BOOK REVIEW: THE BUSCONDUCTOR HINES BY JAMES KELMAN
I felt sympathy for Hines and could relate to him. The Busconductor Hines is written in a sort of stream of consciousness style. I think this worked really well. I loved the fact Kelman writes in dialect quite a lot throughout The Busconductor Hines. This added to the sense of realism. This worked at times but got to be a little OTT and unnecessary. The words cunt, bastard and fuck feature prominently.
I felt this was a bit heavy-handed. Hines jumped up from the armchair, she was about to lift the huge soup-pot of boiling water…. I thought The Busconductor Hines was a great novel.
Busconductor Hines
Hello are using blog engine for your blog platform? Do you need any html coding expertise to make your own blog? He's regularly drunk, regularly late, and a pretty terrible father to boot. But in his own he It's been a pretty hectic year. But in his own head, he's a Prince among Men, being cruelly held back by a society that fails to appreciate his talents.
It's an extremely human, occasionally funny, book, but not one that left me with a lasting impression. Aug 12, Christine rated it it was amazing. James Kelman makes me laugh, then breaks my heart every time. His work is absolutely beautiful; painful and euphoric. Don't be put off by the language!
I am not from Glasgow, but once you get into the rhythms and flow of the words it is poetry. I was blown away by how real The Busconductor Hines felt. Kelman brought my city to vivid, brilliant life.
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The Busconductor Hines was steeped in realism. I could almost have been reading a memoir. I felt sympathy for Hines and could relate to him. The Busconductor Hines is written in a sort of stream of consciousness style. I think this worked really well. I loved the fact Kelman writes in dialect quite a lot throughout The Busconductor Hines. This added to the sense of realism. This worked at times but got to be a little OTT and unnecessary. The words cunt, bastard and fuck feature prominently. I felt this was a bit heavy-handed. Oct 28, Chris rated it really liked it.
Kelman's characters are always frustrated with something. Whether it be Patrick Doyle's disaffection with the teaching profession or Kieron Smith's escapist dreams from a drab childhood, they're always angry and looking for a way out. But these frustrations make them real and ultimately relatable characters. Here we have Robert 'Rab' Hines, the bitter bus conductor, who's just looking to better what he's got. Whether it be promotion to bus driver, a better living scenario within the tenement sche Kelman's characters are always frustrated with something.
Whether it be promotion to bus driver, a better living scenario within the tenement schemes of Glasgow or complete escape to Australia, Hines just wants something. However, due to his own personal limitations and laziness he's only able to express his frustrations with himself. Kelman executes this with a superb stream of consciousness narrative, which echoes Beckett and Joyce. The only times Hines actually achieves something is, ironically, through his laziness.
After refusing to meet a head office 'line' he unwittingly creates a revolt against the bus system he so vehemently despises. Throughout the book, this is his only achievement. While the book starts off slowly and Kelman's disregard of punctuation can make the book a challenge, it is definitely a challenge worth taking.
Jul 23, Mike rated it it was ok Shelves: Against my better judgment, I finished this awful excuse for contemporary fiction. Kelman does not come off funny, rather he comes off abrasive and boring. He feels the need to show the reader an 'authentic working man' experience. So the unwilling reader is dragged along through Hines workday, all the irrelevant and crass conversation intact. It's a painful experience.
It would almost be forgivable, except it doesn't end there.
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Hines Against my better judgment, I finished this awful excuse for contemporary fiction. Hines washing his feet, what should be a minute detail, goes on for pages and pages. Then there are Kelman's cryptic messages scattered throughout. They must only make sense to the author, because they just left me confused and annoyed. Oh and the English slang is very thick, so brush up on it if your a yankee like myself. The story of the struggling bus conductor is sound, but somehow he messes it up. I tried to like it, but every time I got close he pushed me away.
If Kelman's the bus conductor on any more novels, I think I'll walk. Jan 02, Steve mitchell rated it really liked it Shelves: That that which could be said must have been said already. She was in bed and facing the wall, her breathing inaudible but eyes maybe open, attentive - waiting for him to move, even for the match being struck perhaps that a furt a bit disjointed probably not well received if you need a plot driven story this won't work for you. She was in bed and facing the wall, her breathing inaudible but eyes maybe open, attentive - waiting for him to move, even for the match being struck perhaps that a further 10 minutes till the light went out and he in beside her.
They had looked at each other. What could be sadder than that. Nothing could be sadder than that. In 10 minutes she would be asleep. I like Kelman and I am so far the only person I have spoken with. Jan 31, Dave rated it it was amazing. This is an excellently written book.
It has a fast pace and quickly locks the reader into the story. Kelman is a Scottish author and does write using Scottish vernacular, so some words may become confusing and unintelligible, but it does not effect the understanding or appreciation of his work. Kelman will anger and frustrate you with the never-ending mistakes his main character continually commits, but this is the mirror he holds to his fellow Scots. It is a mirror that everyone should look int This is an excellently written book.
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It is a mirror that everyone should look into and compare their life. Do not expect a Hollywood ending, just the truth, as best as it can be presented in a peice of literature. Jun 28, Kirsty Grant rated it liked it. As realism goes, this book is spot on. Kelman's portrayal of Glasgow in the 's is accurate. The book is written in 5 chapters, each detailing the unsatisfactory life of Hines who is caught up in a job he feels desperately unhappy in, a struggling marriage and early signs of depression. Whilst Kelman's use of realism sucks the reader into 'place' the novel itself is frustrating in the sense that their is no real plot and nothing really exciting happens.
I struggled to finish the book and was As realism goes, this book is spot on. I struggled to finish the book and was disappointed at the end. I can however, commend the author on his realist technique. Nov 12, Pj rated it it was amazing. Robert Hines lives in a Glasgow slum with his wife and child and works kind of collecting fares on the buses. This is a true slice of working-class life; also reminded me a bit of the movie The Full Monty.
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Kelman's writing style is difficult. It reminded me a lot of James Joyce in its almost stream of consciousness style.
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