Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I'm not going to pretend that I fully understood this book or loved it for the acclaimed piece of literature that it is. The author's writing style is (intentionally) disorienting and full of allusions I probably missed. What I did gather was that this amalgamation of post-modern and post-colonialist thought weaves issues of identity and exploitation while also presenting the notion of reincarnation as a flawed phenomenon rather than a pure process of reawakening. Just like the characters, I'm full of doubt in my intellectual faith that, yes, this is a seminal work of art. Perhaps I, too, need to submit to more struggles before again journeying to this text.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is a tough one for me — this book is highly imaginative and beautifully written. I loved the characters, but it just didn’t land for me in its totality.
I love this book for its technical aspects. For the story itself, I just sort of like it. I’ll definitely need to read it again as my opinions might change.
I love this book for its technical aspects. For the story itself, I just sort of like it. I’ll definitely need to read it again as my opinions might change.
Palimpsest of absurdity. I find it abhorrent that the Ayatollah have to give Rushdie the “fatwah” for offending his faith. If they just decided to burn this , I believe even atheist like me would have rejoiced from it.
I started to read this to see what all the fuss was about when this book came out so long ago. I quit after about 10 pages. I couldn't get into it and most of it made no sense at all to me.
The writing is so amazing that I had goosebumps reading the entire last 1/3 of the book.
I didn't actually finish this one, which is unusual for me. Only got about halfway before I gave it up. I just dreaded reading it and didn't want to anymore.
I don't like the style of this one. It feels very stream of consciousness in a self-indulgent, unfun way. I also don't like it on a story level. I felt constantly unmoored. Anything could happen at any time and there didn't seem to be any rules. I didn't feel like the characters had consistent wants or motivations, so not only could anything at all happen, but I had no way to even conceptualize what was more or less likely to happen. The plot, such as it is, felt more like a series of loosely-connected events than a coherent plot. Not for me.
I don't like the style of this one. It feels very stream of consciousness in a self-indulgent, unfun way. I also don't like it on a story level. I felt constantly unmoored. Anything could happen at any time and there didn't seem to be any rules. I didn't feel like the characters had consistent wants or motivations, so not only could anything at all happen, but I had no way to even conceptualize what was more or less likely to happen. The plot, such as it is, felt more like a series of loosely-connected events than a coherent plot. Not for me.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
This is my favorite book in the world. I read it after a summer camp counselor of mine read us a chapter from it. I find Salman Rushdie’s writing to be incredibly beautiful, and the complexity of his characters fascinating- especially Chamcha, as he struggles with the fight between his home country and assimilation into Britain. Both of them are actors, not just Gibreel. Gibreel’s stories and hallucinations are so beautifully done- you feel just as confused and confident as he is- is this really happening? Is this a part of the world, or is it part of his head? Are his visions real or imagined? I could read this book over and over and never get tired of it- I often bring it with me to things just to open to a random page and start reading.
Buen libro. Y aunque quizás en el pasado fue tan polémico como para buscarle amenazas de muerte a su autor hoy resulta muy correcto en cuanto a su estructura. Es una obra donde se nota el gran trabajo de Rushdie pero para mi gusto le hace falta algo de emoción. Hay secciones completas que son maravillosas, pero otras se sienten como los rellenos que son. Igual me parece que es unas de esas obras que eventualmente todos tenemos que leer alguna vez.
I have a low tolerance for modernist experiments in fiction, but this one held threaded its experimentation with a strong sense of story and some frickin' beautiful prose. Suddenly Salman Rushdie has skyrocketed up my list of favourite authors. Looking forward to reading Midnight's Children!