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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Wonderful book. Set in a very memorable political time for me, and a classic Rushdie story. Characters are great, complex, and full. The premise is interesting and quite a few shocks are in there. Also a heartwarming ending that I wasn't expecting. The capacity for forgiveness that some of these characters has is great, and other's does not exist at all.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
challenging
slow-paced
I have never read Salman Rushdie before, but with this book have become a fan. Warning, the rest of this isn't really a book review, more tribute to the author. I was exceptionally fortunate to recently meet Salman Rushdie at the Hay Festival. I needed something to do between seeing Maggie O'Farrell and Margaret Atwood (it was a very good day) and the Salman Rushdie talk on this book and other things, conveniently filled the space. I thought it would be a great talking point to share with people, but I got so much more out of it. He spoke about everything he had learned in writing this book, how he had researched the autistic spectrum and transgender issues. I found it really heartwarming to think of an author learning something by writing a book as much as I do by reading it. And it was a learning experience, I'm not exactly high brow and I did have to keep a dictionary open on my phone while I read this.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Simply amazing; come for the 21st century take on Gatsby, stay for a deep dive into world cinema and pop culture discourse, as well as the most striking and artful depiction of the past eight years - and especially the past year - that I've yet found in fiction (or non-fiction, for that matter). It's a marvel of a time capsule, and frequently infuriating.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Writing is good with strong imagery and symbols throughout the book. Makes one think about the malleability of identity and how everyone is reshaping themselves one way or another to escape their past and in a way the Goldens is a microcosm of America (in the book), with the downfall of the family happening while the country is falling into extremist, racism/sexism-fuelled chaos.
I'm a Rushdie fan, but this book didn't speak to me as his others have. To be fair, I'm not crazy about the Great Gatsby, either, to which this novel is continually compared. Philosophical droning from pretentious rich boys about the damaged ultra-rich in their midst doesn't resonate with me, even as I recognize moments of brilliance.
In this book, I felt there was just too much of the philosophizing, too much (dare I say it) whining over the narrator's poor decisions. I found the narrator unlikable, and though I understand that unlikability in a main character is often the intent, in this case, I felt annoyed rather than enlightened by the flaws of a fellow human being.
Rushdie is, of course, a master storyteller, so there was enough mystery and intrigue (not to mention hilarious moments imagining Trump as the Joker) to keep me reading. But the final third of the book, in which All Is Revealed, felt like a giant information dump, with so much detail about shady business practices in Bombay that I was, well, bored. Even though it was about mobsters and murder.
Maybe if I hadn't had such high hopes, I would've enjoyed this novel more, but I was disappointed rather than transported.
In this book, I felt there was just too much of the philosophizing, too much (dare I say it) whining over the narrator's poor decisions. I found the narrator unlikable, and though I understand that unlikability in a main character is often the intent, in this case, I felt annoyed rather than enlightened by the flaws of a fellow human being.
Rushdie is, of course, a master storyteller, so there was enough mystery and intrigue (not to mention hilarious moments imagining Trump as the Joker) to keep me reading. But the final third of the book, in which All Is Revealed, felt like a giant information dump, with so much detail about shady business practices in Bombay that I was, well, bored. Even though it was about mobsters and murder.
Maybe if I hadn't had such high hopes, I would've enjoyed this novel more, but I was disappointed rather than transported.