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A Decent Ride

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A Decent Ride

By: Irvine Welsh
Narrated by: Tam Dean Burn Burn
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About this listen

Shortlisted for the 2015 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for comic fiction

A rampaging force of nature is wreaking havoc on the streets of Edinburgh, but has top shagger, drug-dealer, gonzo-porn-star and taxi-driver, ‘Juice’ Terry Lawson, finally met his match in Hurricane ‘Bawbag’?

Can Terry discover the fate of the missing beauty, Jinty Magdalen, and keep her idiot-savant lover, the man-child Wee Jonty, out of prison?

Will he find out the real motives of unscrupulous American businessman and reality-TV star, Ronald Checker?

And, crucially, will Terry be able to negotiate life after a terrible event robs him of his sexual virility, and can a new fascination for the game of golf help him to live without… A DECENT RIDE?

A Decent Ride sees Irvine Welsh back on home turf, leaving us in the capable hands of one of his most compelling and popular characters, ‘Juice’ Terry Lawson, and introducing another bound for cult status, Wee Jonty MacKay: a man with the genitals and brain of a donkey.

In his funniest, filthiest book yet, Irvine Welsh celebrates an un-reconstructed misogynist hustler – a central character who is shameless but also, oddly, decent –and finds new ways of making wild comedy out of fantastically dark material, taking on some of the last taboos. So fasten your seatbelts, because this is one ride that could certainly get a little bumpy…

 Dark Humour Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Funny Comedy Scary Thought-Provoking Witty

Critic reviews

Raucous, filthy and funny. (James Naughtie)
Without question, our most distinguished living exponent of the so- called “excremental vision of life” — a line that goes back (to pick a few names) via James Joyce, Swift, and Ben Jonson, to Chaucer, writers who have explored what meanings of human existence are to be found in the toilet bowl. (John Sutherland)
Irvine Welsh, I think it’s safe to say, is not a writer who’s mellowing with age... Welsh’s [language is an] astonishingly supple invention: one that can combine scabrousness and lyricism, comedy and ruefulness in the same paragraph... [if] you fancy an authentic and often thrilling blast of full-strength Irvine Welsh, then you’re in for a treat. (James Walton)
It's a stern reader who wouldn't fall for his filthy charm.
Whether your interest is piqued by the ridiculously expensive bottles of whiskey and the extraordinary lengths an American will go to own them or your heart strings are pulled by Wee Jonty’s anguished love story, there’s a multitude of ideas and human emotions that Welsh brings out among the laughter. (Claire Inman)
When the humour works, we can enjoy the novel for what Welsh clearly intended it to be — a luridly exuberant caper, a series of glossy and gritty snapshots. It won’t make converts out of detractors, but then one senses that a novelist like him wouldn’t want it any other way. (Malcolm Forbes)
Welsh’s ingenuity, flair, sharp observation, and satirical talent make this not just a decent ride for the reader but an exhilarating one. (Leyla Sanai)
It’s filthy and hilarious in equal measure.
An unashamedly indecent read. Welsh fans will love it. (Olaf Tyaransen)
Fantastically funny and well drawn. (Keeley Bolger)
All stars
Most relevant
man alive I'm no expert nor great reader hence the listening.
but what a story most definitely should be a movie excellent. characters all excellent and well read by the narrator. Well chuffed.
also good to see Mr Welsh taking the 5-1 so well covering it in this book. amazing just bloody amazing.

juice T

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Great audio book. Tam Dean Burn brings all thr characters to life. Although i think he needs to work on his American accent. All in all though i strongly recommend.

Great listen. The local dialect is spot on

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Juice Terry returns for more dark comic capers. Anyone familiar with Welsh's other works will know what to expect as this character (from Glue and Porno fame) takes centre stage in this farfetched but entertaining adventure. As usual, Welsh's narrative style means no topic is off-limits but despite the somewhat base and unbelievable extremes that permeate this story, lies a character grounded in the familiar patter and surroundings that many growing up in central Scotland will recognise. This connection for me was one of the main reasons I enjoyed the book so much. Welsh simply and expertly captures the working class swagger and darkness just below the shortbread tin, castle and ‘See You Jimmy Hat’ Scottish stereotype. This authentic characterisation is similarly captured in Tam Dean Burn’s performance.

Fans of Welsh or those with a lived experience of central Scotland will especially enjoy this book.

Classic Welsh!

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Where does A Decent Ride rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Brilliantly written and brilliantly narrated by Tam Dean Burn. Captures the atmosphere and humour of the mean streets of Edinburgh.Fantastic

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jonty.... Welsh creates a complex character from a seemingly simple start.

Which character – as performed by Tam Dean Burn – was your favourite?

Terry

Disgustingly hilariously vintage Welsh

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A belter. From start to finish this thoroughly enjoyable. Some great new characters and a welcome return of some old favourites.

Hilarious, Welsh and Burn on top form.

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