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apechild's review against another edition
4.0
I have come to this book by random chance, and although I enjoyed (if that is the best word!) The Wasp Factory, having glanced over the blurb on the back, I am not sure this is s book I would normally go for. Even though I know Iain Banks is good. I don't follow the intricacies and cunning of big business, am not interested in money, and it felt like I needed to have the Pet Shop Boys singing "let's make lots of money!" In the background. There's something of money money that made it feel like the eighties, although I think it is set in the 90s given some music references. And the utter consumerism, money and power being treated as the ultimate defining factors in a life well lived, and these well heeled business execs living a life of ridiculous luxury, and yet never seeming to actually do or produce anything (maybe a sign of upper management????) All really grated on me. It did take some time to get going for me. And yet now that I have finished it, I can say it was a really good book. For me it started to shine when our narrator Kathryn head to this fictional country, Thulan, which is a Tibet/Nepal style country. Cold barren and extremely high, so different to all the things she is used to and yet this feeling of well being and charm comes from it all. And I make it sound twee by writing that, but it really isn't. And the ending, that she ends looking at the bigger picture and doing something that has the potential to benefit a lot of people... its not all about her now. I loved that.
So glad I unexpectedly picked up this book.
So glad I unexpectedly picked up this book.
lille_in_the_ville's review against another edition
3.0
A fairly straight-up business conspiracy thriller, spanning the globe on private jets, Banks' gripping prose takes the reader from toffy Yorkshire manors to the American West to the tips of the Himalayas, with amusing observations and hilarious characters along the way. One of his most accessible works that nevertheless grapples with many of the moral and economic issues of our time.
unboxedjack's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Car accident, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
mark_74's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.0
Very different from the other Iain Banks books I've read. Much less violence (in fact it's negligible so if that's what you're after read something else). As usual though I really enjoyed Bank's writing style, and his humour. If I had to classify this book I'd say it's more of a mystery than anything else but even when I'd finished it I felt as though parts of the story were still very vague and I wanted to know more...
led's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
javinki_'s review against another edition
3.0
After giving up on 'Walking on Glass' after some one hundred *dull* pages back in March, I'm a little unsure why I decided to put myself through another Iain Banks so soon after - but guess what! I did! And the curse has been lifted! We're back in Business, baby!
This is one of the fine-est books that I've ever read - no, not "finest", fine-est... Thee Most Alright... A Paragon of Okay-ness. A mildly engaging, overwhelmingly 90s, eventually-kinda-gripping story about crapitalism and relationships.
I'm not necessarily recommending it, but also, I'm not not. Make of that what you will.
(Also, three black and white books in a row?? C'mon aesthetic!)
This is one of the fine-est books that I've ever read - no, not "finest", fine-est... Thee Most Alright... A Paragon of Okay-ness. A mildly engaging, overwhelmingly 90s, eventually-kinda-gripping story about crapitalism and relationships.
I'm not necessarily recommending it, but also, I'm not not. Make of that what you will.
(Also, three black and white books in a row?? C'mon aesthetic!)
twopints's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75