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A review by cjdetweiler
Poor Things by Alasdair Gray
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Struggling to think of anything I didn’t enjoy about reading this book, I read it in just a few sittings and it massively pulled me out a reading slump.
It brings its setting and scenery to life so richly - usually I get a little bored with over descriptions of scenery but somehow it was woven in so well that I felt I wasn’t reading paragraphs upon paragraphs of descriptive text and yet got a more visceral feel for the environments than with many other books I’ve read.
It’s a lot more developed than the film in character and in themes and I’m glad I watched the film BEFORE I read the book so I could enjoy them as separate entities otherwise I think I would have ended up disliking the adaptation as the book is far superior. There is also such a significant and important element left out of the film that I understand now the critiques of the film as totally undermining the story it was adapting.
I’m keen to read more books from Alasdair Gray now, his style in this book is very playful, fun and original.
It brings its setting and scenery to life so richly - usually I get a little bored with over descriptions of scenery but somehow it was woven in so well that I felt I wasn’t reading paragraphs upon paragraphs of descriptive text and yet got a more visceral feel for the environments than with many other books I’ve read.
It’s a lot more developed than the film in character and in themes and I’m glad I watched the film BEFORE I read the book so I could enjoy them as separate entities otherwise I think I would have ended up disliking the adaptation as the book is far superior. There is also such a significant and important element left out of the film that I understand now the critiques of the film as totally undermining the story it was adapting.
I’m keen to read more books from Alasdair Gray now, his style in this book is very playful, fun and original.