Living in a no-bedroomed tenement flat, coping with the cold and boredom of busconducting and the bloody-mindedness of Head Office, knowing that emigrating to Australia is only an impossible dream, Robert Hines finds life to be 'a very perplexing kettle of coconuts'. The compensations are a wife and child, and a gloriously anarchic imagination. The Busconductor Hines is a brilliantly executed, uncompromising slice of the Glasgow scene, a portrait of working-class life which is unheroic but humane.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
'A remarkable book ... intelligent, exploratory and sometimes very touching.' -- Times Literary Supplement
About the Author
James Kelman was born in Glasgow in 1946. His books include Not not while the giro, A Chancer, Greyhound for Breakfast, which won the 1989 James Tait Black Memorial Award, and A Disaffection which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He lives in Glasgow and has two daughters.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
gritty Rob Hines,
By
This review is from: The Busconductor Hines (Paperback)
Hines lives in a crappy flat with no bathrub. He conducts a city bus (he's not passed the driving test, indeed he doesn't even have a driver's license). His job is mind-numbingly boring, his supervisors are daft, and his life is just one lousy day after another. The weather is horrid. His companions tell the stupidest and worst jokes and tales. R. Hines regularly shows up late for work, or forgets his hat, and is always in trouble with his supervisors. He's regularly skipping work for one reason or another. Always on the brink of being canned. Still, he has a lovely wife (who is understandably upset with his work performance), and a charming little toddler boy. They're not going anywhere fast. Hines wants a better life for his family, but they're not going to get it. Your man Hines, though, he's got a brain, and a biting sense of humor. This, along with a bit of drink, gets him through each day. Some have written that Irvine Welsh (_Trainspotting_) read _The Busconductor Hines_, which demonstrated to him the possibility of writing in his own Scottish voice, about the real people of Scotland. I can believe that. James Kelman has created one of the greatest characters you'll ever read-- Rabbie Hines. ken32
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Listmania!
|
|
