You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
Wow! So much to take in! I want to give it 4 stars but there was so much that I still have to process about the story and my impressions that I may update the rating later.
Definitely a book you want to take the time to savour and contemplate upon as you read it. I hope to read it again.
Definitely a book you want to take the time to savour and contemplate upon as you read it. I hope to read it again.
Why (why?????) did I wait so long to read this? I can't believe I went for so long not knowing what I was missing. Adjectives to describe this book adequately do not exist. Just read it. And then read it again...
From the early pages of this book, Rushdie’s biggest inspirations are obvious: Joyce, Marquez, and Pynchon. He consistently shows the best of these writers. MC also contains some of the most frustrating elements of reading these writers.
I felt this book had immense literary and cultural merit. I also thought it was beautiful crafted, funny, and insightful. I think this book could benefit from a deep reading and literary analysis. However, I didn’t particularly enjoy reading it. Similarly to Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, I recognized that the book was great without actually enjoying the reading experience. It isn’t a coincidence that they were published only a few years apart, when portentous mega-novels were acceptable and even encouraged and every serious author had to reference Gravity’s Rainbow.
I think the best way to think about this is as Rushdie’s Ulysses or One Hundred Years of Solitude. It’s big, rambling and never considers brevity. Instead of getting bogged down in every aside, ramble or obscure subplot, let the book wash over you and receive what catches your interest. Then I think you can both enjoy the work and understand it’s greatness.
I felt this book had immense literary and cultural merit. I also thought it was beautiful crafted, funny, and insightful. I think this book could benefit from a deep reading and literary analysis. However, I didn’t particularly enjoy reading it. Similarly to Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, I recognized that the book was great without actually enjoying the reading experience. It isn’t a coincidence that they were published only a few years apart, when portentous mega-novels were acceptable and even encouraged and every serious author had to reference Gravity’s Rainbow.
I think the best way to think about this is as Rushdie’s Ulysses or One Hundred Years of Solitude. It’s big, rambling and never considers brevity. Instead of getting bogged down in every aside, ramble or obscure subplot, let the book wash over you and receive what catches your interest. Then I think you can both enjoy the work and understand it’s greatness.
Amazing! Simply amazing, but there is nothing simple about this book. It took me two months to read and it seemed that I read continuously. It's dense, with no white spaces on the page, print everywhere, a barrage avalanche explosion of boiling images sounds emotions. I loved the act of reading it, of absorbing the sentences and building a whole narrative in my mind-- national as well as human. Clever, funny, thought-provoking. . . it did make me wonder how the author could have noticed all the the details of all the things he described with such precision. . . Amazing.
Whew, I finally made it through! I liked this novel but it is so densely written that I felt like I was wading through quicksand at times. I wanted to finish but had to force myself to keep going through certain sections. I felt a little deflated by the ending but overall (good and bad) enjoyed the story.
I really wanted to read this, but i just couldn't get any traction.
challenging
funny
mysterious
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
Salman Rushdie writes magical realism, but he is not Marquez. The bits about the history of India and Pakistan were interesting, the rest - not my cup of tea.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes