Fiction

Young Mungo

Young Mungo

  • Downloads：9546
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-05-23 06:51:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Douglas Stuart
  • ISBN：0802159559
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Growing up in a housing estate in Glasgow， Mungo and James are born under different stars--Mungo a Protestant and James a Catholic--and they should be sworn enemies if they're to be seen as men at all。 Yet against all odds， they become best friends as they find a sanctuary in the pigeon dovecote that James has built for his prize racing birds。 As they fall in love， they dream of finding somewhere they belong， while Mungo works hard to hide his true self from all those around him， especially from his big brother Hamish， a local gang leader with a brutal reputation to uphold。 And when several months later Mungo's mother sends him on a fishing trip to a loch in Western Scotland with two strange men whose drunken banter belies murky pasts， he will need to summon all his inner strength and courage to try to get back to a place of safety， a place where he and James might still have a future。

Imbuing the everyday world of its characters with rich lyricism and giving full voice to people rarely acknowledged in the literary world， Young Mungo is a gripping and revealing story about the bounds of masculinity， the divisions of sectarianism， the violence faced by many queer people， and the dangers of loving someone too much。

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Reviews

Tania ，

My best-loved books are those that make me feel deeply。 Young Mungo definitely did this， but almost too much so。 There are two alternating narrative lines – the first provides us with more information about Mungo’s life in general and the second tells us about a specific event。 Whenever I was listening to the second strand， I could only do so in short intervals as I would develop an anxiety induced tummy ache。 I adored Shuggie Baine， and although the setting， themes and some of the characters fe My best-loved books are those that make me feel deeply。 Young Mungo definitely did this， but almost too much so。 There are two alternating narrative lines – the first provides us with more information about Mungo’s life in general and the second tells us about a specific event。 Whenever I was listening to the second strand， I could only do so in short intervals as I would develop an anxiety induced tummy ache。 I adored Shuggie Baine， and although the setting， themes and some of the characters feel similar， the difference is that Young Mungo is written from the viewpoint of a teenager and not a child， which means that the world is harsher， the issues more diverse and the protagonist less accepting and forgiving。 Luckily the author also creates compassionate characters like Jodie， Mrs Campbell and Poor-Wee-Chickie to provide spots of light in an otherwise bleak Glasgow。Douglas Stuart’s writing is exquisite， brutal yet tender。 I listened to the audible book， narrated by Chris Reilly， and his Glaswegian accent added to authenticity of the experience。 Not recommended for sensitive readers。 。。。more

Michelle ，

*4。75 stars*

Jay Lesiger ，

Sad， moving， distressing， often hopeless and yet somehow hopeful。 Douglas Stuart seems to have a real feel for working class Glaswegians， and for the terrible times， only yesterday， for young people struggling to withstand hatred and bigotry in their attempts to grow， find themselves and find love。 Well worth your time。

Roy ，

Loved it。 There are similarities but I’ll leave it at that

Jess ，

This is a depressing coming-of-age story set in Glasgow。 Mungo lives in the shadows of his alcoholic mother， jaded sister， and malicious older brother。 The book alternates between the events leading up to， and， Mungo’s eventual fishing trip with two members of his Mo-Maw’s AA group。 I think the timeline was better than in Shuggie Bain， but Shuggie Bain’s plot was better （more compelling？）Reminiscent of:SHUGGIE BAINHanya Yanagihara generally （A LITTLE LIFE specifically）

Chickpea ，

When I first started this book I felt it was too similar to Shuggie Bain and as I only read that last year I nearly stopped listening。 However， I’m so glad I persevered。 I love the reader- he’s brilliant！ …& the story is pretty awesome too，

Kathleen ，

Like Shuggie， the main character in the author’s first novel， Shuggie Bain， Young Mungo is about a boy who deeply loves his mother and tries to take care of her。 Both books take place in the poorer sections of Glasgow。 Both mothers are struggling single parents， who desperately need the love of their children。 Fifteen year old Mungo is a small， soft， boy who will still curl up with his mother like a baby。 His older brother， Hamish， cares for him by trying to toughen him up to be a man like him。 Like Shuggie， the main character in the author’s first novel， Shuggie Bain， Young Mungo is about a boy who deeply loves his mother and tries to take care of her。 Both books take place in the poorer sections of Glasgow。 Both mothers are struggling single parents， who desperately need the love of their children。 Fifteen year old Mungo is a small， soft， boy who will still curl up with his mother like a baby。 His older brother， Hamish， cares for him by trying to toughen him up to be a man like him。 His older sister， Jodie， has always mothered him。We see Mungo at two alternating periods in his life。 In the first， his mother sends him off with two ex convicts， which she just met at her AA meeting， for a weekend fishing trip to “help make him a man。” The second began several months earlier and follows Mungo up to the beginning of that trip。 During this period he slowly falls in love with a sixteen year old neighborhood boy。As his time with the ex-cons， becomes more and more violent， the other period becomes more tender and loving。 They almost balance each other which is an incredible writing feat。Young Mungo is such a very graphically violent novel that at times it can be difficult to read。 However， the author， Douglas Stuart， has the ability to bring the reader so deeply into his story that we do not want to stop reading， despite the violence。 I needed to know if Mungo could overcome the violence done to him and move forward。Young Mungo is an incredibly powerful book with a strong， emotional story and smooth， descriptive writing。 I look forward to reading more by Douglas Stuart， but hope that he can move beyond stories about young boys and their mothers in Glasgow。 。。。more

Serendipity ，

Young Mungo is an emotionally affecting coming of age novel Mungo， a gay teen growing up in an impoverished part of Glasgow where sectarian violence is rife。 To be anything other than a hard man was unacceptable; to be gay and found with a boy of the “wrong” religion was something else entirely。 The way Mungo’s mother responded to this and the consequences for him were heartbreaking。This was a tough read - homophobia， violence， and sexual assaults plus the harsh reality of alcoholism and poverty Young Mungo is an emotionally affecting coming of age novel Mungo， a gay teen growing up in an impoverished part of Glasgow where sectarian violence is rife。 To be anything other than a hard man was unacceptable; to be gay and found with a boy of the “wrong” religion was something else entirely。 The way Mungo’s mother responded to this and the consequences for him were heartbreaking。This was a tough read - homophobia， violence， and sexual assaults plus the harsh reality of alcoholism and poverty。 Yet there are also moments of love and tenderness - Mungo’s feelings for James， Jodie’s efforts， imperfect though they were， to take care of Mungo。Similarities with Shuggie Bain are perhaps inevitable。 Both are set in Glasgow tenements， both feature a gay son and an alcoholic mother。 Yet these are not the same novel。 Mungo is older than Shuggie， his story invokes a larger cast of core characters and the focus of each novel is very different。 The tone of Mungo is decidedly darker。 I personally found it a lot harder to feel any kindness or sympathy towards Mungo’s mother than I did towards Agnes。Through unadorned prose Stuart manages to create a sweet and tender love story which stands in contrast to its harsh and unforgiving setting。 The characterisation and sense of place were top notch and I loved that the ending was hopeful yet realistic。Thanks to @netgalley for providing me with an ALC。 。。。more

MMC1 ，

I will start out by admitting that I was a huge fan of the author's first book， Shuggie Bain and for that reason decided to read his second book。 However， I found this story to have too much in common with his first book to really stand apart。 This book is also about a pre-teen/teen boy in 1980's Glasgow who is slowly starting to realize that he is gay。 Which at that time and place is virtually a death sentence - no one can know。 Mungo finds himself with no Dad， an alcoholic mother， siblings tha I will start out by admitting that I was a huge fan of the author's first book， Shuggie Bain and for that reason decided to read his second book。 However， I found this story to have too much in common with his first book to really stand apart。 This book is also about a pre-teen/teen boy in 1980's Glasgow who is slowly starting to realize that he is gay。 Which at that time and place is virtually a death sentence - no one can know。 Mungo finds himself with no Dad， an alcoholic mother， siblings that are barely at home and crippling poverty， which are all the same plot details as Shuggie Bain。 To me this story was much darker and more violent - certain passages were hard to read。 I will say that the level of writing is still great and the author's ability to describe experiences in vivid detail are outstanding。 But I don't know that I would recommend this one over Shuggie Bain。 I felt that the ending in particular offers no real hope for Mungo's future， whereas I felt at the end of Shuggie Bain there was some hope that he could move forward towards a better future。 。。。more

Sheena ，

Very hard to read some of the things written in this book。 Similar to 'Shuggie Bain' in some ways but different in many others not least we see things from the young boy Mungo's point of view。 The mother this time does not have the charm or sympathy she had in the previous book。 There is more violence to stomach also。 However though my heart was beating outside of my ribcage at times there are not many times a writer can move me the way this one does and his touches of humour are actually hilari Very hard to read some of the things written in this book。 Similar to 'Shuggie Bain' in some ways but different in many others not least we see things from the young boy Mungo's point of view。 The mother this time does not have the charm or sympathy she had in the previous book。 There is more violence to stomach also。 However though my heart was beating outside of my ribcage at times there are not many times a writer can move me the way this one does and his touches of humour are actually hilarious though be warned these really are few and far between。 。。。more

Bill Silva ，

Wow…brutal， but beautifully written…full of emotion and meaning。 Even better than Shuggie Bain。

Frank Key ，

Returned book to library early。 Slow moving dense text probably hit me at the wrong time。 Read beginning third， middle tenth， and closing quarter。 Can borrow and try again if mood strikes in the future。

Marz ，

Oof。

Susan Hersam ，

Like his Shuggie Bain， devastating but beautiful。

ria ，

4。5“Here St Mungo was depicted as a melancholy boy， cradling a fat salmon， looking sorry that it was dead。 Jodie had watched the afternoon light splinter through the saint and cross the dusty cathedral floor and thought of her brother。 It was a peaceful window， somehow lonesome。”

Akshit Suri ，

In the sense that this narrative is about misery， violence， and the hazards of love， it reminded me of A LITTLE LIFE， SWIMMING IN THE DARK， CLEANNESS and many more。 The intricate story of a young gay guy dealing with traditionalism， tolerance， open-mindedness， responsiveness， observance， freethinking， noncompliance， and 'young love' is tragic， breathtaking， and highly memorable。。。。。 In the sense that this narrative is about misery， violence， and the hazards of love， it reminded me of A LITTLE LIFE， SWIMMING IN THE DARK， CLEANNESS and many more。 The intricate story of a young gay guy dealing with traditionalism， tolerance， open-mindedness， responsiveness， observance， freethinking， noncompliance， and 'young love' is tragic， breathtaking， and highly memorable。。。。。 。。。more

Stephen ，

Beautifully written and brutal in its honesty。 Growing up in the west of Scotland a lot of the background of this novel hits home and Douglas Stuart has encapsulated the essence of what it was to grow up queer in a hard， bigoted environment without the support of a stable family environment。

Mark ，

a little life meets belfast。 and i mean that in the worst way possible。。。the beginning was very strong and kept me engaged but this is so wrongly advertised！ i kept waiting for some sort of romance to start but only about half way through did it happen and it was still a not even the main storyline。 i can usually appreciate a story like this but just like a little life this was just cruel for the sake of being cruel。。。

Krishna Srinivasan ，

Another banging novel from Douglas Stuart， who’s becoming one of my favourite modern writers。 He has a real gift to writing long， long books with such a gleaming， accurate eye for detail， but not allowing these details to become tedious or superfluous （tho they border on it sometimes）。Slow to start and these initial sections， there a lot of wasted words describing surroundings - if it wasn't for the huge critical acclaim Stuart has received then I can imagine many would consider giving up。 But t Another banging novel from Douglas Stuart， who’s becoming one of my favourite modern writers。 He has a real gift to writing long， long books with such a gleaming， accurate eye for detail， but not allowing these details to become tedious or superfluous （tho they border on it sometimes）。Slow to start and these initial sections， there a lot of wasted words describing surroundings - if it wasn't for the huge critical acclaim Stuart has received then I can imagine many would consider giving up。 But the pace does pick up massively after about 50 pages。。。 Absences weigh heavily: Mo-Maw and the horribly dark that splits the narrative temporally。 This is what drives the book。It is obviously very similar to Shuggie Bain， but seeing as SB was such a good book， it doesn't really matter。 The family structure is the same， but the variations make it distinct: Mo-Maw is vastly different from Agnes - a horrible， absent， selfish character。 Siblings are different too。 Jodie is a hugely welcome presence。 There is less focus on the mother-son relationship and instead the sibling relationships come to the fore。 Tho the themes are the same too， they are done differently。 Similarity then is not a criticism but a mere observation。The characters are real and well fleshed out。 It takes someone like Mrs Campbell to provide a totally positive light to not just a book but a community also。 A great character， amongst many other greats。 。。。more

Nanodayolo ，

I have more fun with cleaning my windows than with reading this book。Heck， I'd have more fun with cleaning all of YOUR windows that with reading this book。 I have more fun with cleaning my windows than with reading this book。Heck， I'd have more fun with cleaning all of YOUR windows that with reading this book。 。。。more

Andrew Westle ，

Another set of my own ramblings about books I have read。 This really is an extraordinary book。 I finished it several weeks ago and still been thinking about it。 In many ways it feels like a sister book to Shuggie Bain， in that it captures a different slice on Glasgow in 1980’s alongside addiction and coming of age。 Although it’s so very different and would be a mistake to lump them together。 The link is Glasgow。 The city is its own character and really vividly described。 The impact of Thatcher s Another set of my own ramblings about books I have read。 This really is an extraordinary book。 I finished it several weeks ago and still been thinking about it。 In many ways it feels like a sister book to Shuggie Bain， in that it captures a different slice on Glasgow in 1980’s alongside addiction and coming of age。 Although it’s so very different and would be a mistake to lump them together。 The link is Glasgow。 The city is its own character and really vividly described。 The impact of Thatcher so present！ Class and the way it organises people in the UK feels as brutal as it’s underpinning injustices。 Working class experiences are not all lumped in， the distinction and the difference are so important and the book captures the little distinctions like different carpets or the experiences or hunger。 Family is so important in this story as well and the different roles that family members take on in the absence of adult figures。 I never understand or fully get the whole catholic and protestant divide， but the brutality of the conflicts between otherwise ‘same’ groups of people underpins part of this story and is very enlightening。 We need more books and culture references that explore the experience of queer love from the more maligned voices。 While people keep celebrating Heartstopper， I couldn’t help but think we need less of that and more of stories like Young Mungo （they don’t sit in opposition of course neither is it either/or）。 The story has so much heart and brutality in equal measure。 It’s heart breaking， gripping and very memorable。 。。。more

Pedro Monardes ，

Every time I walked into a bookstore in London at the end of April I saw this book in a very visible place。 At first I was reluctant to buy it because I had others in mind。 I finally picked it up off a shelf at Gay's the word in Bloomsbury and bought it。I thought it would be one more coming-of-age story， however， to my surprise， it turned out to be a novel with a very strong and somewhat devastating content about a boy who lives in a lower-class neighborhood in Glasgow with a very dysfunctional Every time I walked into a bookstore in London at the end of April I saw this book in a very visible place。 At first I was reluctant to buy it because I had others in mind。 I finally picked it up off a shelf at Gay's the word in Bloomsbury and bought it。I thought it would be one more coming-of-age story， however， to my surprise， it turned out to be a novel with a very strong and somewhat devastating content about a boy who lives in a lower-class neighborhood in Glasgow with a very dysfunctional family: an alcoholic mother， an older brother leader of a gang， a sister who in her adolescence had to act as a housewife and a a mother， in the absence of the biological one who would not hesitate to desert them to follow a man; it is about a boy who has to face hunger， absence， lack of affection and also face the consequences of being homosexual in a hostile environment。Mungo Hamilton is the youngest of 3 brothers and the least adapted for an autonomous life。 He depends largely on the care of his sister and maintains a sick emotional dependency on a mother who manipulates his emotions in her own benefit。 He， however， cannot stop loving her despite her detachment。One day， Mungo meets James， barely a year older， and they become friends。 As days go by their friendship becomes a more intimate relationship， although both boys are inexperienced in the subject of homosexuality。 This inexperience is clear when they named their roles， half seriously， half in jest， as man or woman， which is the only ones they have learned from their heterosexual environment。The family and the state-owned neighborhood in which they both live is extremely hostile to sexual diversity， which is why they begin a relationship of learning about themselves， private， adolescent， natural， and yet always threatened。 Besides， one is Protestant and the other Catholic， which is decisive for belonging to a social group。 Either you are one of us or you are one of the others。From the beginning， the novel plunges into an environment devastated by the lack of humanity， by the lack of respect for human dignity; a world isolated by poverty， lack of affection， lack of mercy。 A place where only those who best adapt survive in a kind of relentless social Darwinism。Written in 28 chapters， the story has two critical moments that occur in the month of May。 The first event ends with Mungo's mother sending him on a fishing trip with two men she knows from her AA group for him to "man up"。 The second event occurs a few days later， at the end of this trip。The chapters alternate the events in two time lines: one with the events that occurred from January to May and that led to the first important event and the other with the events that occur on the fishing trip that culminates in the second important event。 In the end， both timelines meet in an ending that could have more than one interpretation。To finish， I must admit that this novel had some strong emotional moments for me， to the point that at times I had to stop reading， however， at the end I consider it one of my top readings this year。 。。。more

Bernice ，

Bleak…。raw…。。heartbreaking。

Grahame Colditz ，

A powerful novel， set in Glasgow in the 1980s， in a housing estate where poverty， alcohol abuse， sectarian violence and homophobia are rampant。 The story of Mungo， who develops a relationship with a Catholic boy， James， is a hard read and at times shocking but ultimately quite satisfying， as Mungo struggles to survive in this harsh environment。 I personally found the use of Scottish words and phrases quite wonderful。 My Glaswegian grandmother passed some of theseto mynow deceased mother so the c A powerful novel， set in Glasgow in the 1980s， in a housing estate where poverty， alcohol abuse， sectarian violence and homophobia are rampant。 The story of Mungo， who develops a relationship with a Catholic boy， James， is a hard read and at times shocking but ultimately quite satisfying， as Mungo struggles to survive in this harsh environment。 I personally found the use of Scottish words and phrases quite wonderful。 My Glaswegian grandmother passed some of theseto mynow deceased mother so the connection be ame personal。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

sarah ，

My review is a little late but I found this book so deeply and incredibly moving I could barely put it down。 Setting again acts as a character of it’s own in Douglas Stuart’s follow up to Shuggie Bain - with a rich， engaging plot following a young Mungo Hamilton， growing up through a devastating childhood in Glasgow。 What follows is an intimate look at his life and the impact his decisions and upbringing have on his relationships and future。It’s rare a book has such a profound impact on me but S My review is a little late but I found this book so deeply and incredibly moving I could barely put it down。 Setting again acts as a character of it’s own in Douglas Stuart’s follow up to Shuggie Bain - with a rich， engaging plot following a young Mungo Hamilton， growing up through a devastating childhood in Glasgow。 What follows is an intimate look at his life and the impact his decisions and upbringing have on his relationships and future。It’s rare a book has such a profound impact on me but Stuart continues to beautifully and poetically tear my heart up and piece it back together。 。。。more

Alexandra ，

A beautifully written book， but just too sad ultimately for me to be able to give it five stars。

Emily ，

DNF at chapter 5。 I felt like I was trudging through it。 I’ll circle back

Rosemary ，

I enjoyed Douglas Stuart’s first book， Shuggie Bain， and wondered how the author would follow such a successful debut novel。 Mungo is fifteen and a sensitive soul who seems younger than his years。 His mother is often absent and an alcoholic so he’s mostly raised by his older sister， Jodie。 Mungo is in love with a Catholic boy， and feels he has to hide his true self。 In an attempt to “make a man” of him， Mungo’s mum sends him on a fishing trip with two men from her AA group。 This book is well wri I enjoyed Douglas Stuart’s first book， Shuggie Bain， and wondered how the author would follow such a successful debut novel。 Mungo is fifteen and a sensitive soul who seems younger than his years。 His mother is often absent and an alcoholic so he’s mostly raised by his older sister， Jodie。 Mungo is in love with a Catholic boy， and feels he has to hide his true self。 In an attempt to “make a man” of him， Mungo’s mum sends him on a fishing trip with two men from her AA group。 This book is well written and draws you in to the story。 The descriptions are very evocative and you can picture the tenements of Glasgow and the Loch overlooked by Munros。 At times， the descriptions of abuse and violence are quite graphic。 The characters are excellent and I felt so sorry for Mungo。 I wanted him to be accepted and be able to be himself。 I felt the pace of the story was quite slow but about halfway through it picked up。 The chapters alternate between the weeks leading up to the fishing trip， and the trip itself。 The book deals with so many issues， such as， alcoholism， addiction， homophobia and religious divides。 The issues are dealt with sensitively and although some descriptions are graphic， they aren’t unrealistic。 There are parallels between this book and Shuggie Bain， however I didn’t feel I was reading the same story again。 Mungo is older and he seemed to feature more as the main character compared to Shuggie。 Overall， this is a tough and heartbreaking read， but I recommend it。 Thanks to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for a copy to review。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Young Mungo

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Young Mungo&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Young Mungo&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0