Reviews

Now I have to go and read an actual history of this area. This is a fascinating look at 250 years of history, with a touch of magic here and there to speed things along. There's some beautiful writing, some wit, sadness, happiness, etc.

And we see a variety of rulers, with varying personalities and philosophies, as the region lurches along the path of its destiny.

Worthwhile.

aliceinthelibrary's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

scobjob's review against another edition

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Rushdie is always a breath of fresh air with playful prose and timing. I really enjoy how Rushdie uses repetition of words, phrases, and ideas to explore the cyclical nature of life and society. Really interesting perspectives and allegories of masculine and feminine dynamics in society, even to thinking about how exclusion/denigration of masculinity is not a valuable goal (but from a feminist forward perspective).

melody_b419's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No

3.0

yungfrodo's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

4.5

bhnmt61's review against another edition

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3.0

Victory City reads like what it is: a history, although sometimes a fanciful, alternate one. Rushdie has said that his intent was to illuminate and bring to life a period of Indian history that has been nearly lost to time. I’ve never enjoyed reading history, so it was not exactly to my taste. There are long discussions of dynastic intrigue, political machinations, and regional rivalries, interspersed with briefer sections that were the only parts that were interesting to me: the lives of the half dozen or so people who become real to the reader and not just historical figures.

So, if you enjoy reading history, you’ll probably love it. The beginning is spectacular, but as it went along, I didn’t particularly enjoy it. If there hadn’t been other works of his that I’ve liked, I probably wouldn’t have finished, but I was determined to keep going. Also, if he thought he was writing a feminist re-telling of the times, he didn’t quite get there. There was one moment in particular that caused me to actually put the book down— he didn’t really mean that, did he? But on the other hand, Rushdie is incapable of writing an ugly sentence, so there’s that.

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