Reviews

o what a gorgeous novel a lot of love for this LGG chiselling out a precise prose I'm tempted to refer to chromatography the separation and the bleeding of inks but linguagraphy is, I suppose, just the act of writing something down. 4.5.

So rare to see a woman written this well by a man? We have our classic examples and I think Gibbon establishes himself quite smoothly in that pantheon with Tolstoy (particularly W&P), probably Baldwin and Faulkner to their extents, Joyce, Tennessee W. And even among these to see her as the inarguable protagonist is uncommon. Whether this standard is maintained over the rest of the trilogy? Can't say

Anyway I'm very impressed by this it feels wrought as a work of literature. Hewn, if we're sly. It seems to take cues from Tolstoy, in the best ways. Title as 'Best Scottish book of all time' is, of course, dubious and headline-y so I don't buy it as that but certainly this is a superior crème.

laravnvst's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

whatsmacksaid's review against another edition

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4.0

Oh, it was fantastic. The cadence lilted and flowed like nothing else I've read in years, and the characters were real and full of life. I fell in love with Chris' life and it tore at me when things began to change and fall apart. I want desperately to read the second and third books.

This is definitely not something to be read on the train to work, though. This is something you'll want to find a comfortable and quiet corner to curl up and and disappear for hours at a time. It's magical.

paulsnelling's review against another edition

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3.0

A Scottish classic. I’m not a great one for classics. This was certainly atmospheric and lyrical, and the paragraph-long-sentences aren’t easy to read. You can hear the narrator’s voice alright. But there was much skated over, and there’s not much light thrown on the central event at the end of the book – nor anything in what preceded it that might explain it. Well, a little, perhaps but not much. I can’t tell how the farmers in that part of Scotland behaved just after the turn of the 20th century, but there’s the famed taciturnity in spades. I’m glad I read it, but the pages didn’t turn easily.

mar_nieves's review against another edition

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4.75

Holy shit this was incredible I loved loved loved it

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