicted to the heroin which has flooded their disintegrating community. This is the 1980s: not the sanitized version, of upbeat pop music, mullets, shoulder-pads and MTV, but a time of drugs, poverty, AIDS, violence, political strife and hatred -- and maybe just a little love; a decade which changed Britain for ever. The prequel to the world-renowned Trainspotting, this is an exhilarating and moving book, full of the scabrous humour, salty vernacular and appalling behaviour that has made Irvine Welsh a household name.
Mark Renton seems to have it all: he's the first in his family to go to university, he's young, has a pretty girlfriend and a great social life. But Thatcher's government is destroying working-class communities across Britain, and the post-war certainties of full employment, educational opportunity and a welfare state are gone. When his badly handicapped younger brother dies the family bonds start to weaken, his life flips out of control, and he succumbs to the defeatism and the heroin which has taken hold in Edinburgh's grimmer areas.
His friends face similar challenges. Spud Murphy is paid off from his job and faces long-term unemployment, while Tommy Lawrence feels that only love can save him from being sucked into a life of petty crime and violence -- exemplified respectively by the thieving Matty Connell and psychotic Franco Begbie. And then there is Sick Boy, the supreme manipulator of the opposite sex, scamming and hustling his way through life.
Skagboys charts their journey from likely lads to young men addicted to the heroin which has flooded their disintegrating community. This is the 1980s: not the sanitized version, of upbeat pop music, mullets, shoulder-pads and MTV, but a time of drugs, poverty, AIDS, violence, political strife and hatred -- and maybe just a little love; a decade which changed Britain for ever. The prequel to the world-renowned Trainspotting, this is an exhilarating and moving book, full of the scabrous humour, salty vernacular and appalling behaviour that has made Irvine Welsh a household name.
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About the Author:
IRVINE WELSH is the author of eight previous novels and four books of shorter fiction. He currently lives in Chicago.
Review:
· "Quite simply a masterpiece." --Scotsman
· "A brilliantly funny, scary, sweeping novel with all the energy of Welsh's debut." --Independent on Sunday
· "A brilliantly funny, scary, sweeping novel with all the energy of Welsh's debut." --Independent on Sunday
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherVintage Books
- Publication date2013
- ISBN 10 0099535580
- ISBN 13 9780099535584
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages336
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Both a prequel to the world-renowned Trainspotting, and an alternative version of it, Skagboys is Irvine Welsh's greatest work.*Number #1 Bestseller**BEFORE TRAINSPOTTING CAME SKAGBOYSMark Renton has it all- he's good-looking, young, with a pretty girlfriend and a bright future. But there's no room for him in the 1980s and when his family starts to fracture, Mark's life swings out of control. The way out is heroin.It's no better for his friends - Spud Murphy is laid off from his job, Tommy Lawrence finds himself sucked into a life of petty crime, violence and the world of the psychotic Franco Begbie. Only Sick Boy seems to ride the current, scamming and hustling his way through it all. Exhilarating and moving, Skagboys charts their journey from likely lads to young addicts in a decade which changed Britain forever.'Masterful. its banter, outrage and razor wit sing off the page' Independent'Funny.visceral and true. Welsh's finest work to date' The Times *Number #1 Bestseller**BEFORE TRAINSPOTTING CAME SKAGBOYS Mark Renton has it all: he's good-looking, young, with a pretty girlfriend and a bright future. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780099535584
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 560 pages. 7.80x5.08x1.38 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0099535580
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Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. BEFORE TRAINSPOTTING CAME SKAGBOYSThe Number One BestsellerMark Renton has it all: he's good-looking, young, with a pretty girlfriend and a bright future. It's no better for his friends - Spud Murphy is laid off from his job, Tommy Lawrence finds himself sucked into a life of petty crime, violence and the world of the psychotic Franco Begbie. Seller Inventory # B9780099535584
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Book Description Condition: New. 2013. Paperback. Mark Renton has it all: he's good-looking, young, with a pretty girlfriend and a bright future. But there's no room for him in the 1980s and when his family starts to fracture, Mark's life swings out of control. The way out is heroin. Num Pages: 560 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 202 x 144 x 35. Weight in Grams: 404. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780099535584
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Book Description Condition: New. 2013. Paperback. Mark Renton has it all: he's good-looking, young, with a pretty girlfriend and a bright future. But there's no room for him in the 1980s and when his family starts to fracture, Mark's life swings out of control. The way out is heroin. Num Pages: 560 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 202 x 144 x 35. Weight in Grams: 404. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780099535584
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