Alasdair Gray (1934–2019)

Big nope. Thought the film adaptation looked smug and pretentious but defaulting to the novel didn't inspire me either, sadly. This is basically an old man's ranty rant about history and society disguised as a commentary on the treatment of women: 'You think you are about to possess what men have hopelessly yearned for throughout the ages: the soul of an innocent, trusting, dependent child inside the opulent body of a radiantly lovely woman.' Gray also crams every nineteenth century literary device known to man into first half of the book, before flipping the narrative to sneer at those Victorian tropes - and repeating the same old rants from a supposedly feminist perspective. Yawn. I'm glad Emma Stone and the costume designer got something out of the film, but I definitely won't be wasting any more time on Alisdair Gray's griping.… (mere)