Free Books Espedair Street Online

Espedair Street

Iain Banks

Hardcover | Pages: 256 pages

Rating: 3.88 | 6666 Users | 223 Reviews

Specify Books As Espedair Street

Original Title:	Espedair Street
ISBN:	0316858552 (ISBN13: 9780316858557)
Characters:	Daniel Weir
Setting:	Glasgow, Scotland

Interpretation Conducive To Books Espedair Street

Daniel Weir used to be a famous - not to say infamous - rock star. Maybe still is. At thirty-one he has been both a brilliant failure and a dull success. He's made a lot of mistakes that have paid off and a lot of smart moves he'll regret forever (however long that turns out to be). Daniel Weir has gone from rags to riches and back, and managed to hold onto them both, though not much else. His friends all seem to be dead, fed up with him or just disgusted - and who can blame them? And now Daniel Weir is all alone. As he contemplates his life, Daniel realises he only has two problems: the past and the future. He knows how bad the past has been. But the future - well, the future is something else.

Point Based On Books Espedair Street

Title	:	Espedair Street
Author	:	Iain Banks
Book Format	:	Hardcover
Book Edition	:	Special Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 256 pages
Published	:	July 5th 2001 by Little, Brown (first published 1987)
Categories	:	Fiction. Contemporary. Music

Rating Based On Books Espedair Street

Ratings: 3.88 From 6666 Users | 223 Reviews

Appraise Based On Books Espedair Street

First of all, this is NOT a book by "Iain M. Banks" - it's by Iain Banks (in other words, it's fiction, not science-fiction). Second, why he's so difficult to find in the US I'll never know. Every book I've read is just good, solid fiction writing, equal to Julian Barnes, Robertson Davies and many other top echelon writers.Espedair Street is a real street, but it barely figures in this tale of Wierd, the stage name for one Daniel Weir (in school he was Weir, D. - get it?). He's the lyricist and

No, sorry, I just didn't buy it. I think setting up his narrator as a former big name in the world of late sixties/early seventies rock, operating in the same arena as Zepp and Hendrix, was a bad move. We can read biographies/autobiographies of actual rock mega stars and their debauched shenanigans so a fictional narrative is never going to cut it for me. I rather read a story about the ones that didn't make it big. That would be much more believable.

This didn't quite work for me-- I never really believed in Danny Weir, and the kind of music his band makes-- hooky prog?-- doesn't really interest me. The structure of the book see-saws back and forth, a chapter in the present, where Weird is retired and a little aimless, and then a chapter in the past, tracing the development of the band. Those past chapters mostly focus around Weird relationship, or at least adventures with another member of the band, which is kind of cool, but maybe isn't

My reading group decided to tackle this book with Daisy Jones and the Six and they made a great pair and whilst I enjoyed the former this felt altogether more down to earth in its portrayal of a former song writer/bass player for a huge 1970's rock band coming to terms with life after fame in the 1980's particularly the events that brought an end to the band. The book opens with Dan Weir contemplating suicide in his Glasgow folly of a home, and stumbling from one alcoholic encounter to another

While reading this book, which was written and set in the late 1980s, brought to mind issues that were dominate at the time. (The cold war , nuclear arms race punk rock! etc). It just goes to show we're living through history.

I'm so glad that when I asked for recommendations on a good "first" Iain Banks novel to read, I had forgotten that I had read (and didn't enjoy) Wasp Factory. If I had remembered, I would have missed out on this wonderful book. From the start I absolutely loved the voice. The story was funny and sad and I truly cared about Weird's story.