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Loading... The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs: A Novelby Irving Welsh
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. The first book by Welsh I've actually read and what a good read. Reviews seem poor for this book and I'd guess, from watching Trainspotting, that it follows a pattern of depicting the sleazy side of life and lots of substance abuse. Here we see the sordid side of life in the Edinburgh catering trade. But the relationship between Danny Skinner and Brian Kibby (which is Dorian Grayesque) is intriguing. Disappointing. Started out with extreme promise, then degenerated. The ending was exasperating, and left more questions then answers. There were a few good scenes, but overall this is not Welsh's strongest work. The characters don't grow or change in any significant way, and while I personally wouldn't mind being able to cast the sort of 'spell' the book discusses, the gimmick gets old quickly. In 'Trainspotting,' you feel bad for the characters, and can't wait to see what happens next. In this book, you feel bad for the characters, and want them to go away as quickly as possible. Welsh has no affection for these characters - neither did I. As a huge Irvine Welsh fan, I expect much from his work, and unfortunately I was disappointed by this book. I had attended his reading at Book Soup in Los Angeles, and he guaranteed that if someone did not like this book, he would personally paint the reader's bathroom. I could use some color in there, but... I liked the book well enough, I just did not love it like I love so many of his other works. And I hate to take advantage of unpaid labor. Not Welsh's best, not Welsh's worst. Could see the plot twist coming for about 200 pages or so. Still has the needed shock factor and hard-living Scottish characters we expect from Welsh. 0.042 seconds to build listing no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0393064530, Hardcover)This story of two men locked in a war of wills that threatens their very existence is vintage Irvine Welsh.Troubled restaurant inspector Danny Skinner is on a quest to find the mysterious father his mother will not identify. Unraveling this hidden information is the key to understanding the crippling compulsions that threaten to wreck his young life. His ensuing journey takes him from the festival city of Edinburgh to the foodie city of San Francisco. But the hard-drinking, womanizing Skinner has a strange nemesis in the form of mild-mannered fellow inspector Brian Kibby. It is Skinner's unfathomable, obsessive hatred of Kibby that takes over everything, threatening to destroy not only Skinner and his mission but also those he loves most dearly. When Kibby contracts a horrific, undiagnosable illness, Skinner understands that his destiny is inextricably bound to that of his hated rival, and he is faced with a terrible dilemma. Irvine Welsh's work is a transgressive parable about the great obsessions of our time: food, sex, and celebrity. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:24 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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Reading the dialog is always the best part of any of his books. (