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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mincblowing in its erudition and complexity. It is dense and you can't force it, but it is well worth the effort.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I find it hard to review a classic because they're classics for a reason. Who am I gonna turn round and go you know what, 3 stars?
I really enjoyed this book. Took me forever to read but that wasn't the books fault so much as travelling when I was reading it. I loved reading the book having been to India. Rushdie paints such a vivid picture of the country but having been there gave it that extra dimension. When you're familiar with the energy of a place it allows you to picture it so mich better. I was very excited by the locations I'd been to: Red Fort in Delhi- check. Train from Varanasi to Delhi- check (though not clinging to the outside thank god), Agra- check. Makes me want to go to Mumbai now!
Rushdie used magical realism to perfection in this book. So perfect to capture the essence of India. There is so much gorgeous symbolism in this book, both on the nose and subtle. Far too much to list but the two most striking examples for me were the people getting shut out of the trains just as people were being shut out of the country. Then also the image of the red and black ants fighting over the body of a cockroach, like the Indians and Pakistanis were fighting over the ruins of Bangladesh.
For such a massive cast of characters I was impressed that they were all so interesting and complex. Some I loved, some I hated. Young Jamila(Brass Monkey) was an icon. I was a bit gob smacked when Rushdie kills of pretty much Saleem's entire family at the end of book 2. All these characters we've grown to care about (or hate), just gone. Brutal.
I would compare this book to The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida both because of magical realism in South Asian countries but also in how profound they could be. I learnt so much about Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi history from this book, in the way Seven Moons taught me about Sri Lankan history. Midnight's Children wasn't quite as dark as Seven Moons but god did it have it's moments. Especially the (then) West Pakistani attack on (then) East Pakistan. Absolutely devastating to read and I was horrified I'd literally never heard if it before.
I will say for all that I loved in this book, I really, really could not stand Saleem. I wasn't sure to what extent we're supposed to be disgusted by him and to what extend he's supposed to be sympathetic. I certainly think you're meant to be disgusted byhis creepy little incestuous crush . But even before then his tone is always so self important and self pitying. Think "mad aunt Sonia" puts it best: "Saleem, is it? Yes, I remember you. Nasty little brat you were. Always thought you were growing up to be God or what."
I can't get past his bare faced hypocrisy and misogyny. Over and over he blames the women in his life for wronging him. The thing that really turned me against him washis revenge on his mum for her secret meetings with her ex, like his dad wasn't mucking about with his secretaries infront of everyone . Once you notice his misogyny it's hard to stop noticing it. The absolute worst was when he talks about Jamila's "vengeful abandonment" of him, oh please. Have some fucking self awareness. Also naming his son Jarnila , really? Saleem has ISSUES.
He is so self centred. I know he is special but there's a time and a place. He witnesses some of the worst atrocities humans are capable of, on a mass scale, and is crying for how unfair his life is, cos he's been rejected by women. Bro. I wrote down lots of examples of his misogyny in an angry rant but no one wants to read that and I did really enjoy the book so don't want to dwell too much.
I really enjoyed this book. Took me forever to read but that wasn't the books fault so much as travelling when I was reading it. I loved reading the book having been to India. Rushdie paints such a vivid picture of the country but having been there gave it that extra dimension. When you're familiar with the energy of a place it allows you to picture it so mich better. I was very excited by the locations I'd been to: Red Fort in Delhi- check. Train from Varanasi to Delhi- check (though not clinging to the outside thank god), Agra- check. Makes me want to go to Mumbai now!
Rushdie used magical realism to perfection in this book. So perfect to capture the essence of India. There is so much gorgeous symbolism in this book, both on the nose and subtle. Far too much to list but the two most striking examples for me were the people getting shut out of the trains just as people were being shut out of the country. Then also the image of the red and black ants fighting over the body of a cockroach, like the Indians and Pakistanis were fighting over the ruins of Bangladesh.
For such a massive cast of characters I was impressed that they were all so interesting and complex. Some I loved, some I hated. Young Jamila
I would compare this book to The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida both because of magical realism in South Asian countries but also in how profound they could be. I learnt so much about Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi history from this book, in the way Seven Moons taught me about Sri Lankan history. Midnight's Children wasn't quite as dark as Seven Moons but god did it have it's moments. Especially the (then) West Pakistani attack on (then) East Pakistan. Absolutely devastating to read and I was horrified I'd literally never heard if it before.
I will say for all that I loved in this book, I really, really could not stand Saleem. I wasn't sure to what extent we're supposed to be disgusted by him and to what extend he's supposed to be sympathetic. I certainly think you're meant to be disgusted by
I can't get past his bare faced hypocrisy and misogyny. Over and over he blames the women in his life for wronging him. The thing that really turned me against him was
He is so self centred. I know he is special but there's a time and a place. He witnesses some of the worst atrocities humans are capable of, on a mass scale, and is crying for how unfair his life is, cos he's been rejected by women. Bro. I wrote down lots of examples of his misogyny in an angry rant but no one wants to read that and I did really enjoy the book so don't want to dwell too much.
Dense, panoramic, often overwhelming: the kind of book that requires years of re-reading to fully get your head around.
I was immediately taken with Rushdie's tangential yet wonderfully funny prose and the layers of meaning he folds into every sentence. Unfortunately, I found myself reading this during a period of too little time and too much stress. I therefore lost momentum with the final third, and had to push through to the end. It's not a light read, by any means.
Hope to revisit this in the future when time is a little less constrained, so I can more fully immerse myself in Rushdie's unique account of Indo-Pakistani history.
I was immediately taken with Rushdie's tangential yet wonderfully funny prose and the layers of meaning he folds into every sentence. Unfortunately, I found myself reading this during a period of too little time and too much stress. I therefore lost momentum with the final third, and had to push through to the end. It's not a light read, by any means.
Hope to revisit this in the future when time is a little less constrained, so I can more fully immerse myself in Rushdie's unique account of Indo-Pakistani history.
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Matter of fact descriptions of the outré and bizarre, and their reverse, namely heightened, stylized versions of the everyday" = "techniques, which are also attitudes of the mind"
"To understand just one life, you have the swallow the world. I told you that."
cf end "Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done, of everything done-to-me. I am everyone everything whose bring-in-the-world affected was affected by mine. I am anything that happens after I've gone which would ,ot have happened if I had not come. Nor am I particularly exceptional in this matter; each 'I', every one of the now six-hundred-million-plus of us, contains a similar multitude. I repeat for the last time, to understand me you'll have to swallow a world."
"a country which would never exist except by the efforts of a phenomenal collective will — except in a dream we all agreed to dream; ot was a mass fantasy shared in varying degrees by Bengali and Punjabi, Madrasi and Jat, and would periodically need the sanctification and renewal which can only be provided by rituals of blood. India, the new myth — a collective fiction in which anything was possible, a fable rivalled only by the two other mighty fantasies: money and God."
"To understand just one life, you have the swallow the world. I told you that."
cf end "Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done, of everything done-to-me. I am everyone everything whose bring-in-the-world affected was affected by mine. I am anything that happens after I've gone which would ,ot have happened if I had not come. Nor am I particularly exceptional in this matter; each 'I', every one of the now six-hundred-million-plus of us, contains a similar multitude. I repeat for the last time, to understand me you'll have to swallow a world."
"a country which would never exist except by the efforts of a phenomenal collective will — except in a dream we all agreed to dream; ot was a mass fantasy shared in varying degrees by Bengali and Punjabi, Madrasi and Jat, and would periodically need the sanctification and renewal which can only be provided by rituals of blood. India, the new myth — a collective fiction in which anything was possible, a fable rivalled only by the two other mighty fantasies: money and God."
It was very slow to read, confusing to follow, very raw and honest. I did not enjoy the magical realism in the book.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
whoa. Slow, tough reading. It's a heavily affected prose that constantly circles back and forward, and you have to keep track of both to understand the sentences. I just had trouble processing this prose.
The book, as designed, is a history of India through Saleem Sinai - a boy born to a nonreligious musim family at midnight, the exact moment of India's independence, in August of 1947 - about the time Rushdie himself was born. (Pakistan had declared independence a day earlier). The style reflects 1001 nights, I think (I haven't read it.). And story is flush with references to Indian and Hindu mythologies. But everything is undermined. Everything Saleem is gets turned upside down, foundational carpets pulled out, with nothing to replace them. Everything we learn about who he is becomes meaningless. Everything he becomes has no purpose. We go through language demonstrations, wars with Pakistan, the division of Pakistan, and the repressive Emergency pushed through by Indira Ghandi as an effort to stay in power in the 1970's. India established itself as a civil democracy, but a chaotic one. Citizens could not criticize the government during the Emergency. Pakistan, meanwhile, was established as an Islamic paradise, and was rife with cultural restrictions, military coups, and government lies. Well, that's Saleem's sense.
But Saleen is one boy caught in history. He is only 31 when he is telling us his story. But his tone is full of the nostalgia and regret you expect from an old man. Saleem, like Rushdie, is a child of privileged Bombay. (Mumbai had never existed at publication) His senses are filled with the cultural mélange and insanity of this multicultural city. During the language riots, Bombay was fought over politically by citizens of different languages attempting to pull the city in different directions. Saleem will experience different parts of Pakistan, Bangladesh and the slums of Delhi. None of these experiences will inspire anything positive, except that charming erratic chaos of Bombay.
This is the book that put Rushdie on the map. It was his second novel. Good reviews allowed him to quit his regular job to write full time. It would win the Booker Prize award, a selection that would come to define that award. It's widely considered the best Booker. (He was sued by Indira Ghandi for one line. He was not sued for criticizing her oppressive policies. The line in question playfully suggested her neglect of her husband had caused his death - the sentiment in-line with the book's tone, but not really one a reader would take seriously. Anyway, he agreed to take the line out!)
As much I admire and admired this book, it was a tough read. I was really engaged through large parts of the middle. But not in the beginning, and not at the end. It was slow, and was work. And my emotions weren't in. You know how we tend to say, I'm glad I read it. I suspect I am actually glad. I learned a lot about Indian history and mythology. I didn't know so much of modern India was Muslim. I didn't know how repressive Indira Ghandi's government. And I didn't know anything about Hindu mythology. In that sense, it's fun to think back on. There is a lot here. The mixture of cultures, and history, and the way it's done is refreshing. Rushdie's choice to undermine everything he says makes for tough reading, but it also makes an interesting and creative commentary of life, history, politics and, of course, India.
Read at your own risk. 🙂
The book, as designed, is a history of India through Saleem Sinai - a boy born to a nonreligious musim family at midnight, the exact moment of India's independence, in August of 1947 - about the time Rushdie himself was born. (Pakistan had declared independence a day earlier). The style reflects 1001 nights, I think (I haven't read it.). And story is flush with references to Indian and Hindu mythologies. But everything is undermined. Everything Saleem is gets turned upside down, foundational carpets pulled out, with nothing to replace them. Everything we learn about who he is becomes meaningless. Everything he becomes has no purpose. We go through language demonstrations, wars with Pakistan, the division of Pakistan, and the repressive Emergency pushed through by Indira Ghandi as an effort to stay in power in the 1970's. India established itself as a civil democracy, but a chaotic one. Citizens could not criticize the government during the Emergency. Pakistan, meanwhile, was established as an Islamic paradise, and was rife with cultural restrictions, military coups, and government lies. Well, that's Saleem's sense.
But Saleen is one boy caught in history. He is only 31 when he is telling us his story. But his tone is full of the nostalgia and regret you expect from an old man. Saleem, like Rushdie, is a child of privileged Bombay. (Mumbai had never existed at publication) His senses are filled with the cultural mélange and insanity of this multicultural city. During the language riots, Bombay was fought over politically by citizens of different languages attempting to pull the city in different directions. Saleem will experience different parts of Pakistan, Bangladesh and the slums of Delhi. None of these experiences will inspire anything positive, except that charming erratic chaos of Bombay.
This is the book that put Rushdie on the map. It was his second novel. Good reviews allowed him to quit his regular job to write full time. It would win the Booker Prize award, a selection that would come to define that award. It's widely considered the best Booker. (He was sued by Indira Ghandi for one line. He was not sued for criticizing her oppressive policies. The line in question playfully suggested her neglect of her husband had caused his death - the sentiment in-line with the book's tone, but not really one a reader would take seriously. Anyway, he agreed to take the line out!)
As much I admire and admired this book, it was a tough read. I was really engaged through large parts of the middle. But not in the beginning, and not at the end. It was slow, and was work. And my emotions weren't in. You know how we tend to say, I'm glad I read it. I suspect I am actually glad. I learned a lot about Indian history and mythology. I didn't know so much of modern India was Muslim. I didn't know how repressive Indira Ghandi's government. And I didn't know anything about Hindu mythology. In that sense, it's fun to think back on. There is a lot here. The mixture of cultures, and history, and the way it's done is refreshing. Rushdie's choice to undermine everything he says makes for tough reading, but it also makes an interesting and creative commentary of life, history, politics and, of course, India.
Read at your own risk. 🙂