Kelman isn't that bad in this book. The crossword clue 'James , author of novels A Disaffection and Kieron Smith, Boy' published 1 time⁄s and has 1 unique answer⁄s on our system. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. It charts his experiences, conflicts and thoughts as related by him, from the age when he is in the middle years of primary school to his early years at secondary. But there is a sustained series of threads, implicit and understated, that come together perfectly in the last 20 pages or so. I love James Kelman's writing! Here is the story of a boyhood in a large industrial city during a time of great social change. Description Rejected by his brother and largely ignored by his parents, Kieron Smith finds comfort in the home of his much-loved grandparents. Share your thoughts Complete your review. An interesting, memorable, memoir like, plotless novel about a young boy, Kieron Smith, set in Glasgow, Scotland during the 1950s. George Orwell once said of Henry Miller's books. This book is Kieron's diary, from being just a "wee lad" through early adolescence in Glasgow probably during the 1950's. Harcourt $26 (422p) ISBN 978-0-15-101348-7. Kieron Smith provides an account of his life as a young boy (pre teens) living in Glasgow. Instead, Kelman, who won the Booker Prize for another Glasgow novel, How Late It Was, How Late (1994) uses Kieron's stylized, wise-child speech to economically assemble a particular world. Kieron Smith, Boy. Not an easy read for Guardian readers whose street life is confined to wine bars within a mile of London Bridge - but go ahead anyway, and give it a try...and get acquainted with reality. I'm not sure where to begin. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. I felt transported into the mind of a wee loon. My maw did not want me to but my da said I could if I wanted, it was a good life and ye saved... Free shipping over $10. I don't think it had any great underlying message, it was just a good read. James Kelman. I had a hard time initially with understanding linguistic differences (i.e., that 'greeting' meant 'crying') as well as getting used to the writing style (lots of repetition), but this book won me over. I love to read Scottish and Irish authors because I enjoy their styleand also giving me some insight into their perspective of their lives and the larger world. This book is quite boring it took me about two months to finish it and I did not like it at all. For linguistic brilliance it can only be compared to those early chapters of Portrait of the Artist. The frustrations Kieron goes through are all too recognizable (even for a girl) and there is definitely development of character. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. James Kelman has an unmistakable writer's voice that I find exhilarating and troubling to read and very very 'skarrish.' Sigh. Kieron’s grandparents live very close by. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. An interesting, memorable, memoir like, plotless novel about a young boy, Kieron Smith, set in Glasgow, Scotland during the 1950s. Oh, and Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott, still one of the best books on writing to appear in the last 20 years. It's moving and powerful and sweet and funny, and the narrative voice is pulled off almost flawlessly. Kieron Smith, Boy is a novel by the Scottish writer James Kelman published in 2008. While he was winning the Booker Prize (How Late it Was, How Late, 1994), and being castigated for it, I was working on my own first novel and reading authors on this side of the Atlantic: Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient); Carol Shields (The Stone Diaries); Margaret Atwood (Alias Grace); Alice Munro (Open Secrets). Excerpt: 'Kieron Smith, boy' Young Kieran's narrative is heartwarming, piercing and observant — without being cloying or inauthentic. Please try again. I had cousins at sea. But the whole thing is just way, way too long. Finally I finished this one and flat out felt like I just wasted my weekend by reading a really pointless book. I would rate this as one of the best of James Kelmans novels and highly recommend it. Keiron gradually does let swear words in (only right towards the end) and this shows him becoming independent (a little). Truly, the reader enters Kieron's consciousness through this book. Each chapter is through a different person's eyes. Kieron Smith, Boy. A boy comes alive in the pages of James Kelman’s “Kieron Smith, boy,” a stream-of-consciousness novel narrated by a child growing up in a city in Scotland. Fine book in a Fine Dust Jacket. It is the kind of book you need to give space and time to, to give in to, it follows a boy's late childhood and early adolescence in Glasgow in the fifties/sixties (I think, judging by the fashions, there's little else to go by). This book was basically about Kieron’s everyday life, what he did at school, after school, with his grandparents, with his own family which he hated at times, and the many adventures he had with his pals. The language is perfect - strange reading a Kelman where swear words are asterisked out: f**k, c**t, but even words like b*m, and what is h**e? James Kelman's triumph in Kieron Smith, boy is to bring us completely inside the head of a child and remind us what strange and beautiful things happen in there. It charts his experiences, conflicts and thoughts as related by him, from the age when he is in the middle years of primary school to his early years at secondary. Kieron Smith provides an account of his life as a young boy (pre teens) living in Glasgow. Kieron Smith, boy James Kelman, Author. I had cousins at sea. The younger of two boys, Kieron is overlooked and seen as simple compared to his brother, Matt, the "smart one." While he was winning the Booker Prize (How Late it Was, How Late, 1994), and being castigated for it, I was working on my own first novel and reading authors on this side of the Atlantic: Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient); Carol Shields (The Stone Diaries); Margaret Atwood (Alias Grace); Alice Munro (Open Secrets). Just finished Kelman's "How Late It Was, How Late". I got really, really sick of this book. He sees his grandparents every day but some years later when his father changes jobs and the family moves to an apartment of the outskirts of Glasgow, Kieron sees his grandparents infrequently. 1 Star - I hated it 2 Stars - I didn't like it 3 Stars - It was OK 4 Stars - I liked it 5 Stars - I loved it. The characters are so rich in depth and his insight into the Glasgow character is second to none. The younger of two boys, Kieron is overlooked and seen as simple compared to his brother, Matt, the smart one. I was wanting to join. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. On the one hand, you get a sense of the rich and tight community links in Kieron's old neighbourhood which are then replaced by what feels like a more dispersed community when the family moves into one of the modern flats in the schemes. One was in the Cadets. My maw did not want me to but my da said I could if I wanted, it was a good life and ye saved yer money, except if ye were daft and done silly things. The relationship with his grandfather is supposed to have been some defining relationship, but you never really get to know his "granda," as he's mentioned somewhat infrequently, and whatever bond the. As an urban coming-of-age, the novel also reminded me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith's enduring evocation of an unloved girl's adolescence. I was wanting to join. Oh, and Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott, still one of the best books on writing to appear in the last 20 years. Kieron Smith's coming-of-age in a rough Glasgow neighborhood is grimly rendered by Kelman in this stark and affecting novel. James Kelman's triumph in Kieron Smith, boy is to bring us completely inside the head of a child and remind us what strange and beautiful things happen in there. It is James Kelman at his very best. You can’t stop watching. My word. From a somewhat deprived family, with a narrow minded father and a mother who dreams of better for her sons earning her the label 'snob', and an older brother growing increasingly distant as he tries to study his way out of poverty, Kieron is very much his own person. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2017, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2014, Kelman is one of the most original and honest writers writing in English today. Before long us Americans will also be calling the police, soldiers. Deserving of the Nobel, if prizes mean anything. For Kieron, it’s all a matter of size. Second cities -- think Chicago -- rarely are. Reading the … But what he does know he knows very well. The hero of the book is one Kieron Smith, younger son of a family who live in the Glasgow (presumably) of the 1950's. Kelman’s novel is essentially a young boy’s stream of consciousness, focussing on his relationships, insecurities and obsessions in forensic yet free-wheeling fashion. My maw did not want me to but my da said I could if I wanted, it was a good life and ye saved yer money, except if ye were daft and done silly things. Kieron Smith, Boy (Book) : Kelman, James : I had cousins at sea. He has his own standards of right and wrong which may not always coincide with what is acceptable, and the basis of his judgement of others often comes down to whether or not they are a good fighter and prove loyal to their pals. ARTICLES. The hero of the book is one Kieron Smith, younger son of a family who live in the Glasgow (presumably) of the 1950's. Perhaps the only interesting part of the book was when his grandfather died and he thought it would be scary to see his grandpa’s spirit elsewhere, and the highlight of the whole book takes part in, This book is quite boring it took me about two months to finish it and I did not like it at all. It could be beautiful, dark, mischievous, hopeful, scary, innocent, imaginative, indifferent, angry, loving, envious, and a lot of other emotions and thoughts. I spent about 6 years of my life living in Scotland, and I love the place. He lives with his older brother Matt, his mother and father in an inner city tenement apartment. Much more, this novel is a long sequence of short stories which peters out. Kieron Smith, boy is a feat that few writers ever achieve. Hamish Hamilton) References This article about a 2000s novel is a stub. The cover of Kieron Smith, Boy comes pasted with superlatives, including Irvine Welsh’s assertion that it’s “a masterpiece.” Personally, I’m not convinced, though it is very clearly an exceptional feat of writing. The boy's voice is utterly, mercilessly authentic. Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2012. More By and About This Author. Kieron Smith, boy is a brilliant evocation of an urban childhood. Members of the rival religions lead separate lives, though Kieron (a … (Oh did ye get yer h**e?). Kieron Smith provides an account of his life as a young boy (pre teens) living in Glasgow. Please try again. Kieron is not impressed by the posh people he finds in his life, and seeks out mates who will support him and back him in the places where he wants to be. That was me, in reading bliss, on the sofa. The prose sounds – to these older, non-Glaswegian ears/eyes – authentic: Kieron’s naïve viewpoint is portrayed believably, his tempestuous relationship with his brother is returned to time and time again, ruminations on God are both devout and bewildering. It does take a while to get into the story, though, because the entire story is written in the spoken language of a 10 to 13-year-old who is Scottish into the bargain, which doesnot always make for easy reading. This boy's story is told entirely from his point of view and in his voice, tuned to the hard, sharp speech of Glasgow's working-class ghettos: "Podgie could sink ye with one punch. Through his entries we learn how little money there is, how much is parents favor his older brother, how endeared he is to his grandparents. Kieron Smith, Boy is the monologue of an unexceptional, inarticulate lad growing up in Glasgow's poorer neighbourhoods. In between, though, was just a cascade of rambling, repetitive thoughts leading to what, I'm still not sure. Well recommended. What I grew to hate was people using the accent as some kind of substitute for real creativity. If it was a bottle, I would batter him with it because if it was yer sister ye were no going to let that happen. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1st edition (November 10, 2008). Characters were flat, plot was dull, wouldn't recommend. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2011. Winner of the 2008 Saltire book of the year award. But when his family move to a new housing scheme on the outskirts of the city, a world away from the close community of the tenements, Kieron struggles to find a way to adapt to his new life. Kelman's writing, if you immerse yourself in it, is as dense as poetry, but just as beautiful. It’s in the first person and we learn about Kieron’s life from the age of 5 to 13. Signed by Author. But the screen…it’s holding you hostage.... To see what your friends thought of this book. I skimmed the last 30 pages. One was in the Cadets. First UK Editon. Capturing the joys, frustrations, injustices, excitements, revels, battles, games, uncertainties, questions, lies, discoveries and sheer of wonder of boyhood, it is a story of one boy and every boy. The whole tale is a rambling memoir of childhood, of the strange importance taken on by having the right school blazer, a employed father and your religious affiliations. What makes "Kieron Smith, boy" so impressive is Mr. Kelman's handling of a young grade-schooler's voice. FT bookshop price: £15.19 James Kelman’s latest novel Kieron Smith, Boy tells the tale of the primary school years of its likeable narrator. What grabs the reader first is the canny way Kelman is able to voice the inner thoughts of a young boy, not in the way a grown up would perceive a boy would sound like but what a pre-teen boy actually thinks and feels in real-life, well, in a post-war Glasgow life. Here is the story of a boyhood in a large industrial city during a time of great social change. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Kieron Smith, Boy by James Kelman (2008, Book) at the best online prices at eBay! He endures a challenging, painful transition from familiar streets to a new-fangled housing project, and he develops an ethical sense along with an enduring fascination for lasses, ships, telly and a beloved ex-boxer grandfather. 3:AM: Kieron Smith, Boy is both a continuation of themes that have run through much of your writing (giving voice to the alienated, exploring grammar and syntax) and a departure away from the adult world, what inspired the work? As the years tick by, Kieron's relationships with his family disintegrate (things with Matt get especially bad), and Kelman's raw, blunt narration drives home all of Kieron's loneliness, sadness and feelings of inadequacy. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. You have things to do, children to feed, even work you get paid for. I made my way thru the book, not sure it was worth it. Tell readers what you thought by rating and reviewing this book. Kieron's only safe haven is his grandparents' house, where his grannie treats him as the favorite and his granda and uncle teach him to fight (Uncle Billy suggests Kieron use a brick against larger bullies). So, in conclusion I would say it is a great story, but too long and I would have liked to see more of a plot. If you are a writer you do better to write, and keep on writing. In between, though, was just a cascade of rambling, repetitive thoughts leading to what, I'm still not sure. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. But when the family moves across town to a better neighborhood, Kieron falls in with a group of rowdy youth from his new primary school, including Mitch, an angry, abused child, and he takes to climbing drainpipes and scampering across rooftops as an outlet for his frustrations. In itself this is a wonderful story as it really gives you an insight into the mind of a 10 to 13 year old boy. The last three pages almost touch on the vertigo that is just hinted at beneath our hold on reality. I felt the lad's stomach ache when he fears his 'n*de book' has been discovered, the elation of climbing to the tops of trees, higher than anyone else has ever climbed and feeling the tree sway with his weight, the fitting into shifting heirarchies of mates and bullies at school. Kelman is superb, his rigour and integrity paying off in spades. The premise of the book was interesting -- the mind's eye of a boy as he grows/experiences/matures from about age 5 to age 13, in an industrial town in Scotland. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. From a somewhat deprived family, with a narrow minded father and a mother who dreams of better for her sons earning her the label 'snob', and an older brother growing increasingly distant as he tries to study his way out of poverty, Kieron is very much his own person. When Kelman wrote about things such as wanting a broken bicycle to be fixed, sharing a room with an older brother or figuring out how to climb up on top of walls and buildings, it made me remember what being a child was like. There is also a lot of repetition when Kieron wants to stress his point. Interview by Darran Anderson. There are big boys and wee boys, and Kieron is a wee boy. Kieron Smith, Boy almost in a stream of consciousness, single-minded, dizzying prose, which for over 400 pages guides you through the before and after of late 1950s Glasgow with its decaying tenements and rats and squalor and then the promise of new greenfield sites and housing schemes, mile after mile of houses with inside toilets but nothing much to do. Much more, this novel is a long sequence of short stories which peters out in the end. Kieron Smith, Boy is a novel by the Scottish writer James Kelman published in 2008 by Hamish Hamilton. Harcourt $26 (422p) ISBN 978-0-15-101348-7. Then I realize that I. I don't know if it's the language or the cut out swear words or just that this was a pointless book but I'm not a fan. It charts his experiences, conflicts and thoughts as related by him, from the age when he is in the middle years of primary school to his early years at secondary. Signed by the author on the title page. This book is Kieron's diary, from being just a "wee lad" through early adolescence in Glasgow probably during the 1950's. Get it by Thu, Sep 10 - Fri, Sep 11 from Toledo, Ohio • Good condition • 60 day returns - Free returns; Kieron's family moves in the story, and the adjustment is painf. Kieron Smith, boy is a brilliant evocation of an urban childhood. Kieron Smith, Boy almost in a stream of consciousness, single-minded, dizzying prose, which for over 400 pages guides you through the before and after of late 1950s Glasgow with its decaying tenements and rats and squalor and then the promise of new greenfield sites and housing schemes, mile after mile of houses with inside toilets but nothing much to do. There are big boys and wee boys, and Kieron is a wee boy. Kieron Smith, boy is crafted with a gentler tongue, so readers should have no fear of taking it on the subway. Be the first to ask a question about Kieron Smith, Boy. The kids were out, it was pissing down so I couldn't mow the lawn, and I avoided other tasks by ignoring them and I spent three and a half hours with this book and it was bliss, I finally got inside it, and was Keiron seeing everything through his eyes. I don't know if it was because it was written in Scottish dialect or the endless run on sentences that kept repeating, or if it had more to do with the complete and utter lack of plot, but this was the most painful book I read in a long time. Dostoevsky, Dickens, Camus, a few more. Those who critique the length of this novel, quite clearly, do not understand what this book has to offer. One was in the Cadets. The only "British" writer nominated for the Man International Book Prize this year. Kieron’s grandparents live very close by. The music scene in Edinburgh and Glasgow is full of wonderful, talented musicians. Rate it * You Rated it * 0. It is the kind of book you need to give space and time to, to give in to, it follows a boy's late childhood and early adolescence in Glasgow in the fifties/sixties (I think, judging by the fashions, there's little else to go by). It's pretty fun at the beginning. Tell readers what you thought by rating and reviewing this book. Then I realize that I have read 25 sections about climbing, 17 sections about fighting, 15 about the prejudices among Catholics and Protestants, and none of it really having any meaning or substance to it. Capturing the joys, frustrations, injustices, excitements, revels, battles, games, uncertainties, questions, lies, discoveries and sheer of wonder of boyhood, it is a story of one boy and every boy. Find all the books, read about the author, and keep writing... Write, and the odd kid-battered hour at home, really sick of this book was... Route de Lafayette, French-language version of Dirt Road, in reading bliss, on the vertigo that is way. 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