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numail4me's review against another edition
4.0
i'd go 5 if i understood more, but loved it anyway. this man has definitely taken some acid in his lifetime
oceanwader's review against another edition
5.0
One reviewer here recommended not reading, as an introduction to the author, this first novel by Salman Rushdie. I disagree. This was my first exposure to Rushdie's work. Not only was I immediately taken by the quality of his writing, but also by his imagination and creativity; and the fact that this was 'only' a first novel.
There were a couple of bits that were confused. However, they were insufficient for me to justify reducing star ranking to 4. Ergo, 5 it is.
There were a couple of bits that were confused. However, they were insufficient for me to justify reducing star ranking to 4. Ergo, 5 it is.
oldmansimms's review against another edition
2.0
Who'da thunk that Salman Rushdie got his start writing something like a knockoff Samuel R. Delany or Roger Zelazny novel.
theplantperson's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
lou_fh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
storycraft's review against another edition
4.0
Rushdie critique's his own work in this book. Read carefully the debate between Gribbs, Elfrida, and Irna about whether stories should be well tied together or not. It seems to be the issue that Rushdie struggles with in his first novel. There are moments of mystery, but the drive to tie all the ends together makes it a bit too neat in the end.
jeffreyp's review against another edition
1.0
Just really didn't enjoy this one. The narrative was kind of trite and confusing to me, but I did stop reading at one point where a rape is kinda of casually thrown into the plot.
markitherainbowreader's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
| i like in theory the mashup between all religions and mythologies and a thousand literary allusions
but it's pretty hard to actually read it. this is his first novel, maybe it gets better with the satanic verses or midnight's children. or maybe it doesn't because this is just his style and that's fine. but - good in theory, killer to read
but it's pretty hard to actually read it. this is his first novel, maybe it gets better with the satanic verses or midnight's children. or maybe it doesn't because this is just his style and that's fine. but - good in theory, killer to read
roshnara's review against another edition
3.0
The only thing that could possibly complicate a story about an immortal man trying to die, is a world that is completely imagined and perched precariously at the meeting point of multiple dimensions. Flapping Eagle, our protagonist, in his endless quest for death, has to locate the man who not only made him immortal, but also force him to face the consequences of his imagination. Add to the mix a town full of immortals who prefer to forget about their immortality and its reasons by hiding behind a facade of normality and obsessively forced routines, a sister who turns up only when needed, and only for the purpose of torture, a less than reliable tour guide aptly named Virgil, and we have an early insights into the worlds that Rushdie can cook up in his mind. Granted, the prose is not as free flowing as his later masterpieces, and not as affecting, but the sheer scope of his imagination and his foray into quasi SF is more than enough compensation for the fact.
Definitely recommended for people starting with Rushdie.
Definitely recommended for people starting with Rushdie.