Reviews

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

abhaykrishnanr's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny informative tense 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? No

4.25

blimeburner's review against another edition

1.0

I don't really understand why this is a popular book. I really didn't like it. I feel like the plot was kind of all over the place. I thought the book would focus more on the Midnight's children since it's the title of the book, but they seemed like almost an afterthought. The plot seemed very rushed by the end. I think about a fourth of the book takes place before the main character is born and about half of the book takes place during his childhood. It was just oddly paced.

reintje69's review against another edition

challenging fast-paced

• Loveable characters? No

3.0

It’s super dense- ends up to be confusing. Too much of a good thing in each page, perhaps 

kahkmyers's review against another edition

Very boring. So much could be edited out and what was there made little sense. 

trishool's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

peskimo's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

ezismythical's review against another edition

funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

pyrorchis's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.0

emmamorganti's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

gauriraut's review against another edition

4.0

Took so long to read, I'm surprised I managed to enjoy it. The writing takes a while to get used to. And at first (when we spent 156 pages on 32 years worth of backstory before our protagonist was even born) the inability of the narrator to follow a linear timeline without jumping to some incident in the future of which we know nothing about and in doing so opening up approximately 200 plot lines, honestly left me so confused I thought I was never going to figure the book out or even enjoy it. The first is true, the latter isn't.

The narrator wasn't very likeable and the plot is (is there one, that is my real question) weird. But there was something that kept drawing me in. Maybe it is because I love magical realism, and the enjoyment I derived was solely from that love and had nothing to do with this particular book. Maybe it had. Some chapters were so clever in their wordplay or joy inducing in their sheer absurdity, while being simple and inconsequential, that I am surprised at that possibility.

(The book also made reference to my hometown twice and that made me very excited.)

If someone were to ask me what this book is about, I honestly can't tell. It's about our protagonist's life, but it's also about the life of India and how our protagonist (believes to have) influenced it.