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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
This book did a beautiful job of blending folklore/fairytale with modern day storytelling. The characters are able to be mystical while still retaining outrightly human traits, which makes them very fun to read and get to know. The book also balances thoughtfulness and comedy well, and I found it easy to consume despite its rather serious subject matter.
Mijn recensie op Tzum: http://www.tzum.info/2015/10/recensie-salman-rushdie-twee-jaar-acht-maanden-en-achtentwintig-nachten/
I had a hard time with this one. I have yet to read anything by this author (and I know he's well-loved) but this was probably not the right book to start with. The story is compelling enough but the narration was difficult to get through - it read like a textbook about the history of a time/place. Not only was I not expecting that, but it proved to make an otherwise incredibly interesting idea (jinn appearing in our world and messing with it) and giving it far too scholarly of a read. In short, I got bored with it after awhile.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Beautifully written, often reminding me of 100 Years of Solitude in style and prose. However, it suffers the same flaw perhaps inherent to the magical realism genre, in that there are no real characters to cling to. Things happen, metaphors become present and then dreadfully unsubtle. Maybe it's just not the genre for me.
Not Rushdie's best novel, but still a witty human tragicomedy about the atrocities of the world we currently live in. His statement that we should need an invasion of jinns from a magical dimension to justify what we are doing to each other and the world is not only perceptive, but hilarious. Read it!
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm going to do it. I'm going to rate Rushdie only 2 stars -- not because, necessarily, that's what the book deserves, but because this is my Goodreads and I do what I want. I think Rushdie is too smart for me. Normally the "myths-are-real" genre is my bread and butter, but I just couldn't get around all of the philosophizing and commentary that is 100% Rushdie's schtick. This was my first attempt since a failed attempt at [b:The Satanic Verses|12781|The Satanic Verses|Salman Rushdie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1281988101s/12781.jpg|1434467] back in college, and I'm fairly sure it will also be my last.
"Very little is known, though much has been written, about the true nature of the jinn, the creatures made of smokeless fire."
Honestly, I picked up this book because Rushdie seemed like one of those authors everyone should read at least once. While the plot seems pretty straight forward, there are a lot of long, philosophical side pieces. This book would be perfect for an in-depth analysis in a literature course. I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. 3/5
Honestly, I picked up this book because Rushdie seemed like one of those authors everyone should read at least once. While the plot seems pretty straight forward, there are a lot of long, philosophical side pieces. This book would be perfect for an in-depth analysis in a literature course. I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. 3/5
The war of the human world with genies (jinn) but largely a metaphor for society being controlled by fear and religion vs rational thought. Unusual for Rushdie, the pacing feels off on this one: 3/4 of the book is build-up then there's so much action that it goes by too quickly. As usual some great material/interesting way of putting things but overall I'll forget about this book in a week.