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olicooper's review against another edition
2.0
You can’t rush Rushdie. If you do, you’re missing it. I didn’t rush reading through The Golden House, but I also didn’t feel the need to. There was not too much that was pulling me back in. There is much time spent on characters, without really developing the character. These parts were used more or less as a way of introducing Rushdie’s running commentary on current events (which I did enjoy! They just didn’t make much for character or plot development).
If you removed all references to Greek and Roman mythology, literature, film, you can probably cut out a third of the book. That isn’t to say I disliked them all, only to say I got tired of reading so many of them.
I thought the narration was interesting. Rene at first acts much like Nick does in the Great Gatsby, a participant, but a distant one. He watches the “Goldens” and is mesmerized by them, yearning to learn their story. He arguably gets a bit more involved than Nick ever was able in the Great Gatsby.
And as for the Trump in the room, he makes his appearance, if only as an excuse for Rushdie attack the “fictionalized” villain that terrorizes the city, readying to terrorize us all. The characters or Trump, Clinton, and other players in the 2016 election, don’t really add anything to the plot, but allow the narrator a little time to vent his frustrations at America willingly voting for a monster to be king.
Is this book going to stand the test of time, probably not. It is all very timely, but not timeless. Even though this may not be one of my favorites of his, I am always ready to read. The way he weaves various issues, themes, motifs, etc. into his stories. I’m sure Rushdie’s thoughts on identity politics, gender politics, political correctness, censorship, etc. won’t sit well with everyone, but they are great discussions to have.
If you removed all references to Greek and Roman mythology, literature, film, you can probably cut out a third of the book. That isn’t to say I disliked them all, only to say I got tired of reading so many of them.
I thought the narration was interesting. Rene at first acts much like Nick does in the Great Gatsby, a participant, but a distant one. He watches the “Goldens” and is mesmerized by them, yearning to learn their story. He arguably gets a bit more involved than Nick ever was able in the Great Gatsby.
And as for the Trump in the room, he makes his appearance, if only as an excuse for Rushdie attack the “fictionalized” villain that terrorizes the city, readying to terrorize us all. The characters or Trump, Clinton, and other players in the 2016 election, don’t really add anything to the plot, but allow the narrator a little time to vent his frustrations at America willingly voting for a monster to be king.
Is this book going to stand the test of time, probably not. It is all very timely, but not timeless. Even though this may not be one of my favorites of his, I am always ready to read. The way he weaves various issues, themes, motifs, etc. into his stories. I’m sure Rushdie’s thoughts on identity politics, gender politics, political correctness, censorship, etc. won’t sit well with everyone, but they are great discussions to have.
hildalev's review against another edition
2.0
This book has a very interesting structure, it resembles a play, possibly a Greek tragedy. This way we can experience the story how it presents itself to the narrator, who first sees the Goldens arrive, and slowly gets more and more acquainted with them. Unfortunately this structure, which is very interesting from the intellectual point of view, prevented me from getting to know the character on my own, but forced me to fully rely the narrator (aka author), who told me right from the beginning, who is who. This introduction resembled an extended list of characters, to long for my taste. The characters themselves, though not entirely unbelievable, can be best described as symbols rather than people. The most alive people in the story were for me the narrator’s parents, who only come up now and then. I am wondering if the author thought about his own parents when he wrote this characters, because they seem to be the only ones he has a real warm connection to.
I won’t talk long about all the references to the very end of the end of the book (When we finally discovered…) og the intertextual references, which were really interesting when done with context, but for the most part were an irritating list of films I knew nothing about. There were just too many of both.
What I want to talk about is some themes that the book comments a lot on. They are important themes that everybody is talking about nowdays: autism, gender issues, the current political situation in the US. I understand that the author wanted to paint a picture of modern America, but it seems like he desperately tries to join the conversation and has nothing new to say.
Another thing is the culmination. After he has been baiting us for so long with the remarks that we will find out all in the end, the culmination we get is disappointing. He doesn’t lie, we do find out all, but we get what seems like a summary on the life of Nero Golden up to date, taken form any gangster fiim, you name it. And the big reveal, I got it already in the first third of the book.
That said, Rushdy is brilliant in writing about what he knows: the immigration, the longing for home, cultures, literature, a certain mood in the air. The book has a lot of atmospheric cinematographic descriptions and it can be easily dissected into expressive quotes. Sadly, these quotes don’t make a good novel.
These I only some points I wanted to touch upon, but I could have talked about it for a long time, which is too one of the upsides of this novel, and it can be highly recommended for a book club.
I won’t talk long about all the references to the very end of the end of the book (When we finally discovered…) og the intertextual references, which were really interesting when done with context, but for the most part were an irritating list of films I knew nothing about. There were just too many of both.
What I want to talk about is some themes that the book comments a lot on. They are important themes that everybody is talking about nowdays: autism, gender issues, the current political situation in the US. I understand that the author wanted to paint a picture of modern America, but it seems like he desperately tries to join the conversation and has nothing new to say.
Another thing is the culmination. After he has been baiting us for so long with the remarks that we will find out all in the end, the culmination we get is disappointing. He doesn’t lie, we do find out all, but we get what seems like a summary on the life of Nero Golden up to date, taken form any gangster fiim, you name it. And the big reveal, I got it already in the first third of the book.
That said, Rushdy is brilliant in writing about what he knows: the immigration, the longing for home, cultures, literature, a certain mood in the air. The book has a lot of atmospheric cinematographic descriptions and it can be easily dissected into expressive quotes. Sadly, these quotes don’t make a good novel.
These I only some points I wanted to touch upon, but I could have talked about it for a long time, which is too one of the upsides of this novel, and it can be highly recommended for a book club.
joonswifey's review against another edition
3.0
i really believed in my heart this book would NEVER END. i am so glad i made it. it was so dense. it was loaded with so many things i feel like i am took dumb to comprehend, references i did not understand. it was well written and mildly interesting. i'm just so happy its over. maybe my reading slump is finally done.
expatally's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
miss_canthus's review against another edition
3.0
I had a hard time getting into the story but then I really liked it. All the hints to modern society and so on. Really a good read for our times
rubyii's review against another edition
2.0
Despite laughing out loud more than I have with any other book, dnf. Do people HAVE to be weird to be interesting? I don't think so...
joyousreads132's review against another edition
4.0
The day after the November 2016 election, the entire world was left grappling with the unlikely victory of the Orange One. To this day, it’s an event too painful to reminisce to some (including me). Whenever we feel a certain disappointment or heartbreak, we are known to have an automatic response – a knee jerk reaction. We’re either overcome – so much so that we can’t function, or we get up. Fight like we’ve never fought before.
For Salman Rushdie, this book was his response. Some of his critics expressed their disappointment as his 13th novel came off as a string of ramblings and rants about the state of America as we speak. To him, however, this was a novel set in a world gone insane. So everything was grandiose, over exaggerated, but wholly apropos.
The synopsis defies the entirety of the novel. In fact, I can’t begin to start giving you a little rundown if only to hook you in so you may traverse the novel the way I reluctantly did at first. For me, Rushdie is a road not travelled. I have no idea what was in store for me, so I approached this book with great trepidation. It didn’t take long until I’m in its grip, however. All I could think about while the story was unfolding was how Shakespearean or Greek-ly tragic it was. When you have all the riches in the world but the world spits you out lifeless and bloody in response.
The Golden House was a novelty to me. The writing, the structure, the characters, and the way the present America is juxtaposed to the story of this fabulously wealthy family is something I’ve never experienced before. The barebones is really all about the Golden’s. On the run from his past, Nero Golden decided to reinvent his family’s identity. Nobody is allowed to know from which country they came, or the past that acts as a darkness that was always looming in the periphery of the story.
Flushed with millions, the sons were free to do as they pleased to some extent. Regardless of the freedom that was available to them, the patriarch still has the last word. For years, life was, as it seemed – that is, until a much younger Russian beauty captured Nero’s attention and changed the dynamics of the family.
My foray into Rushdie’s writing was generally refreshing, though rocky at times. Still, I found myself completely immersed in his writing, his flawed characters, and the events unfolding before me. I think it’s time to start building my personal Rushdie library.
For Salman Rushdie, this book was his response. Some of his critics expressed their disappointment as his 13th novel came off as a string of ramblings and rants about the state of America as we speak. To him, however, this was a novel set in a world gone insane. So everything was grandiose, over exaggerated, but wholly apropos.
The synopsis defies the entirety of the novel. In fact, I can’t begin to start giving you a little rundown if only to hook you in so you may traverse the novel the way I reluctantly did at first. For me, Rushdie is a road not travelled. I have no idea what was in store for me, so I approached this book with great trepidation. It didn’t take long until I’m in its grip, however. All I could think about while the story was unfolding was how Shakespearean or Greek-ly tragic it was. When you have all the riches in the world but the world spits you out lifeless and bloody in response.
The Golden House was a novelty to me. The writing, the structure, the characters, and the way the present America is juxtaposed to the story of this fabulously wealthy family is something I’ve never experienced before. The barebones is really all about the Golden’s. On the run from his past, Nero Golden decided to reinvent his family’s identity. Nobody is allowed to know from which country they came, or the past that acts as a darkness that was always looming in the periphery of the story.
Flushed with millions, the sons were free to do as they pleased to some extent. Regardless of the freedom that was available to them, the patriarch still has the last word. For years, life was, as it seemed – that is, until a much younger Russian beauty captured Nero’s attention and changed the dynamics of the family.
My foray into Rushdie’s writing was generally refreshing, though rocky at times. Still, I found myself completely immersed in his writing, his flawed characters, and the events unfolding before me. I think it’s time to start building my personal Rushdie library.
pearloz's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic! Less a plotty novel than it was a chronological experience, I was riveted from the out. The Golden men traveling from an unnamed country, the house they created, the community that blossomed around them, the experiences of the 3 sons, it was all so natural and believable, and I found the writing was almost...casually fantastic. SR is a damn good writer in full possession of his faculties and abilities.
I enjoyed the stuff about Trump without having to say Trump--Trump as the Joker worked really well. His rants--and they could be described as nothing else--about Trump, Gender, Cultural sensitivities all rang true.
And a fantastic and plausible conclusion. Love this book!
I want a list of all the films discussed in the book. I heard the audiobook so I didn't have a chance to jot them all down. I'd heard of some, the Bunuel ones I knew, but a lot of the Indian films I did not.
I found the stuff of the guardianship of the child a little unbelievable since HE WAS HIS DAD. You don't have to be afraid of a restraining order, you petition the court, you take a paternity test, you prove you're the father, and you get placement. Yeesh!
I enjoyed the stuff about Trump without having to say Trump--Trump as the Joker worked really well. His rants--and they could be described as nothing else--about Trump, Gender, Cultural sensitivities all rang true.
And a fantastic and plausible conclusion. Love this book!
I want a list of all the films discussed in the book. I heard the audiobook so I didn't have a chance to jot them all down. I'd heard of some, the Bunuel ones I knew, but a lot of the Indian films I did not.
I found the stuff of the guardianship of the child a little unbelievable since HE WAS HIS DAD. You don't have to be afraid of a restraining order, you petition the court, you take a paternity test, you prove you're the father, and you get placement. Yeesh!
ida_s's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this. Clever plot and subplots, and an incredible amount of references to literature and movies. One of my favorite images is Donald Trump as the Joker.
I don’t believe in René as a young man - his voice seems like the voice of the author as I know it from other books by him. But I don’t actually mind, because I like that voice.
I don’t believe in René as a young man - his voice seems like the voice of the author as I know it from other books by him. But I don’t actually mind, because I like that voice.