Reviews

Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie

corinth11's review

4.0

This book is beautifully written, and the glimpses into Kashmir are interesting, but I kept being disturbed by the gender politics--colonialism as played out on the female body or through female desire. Not sure how I feel about it still.

marie_gg's review

3.0

Took me awhile to get into, but well worth the effort in the end...sprawling, sad story of the making of a terrorist in Rushdie's classic poetic, literary style.

onyifans's review

4.0

begins and ends very well. there wasnt enough surprise in the middle; it's like he wrote it just trying to get to the present (the end).
super relevant right now considering the scourge on the earth that is zionism and its aspirational white supremacy.
love that he tells this story about love, hate, sacrifice, politics, and war with the personal stories of the nomans, ophuls, and kauls—but i wish i would've seen more of kashmira and boonyi, really felt and knew them. idc about max, girl

outtiegw's review

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lostinthefunhouse's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.75

misspalah's review

4.0

This is a well written of thrilling revenge tale. It is divided in 4 parts whereby it's reflected each character's perspective. I'm almost give up in the first part considering that almost 4 pages describing of how the girl named India didn't felt the sense of belonging to her name that's given by her father. I persevere and was rewarded with how Boonyi embraced her sexuality and chased her ambition and how Shalimar immersed himself in the terrorist nest and how Max make sense of his infidelity. I took 2 weeks due to so many characters and tale within tale but it was worth it. I'm giving it 4 stars.

liagatha's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense

3.75

niranjana_25's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Murder, Blood, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War, and Death of parent

shanviolinlove's review against another edition

4.0

Fantastic imagery, creative diction with Rushdie's signature, this supreme novel is charged with a century-spanning multifaceted transcontinental tale full of Nabokov-esque allusions to literary and pop culture, as well as sharp humor and a dialogue between reader and writer on major world issues. I enjoyed every minute of reading this novel.

aphraclare's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Antisemitism, Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Colonisation, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, War, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Violence, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Torture, Suicide, and Toxic relationship