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neil_denham's review against another edition
3.0
After a slow start it soon became an absorbing read, although I got the main twist about half way through!
gianouts's review
5.0
I found this slice of life story very enjoyable and well written. The background to the story is that a wealthy (extended) family has been approached to sell their company, and provides a view from Alban's perspective of the family leading up to a gathering where it will be decided whether to sell out or not. The story flips back from the past to the present and explains Alban's journey through life, his family encounters, love interests, and his quest to find out about his mother's death and the controversy surrounding his birth.
frankiebuchanan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
lazygal's review against another edition
5.0
The shifting between voices/points-of-view and time frames can be a bit confusing at first, but Banks is such a good writer that he makes it worth your while to stick with it. In terms of plot, this didn't give me anything new in the genre of big, rich, weird families (the Wolpulds are in the same class as the Ambersons and all the rest), but again, the writing rescues it from the mundane. As I neared the end, I kept thinking "Must.Read.More.Banks".
mazza57's review against another edition
5.0
I have read many of this author's works but this has to be one of the best. It alternates between then and now whilst bringing then up to the Now. Banks' juggles the different story lines like a master using humour, irony and a conversational tone as necessary. There are some fabulous descriptive passages and a twist to the tale that i had not quite worked out correctly.
thepinch's review against another edition
4.0
Another enjoyable tale of messy families from Iain Banks. I enjoyed the characters here much more than some of his previous family drama novels. The characters here felt more well round and real where previous novels have had the characters feel a bit bland.
Knocking a star off just because, whilst I am not against an author including their views in their stories, in this novel the rants are a little more jarring and seem to come a bit more from nowhere rather than seeming to be prompted from the story.
Knocking a star off just because, whilst I am not against an author including their views in their stories, in this novel the rants are a little more jarring and seem to come a bit more from nowhere rather than seeming to be prompted from the story.
hugo_pc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75