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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Probably one of the most interesting books I have read... I think I missed out on a lot of the depth because of my lack of knowledge of the Quran and cultural references that were made.
Well I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Interesting thoughts about good and evil, good vs evil? Are good and evil that far apart, can they be compatible?
The silver river,
of a thousand butterflies,
Glimmering on the blade of the moonlight,
Dancing past
What falls to earth
The smoldering wings of a crashing plane
Two men
Eating the air like a sacrament
Taking it like a pilgrimage
Wrapping themselves in it like the folds of a cocoon
In order to be reborn one must first die
of a thousand butterflies,
Glimmering on the blade of the moonlight,
Dancing past
What falls to earth
The smoldering wings of a crashing plane
Two men
Eating the air like a sacrament
Taking it like a pilgrimage
Wrapping themselves in it like the folds of a cocoon
In order to be reborn one must first die
Having read Midnight's Children and Shame already, I would not have read this if my book club hadn't picked it.
I find Rushdie's books unpleasant. While I can appreciate his unique style, and how his story is grappling with religion vs secularism, and the experience of immigrants, using absurdity and humour, I can't help feeling that what it's really about is physically and morally repugnant men using their power and influence to sleep with beautiful women.
I think what I've realized about maximalism is that I like maximalism of experience, both internal and mundane, like in the memoirs of Knausgaard and Proust, but I'm not a fan of maximalism of plot. There is so much going on and so many unhelpful tangents that I have a hard time knowing what I should care about, and the result is that I don't care about any of it.
I find Rushdie's books unpleasant. While I can appreciate his unique style, and how his story is grappling with religion vs secularism, and the experience of immigrants, using absurdity and humour, I can't help feeling that what it's really about is physically and morally repugnant men using their power and influence to sleep with beautiful women.
I think what I've realized about maximalism is that I like maximalism of experience, both internal and mundane, like in the memoirs of Knausgaard and Proust, but I'm not a fan of maximalism of plot. There is so much going on and so many unhelpful tangents that I have a hard time knowing what I should care about, and the result is that I don't care about any of it.
I wish I could say I read the whole thing but I had to DNF it. What I got through was great, but it is heavy and just not for me right now. I'll try again another time I'm sure.
dark
mysterious
sad
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
NOTE: I was literally in college when I read this book and wrote this review. I've been on this site for decades now, and you can see the date on a review when you read it, so maybe keep that in mind before leaving me a snarky comment. Eventually I will reread this and write a different (better) review, but until then...
Here's the thing about this book that you will immediately grasp from what everyone says: it's a beast. I do not mean this in a bad sense. I mean this in the sense that it's overwhelming. It's long, complex (storylines that involve overlapping characters and storylines that don't overlap in time or space at all), dense and occasionally slow. It is not for the reader with ADD. No matter how quickly you think you might read, reading this book will slow you down. No matter how determined you are to catch every single detail and nuance of this book and what it means, you will not.
I can generally blaze through a book in a matter of days. It took me an entire year to read this book, and was almost certainly my longest read. I often had to go back and refer to other parts of the book to keep names and events straight. but you know what? it was worth every minute.
Rushdie is a master writer, and I can't tell you how much I took away from this book. I would have liked to taken a class on it while reading it so that I could have understood more of it, but even without one, I enjoyed every second of it. reading it is a labor of love, but it's a highly rewarding one.
Here's the thing about this book that you will immediately grasp from what everyone says: it's a beast. I do not mean this in a bad sense. I mean this in the sense that it's overwhelming. It's long, complex (storylines that involve overlapping characters and storylines that don't overlap in time or space at all), dense and occasionally slow. It is not for the reader with ADD. No matter how quickly you think you might read, reading this book will slow you down. No matter how determined you are to catch every single detail and nuance of this book and what it means, you will not.
I can generally blaze through a book in a matter of days. It took me an entire year to read this book, and was almost certainly my longest read. I often had to go back and refer to other parts of the book to keep names and events straight. but you know what? it was worth every minute.
Rushdie is a master writer, and I can't tell you how much I took away from this book. I would have liked to taken a class on it while reading it so that I could have understood more of it, but even without one, I enjoyed every second of it. reading it is a labor of love, but it's a highly rewarding one.
One of the most challenging books I've read. Intellectual and literary challenges to be sure, but for the most part, I experienced an immense cultural humility reading this book. To best appreciate every nuance of this book, I would have had to have lived or extensively travelled to both India and the West End of London, read both the Koran and the Vedas, have a greater understanding of Bollywood and studied the history of Islam.
That being said, the sheer artistry of Rushdie's storytelling of parallel worlds, multiple layers, magical and real dimensions, is amazing.
And last night, after finishing the book, I dreamt of a drought. And a flood. And leading a movement of human consciousness while enveloped in butterflies, while others trailed behind me in their station wagons of skepticism.
And for that, I rate this book amazing.
That being said, the sheer artistry of Rushdie's storytelling of parallel worlds, multiple layers, magical and real dimensions, is amazing.
And last night, after finishing the book, I dreamt of a drought. And a flood. And leading a movement of human consciousness while enveloped in butterflies, while others trailed behind me in their station wagons of skepticism.
And for that, I rate this book amazing.
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
tense
medium-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