First of all, very many thanks for the opportunity provided by NetGalley and the publisher to be introduced to Iain Banks’s work. I’ve generally passed by his books and not been sufficiently inspired by the synopses or reviews to persevere. And the first chapters got close to confirming my original prejudices, but my goodness - how the book hooks you and will not let you go. By 50% or so I was absolutely drawn into what was in many ways a fairly ordinary story of the intersecting lives of different families on the west coast of Scotland. But the beauty of the writing and the carefully drawn characters worked a dazzling magic on the ordinariness of the lives described that meant that every new page offered new perspectives on the central character and his various forebears and the friends and relatives that came and went within the story. A true masterwork by a master of his craft. Highly recommended!

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in order to provide an honest review.

This book has a lot going for it: multiple point of view narrative voices, disjointed chronology spanning two generations, deeply flawed and realistic characters, a strong sense of place and recurrent motifs. It would be a fascinating book to read for academic purposes, but I’m afraid it didn’t grip me as much as I had hoped it would. The plot(s) are slow-burning, which is great for giving a sense of slow rural life, but not brilliant for giving the reader the impetus to read on. I found it a struggle to finish for this reason.

This is still an amazing read, and such a classic now. I enjoyed re-reading it, which doesn't always happen when you go back to a book you read many years ago. If you haven't yet, you really should read this.

It’s been 25 years since the release of the book that has been widely described as Banks’ best work, and an anniversary edition was released late last year. The Crow Road covers some pretty big themes – love, death, religion, drugs and fractured families being just a few of them. Prentice McHoan returns home for his grandmother’s funeral and soon gets drawn into trying to solve the mystery of his Uncle Rory’s disappearance. It’s a dark, intense novel and far from an easy read, but the wit and sheer beauty of the writing could well make it one of your all-time favourites.

A beautifully written and amusing novel. One has to adjust to the sudden shift in time and space during the narrative but that was my only criticism. The mystery of Uncle Rory finally put to rest although his killer was never really brought to book. I was surprised the potential arson discovery didn’t move Prentice to disclose what he knew to the police, if he had he may have brought to justice not only the arsonist but the killer of Rory and possibly Fiona Urvill. Lachlan Watt finally got his eye for an aye in bedding Fiona with Fergus getting an aerial eyeful as his wife was crying, “Aye, aye, aye”! The novel concludes with Prentice and Ashley practising their Morse couplets to the rhythm method. More fun than the last time I bashed a key at a costguard station!

Thanks Netgalley & Abacus for a copy of this great work in exchange for an honest review.. I guess the use of the word 'great' tells you which side this review falls.
It's really simple if you like Iain Banks work you'll love this book - it is in my humble opinion a modern classic. If you don't know his work I urge you to persist you will be rewarded. You can read the blurb for a an insight into the story and plot. Go out buy it and then go hunting for more of the author's works. Five stars all day.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this free e-book of the 25th Anniversary Edition of The Crow Road.

Prior to this I had read just one book by Iain Banks - Raw Spirit, In Search of the Perfect Dram. The Crow Road is a revelation, first published in 1992 and contemporaneous with that time. A great panoply of a story, a lengthy tale, a huge canvas covering the trials and tribulations of the McHoan family, narrated for the most part by Prentice McHoan, who has returned to the bosom of his Scottish family in Gallanach.

<i>”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…”</i> A riveting start to a story, indeed!

Warm, funny, enchanting, poignant - the scope of The Crow Road is complex, telling the tale of the McHoan family - past present and future. A tale of unrequited love, a man preoccupied with death, sex, drink, God and illegal substances. There are passages that had me shaking with laughter; stuck in the mind, had me laughing out loud hours after reading them. Yes, it’s that good! With a satisfying mystery that Prentice is determined to solve, with unexpected consequences.

Bearing in mind that The Crow Road was published tweet-five years ago it still reads as a contemporary tale, although any background events take place in the 80s and 90s.

The Crow Road is considered by many to be Banks’ finest novel.

I loved it.

This is not my normal sort of read but was given the chance in exchange for a review and I'm so glad I agreed to read it. It's such a good read.

The Crow Road tells the story of Prentice and his family. It jumps around a bit so took me a little while to follow but once I understood, I really enjoyed it. Some of the language and descriptions were a bit much for me but fitted with who was telling the story. The story features a missing uncle and I quickly figured out what had happened but it was only a small part of The story.

Oh I love Prentice so much. He's not your typical main character. He's got many flaws and messes up a lot but you can't help but love him. He's so real and he goes through so much. I loved the ending too it just finished the book perfectly.

Disappointingly uninteresting family saga that reads a bit dated despite not being that old a novel. Forgettable, dreary characters. Weak sauce!

The crow road, though 25 years old still holds up. The story focuses on Prentice McHoan, a young man who has fallen out with his father over their differing religious beliefs and his obsession with his missing uncle Rory. It’s about belief, love and tragedy and ultimately about life. The crow road is funny, sad and although there are jumps in time which can seem confusing, everything is so cleverly woven together it all makes sense at the end and I really enjoyed it.

I first read ‘The Crow Road’ many years ago, so was interested to see if it had stood the test of time. I’m happy to say that I enjoyed it every bit as much now as I did then. It wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste as it is definitely a strange read, but I loved it! A timeless classic that will hopefully be enjoyed for generations to come. A fabulous 4 stars.

This was so, so, weird. One part family drama, one part murder mystery I struggled to get to grips with the characters and plot. There's no denying the writing is wonderful though. Iain Banks was an incredibly talented man, but unfortunately this really didn't work for me.

I may try and reread at a later date.

I was interested in reading this book as I couldn't remember if I read it when it was first published! As so many others have said, it has a brilliant opening line that sucks the reader in with the promise of a wonderful story, but I must admit I felt cheated by the ensuing tale with its complicated flashbacks and timeline. I still can't remember if I've read it before, but I won't be reading it again.

Unfortunately the Adobe Digital edition didn't work, so I was unable to read this

Iain Banks is better known to me as a science fiction author, so I welcomed the chance to read The Crow Road. Once I'd started, it was difficult to stop. One of the things the reader quickly learns about the narrator is that he's human - he has failings, he's fallen out with his father, he's young and doesn't necessarily behave well. The places and backgrounds are so well described they can easily be imagined, and the flawed protagonist leads the reader through them. The deaths are revealed gradually and those responsible become apparent to the reader. The author writes recognisable companions for the narrator, but the strongest impression is left by the author's evocation of Scotland.

I was very pleased to be given a copy of this book from NetGalley as it was one of my favourite books but I have lost my copy. It came out in the late 1980s and was the first Iain Banks novel I read. It started my love for his books and I have ready every single one of his novels and a good number of his sci-fi books written under the Iain M Banks name. The Crow Road remains my favourite. I even have a VHS copy of the TV series. I was very upset by his untimely death from cancer but loved his attitude to his short terminal illness.

The Crow Road is set in Argyle and Glasgow and follows the fortunes of Prentice McHoan. He stumbles into investigating the circumstances of his uncle's disappearance in his childhood. It's told in the present day and a series of flashbacks to Prentice's childhood, revealing his relationship with his family and friends, including his missing uncle.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book. With all my heart.

Why have I not read this before? It's certainly my type of book. Well I'm glad I did. Thoroughly enjoyed the Crow Road. Brings back lots of memories of the late 80's and 90's. Loved the descriptions of Scotland.

The story is told mainly by Prentice McHoan who having returned to Scotland is reunited with his very different and complex family. Prentice tells tales of the family past, present and future all the time being preoccupied with: mainly death, sex, drink, God and illegal substances.
This is an entertaining read and full of humorous stories.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first novel by Iain that I have read. So far I am enjoying reading what is a well written, intense, mysterious scottish novel about family life.

I read this book for the first time as part of my BA back in the 1990s so I was interested to get a second go at it.. It didn't disappoint, I was engaged with it from page 1 right the way through. to the end. It is really an horrific story and I felt both appalled and fascinated by such damaged characters. Not a book for the squeamish or fainthearted but definitely a challenge worth taking as the story twists and turns and plays with your perceptions.