Shuggie Bain
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Shuggie Bain
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Narrated by:
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Angus King
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Written by:
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Douglas Stuart
About this listen
This is the unforgettable story of young Hugh “Shuggie” Bain, a sweet and lonely boy who spends his 1980s childhood in run-down public housing in Glasgow, Scotland. Thatcher’s policies have put husbands and sons out of work, and the city’s notorious drugs epidemic is waiting in the wings.
Shuggie’s mother Agnes walks a wayward path: She is Shuggie’s guiding light but a burden for him and his siblings. She dreams of a house with its own front door while she flicks through the pages of the Freemans catalogue, ordering a little happiness on credit, anything to brighten up her grey life. Married to a philandering taxi-driver husband, Agnes keeps her pride by looking good - her beehive, make-up, and pearly-white false teeth offer a glamourous image of a Glaswegian Elizabeth Taylor. But under the surface, Agnes finds increasing solace in drink, and she drains away the lion’s share of each week’s benefits - all the family has to live on - on cans of extra-strong lager hidden in handbags and poured into tea mugs.
Agnes’ older children find their own ways to get a safe distance from their mother, abandoning Shuggie to care for her as she swings between alcoholic binges and sobriety. Meanwhile, Shuggie is struggling to somehow become the normal boy he desperately longs to be, but everyone has realized that he is “no right”, a boy with a secret that all but him can see. Agnes is supportive of her son, but her addiction has the power to eclipse everyone close to her - even her beloved Shuggie.
A heartbreaking story of addiction, sexuality, and love, Shuggie Bain is an epic portrayal of a working-class family that is rarely seen in fiction.
©2020 Douglas Stuart (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLCYou may also enjoy...
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What listeners say about Shuggie Bain
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- john kelly
- 2021-01-23
A Stark story from a Mean City.
Oh but for the grace of God. There go I.
A seriously de-industrialized city, the outside world moving on. Shuggie and company are among the many who suffered the depravities of a society that was essentially a full time existence of drink, sleep, work, more drink. Like many youth of that time he would likely improve his lot. Just not within 400 miles of that city.
A great read. It brought back many many memories. The narrator has done an excellent job,
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Shelley Smelly Jelly Belly
- 2021-06-10
Brilliant
A poignant story of deprivation, poverty, and addiction, but most of all, love, (And an unflinching indictment of the ravages of Thatcher’s Britain). Beautifully, sensitively written; pain and violence tempered by compassion and good humour. A terrific read.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roger
- 2021-10-01
Shuggie Bain
This is a beautiful and heart breaking novel. A coming of age story of sweet Shuggie and his alcoholic mother Agnes. Vibrant and descriptive prose. Stuart is a wonderful story teller. I wish I could give the audio version 10 stars.
I hope there’s a sequel. AMAZING
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss mac
- 2022-11-25
Truly captures the place and time
Captivated from the first sentence. Took me right back to my childhood in the west coast of Scotland in the 50s. The writing is wonderful and so is the narration, he captured the essence of the language as it was spoken. cudos to both writer and narrator.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J Rae
- 2021-02-09
Beautiful, sad and heart-wrenching story!
I couldn’t stop crying and laughing while listening to this audiobook. Couldn’t stop listening to it period. Tragic but beautiful coming of age story where you end up really emotionally investing in the main characters. Narrator did a phenomenal job, perfectly portrayed the Glasgow accents and vernacular. It is easy to see how this book one the Booker Prize. This book could appeal to a wide range of audiences.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kelly C
- 2021-01-08
Beautiful
What a beautiful sad story. Well written- so detailed and I enjoyed the narrator so much! I loved his version of each character. I loved Agnes and Snuggie, constantly reminded me of my relationship with my own son and I must have hugged him a million times while listening to this. Agnes...I loved “hoor master”!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- maneatee
- 2021-07-06
Good read, great reader
This is a grim tale of the Glasgow schemes, rich with atmosphere and dread for the well-being of wee Shuggie, brutally bullied and beleaguered by neighborhood boys because of his "difference" and struggling to look out for the drunken ruin that is his mother. This seemed like a long drawn out story - I wondered what the dialect looks like on the page and how easy it would be to read without an "ear" for the accent. However, the voice actor was superb and kept me enthralled to the end. On balance, worth a listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Arif A.
- 2021-03-13
Great story and narration
Absolutely intimate and personal story of love, grief and loss and life eventually. And super realistic narration! Loved it.
However, I found it hard to understand the speeches of some characters speaking with an accent. Not saying thats a fault of the narrator. Probably because of my unfamiliarity with the accent.
Anyway, thanks to the writer, narrator and everyone involved. It touched me deeply and will stay with me for some good time I can tell.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- camallis
- 2021-04-26
Loved it.
The characters are alive. They are real. The story captures you into the lives and humour and heartbreak of everyone of them, especially Shuggie and his mother. The narration was perfect as well. I couldn’t stop listening and within a few days had devoured the entire book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- maureen,maureen
- 2021-02-21
An exceptional narrator
I had to listen twice - such a sad and descriptive of the time that families experienced. Could’ve been a true story. The narrator gave so much empathy to the listener.
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1 person found this helpful