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absolute_gemma's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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? Yes
3.0
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
One reviewer mentioned that once you get past the first 85 pages, the novel flies. For me, it went the other way. "Quichotte" started out as imaginative, literate, playful, But as the novel rolled on, I lost the vibe, something that can happen with me and picaresque novels.
I was delighted at Quichotte's creation of his imaginary son, Sancho Smile, especially when Sancho was trying to figure out why he's in black and white and everyone else is in color. There are similar captivating moments but it just went on too long. Yes, the writing is luscious, but more was needed to propel Quichotte through to the end.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
One reviewer mentioned that once you get past the first 85 pages, the novel flies. For me, it went the other way. "Quichotte" started out as imaginative, literate, playful, But as the novel rolled on, I lost the vibe, something that can happen with me and picaresque novels.
I was delighted at Quichotte's creation of his imaginary son, Sancho Smile, especially when Sancho was trying to figure out why he's in black and white and everyone else is in color. There are similar captivating moments but it just went on too long. Yes, the writing is luscious, but more was needed to propel Quichotte through to the end.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
cindypepper's review
3.0
This is honestly a lot.
Rushdie's writing style can toe a fine line between complex and extra, and when it works, it works (see: Midnight's Children, Haroun and the Sea of Stories). In Quichotte, it gets meta: there's a narrative baked in a narrative. Sometimes they parallel each other. The novel gets chaotic to the point of utter bombast. The references to modern-day life feel hamfisted at times (e.g. humans that turn into mastodons, the Big Pharma and Elon Musk humanizations), often crammed, and often little more than a checklist of pop culture allusions ("graduating to a Rolls-Royce after years spent behind a Nissan Qashqai. It was colour after a lifetime of black-and-white, Monroe after Mansfield, Margaux after Hobnob, Cervantes after Avellaneda, Hammett after Spillane...").
However, in the moments when Rushdie cuts past the namedrops and the literary allusions, there lies beautiful prose and a deftly layered plot. But it gets bogged down by its own critique and bluster that it can be a fatiguing, maybe even pyrrhic, journey to get there.
Rushdie's writing style can toe a fine line between complex and extra, and when it works, it works (see: Midnight's Children, Haroun and the Sea of Stories). In Quichotte, it gets meta: there's a narrative baked in a narrative. Sometimes they parallel each other. The novel gets chaotic to the point of utter bombast. The references to modern-day life feel hamfisted at times (e.g. humans that turn into mastodons, the Big Pharma and Elon Musk humanizations), often crammed, and often little more than a checklist of pop culture allusions ("graduating to a Rolls-Royce after years spent behind a Nissan Qashqai. It was colour after a lifetime of black-and-white, Monroe after Mansfield, Margaux after Hobnob, Cervantes after Avellaneda, Hammett after Spillane...").
However, in the moments when Rushdie cuts past the namedrops and the literary allusions, there lies beautiful prose and a deftly layered plot. But it gets bogged down by its own critique and bluster that it can be a fatiguing, maybe even pyrrhic, journey to get there.
albionloveden's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
boxcar's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Wonderful homage to the epic of la mancha. Just fantastic. I think it took a bit for me to get into it: the dual narratives (not really dual, more story within a story, maybe story outside a story…) were a lot at first. Not only did they come together magnificently, they merged and mingled and nudged each other until I couldn’t imagine the story without either. Magical, poignant, emotional and funny. Sometimes modern novels irk me, if only for being too on-the-nose. Who wants to read about the world as it is, the social media landscape, the status quo? I mean, I do, but it’s gotta be good. This is such a case.
Honestly, there’s no way to put this story into words, to summarize. It wears its inspiration on its sleeve, but it is unlike anything else.
Honestly, there’s no way to put this story into words, to summarize. It wears its inspiration on its sleeve, but it is unlike anything else.
stephen_coulon's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It's Salman Rushdie’s second latest novel in which he recasts the story of Don Quixote in contemporary USA. The story follows a retired pharmaceutical salesman as he quests across America with his imaginary son in a mission to win the love of a daytime talk show host. Here, the quixotic protagonist’s mind is addled by television rather than chivalric poetry, and it’s fun to see Rushdie apply his signature satire entirely to American culture for a change. His swirling magical style is impressively on display here, but the book glances just shy of greatness in his oeuvre. For one thing, so much of the satire runs on television culture, and while Rushdie seems well enough versed in the boobtube milieu it doesn’t come across as entirely genuine. It’s like he knows the lyrics but cannot sing the tunes. I can’t imagine Rushdie spending hours each day in front of the set – the allusions seem more likely to have been compiled by an assistant on his behalf. It’s a detraction. Likewise his attempt to grapple with the opioid crisis in the book. After reading Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead, Rushdie’s less than serious satire comes across as tritely thinned. Nevertheless, there’s a lot to love in Quichotte, not only in Rushdie’s artistry at the paragraph level, but additionally in a layered metafictional element he pulls of quite expertly in this narrative.
sara_shocks's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 Stars
Superb look at some contemporary issues while also pondering the nature of reality & life & all sorts of fun stuff. I’ll be thinking about this for days if not weeks, and might revisit at some point in a few months.
Also, I need to read more Rushdie, I remember enjoying Midnight’s Children and the Satanic Verses. He’s very funny.
Superb look at some contemporary issues while also pondering the nature of reality & life & all sorts of fun stuff. I’ll be thinking about this for days if not weeks, and might revisit at some point in a few months.
Also, I need to read more Rushdie, I remember enjoying Midnight’s Children and the Satanic Verses. He’s very funny.
argus_adonis's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
calebgetto's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0