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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I really liked the narration of this novel, very entertaining. The characters were well explored within the frame that Rushdie had chosen for them.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When the new neighbours move in, René immediately declares them his object of study and protagonists of the film he is going to make. The Golden family are simply fascinating, the father Nero and his three sons Petya, Apu and D. Interestingly, all carry ancient Roman names even though they obviously come from India. There must be more they are hiding. Their male idyll is threatened when Vasilisa shows up, the father’s new Russian lover. When René’s parents die in an accident, the Goldens become his replacement family and he moves in with them which gives him the opportunity to study them from much closer. The more time he spends with them, the more secrets are revealed and finally, he himself becomes a part of the family secret. Yet, the past the Goldens wanted to flee from catches up and they have to pay for what they thought they could leave behind them.
Salman Rushdie is well known for his politically loaded novels which never go unnoticed. Again, his latest novel puts the finger in a wound, this time the American and the question which played a major role in the 2016 presidential election: who is a true American and what makes you and American? Apart from this, in “The Golden House” the supervillain The Joker wins the election which is not very promising for the nation.
Even though there is an obvious political message, this hides behind the family story of the Goldens. Here, unfortunately, I had expected much more. Admittedly, the four men are drawn with noteworthy features and fates and to follow their struggles after settling in the USA is far from uninteresting, but it also is not as fascinating and remarkable as I had expected. It is the chronicles of an immigration family, not less, but also not more. Their numerous secrets can create some suspense, however, much of it is too obvious to really excite.
Where Salman Rushdie can definitely score is in the side notes:
“True is such a twentieth-century concept. The question is, can I get you to believe it, can I get it repeated enough times to make it as good as true. The question is, can I lie better than the truth.“ (Pos. 3380) and
“You need to become post-factual. – Is that the same as fictional? – Fiction is élite. Nobody believes it. Post-factual is mass market, information-age, troll generated. It’s what people want. “(Pos. 3390)
These are the times we are living in. Truth is created by the ruling classes and repeated as often as necessary until the people believe it. It is even better than fiction. This should definitely make us think about our consumption of media and question the producers of the news.
I appreciate Rushdie’s capacity of formulating to the point, the masses of references to novels and films are also quite enticing, at least they show that Rushdie himself in fully immersed in the western culture, but, nevertheless, I missed something really captivating in the novel. It was somehow pleasant to read, but not as remarkable as expected.
Salman Rushdie is well known for his politically loaded novels which never go unnoticed. Again, his latest novel puts the finger in a wound, this time the American and the question which played a major role in the 2016 presidential election: who is a true American and what makes you and American? Apart from this, in “The Golden House” the supervillain The Joker wins the election which is not very promising for the nation.
Even though there is an obvious political message, this hides behind the family story of the Goldens. Here, unfortunately, I had expected much more. Admittedly, the four men are drawn with noteworthy features and fates and to follow their struggles after settling in the USA is far from uninteresting, but it also is not as fascinating and remarkable as I had expected. It is the chronicles of an immigration family, not less, but also not more. Their numerous secrets can create some suspense, however, much of it is too obvious to really excite.
Where Salman Rushdie can definitely score is in the side notes:
“True is such a twentieth-century concept. The question is, can I get you to believe it, can I get it repeated enough times to make it as good as true. The question is, can I lie better than the truth.“ (Pos. 3380) and
“You need to become post-factual. – Is that the same as fictional? – Fiction is élite. Nobody believes it. Post-factual is mass market, information-age, troll generated. It’s what people want. “(Pos. 3390)
These are the times we are living in. Truth is created by the ruling classes and repeated as often as necessary until the people believe it. It is even better than fiction. This should definitely make us think about our consumption of media and question the producers of the news.
I appreciate Rushdie’s capacity of formulating to the point, the masses of references to novels and films are also quite enticing, at least they show that Rushdie himself in fully immersed in the western culture, but, nevertheless, I missed something really captivating in the novel. It was somehow pleasant to read, but not as remarkable as expected.
Rushdie's latest work depicts the fall of the ultra-wealthy Golden family through the lens (pun intended) of a nosy aspiring filmmaker. The story examines, among other things, the nature of truth and fiction in modern-day America, the various ways that identity is manifested, and the possibility of an act with evil intentions inadvertently creating something positive. Unfortunately, the exploration of these issues is interrupted by geysers of movie references and a barely related sideshow about the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. (The former were incredibly obnoxious; the latter could have been cathartic if it had been its own separate short story or essay.) I'm also less than satisfied with the author's attempted foray into some areas of identity. Rushdie approached some topics that are, admittedly, very complex, and sadly he seemed to use that complexity as an excuse to brush off or misrepresent some things.
That being said, there were some elements of this that I enjoyed. Rushdie's style of writing is magnificent when he keeps his sentences to a reasonable length, and the use of South Asian history and folklore is fascinating. But overall, this one was a bit of a slog for me. Some of the satire was less "insightful commentary" and more "angry Twitter rant," and by the end of the book, I was beyond caring about the outcome of the story.
That being said, there were some elements of this that I enjoyed. Rushdie's style of writing is magnificent when he keeps his sentences to a reasonable length, and the use of South Asian history and folklore is fascinating. But overall, this one was a bit of a slog for me. Some of the satire was less "insightful commentary" and more "angry Twitter rant," and by the end of the book, I was beyond caring about the outcome of the story.
This was the second book I read from Salman Rushdie, being the first the acclaimed [b:Midnight's Children|14836|Midnight's Children|Salman Rushdie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371063511s/14836.jpg|1024288][b:Midnight's Children|14836|Midnight's Children|Salman Rushdie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371063511s/14836.jpg|1024288]. I was already expecting a great prose, full of references and very poetic and I was not disappointed.
The story in itself is very straightforward and is in essence the background for the author to make a reflection on American identity and culture during the full course of the Obama presidency until this last election that brought "The Joker" to power.
The story focus on a family of 4 men, a father and his 3 sons, that came from India to escape their mysterious past, and is told from the point of view of an external narrator, René, a neighbor that works as a filmmaker and uses this family's past as the plot for his masterpiece. He cannot, however, maintain his neutrality and finds himself deeply involved with the family and the plot.
I really liked this book, its nuances, the fact that the events were so current and so relatable, and at the same time viewed from an external view point. It was filled with literary references, as well as allusions to films and I believe that I missed more than a few, but that was part of the book's charm and interest.
I would like to thank the publisher for the ARC of this book that enabled me to do this review.
I strongly recommend it to everyone that likes good writing enveloped in current events and an engaging back story.
The story in itself is very straightforward and is in essence the background for the author to make a reflection on American identity and culture during the full course of the Obama presidency until this last election that brought "The Joker" to power.
The story focus on a family of 4 men, a father and his 3 sons, that came from India to escape their mysterious past, and is told from the point of view of an external narrator, René, a neighbor that works as a filmmaker and uses this family's past as the plot for his masterpiece. He cannot, however, maintain his neutrality and finds himself deeply involved with the family and the plot.
I really liked this book, its nuances, the fact that the events were so current and so relatable, and at the same time viewed from an external view point. It was filled with literary references, as well as allusions to films and I believe that I missed more than a few, but that was part of the book's charm and interest.
I would like to thank the publisher for the ARC of this book that enabled me to do this review.
I strongly recommend it to everyone that likes good writing enveloped in current events and an engaging back story.
A bit of a slog to read, this one.
There's lots that is interesting about it - a novel of our times, covering the years from the election of Obama to that of Trump. So there's the political background, there's the exploration of identity and gender, references to safe spaces and no platforming....all that stuff....
The story is ostensibly about a rich family in New York- they are exiles from India where there is some kind of secret, tragic, criminal past....which they cannot escape from.
Except it isn't really about them - it's about the narrator - a young man who is observing them and planning to put them into a screenplay...
So it's about truth and lies and storytelling and there are references all the time to Greek and Roman history, to India and and Indian scandals, and lots and lots of references to films...
In the end it's just too full of detail and allusion and there's not enough depth of emotion to carry it off, I think. The characters are larger than life but also lack solidity. It's just too much of a fable for me to care about them.
There's lots that is interesting about it - a novel of our times, covering the years from the election of Obama to that of Trump. So there's the political background, there's the exploration of identity and gender, references to safe spaces and no platforming....all that stuff....
The story is ostensibly about a rich family in New York- they are exiles from India where there is some kind of secret, tragic, criminal past....which they cannot escape from.
Except it isn't really about them - it's about the narrator - a young man who is observing them and planning to put them into a screenplay...
So it's about truth and lies and storytelling and there are references all the time to Greek and Roman history, to India and and Indian scandals, and lots and lots of references to films...
In the end it's just too full of detail and allusion and there's not enough depth of emotion to carry it off, I think. The characters are larger than life but also lack solidity. It's just too much of a fable for me to care about them.
It has been a long time since I’ve read a story that has been so masterfully woven. While it seems at times wandering and vague, everything eventually twists together. A beautiful story, one I would highly recommend.
Overstuffed with literary, political, philosophical allusion that feels trite rather than profound; tries too hard to capitalize on present political time - maybe with some distance, i.e, temporal distance, it will read as more 'of a moment?' Right now reads as if Rushdie rushed too eagerly through social justice tumblr, tacked that to the skeleton of previous plot tropes, and called it a day. Can't beat his metaphors or quick ability to sketch character though.
2.5 stars! I started out hating this book for its writing style (and didn’t like that throughout), but ended up embracing the Shakespearean nonsense to enjoy the plot overall! Wouldn’t necessarily recommend, but it’s not the worst book I've ever read