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crazygoangirl's review
4.0
My first Rushdie! I’ve steered clear of Rushdie thus far for no particular reason other than the fact that there was a truckload of hype that surrounded his books especially after The Satanic Verses and I generally steer clear of overly hyped books and authors. But when I stumbled across this beautiful Vintage classic edition of Haroun and Luka, I decided to take the plunge. I’ve been drawn to children’s literature for the last couple of months and this seemed a good choice.
My edition had both, Haroun and The Sea of Stories and Luka and The Fire of Life. The first was written for Rushdie’s older son Zafar and the latter, for his younger son Milan. They are both firmly in the magical realism genre, laden with symbolism and rife with metaphors! Although I’m a fan of the genre and found his writing style and word-play appealing and easy to read, the symbolism and metaphors could get overwhelming at times, especially in Luka’s story.
However having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed both these stories! I found them both whimsically original, the characters quirky and well written and the narrative brilliantly paced. Rushdie borrows heavily from his Indian heritage particularly in naming his magical characters, and I enjoyed the resulting word-play in the narrative. Although the stories tackle serious themes of death, love, friendship, relationships, family, sacrifice, compromise, courage, innovation, creativity, faith and hope, they do so in a way eminently relatable to children, who I’m certain will have no difficulty empathising with Haroun and Luka and cheering them on their quests.
I’m glad my first brush with Rushdie has been through these stories. It makes me more conducive to giving his adult fiction a go!
My edition had both, Haroun and The Sea of Stories and Luka and The Fire of Life. The first was written for Rushdie’s older son Zafar and the latter, for his younger son Milan. They are both firmly in the magical realism genre, laden with symbolism and rife with metaphors! Although I’m a fan of the genre and found his writing style and word-play appealing and easy to read, the symbolism and metaphors could get overwhelming at times, especially in Luka’s story.
However having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed both these stories! I found them both whimsically original, the characters quirky and well written and the narrative brilliantly paced. Rushdie borrows heavily from his Indian heritage particularly in naming his magical characters, and I enjoyed the resulting word-play in the narrative. Although the stories tackle serious themes of death, love, friendship, relationships, family, sacrifice, compromise, courage, innovation, creativity, faith and hope, they do so in a way eminently relatable to children, who I’m certain will have no difficulty empathising with Haroun and Luka and cheering them on their quests.
I’m glad my first brush with Rushdie has been through these stories. It makes me more conducive to giving his adult fiction a go!
mariel_thecrownedgoddessreads's review
4.0
Tienes que acercarte a este libro con el alma de un niño. Así lo he disfrutado.
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