murielreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
esperaba más de esta historia. es triste y trágica, sí. pero me pareció muy plana, repetitiva y aburrida la primera mitad del libro. me costaba un montón avanzar. por suerte la segunda mitad fue mejor pero ya la experiencia no fue la misma. el entusiasmo inicial de enfrió. amé a shuggie y leek, no se merecían todo lo que tuvieron que pasar.
sumnoah's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ljjohnson8's review against another edition
4.0
This is the bleak and harrowing story of Shuggie, his two older siblings, and his mother Agnes. Agnes is a beautiful and proud woman, and a horrific alcoholic. Very dark and gritty, but there is so much love and humanity under the grim layers. Truly devastating, brutally authentic, and an astonishing debut.
anacardosolouren's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tarah_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
snoakes7001's review against another edition
5.0
Shuggie Bain is as much about his mother Agnes as it is about Shuggie himself. It's the early 80s in Glasgow and Agnes and her three kids are stuck living at her mother's:
To be thirty-nine and have her husband and her three children, two of them nearly grown, all crammed together in her mammy’s flat, gave her a feeling of failure. Him, her man, who when he shared her bed now seemed to lie on the very edge, made her feel angry with the littered promises of better things.
As sure as Agnes abandoned her first dull but dependable husband for the handsome taxi driver Hugh Bain, he in turn abandoned her with her children in a housing scheme in a run down ex-mining community on the outskirts of the city. And in turn, each of her children leave her too, in order to save themselves. Only Shuggie is left behind to care for his alcoholic, angry, frustrated, depressed and thoroughly demoralised mother. And he does this with a maturity and tenderness that belies his young years.
Shuggie Bain is a gritty portrayal of working class life in a world where there is almost no chance of a future, where dreams only exist to be shattered, and where the only escape is at the bottom of a bottle. It isn't entirely devoid of hope though. Shuggie is a fabulous character, different to the other children and with a quiet resilience that keeps him going in a hostile world.
To be thirty-nine and have her husband and her three children, two of them nearly grown, all crammed together in her mammy’s flat, gave her a feeling of failure. Him, her man, who when he shared her bed now seemed to lie on the very edge, made her feel angry with the littered promises of better things.
As sure as Agnes abandoned her first dull but dependable husband for the handsome taxi driver Hugh Bain, he in turn abandoned her with her children in a housing scheme in a run down ex-mining community on the outskirts of the city. And in turn, each of her children leave her too, in order to save themselves. Only Shuggie is left behind to care for his alcoholic, angry, frustrated, depressed and thoroughly demoralised mother. And he does this with a maturity and tenderness that belies his young years.
Shuggie Bain is a gritty portrayal of working class life in a world where there is almost no chance of a future, where dreams only exist to be shattered, and where the only escape is at the bottom of a bottle. It isn't entirely devoid of hope though. Shuggie is a fabulous character, different to the other children and with a quiet resilience that keeps him going in a hostile world.
waveszz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ahbuggrit's review against another edition
I will attempt this another day when my heart is more able for it