Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
Can a Rushdie be really this bad? I am not sure
How bad should a book be that half way through the book you get the irresistible urge to flip to the last page and be done with it and how bad should a book be that when you finally reach the last page you have no idea what you read and how it all unfolded.
One thing can be said for this one with absolute certainty it certainly leaves a gaping hole in you life when you have finished, the abyss of time utterly wasted.
How bad should a book be that half way through the book you get the irresistible urge to flip to the last page and be done with it and how bad should a book be that when you finally reach the last page you have no idea what you read and how it all unfolded.
One thing can be said for this one with absolute certainty it certainly leaves a gaping hole in you life when you have finished, the abyss of time utterly wasted.
I am very torn about my feelings on this book. On one hand I really enjoyed it, and on the other hand I almost couldn't finish it.
The plot, overarching ideas, and 90% of the writing is well done.
The characters are not fleshed out, even though at the introduction of each there is a three page backstory pausing the plot. There are often run on sentences and sometimes the writing style is horrendous to read. When the author uses internal dialogue there is no indentation differentiating between characters and no quotation marks or italics to separate the thoughts from the rest of the paragraph. There is also one character whose sections are written in a completely different manner that is awful to read. The spelling and sentence structure are supposed to be how the character talks I assume, but no other character gets their own form of writing. The dialogue is also like something out of the Odyssey, even though it takes place in current times.
Honestly the whole book reminded me of the Odyssey. It is just about that difficult to read. If you can get past the bad bits, the plot and themes are very interesting. There is also quite spot on tongue in cheek humor thrown in as well.
My overall opinion is that this is a good book, but I almost couldn't finish it. Though, I am glad I did.
The plot, overarching ideas, and 90% of the writing is well done.
The characters are not fleshed out, even though at the introduction of each there is a three page backstory pausing the plot. There are often run on sentences and sometimes the writing style is horrendous to read. When the author uses internal dialogue there is no indentation differentiating between characters and no quotation marks or italics to separate the thoughts from the rest of the paragraph. There is also one character whose sections are written in a completely different manner that is awful to read. The spelling and sentence structure are supposed to be how the character talks I assume, but no other character gets their own form of writing. The dialogue is also like something out of the Odyssey, even though it takes place in current times.
Honestly the whole book reminded me of the Odyssey. It is just about that difficult to read. If you can get past the bad bits, the plot and themes are very interesting. There is also quite spot on tongue in cheek humor thrown in as well.
My overall opinion is that this is a good book, but I almost couldn't finish it. Though, I am glad I did.
I'm really not certain of where to rate this book. I enjoyed the concept of the book and there are some very clever thoughts sprinkled throughout the book. The plot moves along nicely. My problem is with character development. The main characters are fairly one-dimensional and the supporting cast are even less developed.
Many of the plot developments don't appear to be designed to add any depth to the story, but instead seem to be added as a way to simply shock the reader.
Many of the plot developments don't appear to be designed to add any depth to the story, but instead seem to be added as a way to simply shock the reader.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I picked this up because I've always wanted to try rushdie and this synopsis immediately captured me when I found it on my library's libby. rushdie is a great writer but I wish this book had gotten more into the children's lives and that the narrative had been from their perspective instead of being told from a future "we" in legend/folktale fashion -- although I understood why that narration was chosen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexism, War
Moderate: Incest, Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia
for clarity on the incest cw, there are multiple generations between the two.
I'm having difficulty rating this. I'd probably put it at 3.5
I found elements fascinating, the story certainly kept me going. But it didn't come together. Maybe it was that this felt, in the end, too plot driven (both for Rushdie, and considering how this book began). Maybe the plot just wasn't dynamic enough for me.
There were elements that I was expecting to have more of a pay off. The multiple characters came together in the end, but as a super hero (or super Jinn) team, instead of anything that explored the heart of the characters. And then there was the literary conceit that this was being told about a thousand years into our future. It brought forward many possibilities, for instance that Rushdie could explore the way past ages seem in stories to have more magic. But he could have done so much more than he did.
Honestly, this book feels unfinished for me, because I knew Rushdie could have done more.
I found elements fascinating, the story certainly kept me going. But it didn't come together. Maybe it was that this felt, in the end, too plot driven (both for Rushdie, and considering how this book began). Maybe the plot just wasn't dynamic enough for me.
There were elements that I was expecting to have more of a pay off. The multiple characters came together in the end, but as a super hero (or super Jinn) team, instead of anything that explored the heart of the characters. And then there was the literary conceit that this was being told about a thousand years into our future. It brought forward many possibilities, for instance that Rushdie could explore the way past ages seem in stories to have more magic. But he could have done so much more than he did.
Honestly, this book feels unfinished for me, because I knew Rushdie could have done more.
Salman Rushdie is one of those authors who I continue reading, with dwindling hope, on the strength of the first of their books I encountered. Satanic Verses is one of the best books I ever read and I've refrained from rereading it to avoid tarnishing my initial delight and astonishment. (Other authors in this list include Barbara Kingsolver (The Poisonwood Bible), John Irving (A Prayer for Owen Meany), and Haruki Murakami (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle)). I confess: I didn't even love the highly lauded Midnight's Children and I've more or less forgotten the premises of all of the other Rushdie novels that I have read.
This book, however, has somewhat rehabilitated my opinion of Rushdie. Because it is weighted heavily toward the "magical" part of magical realism, 2/8/28 is a lot of fun. As the reader slowly comes to realize that this book purports to be myth told from a distant future--and must be, therefore, highly allegorical--it simultaneously becomes more interesting (as the reader tries to figure out the real-world analogues) and less joyful (as the reader is less inclined to believe in fairies). The lectures on reason vs faith/unreason felt like medicine the author was forcing on the reader, regardless of whether or not he was preaching to the choir. (There's some mixed metaphors for ya.) I guess what I'm saying is that Rushdie's thematic agenda put a damper on the party.
This book, however, has somewhat rehabilitated my opinion of Rushdie. Because it is weighted heavily toward the "magical" part of magical realism, 2/8/28 is a lot of fun. As the reader slowly comes to realize that this book purports to be myth told from a distant future--and must be, therefore, highly allegorical--it simultaneously becomes more interesting (as the reader tries to figure out the real-world analogues) and less joyful (as the reader is less inclined to believe in fairies). The lectures on reason vs faith/unreason felt like medicine the author was forcing on the reader, regardless of whether or not he was preaching to the choir. (There's some mixed metaphors for ya.) I guess what I'm saying is that Rushdie's thematic agenda put a damper on the party.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death, Incest, War
