agnesealstrian's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mellyrosepanda's review against another edition
4.0
Tried to read this a few years ago but couldn’t get into it, so put it back down. Glad I picked it back up many years later as I really enjoyed it. Once I was in the rhythm of Welsh’s writing style it flowed a lot easier and I couldn’t put it down. I particularly liked the crossover of gritty realism and the supernatural. I did guess the answer to Skinner’s question early on but I enjoyed the ride to get to the answer regardless.
chayaxlea's review against another edition
dark
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
vdarcangelo's review against another edition
3.0
http://archive.boulderweekly.com/091506/uncovered.html
This review originally appeared in the UBERLIST and BOULDER WEEKLY
The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs
Irvine Welsh
by Vince Darcangelo
In his new book, The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs, Scottish author Irvine Welsh takes us someplace he's never taken us before: the workaday world of the middle class. Whereas in previous novels Welsh's characters have run amock in Scotland's "schemes," or housing projects, in his eighth and most recent release dueling protagonists Danny Skinner and Brian Kibby act out their rivalry in a government office, both vying for a promotion.
This is quite a turn for the novelist best known for penning Trainspotting.
"They're trying to function and get by and thrive in that [middle-class] world," says Welsh. "Whereas the likes of say the Trainspotting guys have kind of rejected that world."
In his previous works Welsh gave us slacker types who would rather shoot heroin than work, and his most recent novels—2001's Glue and 2002's Porno (the sequel to Trainspotting)—delved even deeper into the schemes of Welsh's youth.
But just because Welsh's characters have received a class upgrade, don't think that The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs isn't filled with the disturbing behavior and social nihilism we've come to expect from them. While not as unsettling as his most intense novel, Marabou Stork Nightmares, Bedroom Secrets reveals Welsh's middle-class characters to be just as volatile and vile as their scheme-based brethren.
"There's a lot of frustration and anger among that segment of the population," says Welsh. "They've got all these financial commitments, all this big debt from their college fees and from being mortgaged up and having the car and stuff like that. There's a great deal of frustration and bitterness that they can't escape from this. They've just got to keep on going on."
In Bedroom Secrets Welsh utilizes magical realism, employing a body-switching twist similar to one he used in The Acid House. Early on in their rivalry, Skinner (a womanizing boozehound) realizes that when he goes out drinking, Kibby (a model-train collecting teetotaler) gets the hangover. Skinner goes on an epic bender to undermine his primary competition for the promotion. The result puts the alcohol-abstaining Kibby on his deathbed, his family and friends comically disbelieving his denials of being a closet alcoholic.
But ah, the tables turn when Kibby gets wise to the cosmic switcheroo. He retaliates by matching Skinner drink for drink, line for line, leading up to one of the most bizarre cowboy-style showdowns in literary history.
Beneath the comic plot line and the commentary on the middle-class experience, Welsh offers an exploration on identity—in particular, Kibby's desire to acquire one and Skinner's quest to find out who his father is. Skinner believes the answer lies in the celebrity memoir The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs, but the truth may be much closer to home than he could possibly imagine.
The result is a book that is at times hilarious, at times buried beneath the burden of its premise, but throughout, Welsh provides keen commentary on identity, colonialism, male rivalry, middle-class dysfunction, and even pokes fun at his own celebrity. A few too-convenient turns makes Bedroom Secrets less sharp than Welsh's other works, but no less entertaining.
This review originally appeared in the UBERLIST and BOULDER WEEKLY
The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs
Irvine Welsh
by Vince Darcangelo
In his new book, The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs, Scottish author Irvine Welsh takes us someplace he's never taken us before: the workaday world of the middle class. Whereas in previous novels Welsh's characters have run amock in Scotland's "schemes," or housing projects, in his eighth and most recent release dueling protagonists Danny Skinner and Brian Kibby act out their rivalry in a government office, both vying for a promotion.
This is quite a turn for the novelist best known for penning Trainspotting.
"They're trying to function and get by and thrive in that [middle-class] world," says Welsh. "Whereas the likes of say the Trainspotting guys have kind of rejected that world."
In his previous works Welsh gave us slacker types who would rather shoot heroin than work, and his most recent novels—2001's Glue and 2002's Porno (the sequel to Trainspotting)—delved even deeper into the schemes of Welsh's youth.
But just because Welsh's characters have received a class upgrade, don't think that The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs isn't filled with the disturbing behavior and social nihilism we've come to expect from them. While not as unsettling as his most intense novel, Marabou Stork Nightmares, Bedroom Secrets reveals Welsh's middle-class characters to be just as volatile and vile as their scheme-based brethren.
"There's a lot of frustration and anger among that segment of the population," says Welsh. "They've got all these financial commitments, all this big debt from their college fees and from being mortgaged up and having the car and stuff like that. There's a great deal of frustration and bitterness that they can't escape from this. They've just got to keep on going on."
In Bedroom Secrets Welsh utilizes magical realism, employing a body-switching twist similar to one he used in The Acid House. Early on in their rivalry, Skinner (a womanizing boozehound) realizes that when he goes out drinking, Kibby (a model-train collecting teetotaler) gets the hangover. Skinner goes on an epic bender to undermine his primary competition for the promotion. The result puts the alcohol-abstaining Kibby on his deathbed, his family and friends comically disbelieving his denials of being a closet alcoholic.
But ah, the tables turn when Kibby gets wise to the cosmic switcheroo. He retaliates by matching Skinner drink for drink, line for line, leading up to one of the most bizarre cowboy-style showdowns in literary history.
Beneath the comic plot line and the commentary on the middle-class experience, Welsh offers an exploration on identity—in particular, Kibby's desire to acquire one and Skinner's quest to find out who his father is. Skinner believes the answer lies in the celebrity memoir The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs, but the truth may be much closer to home than he could possibly imagine.
The result is a book that is at times hilarious, at times buried beneath the burden of its premise, but throughout, Welsh provides keen commentary on identity, colonialism, male rivalry, middle-class dysfunction, and even pokes fun at his own celebrity. A few too-convenient turns makes Bedroom Secrets less sharp than Welsh's other works, but no less entertaining.
fourtriplezed's review against another edition
2.0
This is a bit of a dilemma. The truth is that this novel has far too many faults, but to be honest? I could not put it down.
We get a Dorian Grey style motif that is so ham fisted and at 430 pages far too long. I suspect that if this was a first draft manuscript from an unknown, a publisher would have either rejected it or at least said “yes great idea but let’s get the editor to work on it.” When you are Irvine Welsh whose previous 5 novels are bestsellers, would the publisher be game to say anything? I don’t know as I am not in the industry, others can tell me.
Typical of an Irvine novel, it is phenomenally sweary. The Scots at a working class level do swear a lot and to put it into print like this does not worry me so much, but at times it kind of seemed never ending. On the other hand, so what! Danny Skinner, the main protagonist, would say and did say as much in one scene. He was in San Francisco and was pulled up for using the C word and was mildly amused that they were all aghast at his language but seemingly had no issue with the ease of purchase of weaponry and the daily death that went with it.
Good-looking, literate, suave when he wanted to be, king of the kids Danny actually somehow puts a hex on a lad he takes an instant dislike for, computer game nerd and goofy Brian Kibby, and Danny can do what he likes with fighting, eating and drinking to excess and Brian suffers all the consequences to a body that is not made for the damage it receives via the hex. At one point Danny is raped at a drug fuelled orgy by another male and Brian suffers from a druggred and drunken hangover of giant proportions and also a bleeding bum. Brian’s life was permanent pain, breakdown and hangover, such was Danny’s debauched excess. That is until Danny realises he might be killing the goose that laid the golden egg as to his most enjoyable life of hedonism and that changes were needed.
But I just laughed out loud too often at some of the comedy, if that was what it was meant to be. There was a murder death scene that involved necrophilia that I found really amusing. Some of the characters are caricatures to the point of being so black and satirical that I enjoyed them for their sordid ways. There is a sex scene of grotesqueness that had me laughing and squirming all at the same time, but such was its pointlessness and uselessness to the entire plot I have no idea why it was even being in the tale told. Arrrggh the horror!
This is not that good a book; it is too long, at times haphazard as there were pointless events that could have been culled and some of the plot a bit obvious but……..I just could not stop reading it. I don’t get that.
We get a Dorian Grey style motif that is so ham fisted and at 430 pages far too long. I suspect that if this was a first draft manuscript from an unknown, a publisher would have either rejected it or at least said “yes great idea but let’s get the editor to work on it.” When you are Irvine Welsh whose previous 5 novels are bestsellers, would the publisher be game to say anything? I don’t know as I am not in the industry, others can tell me.
Typical of an Irvine novel, it is phenomenally sweary. The Scots at a working class level do swear a lot and to put it into print like this does not worry me so much, but at times it kind of seemed never ending. On the other hand, so what! Danny Skinner, the main protagonist, would say and did say as much in one scene. He was in San Francisco and was pulled up for using the C word and was mildly amused that they were all aghast at his language but seemingly had no issue with the ease of purchase of weaponry and the daily death that went with it.
Good-looking, literate, suave when he wanted to be, king of the kids Danny actually somehow puts a hex on a lad he takes an instant dislike for, computer game nerd and goofy Brian Kibby, and Danny can do what he likes with fighting, eating and drinking to excess and Brian suffers all the consequences to a body that is not made for the damage it receives via the hex. At one point Danny is raped at a drug fuelled orgy by another male and Brian suffers from a druggred and drunken hangover of giant proportions and also a bleeding bum. Brian’s life was permanent pain, breakdown and hangover, such was Danny’s debauched excess. That is until Danny realises he might be killing the goose that laid the golden egg as to his most enjoyable life of hedonism and that changes were needed.
But I just laughed out loud too often at some of the comedy, if that was what it was meant to be. There was a murder death scene that involved necrophilia that I found really amusing. Some of the characters are caricatures to the point of being so black and satirical that I enjoyed them for their sordid ways. There is a sex scene of grotesqueness that had me laughing and squirming all at the same time, but such was its pointlessness and uselessness to the entire plot I have no idea why it was even being in the tale told. Arrrggh the horror!
This is not that good a book; it is too long, at times haphazard as there were pointless events that could have been culled and some of the plot a bit obvious but……..I just could not stop reading it. I don’t get that.
bookshy's review against another edition
2.0
I got about halfway through but just couldn't finish this.
annabella82's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't have any expectations of the book going into it, though after reading it, it wasn't great I'd say it was just ok. Although I typically enjoy reading Irvine Welsh novels, this particular one was difficult for me to start and actually want to finish. I felt no connection with the characters, so I found it very hard to be sympathetic towards what they were going through.
lungteeth's review against another edition
5.0
This book was absolutely riveting - I needed to know what happened next. Dorian Grey for the modern age. Big recommend.
hbs4uce's review against another edition
5.0
if you took mamma mia, the picture of dorian gray and jekyll and hyde then threw them all together in Edinburgh this is what you’d get and it’s amazing
ftremlett24's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5