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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Lol it should be noted you need a strong knowledge of muslim myths to read this book but it was still fire.
One of the most difficult books I have ever read. I had to look up a study guide upon finishing it, and I wished I had taken notes while reading. That is not to say that it's not enjoyable - Salman Rushdie is an exceptional author, and very funny to boot.
This took me quite a while to finish because I just could not get into it. I really enjoyed the historical fiction parts but the main story was honestly a bit confusing.
I found the story to be a bit wandering and mostly unconnected but I am not sure if I just missed it! I wanted to like it because the characters were all fun and it was well written. the narrative just lost me.
I found the story to be a bit wandering and mostly unconnected but I am not sure if I just missed it! I wanted to like it because the characters were all fun and it was well written. the narrative just lost me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Not a lot of novelists have the balls to start a book with a suicide bomber causing a plane crash, or transform its main characters into angels and devils, or have a whole subplot about Muhammad the prophet, or playfully describe dongs, breasts, or women eating butterflies. No one can say Rushdie lacks in imagination.
It is a masterfully constructed novel that tackles questions of identity on the individual, community, and cosmic scale -- and still doesn't quite fire off on all cylinders. There is a lot to love (Rushdie's penchant for magic realism, comedy, narrative parallels, and irony are all present), but it's weighed down by too much of a muchness. I was never bored, but the connections between the million dazzling subplots and ideas didn't cohere as cleanly as I was hoping either. It is a thick, enriching ambitious world that doesn't quite fill the reader's stomach.
There is also a number of similarities to The Master and Margarita that I refuse to believe are accidental -- and the similarities are good! I just think, unlike Bulgakov, Rushdie got a bit too caught up in his own navel-gazing allegories to really let his freak flag fly as gloriously as the first half of the book promised.
If you love magic realism and/or Rushdie, it's great. But it's a narrative that also requires patience and faith that there's something there worth mulling over--which is incredibly appropriate for a book where the main characters might be incarnations of Gibreel and Shaitan.
It is a masterfully constructed novel that tackles questions of identity on the individual, community, and cosmic scale -- and still doesn't quite fire off on all cylinders. There is a lot to love (Rushdie's penchant for magic realism, comedy, narrative parallels, and irony are all present), but it's weighed down by too much of a muchness. I was never bored, but the connections between the million dazzling subplots and ideas didn't cohere as cleanly as I was hoping either. It is a thick, enriching ambitious world that doesn't quite fill the reader's stomach.
There is also a number of similarities to The Master and Margarita that I refuse to believe are accidental -- and the similarities are good! I just think, unlike Bulgakov, Rushdie got a bit too caught up in his own navel-gazing allegories to really let his freak flag fly as gloriously as the first half of the book promised.
If you love magic realism and/or Rushdie, it's great. But it's a narrative that also requires patience and faith that there's something there worth mulling over--which is incredibly appropriate for a book where the main characters might be incarnations of Gibreel and Shaitan.
reflective
tense
medium-paced
This is pretty much contraband in the entire Mid-East, so I feel like an information smuggler. I had to find out what is upsetting enough to inspire a fatwa. So far, it's a really dizzying read... in a good way. The language is frenetic in style, like you're trying to keep pace with an extremely frenzied, harried mind. I imagine it would be really difficult to follow if you don't know anything about Indian culture, English culture, or Islam. It seems to be one of those books that everyone has on their bookshelf but has never read. I intend to break the curse! I'm really getting into it... finally.
Parts compelling, parts slow, parts a bit over my head.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes