Reviews - Lanark : una vida en 4 libros

245 reviews for:

Lanark : una vida en 4 libros

Alasdair Gray

4.04 AVERAGE

ebawmsworld's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

trlenon's review against another edition

4.0

Alasdair Gray seems to be an eccentric, weird, self-obsessed, brilliant, funny old man from what I have learned. Here is the book that took thirty years of his attention. In the past I have liked such novels as "A Voyage to Arcturus", "Mount Analogue" and "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", and Gray has put together some of the same kind of themes in this great and odd book.

david_mag's review against another edition

3.0

It's a weird book for me, I loved the Thaw sections and felt like I was reading something real written by a real person. Lanark felt really mechanical by comparison, and I am not sure it was intentional. There's also a really really good passage at the end of the book but I won't spoil which one. There's also arguably one of the cringiest sex scenes ever written. There is also a lot of pent up sexual frustration in this book which never gets either explored or released, it just is and it makes the reading experience uncomfortable at times. Still the creativity and imagination has to be commended, really strong conjuring abilities from Mr. Gray.

jonfaith's review against another edition

4.0

Alasdair Gray notes in the Epilogue section, strangely on p. 493 of his 560 page novel: " A possible explanation is that the author thinks a heavy book will make a bigger splash than two light ones. This note, well the entire section, appears to reconcile the disparate narratives which occupy the novel. Seldom have I ever encountered such polarizing sections; the Thaw scenes I absolutely loved and the Lanark/Unthank episodes were perfectly dreadful. The latter was likely intentional, portraits of hell should be infernal, I suppose.

Digressions and comparisons ensue. The artist's failure to love is mirrored with Hell's thwarting of contentment. I see that. It does beg some reflection.

It was good novel for one's birthday week, especially while entertaining dear visitors from overseas. It was a whirlwind of trips and laughs. A beer or two may have been swallowed along the way. Lanark was good for all that. Folks were taken back to the airport. The heat actually left the area and this allowed the delegate theme at the end to be absorbed without enkindling any serial rage.

Lanarks works and it is good to love and endure.