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yer_real_da's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.25
Glue is a great, character-driven novel adolescent male friendship and how it changes over time as the people themselves change. I honestly believe I might prefer Welsh's "B-Team" to the Leith Four.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide
andrewharron's review against another edition
dark
funny
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction and Eating disorder
Minor: Sexism and Sexual assault
sshabein's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
sad
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
3.25
First, an admission: My spouse bought this book for me in 2002, at my request. I'd read both Trainspotting and Ecstasy, and I was curious about what was then Irvine Welsh's newest book... Then it then sat on various shelves, through various moves, for the next 20+ years. I don't know why, I really don't. Maybe I just thought, "Eh, I own it, I'll get to it when I get to it." I suppose when I initially got it, the only reading I was doing was for class, and even then, I wasn't that diligent!
Turns out, it's probably better that I read it now than when I was 19! Scottish dialect is much, much more clear to me, and I know more about the locations and cultural references now than I would have then. (For instance, there's a grim Dalek joke I wouldn't have understood!)
While I was definitely interested to know how the story all shook out, how these various men would carry on with their lives and (maybe? maybe not?) learn, I wouldn't say I LOVED the book. For one thing, there is a VERY difficult and cruel scene near the beginning involving two dogs, and the constant, varying levels of misogyny, racism, and homophobia, while a product of the circumstances and times these characters are in, aren't always a party to read about, and this is a long book. I am not one of those people who need all book characters to be likable, but those moments weren't always at the service of better character/plot development. Maybe that's a result of when the book was written too, I'm not sure.
That said, there are good things too. The main characters are definitely distinct from one another in interesting ways, and how they go through the decades and drift apart from one another kept me reading. This is mostly a story of how you can grow up with certain people and wonder how you can all turn out so differently, how your difficulties can make or break you, sometimes several times over. It's also a very funny book at times, in a dark way. The Trainspotting lads make brief appearances in this shared universe, an author tactic I often enjoy. I'm still glad I finally got around to reading it, even if I didn't love all of it.
Turns out, it's probably better that I read it now than when I was 19! Scottish dialect is much, much more clear to me, and I know more about the locations and cultural references now than I would have then. (For instance, there's a grim Dalek joke I wouldn't have understood!)
While I was definitely interested to know how the story all shook out, how these various men would carry on with their lives and (maybe? maybe not?) learn, I wouldn't say I LOVED the book. For one thing, there is a VERY difficult and cruel scene near the beginning involving two dogs, and the constant, varying levels of misogyny, racism, and homophobia, while a product of the circumstances and times these characters are in, aren't always a party to read about, and this is a long book. I am not one of those people who need all book characters to be likable, but those moments weren't always at the service of better character/plot development. Maybe that's a result of when the book was written too, I'm not sure.
That said, there are good things too. The main characters are definitely distinct from one another in interesting ways, and how they go through the decades and drift apart from one another kept me reading. This is mostly a story of how you can grow up with certain people and wonder how you can all turn out so differently, how your difficulties can make or break you, sometimes several times over. It's also a very funny book at times, in a dark way. The Trainspotting lads make brief appearances in this shared universe, an author tactic I often enjoy. I'm still glad I finally got around to reading it, even if I didn't love all of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia and Misogyny
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