Tam Dean Burn my third book narrated by him

need to see what else he's narrated.
couldn't believe the Luke warm reviews the book gets. it seems to be a victim of the strength of the Beggbie character in previous books. These dissenting views seem to revolve around the unrealistic reformation of the psycho beggars, but as he descends again, the changes in his accent and morality are ver subtle.
Let's face it, if your a fan of skag boys, trainspotting and porno, then you have no choice but to read this, so you might as well emerse yourself in it and have faith in the auther.

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6 people found this helpful

The first cut is the deepest

We have met Francis Begbie before he was in Trainspotting, then again in the sequel Porno, then in the prequel Skagboys but now he has a new identity and a new name Jim Francis. He lives in california with a beautiful wife and two daughters, he adores them and would do anything to protect them; and he does.

He carries two lives in him, one is normal the other one is pure violence, controlled restrained but never too far never too controlled when is safe to let go, in that moment in that instant he reverts to the enjoyment of absolute destruction of a rival, perceived or real.

This is an ultraviolent tale with no moral compass, or redeemable characters Irvine Welsh is the most nihilistic of modern writer and presents us with a world that is amoral and one second away from barbarism. He enjoys his depictions of a brutal Scotland or Edinburgh, even taking digs at Glasgow gangsters for liking publicity.

Entertaining is fast paced and violent to the extreme, with no redeemable values or lessons of any kind, this is a book that enjoys the milieu it inhabits and celebrates the machismo it exudes from every pore.

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6 people found this helpful

Blade artist

Fantastic book. Irvine Welsh back to his best. Absolutely superb. I hope if made into a film it does this book justice.

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5 people found this helpful

Frrrrrrranco!

Great to see another character in Welsh's Edinburgh back and on top!
I love the way he jumps from past to present and back, filling in the back story as the main one moves on.

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4 people found this helpful

Loved it...just wish it was longer.

Would you listen to The Blade Artist again? Why?

I would definitely revisit it again in a few years.

What about Tam Dean Burn’s performance did you like?

Superb.

Any additional comments?

Another great book by Irvine Welsh, read brilliantly by Tam Dean Burn - who is probably my favourite audio book reader. The story reprises the psychopath Franko Begby character from earlier books (Skagboys, Trainspotting & Porno) but with a great twist. One or two of the other characters from those books make cameo appearances too, which I thought was a great touch. I thought this was a fantastic story and thoroughly enjoyed it - despite the underlying violence and menace of the story, Welsh has that amazing ability to make it very darkly hilarious in places as he's done with his other books. My only negative comment is that I would have liked it to be longer because I just love Welsh's writing style and the fantastic characters he creates. To be fair though, whenever I've listened to one of his books, I've not wanted them to end. Please give us some more soon Mr. Welsh...

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4 people found this helpful

Excellent!

The title suggests that Begbie has never changed but at the beginning it's hard to tell. There are some great twists along the way while the story navigates a timeline between Begbie's youth and the present. Paradoxically, he is a changed man just not in the way he presents this new image to the world.

Great narration, too. Tam Dean Burn offers a mellow Scottish accent that will reach listeners' ears around the world - it's definitely not too strong; moreover he switches too - and captures - local dialects well across the characters.

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3 people found this helpful

A must listen for any Welsh Fans.

A top book from Welsh. Full marks for content & narration by Tam Dean Byrne.
Nice little cliffhanger in the very last minute of the book... To be continued.

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Yes

Belter as always from Mr Welsh. Begbie is a classic character. Good to see a few other familiar faces appear.

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Barrie book likes.

I was not sure what to expect, didn't try to build it up waiting to read this. The flow of the plot keeps you interested and the subject is always going to have "some" violence around him. Therefore not disappointed. This new/older Begby character works out as some kind of antihero fae Leith. A gid book.

Scots spelling may be bad here because as a dyslexic it's been difficult to write English and just easy to say Scots words... ken. Enjoy.

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Very poor, lots of filling, little content

What disappointed you about The Blade Artist?

Poor storyline, very long winded passages of nothing at all

What was most disappointing about Irvine Welsh’s story?

Unbelievable story (Begbie a respected contemporary painter?) and the bizaarre padding, preseumably toi make up some contractual word count

What does Tam Dean Burn bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I have listened to several other Welsh books, and the narrator is excellent

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment and incredulity

Any additional comments?

A very poor book indeed. Come on Welsh, you can do better than this

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3 people found this helpful