You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I first read this in 1999 and when I joined Goodreads ten years later I gave it a 3-star rating based on my decade old recollection.
In my 2019 reread, I’d probably give it a 2.5.
In my 2019 reread, I’d probably give it a 2.5.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
This is a great book. One of the most challenging ones I read (took me 2 months), the prose is very unique. The only thing I can compare it to is Kōbō Abe. Reading it felt like a fever dream sometimes.
I started reading it because of the background story on the author and the fatawa against him for writing this book. But I got something much more.
There is alot expected from the reader in terms of theology, well versed in literature and history knowledge to truly appropriate the book.
I had a notebook and was writing down things and looking up as I was going along.
I started reading it because of the background story on the author and the fatawa against him for writing this book. But I got something much more.
There is alot expected from the reader in terms of theology, well versed in literature and history knowledge to truly appropriate the book.
I had a notebook and was writing down things and looking up as I was going along.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I do my very best to not use this to describe books, but in this case it fits: pretentious nonsense.
"Exploring what good and evil mean, religion, family, love, class, immigrants..." - maybe there was but it was completely lost in the mess of confusing prose going seemingly nowhere. It wasn't particularly beautiful, it was just a colossal wall of mess. I don't even know what the purpose of the secondary narrative thread over the Prophet Muhammad was.
A huge slog that I should've DNF'd at 100 pages in but there was always another paragraph that made me hope it would explore something about these peoples' lives (the side stories of Chamcha's father for instance) or go more into the Ayesha Haj (which felt like a completely independent afterthought) or the racial tension in London (which felt like it was introduced and then treated as if it was a major thing but it was just quietly wrapped up the end) but no, he just wanted to talk about Chamcha's massive goat bulge repeatedly for some reason.
"Exploring what good and evil mean, religion, family, love, class, immigrants..." - maybe there was but it was completely lost in the mess of confusing prose going seemingly nowhere. It wasn't particularly beautiful, it was just a colossal wall of mess. I don't even know what the purpose of the secondary narrative thread over the Prophet Muhammad was.
A huge slog that I should've DNF'd at 100 pages in but there was always another paragraph that made me hope it would explore something about these peoples' lives (the side stories of Chamcha's father for instance) or go more into the Ayesha Haj (which felt like a completely independent afterthought) or the racial tension in London (which felt like it was introduced and then treated as if it was a major thing but it was just quietly wrapped up the end) but no, he just wanted to talk about Chamcha's massive goat bulge repeatedly for some reason.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
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
It is very unfortunate that this book gained notoriety as a result of the death sentence against Salman Rushdie and the subsequent turmoil which ensued from its publication, and not (or not mainly) due to its literary value, which is outstanding. Indeed, Rushdie masterfully interweaves many narrative arches and creates a rich and evocative novel which at its core deals not with religion, but with the individual's identity(ies) and its desperate longing to "fit in" in a large, hostile arena - be it geographic, spiritual or societal. I particularly enjoyed Rushide's quasi-poetic and musical style of writing, though I admit that one has to get accustomed to it. The underlying enigma over good and evil and the intrinsic ambiguity of both concepts, and the suspense over the fate of the two tortured protagonists (brilliantly described) permeates the novel with its ghostly presence, so that the reader really feels part of the convoluted, messy (but ultimately coherent and conclusive) tapestry that constitutes this novel. The Satanic Verses is a masterpiece of magical realism, and Salman Rushdie one of the bravest, most skilled story-tellers today.
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced