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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Violence
This is the second Salman Rushdie book I’ve read, the first being The Satanic Verses, which is probably his most popular book.
The Golden House tells the story of a powerful and wealthy family that immigrated to America from a (to the reader for the first few chapters of the book unbeknownst) foreign country. It’s centered around Nero Golden and his three sons, Petya, Abu and D. The curious thing about it, though, is that it is told not by one of them, but by their new neighbour and wannabe-filmmaker René.
This book was filled with all things American and many relevant topics and issues were addressed; there’s a bit about everything, really: from Black Lives Matter and gender questions to wealth and poverty to mental health and illness to terror attacks and gun control – really, everything you ever thought about, it’s in this book. In the center of everything, though, is the question of identity.
There are three aspects which make me say that, yes, The Golden House is a highly important novel. The first aspect I have broached already: there are many important issues Salman Rushdie raised and discussed, the insights we got through various characters; this book was filled with tragedy and crisis and at the same time it was a portrait of America as we see it today.
Second, the characters. René, unreliable and honest at the same time, our narrator and our eyes and ears in this book. The Golden family, Nero and his sons, all deeply flawed, all dealing with problems of various kinds. And many others: Riya, Suchitra, Vasilisa – what a wide range of characters Rushdie created in this book! They were all exceptionally written and filled the story with life.
And lastly, of course, Salman Rushdie’s writing. His writing style is different to anything else I’ve ever read. Some sentences take up almost the whole page, and there’s a metaphor here and a reference there and it’s just like being thrown right into the narrator’s head and hearing his every thought. But I really liked that. It made the whole story seem kind of raw; although I am sure that not one word was added just for the sake of it and everything was very thought-through, it felt different. At times the passages were almost hurried and that’s just what makes Rushdie such a good story-teller: while reading, I felt like I was right there amidst Nero and Petya and Apu and D and René (of course).
Yet, there’s more. Throughout the book, the structure of the writing itself changes: there were times, when novel turned into drama, into screenplay. This, I thought, was especially clever, since the narrator is a filmmaker in spe (or as he calls himself, a “would-be writer of films”).
And still, there is a reason why I, personally, can’t give this book five stars. There was such an amount of information, such a huge input of knowledge, it could get confusing at times. Other people might not have this problem, but there were moments when I found myself overwhelmed. There were metaphors I didn’t get, references to movies and books I haven’t watched or read, and events I hadn’t heard of before were talked about at length. As I said before, this is a personal problem and yet I feel like it’d be unfair to give a star more.
To conclude, I can say that, although I had my difficulties with it at times, this book is a very important read. I’m sure that The Golden House will stay with me for a long time. And isn’t this what makes a book a good book?
I want to thank the publisher, Random House UK, and NetGalley, who provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Golden House tells the story of a powerful and wealthy family that immigrated to America from a (to the reader for the first few chapters of the book unbeknownst) foreign country. It’s centered around Nero Golden and his three sons, Petya, Abu and D. The curious thing about it, though, is that it is told not by one of them, but by their new neighbour and wannabe-filmmaker René.
This book was filled with all things American and many relevant topics and issues were addressed; there’s a bit about everything, really: from Black Lives Matter and gender questions to wealth and poverty to mental health and illness to terror attacks and gun control – really, everything you ever thought about, it’s in this book. In the center of everything, though, is the question of identity.
There are three aspects which make me say that, yes, The Golden House is a highly important novel. The first aspect I have broached already: there are many important issues Salman Rushdie raised and discussed, the insights we got through various characters; this book was filled with tragedy and crisis and at the same time it was a portrait of America as we see it today.
Second, the characters. René, unreliable and honest at the same time, our narrator and our eyes and ears in this book. The Golden family, Nero and his sons, all deeply flawed, all dealing with problems of various kinds. And many others: Riya, Suchitra, Vasilisa – what a wide range of characters Rushdie created in this book! They were all exceptionally written and filled the story with life.
And lastly, of course, Salman Rushdie’s writing. His writing style is different to anything else I’ve ever read. Some sentences take up almost the whole page, and there’s a metaphor here and a reference there and it’s just like being thrown right into the narrator’s head and hearing his every thought. But I really liked that. It made the whole story seem kind of raw; although I am sure that not one word was added just for the sake of it and everything was very thought-through, it felt different. At times the passages were almost hurried and that’s just what makes Rushdie such a good story-teller: while reading, I felt like I was right there amidst Nero and Petya and Apu and D and René (of course).
Yet, there’s more. Throughout the book, the structure of the writing itself changes: there were times, when novel turned into drama, into screenplay. This, I thought, was especially clever, since the narrator is a filmmaker in spe (or as he calls himself, a “would-be writer of films”).
And still, there is a reason why I, personally, can’t give this book five stars. There was such an amount of information, such a huge input of knowledge, it could get confusing at times. Other people might not have this problem, but there were moments when I found myself overwhelmed. There were metaphors I didn’t get, references to movies and books I haven’t watched or read, and events I hadn’t heard of before were talked about at length. As I said before, this is a personal problem and yet I feel like it’d be unfair to give a star more.
To conclude, I can say that, although I had my difficulties with it at times, this book is a very important read. I’m sure that The Golden House will stay with me for a long time. And isn’t this what makes a book a good book?
I want to thank the publisher, Random House UK, and NetGalley, who provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
***Copy From NetGalley in return for an honest review***8
I gave this a good go - I haven't read any Salman Rushdie before so I wanted to try and remedy that and thought this would be a good place to start, but unfortunately I just couldn't get into it and in the end I gave up. Probably not the book for me - I'll have to have a go at one of his earlier novels - I did enjoy a radio adaptation of Midnight's Children back in the day.
I gave this a good go - I haven't read any Salman Rushdie before so I wanted to try and remedy that and thought this would be a good place to start, but unfortunately I just couldn't get into it and in the end I gave up. Probably not the book for me - I'll have to have a go at one of his earlier novels - I did enjoy a radio adaptation of Midnight's Children back in the day.
medium-paced
a “modern” take on the great gatsby, it tackles some distinctly “trendy” american issues right now. and somehow ends up bringing nothing new to the table, at all. the opinions expressed in this book, while written pretty well, have been done to death. the book meanders, not in a good way, but to the point where it gets insufferably boring and i have to stop my eyes from skipping whole chunks of paragraph. occasionally there are some poetic jewels, yes, but frankly nothing illuminates, nothing is fresh. it just reads like some man’s bitter take on the world, packaged into a book, and like the golden mansion, looks gorgeous but is ultimately empty.
if anyone is interested in the issues discussed in this book, theyre better off reading genuine opinions from the marginalised themselves. this book just reads like a privileged man’s scorn at current day america. like a very slow jacking off session to his own words. i hate to reduce the author like this, but his identity simply shines through glaringly, even before i knew the author at all.
maybe this book just isnt meant for me, aka genz bisexual asian, and instead meant for those whose world is far beyond that of the marginalised, who want to dip their toe into contemporary issues and be painted as victorious.
or maybe i just came in with the wrong expectations. to me, america is a country full of tragedy, but despite it all, one brimming with hope, with vitality. the author strips this away to just corruption, just rot. if thats what he wants, and thats what readers see america as, then so be it.
but most likely, i just had too high hopes, because i was endeared to the characters - i wanted to root for them, for petya, for d. i wanted the narrative to straighten itself out, to burst forth into light. and so i soldiered on, til it got so posey and contrived, so damn annoying, that i couldnt.
im trying very hard to defend this book, but i really cant. the author writes with none of the grace of fitzgerald. or, no grace at all, frankly.
if anyone is interested in the issues discussed in this book, theyre better off reading genuine opinions from the marginalised themselves. this book just reads like a privileged man’s scorn at current day america. like a very slow jacking off session to his own words. i hate to reduce the author like this, but his identity simply shines through glaringly, even before i knew the author at all.
maybe this book just isnt meant for me, aka genz bisexual asian, and instead meant for those whose world is far beyond that of the marginalised, who want to dip their toe into contemporary issues and be painted as victorious.
or maybe i just came in with the wrong expectations. to me, america is a country full of tragedy, but despite it all, one brimming with hope, with vitality. the author strips this away to just corruption, just rot. if thats what he wants, and thats what readers see america as, then so be it.
but most likely, i just had too high hopes, because i was endeared to the characters - i wanted to root for them, for petya, for d. i wanted the narrative to straighten itself out, to burst forth into light. and so i soldiered on, til it got so posey and contrived, so damn annoying, that i couldnt.
im trying very hard to defend this book, but i really cant. the author writes with none of the grace of fitzgerald. or, no grace at all, frankly.
So, it was a challenging read. Very multi-layered. But, still very satisfying now that I've finished it. Rushdie is a great commentator on society and American society in particular. Perhaps some of his clear eyed view comes from being an outsider. I would give it four stars; but, it is a little bit of a slog. He can get a little into the weeds with art and philosophy. Was definitely worth reading. Also, he uses the device of tell the story from the perspective of a screen writer who is basing his work on the Golden family. That can make some of the scenes a little more drawn out because he tells them in screen writerly style. (Is that even a term?) It's a very 'now' book with lots of commentary on American politics. So, you have to be up for that as well.
This was just boring and too hard to read. It felt like the author was using phrasing and paragraphs that were purposely convoluted just to be clever. It wasn't clever and the book club hated it.
reflective
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
oh my god
This is the first Rushdie I've read. I've got a feeling it's not his best; the book is overstuffed and meandering, but it's got enough pure genius in it, particularly his delightfully apt metaphors for and descriptions of the Trump presidency, that this won't be the last book of his I pick up.
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
An intelligent novel with amazing narration that keeps you on the edge of your seat for what's about to come. The story is tragic and filled with unexpected turns. Each of the characters is well-rounded with their personal histories and flaws. Despite enjoying the social commentary (especially the Joker), the constant mentions of film and pop culture felt too much at times. (Maybe due to me lacking a background in US culture) Overall, it was very enjoyable to read, but the author's intent with the choice of cultural references was hard (sometimes impossible) to decipher.