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monkatx's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
Nejsem si jistá pro koho tahle kniha je. Próza je nádherná, atmosféra perfektní, ale samotný děj tak nějak meandruje a neví o čem by chtěl být. Hlavní problém pro mě asi byl, že tak polovinu knihy jsem čekala až se konečně dostaneme k titulární čarodějce a její příběh zajímavý je, ale ten konec je uspěchaný a takový nedotažený. Čekala jsem trochu víc.
lalexvp's review against another edition
3.0
I had a hard time rating this one. I loved the style of writing, but I honestly got so bored with the plot that I got half way done with the book and put it down for good. I just wasn't invested in it anymore. I will still read The Satanic Verses, though.
mrsbdowning91's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
3.75
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
3.0
This is a beautifully-told, intricate historical fantasy that switches between Renaissance Florence and the Mughal Dynasty in India, with two of the main characters being Machiavelli and Akbar the Great. Initially it reminded me of [a:Guy Gavriel Kay|60177|Guy Gavriel Kay|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1218804723p2/60177.jpg]'s fantasies, both in its style and also in its detailed reimagining and reshaping of history. But while I was interested in Rushdie's cast of characters, and at times moved by the story, I was not attached to the characters in the same way that I am by Guy Gavriel Kay. This is a work that I admired more than I liked.
Spoiler
Perhaps I was in a cantankerous frame of mind, but I wished the women in the story has played parts beyond those of sex, beauty, envy, and manipulation. It would have been great to borrow one of the Spartan women from Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire," a woman with courage, compassion, and intelligence.... Also, this happens to be the second book in a row that I've read that, alas, contains incest.fashionable_duck's review against another edition
Painted a pretty picture that went absolutely nowhere.
jnowal's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this. The setting, themes, and particularly the quality of the writing all appealed to me, but it still fell flat, and I'm not sure exactly why. Three-quarters of the way through I felt like I was still waiting for a reason to be interested in the plot, and almost gave it up then. It was worth finishing, but just barely.
deenzbeans's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
whereswalter's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
andrejt's review against another edition
5.0
A sensual and well researched magic realism novel alternating between Renaissance Florence and the court of Akbar the Great in India. I greatly enjoyed discovering copious hidden literary allusions.
Niccolo Machiavelli was depicted in a historically accurate way. The bigger than life character of Akbar sucked all the complexity from lesser characters. Female characters were closer to phantasms than real humans.
The story was to a great degree a story about storytelling - just like Arabian Nights or Marco Polo describing his adventures to Kublai. Retaining a strong sense of fantastical, it makes it intentionally difficult to identify what's real, what's a dream, and what's an outright self-serving lie.
4.5 stars.
Niccolo Machiavelli was depicted in a historically accurate way. The bigger than life character of Akbar sucked all the complexity from lesser characters. Female characters were closer to phantasms than real humans.
The story was to a great degree a story about storytelling - just like Arabian Nights or Marco Polo describing his adventures to Kublai. Retaining a strong sense of fantastical, it makes it intentionally difficult to identify what's real, what's a dream, and what's an outright self-serving lie.
4.5 stars.
riotsquirrrl's review against another edition
3.0
It's beautifully written but all of the women exist to further the narrative, or to be used by men. I don't know how this book managed to garner a positive review from Ursula LeGuin.