McIlvaney- Scotland's Raymond Chandler

Would you listen to Laidlaw again? Why?

Most definitely! This Glaswegian detective is a combination of 'troubled man' , scholar, social worker, psychologist and is as consummately clever and tough as they come. A hugely compelling and appealing character.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Laidlaw?

The author uses what I think are immense literary and observational skills each time he analyses the leading characters in this novel. Impossible to point to just one example in a novel that is so rich with these examples. Even the toughies have their finer points.

What aspect of William McIlvanney’s performance might you have changed?

I enjoyed his reading because he wrote this excellent novel and knows exactly how to deliver it to its best BUT, it was often very off-putting to hear so distinctly whenever he needed to swallow or moisten his lips. This is where technically the pro's are best.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

LOVED the whole narrative and scene-setting around the interview Laidlaw has with the mother of the victim's friend!

Any additional comments?

I just so admired the author's ability to combine poetic and insightful descriptions of Glasgow and the various characters with the hard-hitting and more violent aspects of life and crime in this city. This is NOT a who-dun-it nor is it just a hard-hitting tartan-noir. It's almost a social commentary on modern day Glasgow and its damaging inequalities and ever-present dangers. Some really great one-liners that will make you smile though.

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15 people found this helpful

Great storytelling

Where does Laidlaw rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The author's take on the style of the story is rather soporific and great for going to sleep to. You have to really listen and often revisit earlier parts to get the full sadness and intertwining of the lives and the characters. There is no hero in this book just people with interrelated lives.It is like being in a noisy pub with a great raconteur and hating every distraction that is interrupting your enjoyment of the tales you are being told.I have different books for different times and different moods so this is one for solitary times when you want to meet an old friend and have a chat. I am sure on my next listen through i will find that i have missed a lot it is very richly layered.

What other book might you compare Laidlaw to, and why?

Probably something done in a stream of consciousness style as you drift through the unravelling of time and place and symbiosis.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

He could have set his characters as from different parts of scotland it was hard to tell who was speaking a lot of the time there was very little light and shade or change of pace in the voices

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were several character revelations of our antihero Laidlaw where he let his mask slip and we saw glimpses of the man underneath. I won't spoil these for other listeners.

Any additional comments?

Despite the difficulty listening to the narrator the book gained from having the author give his own feelings and pace so i will definitely buy the next written and read by William McIlvanney.

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12 people found this helpful

Mixed feelings

Some of the language in this story was beautiful, but I found it quite difficult to identify the characters. I think this was because the narration was in one 'voice' and each character talked in the same style as the others if you understand me. Also, between chapters there was no pause in order for the listener to absorb the narrative, so I ended up feeling rushed.
The story itself had a start, middle and end, but now looking back I can't separate them.
Perhaps the author could consider another narrator, maybe someone like Angus King, who could have brought each character to life.
However, all in all, worth a listen.

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1 person found this helpful

Great story, awful narrator noises

Sadly the narrator made loud noises whilst speaking - very distracting. Otherwise, I enjoyed the story and met a new author.

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Glaswegian..

It took me a little while to work out it was set in the early 70's-this was because there was a lack of mobile phones, and a David Essex reference confirmed it..
Great accents, good story...if you like tough, and maverick detectives with a touch of strong Glaswegian thrown in..take a chance on this.

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My 2nd time. Probably not my last.

It’s the depth of characters. Feel like I’m there among them and their cigarette smoke

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gave up boring narrator!

Oh dear story has potential even if set in 1977. But oh dear the narrator sounded like he was struggling with false teeth. Monotone and boring.

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4 people found this helpful

tedious

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I found this book very slow and did not really move along.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I could not find a character that I could form an opinion of.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

This book might have been better with a different narrator. The author/narrator had a very strong accent, which I was unable to tune into and found it very hard at times to understand, though he tried to give characters different accents, this failed and again made it difficult for me to follow the story.

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1 person found this helpful

Must read, didn’t set it down, so too speak, until finished

My new found author, I love him, he’s so down to earth and very very funny even though I am not sure he’s trying too be. The story line is brilliant and not one of those that try too baffle you with lots of different red herrings and false leads. Just a great story line and great characters. I can’t wait for the next audiobooks. I’m putting him with my other fave’s. JD Kirk, Stuart Macbride. n Dalgleish. Lol , bet I’ve spelt at least one name wrong off top of my head. Get this book it’s a must in Scottish Thriller’s. Love to all readers out there. Stay safe. Patricia Margaret Welsh xxxxx

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1 person found this helpful

Difficult to listen to

It’s a Scottish classic, superb in its turn of phrase and flavour of 1970’s Glasgow. There’s no doubt William McIlvanney was a giant of an author. But his narration is very hard to listen to, with advanced age running words and phrases together, often negating the dynamism of the written word. Several decades spanned the writing and narration of this book, and the author would have done better to leave the latter to someone else.

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