First edition (publ. Sceptre)

Weekend is a novel by the Scottish writer William McIlvanney published in 2006.[1]

Critical reception

Writing in the Guardian in 2006, Irvine Welsh describes the book as having the "hunger, verve and freshness of a debut novel", and notes that "one of McIlvanney's greatest gifts as a writer has been the unerring humanity he invests in his characters, even at their most desperate".[1]

Stuart Kelly in the Telegraph highlighted the "terrifically comic moments" and "scenes of utter poignancy in the book" and wrote that "Weekend is Chekhovian in its unspoken moments and hard-won affirmations."[2]

In The Scottish Review of Books it is noted that in "Weekend William McIlvanney offers a masterclass in how to treat our very ancient modern condition: with as much high seriousness and sly wit as it deserves, with compassion for our foolishness and awe at our powers of endurance – simply our getting up every morning to begin again".[3]

Carol Birch in the Independent writes that "A complex, clever book, Weekend showcases McIlvanney's expertise with one-liners. Easy to admire, though curiously uninvolving, it packs a chilly punch".[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Welsh, Irvine (26 August 2006). "Instincts in overdrive". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  2. ↑ Kelly, Stuart (27 August 2006). "A writer's life: William McIlvanney". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  3. ↑ Frame, Ronald (28 November 2009) [2006]. "William McIlvanney's Long Weekend". The Scottish Review of Books. 2 (3). Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  4. ↑ Birch, Carol (13 October 2006). "Weekend, by William McIlvanney". The Independent. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
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