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The Blade Artist

By: Irvine Welsh
Narrated by: Tam Dean Burn
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Summary

Reprising the same powerfully perceptive writing style that made Trainspotting such a hit, Irvine Welsh delivers another successful blow with The Blade Artist. Graphic and shameless, it's complemented by Tam Dean Burn's skillful performance.

Jim Francis has finally found the perfect life - and is now unrecognisable, even to himself. A successful painter and sculptor, he lives quietly with his wife, Melanie, and their two young daughters in an affluent beach town in California. Some say he's a fake and a con man while others see him as a genuine visionary.

But Francis has a very dark past, with another identity and a very different set of values. When he crosses the Atlantic to his native Scotland for the funeral of a murdered son he barely knew, his old Edinburgh community expects him to take bloody revenge.

But as he confronts his previous life, all those friends and enemies - and, most alarmingly, his former self - Francis seems to have other ideas. When Melanie discovers something gruesome in California that indicates her husband's violent past might also be his psychotic present, things start to go very bad very quickly.

The Blade Artist is an elegant, electrifying novel - ultraviolent but curiously redemptive - and it marks the return of one of modern fiction's most infamous, terrifying characters: the incendiary Francis Begbie from Trainspotting.

©2016 Irvine Welsh (P)2016 Random House Audiobooks
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What listeners say about The Blade Artist

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loved it!

Loved the book, flew through it. Maybe my favourite one of the series!! Highly recommended

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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loved it what a character Begbie is

loved it just waiting on the film ruining it now. Bit funny with the American accent sometimes from Tam Dean Burn but no other person can read any of the series for these books

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Quality Book. Another by Irvine Welsh!

I really enjoyed this book. Was a bit slow to start with but the usual twists and action built up. would definately recommend for fans of irvine welsh and Francis begbie!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

Welsh at his best, I couldn't stop listening, top drawer stuff.
I want a sequel; NOW!!!!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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My wee review

Not a bad wee story if a bit too violent for my tastes especially the ending that seemed unnecessary and went on too long. The book is really well performed however... Overall if you're a fan of the Trainspotting gang you won't be disappointed

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A fascinating character study

An engaging, dark story and fascinating character study. The audiobook is also very well performed.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Tam Dean Burn my third book narrated by him

need to see what else he's narrated.
couldn't believe the Luke warm reviews the book gets. it seems to be a victim of the strength of the Beggbie character in previous books. These dissenting views seem to revolve around the unrealistic reformation of the psycho beggars, but as he descends again, the changes in his accent and morality are ver subtle.
Let's face it, if your a fan of skag boys, trainspotting and porno, then you have no choice but to read this, so you might as well emerse yourself in it and have faith in the auther.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A must listen for any Welsh Fans.

A top book from Welsh. Full marks for content & narration by Tam Dean Byrne.
Nice little cliffhanger in the very last minute of the book... To be continued.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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An exquisite performance!

Tam Dean Burn is a true master. Welsh's story adds a completely new layer of complexity and meaning to the whole "Trainspotting" narrative. The character study of Frank Begbie is nuanced and truly memorable, elevating him to the status of true legend worth going down in literary history. This novel is a gift to anyone who relishes good fun, rank violence and unflinching studies of human nature.

The only slightly disturbing thing about this audiobook is that every once in a while certain parts of some sentences were obviously "corrected", and since those parts had different acoustics and tone of voice, hearing those parts felt like hitting a bump in an otherwise smooth flow of narration.

But it doesn't matter. All in all it didn't ruin the experience of listening to this audiobook. Excellent work. Don't hesitate for a second. This audiobook is a gem!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great read

Absolutely loved the previous books and can’t wait to read the next one, couldn’t stop listening

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