From its bravura opening onwards, THE CROW ROAD is justly regarded as an outstanding contemporary novel. 'It was the day my grandmother exploded. ...
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Jan 16, 2009
David
rated it: 
Damn, this book was terrific! I don't know why I didn't stumble across it earlier, given it was published in 1992 and was adapted by the BBC as a miniseries in 1996 (oh wait .... the 90's were the years that got eaten by my "professional career"... the mindless TV years). Anyway, no matter.
"It was the day my grandmother exploded." Any author with the balls to have that as an opening sentence deserves to be given a chance, at least. Banks keeps up the brilliance fo More...
"It was the day my grandmother exploded." Any author with the balls to have that as an opening sentence deserves to be given a chance, at least. Banks keeps up the brilliance fo More...
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Jul 26, 2007
Jessica
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I can't say enough good things about Iain Banks's The Crow Road. My only question is, why didn't I hear of him and read his work sooner? He's brilliant. It's like Graham Swift and Irvine Welsh met to write a novel, and Swift's insight tempered Welsh's mania, but Welsh's hipness updated Swift's subject matter. The result is a brilliant novel - grim, gritty, but funny and somehow uplifting without being cheesy.
It shouldn't make me feel good to read it - it should be depressing as hell More...
It shouldn't make me feel good to read it - it should be depressing as hell More...
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Nov 24, 2011
Haje
rated it:
The whole story, quite significantly, kicks off at a funeral – one of a series of funerals in the book. The title – “the crow road”, we learn, is from an expression meaning that somebody has died, or “gone down the crow road”.
The Crow Road is a fascinating book in many ways. It is the second Banks book I have read – I read Banks’ debut novel, The Wasp Factory a few weeks ago. I was shocked and horrified (but also intrigued) by the distinct difference in style between the two books.
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The Crow Road is a fascinating book in many ways. It is the second Banks book I have read – I read Banks’ debut novel, The Wasp Factory a few weeks ago. I was shocked and horrified (but also intrigued) by the distinct difference in style between the two books.
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Jun 01, 2011
Jackie
rated it: 
There are two parts in this book which I really found beautifully written. The first is on page 25,
“These were the days of fond promise, when the world was very small and there was still magic in it. …… Then, every day was a week, each month a year. A season was a decade, and every year a life.”
The second was the incredible discussion on the meaning of life and death on page 484.
“Was Fergus Urvill anywhere still? Apart from the body – whatever was left More...
“These were the days of fond promise, when the world was very small and there was still magic in it. …… Then, every day was a week, each month a year. A season was a decade, and every year a life.”
The second was the incredible discussion on the meaning of life and death on page 484.
“Was Fergus Urvill anywhere still? Apart from the body – whatever was left More...
Aug 23, 2011
Pamela
rated it: 
Beware reviews that declare the author is a "phenomenon" (William Gibson), or is an "enfant explosif" (Scotland on Sunday), or "the most imaginative novelist of his generation" (The Times). Or perhaps you just have to beware my reviews.
I doggedly stuck with this novel to the end. Perhaps because I paid full price for it (based on the above plaudits) and thought it might be worth it? Ho hum. Not very believable depiction of two generations of a not very More...
I doggedly stuck with this novel to the end. Perhaps because I paid full price for it (based on the above plaudits) and thought it might be worth it? Ho hum. Not very believable depiction of two generations of a not very More...
Jun 14, 2011
Matthew
rated it: 
A first foray into the world of Iain Banks for me and, whilst the story gripped and the language sparkled, by the end I was just a little disappointed. It seemed to me that the novel couldn't decide whether it was a family saga, a murder mystery or a tartan clad bildungsroman, and while all these elements were enjoyable and well written, they never quite gelled into a completely satisfying novel. I think I would have enjoyed hearing less from Prentice and more from Kenneth, exploding Granny McHo
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Sep 03, 2011
Kevin
rated it: 
The Crow Road struck a major nostalgic chord within myself; the books main narrator and protagonist, Prentice McHoan, is roughly my age and brings to life his youth during the 1980's and early 1990's, and as as well as narrating his tale, he evokes the history, the culture and politics of those years. As well as The Crow Road being essentially a murder/mystery, a different take on crime fiction in many ways, it contains the trial and tribulations of three generations of two related Scottish Fami
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Jul 07, 2009
Erica
rated it:
The Crow Road by Iain Banks begins with the memorable line "It was the day my grandmother exploded." This line is, in fact, a good indication of the rest of the novel. This novel is full of similarly pithy one-liners and hooks (another good example being the start of chapter five: "Right, now this isn't as bad as it sounds, but...I was in bed with my Aunty Janice.") but unfortunately aside from amusing me with the occasional one-liner the book didn't do much for me.
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Jun 24, 2011
Begona
rated it:
Decided to pick up this book because it, according to the Guardian, is one of the 1000 books you have to read.
I normally don't like crime novels. They seem to concentrate too much, sometimes, in making their killers or their detectives/policemen too witty and their stories too complicated. Precisely, this book is at first glance, the opposite. The killer is not immensely clever but lucky. He gets away with it for so long because Fiona's death is assumed to be accident and Rory is as More...
I normally don't like crime novels. They seem to concentrate too much, sometimes, in making their killers or their detectives/policemen too witty and their stories too complicated. Precisely, this book is at first glance, the opposite. The killer is not immensely clever but lucky. He gets away with it for so long because Fiona's death is assumed to be accident and Rory is as More...
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Jan 11, 2010
Becky
rated it:
The Crow Road is a revelation compared to the other Iain Banks I've read. While they've been pretty soul-less witty diatribes against the superficialities of a modern lifestyle, the Crow Road incorporates these aspects into a truly moden gothic fairytale. It's beautifully written with a superb turn of phrase, and tells the story of Prentice, a young boy at Uni in Glasgow who hails from Gallanach, a small town in the West Highlands. In the typical style of a self centred teenager, something aw
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Jul 19, 2009
Thermalsatsuma
rated it:
It was the day my grandmother exploded.
Now that has to be my favourite opening sentence of any book, ever. It introduces a sprawling saga of three generations of a Scottish family, weaving snapshots and scenes from a history spanning fifty years or so, showing how secrets are concealed and uncovered by the passing of time. It has a large cast, with the nominal protagonist young Prentice McHoan unpicking the mystery of the disappearance of his uncle Rory whilst simultaneously tackling More...
Now that has to be my favourite opening sentence of any book, ever. It introduces a sprawling saga of three generations of a Scottish family, weaving snapshots and scenes from a history spanning fifty years or so, showing how secrets are concealed and uncovered by the passing of time. It has a large cast, with the nominal protagonist young Prentice McHoan unpicking the mystery of the disappearance of his uncle Rory whilst simultaneously tackling More...
Apr 05, 2011
Doug
rated it:
'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.'
With this, one of the finest openings I've ever read, Banks introduces us to Prentice McHoan and his family as they face life, love, and death in Scotland. This is writing at its finest, from the evocative descriptions of the land, the sharp characterizatio More...
With this, one of the finest openings I've ever read, Banks introduces us to Prentice McHoan and his family as they face life, love, and death in Scotland. This is writing at its finest, from the evocative descriptions of the land, the sharp characterizatio More...
Apr 25, 2010
Brad
rated it:
The Crow Road is not Iain Banks best book, but I understand why it is his most popular (even though I am sure it's the wrong Banks book on that list of 1001 books to read).
• It has the most catchy of openings: "It was the day my grandmother exploded." It's an opening that appears regularly in lists of "best opening lines" and rightly so; it's intriguing, messy and one of the best hooks I can remember reading.
• Apart from some characters in a couple of More...
• It has the most catchy of openings: "It was the day my grandmother exploded." It's an opening that appears regularly in lists of "best opening lines" and rightly so; it's intriguing, messy and one of the best hooks I can remember reading.
• Apart from some characters in a couple of More...
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Jul 31, 2009
Charlotte
rated it:
If I could choose no stars I would have. I really cannot stand books that have characters I don't care about. No one in this mess of family / extended family / friends of family was remotely memorable. I could care less about their issues as well. I read this book because it's on the 1001 books list and I have never read anything by Iain Banks before - and I wasn't missing anything. The reviews for this book were great - so I was very disappointed in it's lack of eh - everything! Brilliant - not
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Nov 25, 2008
Kyle
rated it:
not my favourite Banks novel but still a good read...
has his usual staples, god, drugs, death, sex, cars, whisky, scotland, politics (of the left-leaning variety, there's some good thatcher jokes), pop culture (some good star wars references, mentions of the pixies (yay!) and was it just me, or was lewis a thinly veiled, scottish version of bill hicks?) and a plentiful dollop of black humour...same old, but that's why he's my favourite author (living anyway)
not the most s More...
has his usual staples, god, drugs, death, sex, cars, whisky, scotland, politics (of the left-leaning variety, there's some good thatcher jokes), pop culture (some good star wars references, mentions of the pixies (yay!) and was it just me, or was lewis a thinly veiled, scottish version of bill hicks?) and a plentiful dollop of black humour...same old, but that's why he's my favourite author (living anyway)
not the most s More...
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Oct 05, 2009
Mark
rated it:
Despite a battered copy of The Crow Road sitting on my bookshelf for 15 years I couldn’t be sure whether I had read it before or not, so decided to complete my holiday reading list with it.
The book centres on the happennings and history of the McHoan family, in rural scotland, from the perspective of Prentice – a university student preoccupied with the usual preoccupations of students. But an old family mystery surrounding the disappearance of his Uncle Rory triggers a chain of even More...
The book centres on the happennings and history of the McHoan family, in rural scotland, from the perspective of Prentice – a university student preoccupied with the usual preoccupations of students. But an old family mystery surrounding the disappearance of his Uncle Rory triggers a chain of even More...
Dec 25, 2009
will
rated it:
I've now started this review six times, deleting what I have written each time. Can I just start in the middle of the review because I can't think of anything clever to say at the beginning?
I'm not sure that there is much of a plot to this story, and what there is could actually make a very short essay. However, Mr. Banks manages to build a huge story around a thin plot, and you don't feel cheated. There was no point in the story that I felt dragged, there is no feeling of "pad More...
I'm not sure that there is much of a plot to this story, and what there is could actually make a very short essay. However, Mr. Banks manages to build a huge story around a thin plot, and you don't feel cheated. There was no point in the story that I felt dragged, there is no feeling of "pad More...
Jun 29, 2011
Gregory
rated it:
It was a tough choice going between a strong four and a weak five, but as a novel with a mystery element that sustained momentum until the end, I had to eventually come down on the five side. A brilliant novel, and just some great writing out of context. There were times I was moved to read stuff to Wen, often without giving her context, just because I loved what he what written, and she appreciated it just as much as I did. A couple times I felt context was necessary when I read her excerpts
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Jun 29, 2010
Mairi
rated it:
Wow. Just... wow.
When I finished it, I wanted to go back to the first page and start all over again. Once I manage to get my own copy, it'll be among the handful of favorites that qualify as comfort reading. And it was a good time to be reading it.
See?
When I finished it, I wanted to go back to the first page and start all over again. Once I manage to get my own copy, it'll be among the handful of favorites that qualify as comfort reading. And it was a good time to be reading it.
See?
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Mar 21, 2011
Shruti
rated it:
The best thing to have come out of my quitting Facebook is unarguably the rekindling of my love affair with reading. I don't know if I'm the only creep who follows snarky, funny and poignant reviews by absolute strangers (who mostly wouldn't know I'm following their reviews) and then religiously track down their favourite books, or be tempted into reading a book they've reviewed - books I'm sure I would never have even heard of in my own life, had it not been for Goodreads and the people I follo
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May 10, 2011
Emma
rated it:
When my fiancée Tom came to meet my family, it was at a barn party attended by my immediate family, all my extended family and quite a lot of our small town too.
Joining a large family is enough to make you want to have a family tree on hand at all times... just to work out who goes where and with whom. It was the best part of these recurring names, discoveries and victories in working out how a large family goes together that I loved about The Crow Road.
I loved this famil More...
Joining a large family is enough to make you want to have a family tree on hand at all times... just to work out who goes where and with whom. It was the best part of these recurring names, discoveries and victories in working out how a large family goes together that I loved about The Crow Road.
I loved this famil More...
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Oct 06, 2009
Amy
rated it:
So I'm in San Francisco on business and since I've finished the book I brought with me, I need a book for the long plane ride home. After dinner with friends we hit a great little independent bookstore and I asked a staff member what fiction they might recommend. Being a good sales person, she asked me what I enjoy reading. I gave her some of my favorites and she sent me to another staff member who would make the best recommendation. He put The Crow Road in my hand. How can you not want to
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Feb 27, 2011
Tracy
rated it:
I couldn't put it down this weekend, and really wanted to finish it, yet was sad when I did.
Tonight I'm giving it 4 stars, but I might change my mind later and give it 5. I loved the language, the '80s references (being a child of the '80s, myself), the Scottish landscape, the imagery, the story, and the characters. I dug the flashbacks and how they were intertwined with the present. So neatly tied together... two thumbs up.
The relationship between Kenneth and Prentice More...
Tonight I'm giving it 4 stars, but I might change my mind later and give it 5. I loved the language, the '80s references (being a child of the '80s, myself), the Scottish landscape, the imagery, the story, and the characters. I dug the flashbacks and how they were intertwined with the present. So neatly tied together... two thumbs up.
The relationship between Kenneth and Prentice More...
Apr 04, 2009
Sonia
rated it:
I am really glad I read Crow Road, it introduced me to Iain Banks. There are so many little strands of humour that go to make this wonderful book. Take the instance where Prentice has his first sexual experience on the back seat of an old car that collapses, he thinks nobody knows about it, until years later when his Mother tells him that everyone knew about it,because she had found glass shards in his underwear, hilarious, can you imagine Prentice cringing. There is a murder too. There are refe
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Jan 15, 2012
Shauna
rated it:
I was living in London when this book came out and happened into a book signing for it, so I bought it and chat with the author a bit. He was such an intriguing wit that I went home and read this immediately. I love this book. There are so many people who would have blown the opening of this book, but Banks is a master.
After reading it, I went and read Wasp Factory, then eagerly awaited every new book of his that came out that wasn't Sci Fi(I can't do Sci Fi, but if I was going to, More...
After reading it, I went and read Wasp Factory, then eagerly awaited every new book of his that came out that wasn't Sci Fi(I can't do Sci Fi, but if I was going to, More...
Aug 02, 2011
Ian
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 29, 2009
Penelly
rated it:
I love this book. Just finished reading it for the second time (first time was about ten years ago) and I was thoroughly engrossed.
Banks really knows how to create a believable set of characters. It moves backwards and forwards in time, following the lives of the McHoan family and friends across two generations. I found myself thinking about the characters even when I wasn't reading the novel, and I really felt like I knew them. Banks has a wicked sense of humour alongside his great More...
Banks really knows how to create a believable set of characters. It moves backwards and forwards in time, following the lives of the McHoan family and friends across two generations. I found myself thinking about the characters even when I wasn't reading the novel, and I really felt like I knew them. Banks has a wicked sense of humour alongside his great More...
Jun 27, 2011
Hippopottoman
rated it:
My first Iain Banks novel, and definitely not my last. Not an incredibly easy read, what with non-linear storytelling, but easier than something like Catch-22, whose story was much more fragmented, if I recall correctly.
I've read reviews where people complain that Prentice was so annoying that the reader couldn't continue, but I didn't find him to be quite that bad. Sure, he has flaws (largely present to be overcome, it seems), but I didn't think they were that much worse than anyone More...
I've read reviews where people complain that Prentice was so annoying that the reader couldn't continue, but I didn't find him to be quite that bad. Sure, he has flaws (largely present to be overcome, it seems), but I didn't think they were that much worse than anyone More...
Nov 14, 2010
notgettingenough
rated it:
And it is like this.
Suddenly tears spring from your eyes and and you are too surprised by them to be able to stop the small flood that follows. Not entirely timely since you are in your favourite coffee shop hereabouts waiting for a vegetable tagine.
* * * *
Prentice, you prat, how can you not see the bleeding obvious right in front of your nose? As I wait for my tagine, I’m wondering what those who like to divide writing up by More...
Jan 20, 2010
Michele
rated it:
This is a novel NOT science fiction - and is released under the Iain Banks name. It is a busy, amusing, powerful book. Very firmly rooted in it's time period. I think one day it will be seen as a period classic of the 70s and 80s. There is a 'mystery' running through the story and the main character is extremely engaging. I've owned a number of copies of this, lent it out often (hence needed to buy new copies) and reread it many many times - a book that always has something new to find each
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