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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Magic. I love that Rushdie imagines a future where we are looking back at what the reader knows is the present, going over what happened in a certain 1001 nights.
It makes everything seem very hopeful.
Things can seem very bleak right now, but we can bounce back. <3
It makes everything seem very hopeful.
Things can seem very bleak right now, but we can bounce back. <3
With how some of the users here have got in such a tizz over this book, you could almost be convinced it was another divisive and challenging Rushdie masterwork
Unfortunately that isn't quite true. In a way it's a tragic book—by no means did the idea have legs enough to outdo Rushdie's 20th century epics, but it still feels like Rushdie could have squeezed more out of it. He seems to talk lots about the less interesting ideas of philosophy to keep them accessible, and skims past the ones that could be really interesting. There seems to be an effort on his part to NOT put words in the mouths of the religious advocates he criticises (i.e. he basically uses exact arguments from actual historical philosophers), but that does mean those parts read like an introductory lecture in theology or metaphysics, which isn't great if you've read books in those subjects at that level already. The prose is okay, more readable but far less rewarding than older works.
Really, the worst offence is that Rushdie has done most of what this book has to offer previously, and better. Midnight's Children is the obvious example, and not only was it better written with more interesting characters, but the frame of nationalism went better with the concept than religion does here. Similarly, The Satanic Verses is obviously a much better and indeed subtler (Mahound aside) critique of religious hypocrisy and tyranny.
It started well did take something of an upturn at the end, but it just wasn't enough to push it up to a 3 after wading through the middle. It's hard to point to a specific part I found dull—I think it's just that Rushdie wrote too much everywhere, didn't edit or get edited, and the narrative suffers as a result.
Unfortunately that isn't quite true. In a way it's a tragic book—by no means did the idea have legs enough to outdo Rushdie's 20th century epics, but it still feels like Rushdie could have squeezed more out of it. He seems to talk lots about the less interesting ideas of philosophy to keep them accessible, and skims past the ones that could be really interesting. There seems to be an effort on his part to NOT put words in the mouths of the religious advocates he criticises (i.e. he basically uses exact arguments from actual historical philosophers), but that does mean those parts read like an introductory lecture in theology or metaphysics, which isn't great if you've read books in those subjects at that level already. The prose is okay, more readable but far less rewarding than older works.
Really, the worst offence is that Rushdie has done most of what this book has to offer previously, and better. Midnight's Children is the obvious example, and not only was it better written with more interesting characters, but the frame of nationalism went better with the concept than religion does here. Similarly, The Satanic Verses is obviously a much better and indeed subtler (Mahound aside) critique of religious hypocrisy and tyranny.
It started well did take something of an upturn at the end, but it just wasn't enough to push it up to a 3 after wading through the middle. It's hard to point to a specific part I found dull—I think it's just that Rushdie wrote too much everywhere, didn't edit or get edited, and the narrative suffers as a result.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved this, up until the ending. Yet another "all the magic is gone" ending, which is the last thing I want in a portal fantasy novel.
Update: So I gave this a second try listening on CD. Perhaps it's because my reading (listening) is broken in to time spent in the car that caused me difficulty in following this. It just jumps too much and I had difficulty following the story line, if in fact there is one.
This book made my head hurt. Sounded like a wonderful fantasy book. But so much jumping around, so little character development. Love books about Jinn but I had to put this one down.
This book made my head hurt. Sounded like a wonderful fantasy book. But so much jumping around, so little character development. Love books about Jinn but I had to put this one down.
«Сказка - ложь, да в ней намёк». Поговорка в точности про эту книгу.
При этом намёк очень понятный, местами даже не намёк, а прямой текст.
Спор мертвых философов, о том к чему придёт человечество, нападение темных джиннов на Землю, спровоцированное этим спором, и потомство джиннов светлых - люди без мочек ушей - которые должны остановить это вторжение. Как правильно написала Галина Юзефович - такой сюжет напоминает какой-то комикс. Но это обманчивое впечатление. За историями скрываются истории, как в волшебной шкатулке, темные джинны оказываются внутри каждого из нас, а описываемый хаос вторжения с каждой страницей все больше и больше кажется знакомым. Даже очень ленивому читателю будет сложно прочитать это, как сказку.
При этом намёк очень понятный, местами даже не намёк, а прямой текст.
Спор мертвых философов, о том к чему придёт человечество, нападение темных джиннов на Землю, спровоцированное этим спором, и потомство джиннов светлых - люди без мочек ушей - которые должны остановить это вторжение. Как правильно написала Галина Юзефович - такой сюжет напоминает какой-то комикс. Но это обманчивое впечатление. За историями скрываются истории, как в волшебной шкатулке, темные джинны оказываются внутри каждого из нас, а описываемый хаос вторжения с каждой страницей все больше и больше кажется знакомым. Даже очень ленивому читателю будет сложно прочитать это, как сказку.
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Rushdie knows how to write, but this time the story is far from strong enough to carry the weight of the words. I would recommend any other novel by Rushdie before this one.
I received TWO YEARS EIGHT MONTHS AND TWENTY-EIGHT NIGHTS as an ARC from NetGalley.com.
3.5 STARS
I'd never read Salman Rushdie before this. I almost didn't read this, either. I don't usually jump into such a well-established author's work on a whim; I like to talk to other readers whose tastes I'm familiar with and get their opinion on where to begin. If I don't know anyone who's read the particular author I'm interested in, I do a little research and choose that way. It's actually a lot like my process for choosing a horse to bet on in a race, except I don't end up dusty and sunburnt by the end of the day.
Anyway, my point was, I didn't know what to expect from TWO YEARS EIGHT MONTHS AND TWENTY-EIGHT NIGHTS, and I don't have other Salman Rushdie works to compare it to in my review. Just so you know.
I found this book while browsing NetGalley and I requested it for a few different reasons. First, I'd never read Rushdie before, but I'd always meant to, and here was one I might get for free, so why not give it a try? (I mean, I guess technically "first" should be that the cover design grabbed my attention. But whatever.) Next, I did some quick calculations and realised how long two years, eight months, and twenty-eight days is, and felt like I was being let in on a joke. And then I read the summary and knew this was going to be my first Salman Rushdie book.
Honestly, it took me a little bit to get into it, once I started reading. The structure calls for it to be written largely in the style of a myth or folk tale. That style works for me in short bursts, but I found it a little difficult to settle into for a novel-length story. I did eventually, though, and while most of the characters felt flat (as they tend to be in myths and fairy/folk tales) there were a couple that I wound up somewhat invested in, which is almost always the most important aspect to my enjoyment of stories.
This isn't a book I'd recommend universally, or at least not to people who force themselves to finish a book even when they're not enjoying it. TWO YEARS EIGHT MONTHS AND TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS is an odd tale--actually, I think it might make an even better movie--and as long as you can get into the style, it's worth your time.
3.5 STARS
I'd never read Salman Rushdie before this. I almost didn't read this, either. I don't usually jump into such a well-established author's work on a whim; I like to talk to other readers whose tastes I'm familiar with and get their opinion on where to begin. If I don't know anyone who's read the particular author I'm interested in, I do a little research and choose that way. It's actually a lot like my process for choosing a horse to bet on in a race, except I don't end up dusty and sunburnt by the end of the day.
Anyway, my point was, I didn't know what to expect from TWO YEARS EIGHT MONTHS AND TWENTY-EIGHT NIGHTS, and I don't have other Salman Rushdie works to compare it to in my review. Just so you know.
I found this book while browsing NetGalley and I requested it for a few different reasons. First, I'd never read Rushdie before, but I'd always meant to, and here was one I might get for free, so why not give it a try? (I mean, I guess technically "first" should be that the cover design grabbed my attention. But whatever.) Next, I did some quick calculations and realised how long two years, eight months, and twenty-eight days is, and felt like I was being let in on a joke. And then I read the summary and knew this was going to be my first Salman Rushdie book.
Honestly, it took me a little bit to get into it, once I started reading. The structure calls for it to be written largely in the style of a myth or folk tale. That style works for me in short bursts, but I found it a little difficult to settle into for a novel-length story. I did eventually, though, and while most of the characters felt flat (as they tend to be in myths and fairy/folk tales) there were a couple that I wound up somewhat invested in, which is almost always the most important aspect to my enjoyment of stories.
This isn't a book I'd recommend universally, or at least not to people who force themselves to finish a book even when they're not enjoying it. TWO YEARS EIGHT MONTHS AND TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS is an odd tale--actually, I think it might make an even better movie--and as long as you can get into the style, it's worth your time.