The Crow Road

Paperback, 501 pages

Published Nov. 10, 1996 by Abacus.

ISBN:
978-0-349-10907-7
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5 stars (2 reviews)

From its bravura opening onwards, THE CROW ROAD is justly regarded as an outstanding contemporary novel. 'It was the day my grandmother exploded. I sat in the crematorium, listening to my Uncle Hamish quietly snoring in harmony to Bach's Mass in B Minor, and I reflected that it always seemed to be death that drew me back to Gallanach.' Prentice McHoan has returned to the bosom of his complex but enduring Scottish family. Full of questions about the McHoan past, present and future, he is also deeply preoccupied: mainly with death, sex, drink, God and illegal substances...

5 editions

Great turns of phrase

4 stars

I received my review copy of The Crow Road as part of its twenty-fifth anniversary celebrations. Has this book really been around for that long?! Iain Banks is an author I have been aware of for ages, but I think this is the first time I have ever read any of his books. What an omission! And one I am glad to have rectified now. The Crow Road is, now anyway, quite a nostalgic book to read focussing as it does on everyday life. It is proudly Scottish and I liked the intermingling of social classes together with the resultant snobbery. Our 'hero', Prentice, is a likeable waster and expertly portrayed so I could easily see how he has become such a famous character in literary circles. Banks has a shrewd eye for detail and nuance together with a gorgeously poetic turn of phrase so reading the prose in this …