What do readers think of The Crow Road by Iain Banks? Write your own review.

This was a moving family drama with complex characters and an intricate story line. Told in flashback, the story unfolds in pieces and sometimes the author make you work to understand but it is a a rewarding and interesting read. From the feisty grandmother to the inquisitive main character, Prentice, I loved getting to know the characters.A dark mix of tragedy and humor keep you interested until the end.

The book, Crow Road was the first book that I have read by author Iain Banks. After I figured out what the author was doing with the shifting in and out of generations, I really was able to enjoy piecing together information about the story. This generational shifting was successful only because the author was so good at breathing life into his characters. I think some of the humor of the book was lost on me because I am simply not up on British vocabulary, with words such as bridies and Haggisburgers. Would I recommend this to a friend? You bet I would. I thought it was excellent writing and glad that his thread of mystery did not end up consuming the more important issues such as family (it is nice to know that Scotland is about as dysfunctional as the rest of us), religion, and the meaning of life.

This book is a coming-of-age novel. The main character and narrator of much of the book is a college student possibly in his early twenties undergoing a difficult transition to adulthood. Members of three generations of his family also play significant roles in the book.

I enjoyed the book. Some parts of it are hilarious and others are tragic. The writing is excellent and the characters are very real. I recommend a reader take his/her time to read it, just like sipping a fine wine.

I was confused in the beginning as the author abruptly shifted backward and forward in time to other characters in a different generation. I adjusted to this after about 50 pages. Since the book was a British edition, there were Scottish words I did not understand so I spent some time in the dictionary to understand some of the words. I assume much of this will be translated in the U.S. edition. Similarly, since I have never been to southern Scotland, I studied my world atlas so I could locate where the towns in the story were located.

I will read other books by this author since it was a pleasure to read this book.

When I dive into a novel, I want to be enveloped in its world, every sense engaged. I want the author to lead me by the hand, whispering into my ear. If this is you, too, you'll like The Crow Road by Iain Banks. Many and varied characters, connected in different ways over the years, a passionate main character coming of age in contemporary Scotland, just different enough from the American experience to be intriguing but not unfamiliar. Banks also writes science fiction, as Iain M. Banks, and there is a little touch of fancy, or magical realism in this novel, too. It's a little late for a beach read, but perfect to curl up with by the fire this winter.

A wonderful story filled with characters the reader can care about.
Wildly funny at times, tragic and serious at others, this book deserves a second reading. I have read many books over the last year. This one has been the most enjoyable.

This is my first Iain Banks book and I thoroughly enjoyed the attention to characters - major, minor and fleetingly glimpsed. Essentially a growing up, multigenerational, mystery hybrid set in a real-feeling Scotland, the plot remains a means to an end - that of giving the reader time to pass in the company of a well drawn, lifelike and idiosyncratic fictional community.

"It was the day my grandmother exploded." Now I ask you. With a beginning sentence like that and when the author is Iain Banks you know you have a winner! The Crow Road is the multigenerational story of a Scots family - I know the breed. As with all
good stories The Crow Road gives us a look into lives not our own and makes them seem almost familiar. This familiarity , however, breeds not contempt, but a feeling of warmth, of humor sadness - of a good story very well told. Everyone feels real. No situations seem strained. I want to re-read this book and look forward to many others.
The Crow Road has my highest rating!

I have never read Iain Banks and at first had a difficult time with the Scottish dialect. I found myself having to go back and reread sections to be sure I really understood what it meant.

I admit I found the book slow going and a challenge, but it was full of interesting personalities, family interactions and a very descriptive writing style.