The Bridge

ChrisC wrote:
> This is supposed to be one of Iain's greater books. I found it a real
> slog to get through. Boring and, to be quite frank awful. Have I missed
> something with this book?

It depends. What was it that you particularly disliked about it? The
common complaint is about the dialect passages - the barbarian speaking
in transliterated Broad Scots. If that annoyed you, avoid Feersum
Endjinn like the plague.

Those who like the book often find the details of the baroque
civilization interesting as well as the play on the structure of the
bridge.

In my estimation, it's an OK Banks novel, not my favorite of his
literary works but not the worst either.
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[tight beam, M1 rec Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:48:03 +0000]
xGCU Jim
oGSV alt.books.iain-banks

>On 2008-12-15, ChrisC wrote:
>> This is supposed to be one of Iain's greater books. I found it a real
>> slog to get through. Boring and, to be quite frank awful. Have I missed
>> something with this book?
>
>You may find it's one that grows on you. It _is_ a good book but, as you've
>found, far from easy to read the first time.
>
>Jim

It's a multi-layered book that benefits from re-reading. There are
numerous "easter eggs" within the prose - if you like that sort of
thing (which I do).
There's a "stream of consciousness" feel to it at times, a sort of
dreaminess, with some delightful little surprises and twists. Probably
my favourite "mainstream fiction" Banks novel.

There's no shame in not liking it, of course, tastes vary )
--
Loz {>
"My Little Pony -
Skinny and Bony!"
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In article ,
ChrisC wrote:
>This is supposed to be one of Iain's greater books. I found it a real
>slog to get through. Boring and, to be quite frank awful. Have I missed
>something with this book?

Probably...

To me it always reads like a rather less surreal, rather more ordinary
(and substantially less bleak) take on Lanark (Alisdair Grey, of course),
but that's not a bad thing to be at all. And the structual tricks (echoing
the architecture of the bridge) are interesting.

Not my favourite of the Banks canon (probablt about 3rd of the non-M
books), but worth persevering with. It's a bookmthat takes time to
settling in the mind.

--
Andy Breen ~ Not speaking on behalf of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Feng Shui: an ancient oriental art for extracting
money from the gullible (Martin Sinclair)
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On Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:18:08 -0800, Stephen Graham wrote:

> ChrisC wrote:
>> This is supposed to be one of Iain's greater books. I found it a real
>> slog to get through. Boring and, to be quite frank awful. Have I missed
>> something with this book?
>
> It depends. What was it that you particularly disliked about it? The
> common complaint is about the dialect passages - the barbarian speaking
> in transliterated Broad Scots. If that annoyed you, avoid Feersum
> Endjinn like the plague.
>
> Those who like the book often find the details of the baroque
> civilization interesting as well as the play on the structure of the
> bridge.
>
> In my estimation, it's an OK Banks novel, not my favorite of his
> literary works but not the worst either.

I don't know what about it I really didn't like. If you can be any judge,
I liked Walking on Glass and Complicity much more greatly than The Bridge.

--
" If you can empty your mind of all thoughts your heart will embrace the
tranquillity of peace. Watch the workings of all of creation, but
contemplate their return to the source. "

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

ChrisC
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