Bookseller Reviews
View all
Best Debut Novel
What an exceptional debut. Probably the best debut novel I've read. I just knew I was going to love this book when I heard about it and it didn't disappoin... READ MORE
Brutal, Unrelenting, Glorious
This is the best thing I have read this year, and I urge each and every one of you to read it immediately.
I say that as someone who doesn’t tend to enjo... READ MORE
DARK AND FOREBODING,BUT YOU CANNOT PUT IT DOWN.
Dark and depressing read but it must have been like that in the Thatcher era when the pits were shut down and no work in the Glasgow area. A young lad who ... READ MORE
Raw Realism
The author is an accomplished story teller, one of the reasons this book is so compelling. Unforgiving in its portrayal of alcoholism and its pervasive i... READ MORE
A love story
I couldn't put this down. I am so pleased this book was recognised with the Booker prize. What could be just a bleak, unrelenting story of hardship and mis... READ MORE
This is gorgeous. This is devastating. Please read it.
Shuggie Bain, you will never ever leave me.
What a book. Douglas Stuart you are a wonder, how on EARTH is this a debut? Stuart’s intensity and fluidity wi... READ MORE
Publisher information
- Publisher: Black Cat
- ISBN: 9780802148506
- Number of pages: 448
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allUltimately uplifting. Sad not depressing.
Wonderful read. Fantastic debut. I knew I would love this book from the title and cover photograph. It was as good as I thought it might be. Sad but not de... READ MORE
Shuggie Bain
Agnes had so many hopes for her life. Her first husband was simply a disappointment, too well-behaved, too boring. With Shug Bain things could be different... READ MORE
Utterly Magnificent
The story starts with a teenage Shuggie holed up in a boarding house trying to make ends meet with a job on the deli counter in a supermarket whilst trying... READ MORE
Outstanding first novel
An excellent debut novel that fully justifies its inclusion in the 2020 Booker Shortlist. Shuggie Bain is undoubtedly a ‘difficult read’ and there’s an ine... READ MORE
Bleak but Excellent
Shuggie Bain may not be the ideal read during lockdown but it is a good read. We are talking grim, 1980’s grim, mine closures, high unemployment, poverty, ... READ MORE
Great book
Gritty,honest, heart rending read brilliantly written highly recommend
Hope and despair, love and brokenness on the same page, treated with the same weight and empathy
"Her body hung off the side of the bed, and by the odd angle Shuggie could tell the drink had spun her all night like a Catherine wheel. He turned her head... READ MORE
Amazing!
A story of love and resilience! What a beautiful heartbreaking novel this is!
Wonderful
Manages to be hilarious and heartbreaking without being sentimental. Bleak and brilliant.
Excellent
I found this book an excellent read, very descriptive of the place and the time. Though I cannot say I "enjoyed" the read, I found it very emotional and I ... READ MORE
Mother Love
Agnes Bain loves her kids. The problem is, she loves the booze more than anything. Her youngest, Shuggie (Hugh) is a sensitive lad, old before his time, p... READ MORE
Beauty In A Sad Trage"dy
In 1981 Shuggie is a 5-year-old stuck in a small Glaswegian flat with his parents, grandparents, and 2 siblings. At that moment is mother is still a functi... READ MORE
Magnificient
Shuggie Bain is described as a masterpiece on the cover and I totally agree. 1990’s Glasgow and Shuggie (Hugh) Bain is worried about his mother Agnes. She ... READ MORE
Truly beautiful
I have recommended Shuggie to anyone who will listen. This book took me back to my own childhood during the 80's, everything about the hardships endured by... READ MORE
Hard hitting
Very different to my normal crime books that I read. I found it quite difficult to read at times because the way of life, the hardships, social problems wa... READ MORE
A novel of poverty, abuse and addiction in 980s GLASGOW
Hugh – ‘Shuggie‘ – Bain is a funny wee lad. ‘He’s no right‘, people even start to say to Agnes, Shuggie’s Mum. But Agnes loves alcohol more than the younge... READ MORE
A worthy winner of the Booker Prize
Shuggie is a young boy growing up in poverty-stricken 1980s Glasgow, with a single, alcoholic mother called Agnes. The story really is about her journey tr... READ MORE
Powerful, shocking and emotive
Having just turned the last page of Shuggie Bain, there is so much I want to say about this book, but at the same time, I don’t think that I will be able t... READ MORE
Shuggie Bain
This is a beautifully written tale that’s so close to the bone making it tough for me to read at length.
Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart
This is a story about the devastation wreaked by the Thatcher government in the 1980s on the coalfields of Lanarkshire. It is told by the young Hugh Bain... READ MORE
Shuggie Bain
Although many of the reviews focus on poverty this is mostly about alcoholism and the impact one persons dependency on alcohol impacts desperately on thems... READ MORE
Harrowing descent into abject poverty for a single parent family in. Glasgow
My Recommendation
A well written description of life in a mining community in Glasgow in the early eighties. A bleak story of poverty, hardship and the s... READ MORE
Perfect
A book with strong characters, setting, and powerful plot. This is a must read.
An astonishingly brilliant debut novel
To read Shuggie Bain is to let yourself be squeezed, with excruciating slowness, through an emotional wringer. It’s brutal, bleak and raw. Heartbreakingly,... READ MORE
A son’s enduring love for his troubled mother
Shuggie Bain is a raw and beautifully written portrait of love, resilience and identity in 1980s Glasgow. What resonated most with me was the deeply affect... READ MORE
A Booker worth reading
I bought this via an instagram recommendation from another author, and was a bit concerned when I saw it was booker nominated as previously these titles ha... READ MORE
A heart rending tale
Shuggie Bain lives with his alcoholic mother and despite his young age has to look after her as well as trying to go to school. A heart rending story of ho... READ MORE
Just read this book
You dont need to know the details others have provided - just read this book, its is worthy of its prize
Stunning labour of love
I read this book as it was the Booker Prize winner for 2020, otherwise I don’t think I would’ve picked it up but I’m so so glad that I did. This is a chall... READ MORE
Outstanding
Shuggie Bain gives powerful and truthful meaning to the saying 'where there's life, there's hope'. The most powerful piece of fiction I have ever read. A ... READ MORE
Tough reading but so worth it
Set in Thatcher-ravaged Glasgow, “Shuggie Bain” is the story of the eponymous Shuggie and his struggle growing up as a boy who was “different”; Shuggie’s M... READ MORE
Naw!
I tried, but once I was skipping whole paragraphs, I new I couldn't go on. "She was stood" and "he was sat". Naeb'dy in Glesca talks l'at. Certainly not in... READ MORE
Superb
I absolutely adored this book -What a talented writer. I felt so much for Agnes; the description of her suffering and her life in poverty in Glasgow was ju... READ MORE
Harrowing.
A compulsive harrowing love story about a boy and his mum, a tale of endurance and dignity which draws a bleak heart wrenching portrait of Glasgow in the 1... READ MORE
Worthy winner of the Booker Prize 2020!
I read this book as it was the Booker Prize winner for 2020, otherwise I don’t think I would’ve picked it up but I’m so so glad that I did. This is a chall... READ MORE
Heartbreaking but powerful & wonderfully written
My goodness this book was such a sorrowful, heart wrenching, powerful read. It was told from many points of view but Shuggie Bain was the main character. H... READ MORE
Thought-provoking and moving
Really moving and thought-provoking.
Incredible and Mesmerising
Shuggie Bain is incredible. It’s warm. It’s dark and gritty. And it is a hard read (not ideal for lockdown). Beautifully written, it will slowly grab you i... READ MORE
Totally real
Beautifully written. Bleak and beautiful simistanely.
Totally captured working class Glasgow.
Magnificently descriptive..I felt I was sitting drinking la... READ MORE
Amazing experience
I felt like I was there. Totally addictive - I couldn't put it down. Thoroughly recommend.
Hard hitting but sensitive.
A story full of love, hope, dreams, disappointment, despair and sadness. The love of Agnes for herself and her children, the hard but sensitive love betwe... READ MORE
Fantastic read!!
I bought this book after it won a 2020 book prize & it didn’t disappoint. It’s a fantastic read! Hooked from the start. The story follows a young boy and h... READ MORE
Unforgettable
The story of Shuggie and his Mother Agnes has really stuck in my heart and head. It feels like it’s told so much from experience though we have no idea how... READ MORE
Unforgettable
This story grew on me. After the first couple of chapters I wondered if it was for me, but I quickly became attached to the characters and found myself mis... READ MORE
Gripping and Powerful
I became invested in both Shuggie and Agnes very early on and found that the twists and turns in their lives evoked powerful emotions about their fate
I re... READ MORE
A compelling story
Shuggie is a young boy who lives a very challenging life with his fractured family. He lives in a run down Glasgow housing estate with his alcoholic mother... READ MORE
Agnes and Shuggie
I finished this book feeling really sad. From the beginning of the novel you knew it wasn’t going to end well for Shuggie but as a reader you so wish it wa... READ MORE
Read this!
What can I say about this book? Honestly, it blew me away.
Set in Glasgow in the early 80s, this is the gut-wrenchingly sad story of a little boy and his ... READ MORE
Heart-breaking and Beautiful
The plaudits for this book are well deserved. It is so emotional, so draining, but also impossible to stop reading. I read about the Bain family like I was... READ MORE
Best book I've read in years.
Heartbreaking and tragic, yet beautiful and awe-strikingly real.
Shuggie in vain
I sometimes struggle with my perception of Booker Prize-winning books: will they be ‘too clever’ for me, or will they open my eyes in ways that ‘lesser boo... READ MORE
A story that will stay with you for a long time
I loved this book. I couldn’t stop reading yet never wanted it to end. I was invested in the characters so much
It took a while to get into another book a... READ MORE
Gobsmackingly Good!
It’s not often that I’m desperate to read the Booker Prize winner, but I’ve had this book since Christmas! However, my book list got in the way so it was d... READ MORE
Simply Beautiful
I really didn’t expect to even finish this book , as I purchased it . I m not usually a fan of prize winning books , however within the first few pages I f... READ MORE
Shuggie Bain
Heartbreaking, wry insight into the making of and the destructive end of an alcoholic from the loving child's point of view. Respectful insight to the smal... READ MORE
Unputdownable
This book was mentioned on Sky Arts Bookclub . I bought it on that recommendation. From page 10 I was hooked by Agnes and her family. I hated, admired ,... READ MORE
Is this book derivative
In 2018 a book "Poverty Safari" by Darren McGarvey won the Orwell Prize
It is a non-fiction account of a life growing up in poverty in Glasgow
living with... READ MORE
Money taken by Waterstones but not in stock
Don't be fooled by this item listing as in stock. My money has been taken but no delivery yet??? This has happened twice now. Is this in stock or not?? Who... READ MORE
A must read.
My favourite book of the year, my favourite debut novel, and a genuinely hard hitting and consuming read. I couldn’t put it down and was desperate for the ... READ MORE
Absolutely stunning!
This was the most beautiful, moving book I have read for some years. I couldn't put it down, laughing one minute and crying the next. After I finished the ... READ MORE
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart
This is a heartbreakingly sad story of a young boy's poverty-stricken life in Glasgow during the 80's, his loyalty to his alcoholic mother, the constant bu... READ MORE
Brilliant
This is a great read.
Beautiful and heartbreaking
I loved this book. Having always been slightly suspicious of Booker Prize winning books for misery overload, but this, whilst hardly comedic, was brave, br... READ MORE
Happy man
I purchased this book for a very good friend of mine for Christmas.Well when he got home to Yorkshire he phoned me about four days later complaining he ha... READ MORE
Shuggie Bain
Gritty, sensitive, easy to read and eventually uplifting. Smashing read during lockdown.
Wow!
This is one of the best books I’ve ever read, ever.
Surrey mum
Absolutely outstanding! The best book that I have read, in a long time!
Waterstones won’t refund a return
This is a brilliant book - I am halfway through and enjoying every page. I would thoroughly recommend.
However I also received a copy as a surprise gif... READ MORE
Shuggie Bain
Brought so many memories back in respect of my Sister & her Son who both followed very similar paths until tragically taking their lives.
Vividly written ... READ MORE
Shuggie bain
Really enjoyed this
One of the easiest reads ive had in a while
Unable to out it down.
Anyone who grew up in the 80s on a housing estate will connect with the frank, dark and sharp wit that was the criteria to survive poverty and addiction. I... READ MORE
Wonderfully Real
A tale of sorry lives in a bleak setting which became a wonderful book, impossible to put down. Some similarity to Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.
Gritty Read
This book is tough but it is at the same time a great book. It is well written and I could really feel as though I was part of the story. I would love a ... READ MORE
Brilliant!
So I bought this after it won the Booker in 2020 but it has taken me a little time to build up to reading it..
I managed the first 100 pages on Monday and ... READ MORE
Hard hitting brilliant yet compassionate story telling
I loved this book for many different reasons. The story telling invites you into Shuggie’s world - a world of poverty, alcoholism, violence, abandonment, b... READ MORE
Family drama
Shuggie Bain is a remarkable story written by Douglas Stuart chronicling the life of a young boy in Glasgow from the early eighties to the early nineties. ... READ MORE
Brilliant
This book will stay with me for a long time.
Anti-female
I find this style of writing very old fashioned and a bit misogynistic. Women aren't dealing with these issues anymore. The perception of these women is ... READ MORE
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
I listened to this on BorrowBox and found that Angus King who was the narrator was an excellent choice to read this dark, gritty and compelling story. Shug... READ MORE
Stunning, heartbreaking whilst providing a glimmer of hope.
Douglas Stuart has written a wonderful novel, which should be on any passionate book lover's reading list. Beautifully written, the biggest achievement of ... READ MORE
Totally Emmersive
I bought this book because it was a Booker Prize winner and also because part of the subject matter was parenting within the context of alcoholism. Any bo... READ MORE
Shuggie Bain
I honestly don’t really know where to start with my review for Shuggie Bain, but here goes.
From start to finish I felt like I was on an emotional roller ... READ MORE
Well written but flawed
Despite being a well written book, author Douglas Stuart paints Glasgow and its working class occupants in a very bleak, unflatteringly light. All the resi... READ MORE
Captures the zeitgeist
This is really well written and really details the time, the environment and the characters so you are fully immersed in it. It’s a hard story to read in p... READ MORE
Beautiful
An incredibly written narrative, thoughtful and thought provoking. Hard going - probably wasn’t the best choice for ‘an end of 2020 slump’ but glad I did.
Heart wrenching and challenging
This is an incredibly challenging and tough read about the bond between mother and son and the destruction of alcoholism. Shuggie Bain will become a charac... READ MORE
Uplifting but yet still important
I found it was not as I would . But it just brought home. Truths of our future. It has it all.
Beautifully written but DNF
N/a
.
.
Good, honest read
A real reminder of the strength of the bond between mother and child.
I defy anybody to read this and not want to reach out to Shuggie and his siblings.
You may also like...
The Science of Discworld IV
Price: £16.99
Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch
Price: £16.99
The Smaller Sky
Price: £12.99
The Year of Reading Dangerously
Price: £12.99
Pistache
Price: £9.99
The Man Who Saved Britain
Price: £10.99
The Science Of Discworld II
Price: £14.99
The Secret Garden
Price: £7.99
A Tolkien Tapestry
Price: £25.00
The Science Of Discworld
Price: £16.99
Is He Popenjoy?
Price: £13.50
Inferno Decoded
Price: £14.99
The Sherlock Holmes Handbook
Price: £15.99
