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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
My favourite parts of this epic novel are book three and book one, the first half of the book. It is complex and not always an easy read but thoroughly enjoyable. It is a Dystopia as well as an account of WWII Scotland and Glasgow, themes I always find fascinating. Finally, I actually miss going back to it day after day and as William Boyd says in the introduction the book 'leaves a trace - one way or another'.
When traveling I like to get books that were written by local authors, so going to Scotland I googled "Scottish authors." Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott are nearly incomprehensible to my American ears, so I went with something more modern. I'm so glad I found Lanark, because it was just amazing. I was honestly hooked from the introduction by another author even though he said something like "reading this book to understand Scotland is like reading Ulysses to understand Dublin" (apparently something I shouldn't do!). :) Nonetheless, onward I went.
This book has the vibes of Lovecraft, Master & Margarita, very obviously Dante's Inferno, political farces, and all the great coming of age stories. It has surprisingly insightful things to say about women even though they are minor characters, and while the women were kind of relegated to the mother roles, I found Gray still had interesting things to say about them that cut pretty deep.
Before I started reading, I was kind of lamenting that I hadn't read any really great books this year, and so this was a pleasant astonishing surprise.
This book has the vibes of Lovecraft, Master & Margarita, very obviously Dante's Inferno, political farces, and all the great coming of age stories. It has surprisingly insightful things to say about women even though they are minor characters, and while the women were kind of relegated to the mother roles, I found Gray still had interesting things to say about them that cut pretty deep.
Before I started reading, I was kind of lamenting that I hadn't read any really great books this year, and so this was a pleasant astonishing surprise.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
170 pages in and I'm just so damn bored
Edit, four months later: I said what I said but I still find myself thinking about this book.
Edit, four months later: I said what I said but I still find myself thinking about this book.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A life in 4 books that I had to read in 2 separate spells.
I had heard so many positive things about this book, having previously read a few of his other works, like “The Fall of Kelvin Walker”, “1982: Janine”, “A History Maker”.
But I found that I absolutely hated the Lanark chapters, but really enjoyed the Thaw chapters, undoubtedly because they are more grounded.
I placed so much hope in the “Explanation” chapter of the final book, only to be let down.
First Alasdair Gray book I haven’t enjoyed! Who knew?
I had heard so many positive things about this book, having previously read a few of his other works, like “The Fall of Kelvin Walker”, “1982: Janine”, “A History Maker”.
But I found that I absolutely hated the Lanark chapters, but really enjoyed the Thaw chapters, undoubtedly because they are more grounded.
I placed so much hope in the “Explanation” chapter of the final book, only to be let down.
First Alasdair Gray book I haven’t enjoyed! Who knew?
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5
A beautifully messy novel that is unafraid to be anything but its sui generis self. As kafkaesque, lynchian, and surreal as it is mundane, quotidian, and realist, and Gray takes on capitalism, war, death, bureaucracy, intimacy, literature, intertextuality, plagiarism, art, religion, and a whole lot more through a very specifically Scottish lens. Find a copy and get on it!
A beautifully messy novel that is unafraid to be anything but its sui generis self. As kafkaesque, lynchian, and surreal as it is mundane, quotidian, and realist, and Gray takes on capitalism, war, death, bureaucracy, intimacy, literature, intertextuality, plagiarism, art, religion, and a whole lot more through a very specifically Scottish lens. Find a copy and get on it!
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes