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cleaper's review against another edition
2.0
I thought this book would never end!! The writing was awkward and stilted.
guerrillabooks's review against another edition
3.0
This particular title landed in my TBR in an untraditional and arbitrary way. I received my monthly audible credit on the 9th and I was looking through my wish list to see which title I was going to use it on when it dawned on me that I needed to choose one that was at least the price of the monthly fee of $14.99 or else I would be getting financially gipped in a time when every penny must be allocated to its maximum potential. (The other titles on my wish list that are only $8ish should be purchased outright, and not with my 1 credit that comes with membership.)
[a:Salman Rushdie|3299|Salman Rushdie|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1217934207p2/3299.jpg] is an author that I am convinced everyone should experience once (in the same vein as Austen, Dickens, Steinbeck and a myriad others) and since I have yet to satisfy my own conviction, I decided to use my credit to purchase a Rushdie audiobook.
I am not quite halfway through as of right now, but I am finding myself thoroughly impressed by the man's writing/tale-weaving prowess.
I have always been a dabbler in the world of writing, journaling, reading and reflecting but it has only been these past 5-ish months that I have taken my reading, reviewing and reflection to a serious level, such that I am able to read more than ever before and with a purpose - to discover what it is that I like and why I like it and how it is done and by whom. I have found all of these elements to be crucial to the work that is produced: what is the work, who is doing the work, how is the work being done, and why is the work being done.
more thoughts to come as I continue to read the book...
Most recent observation on Mr. Rushdie's writing as I find myself half way through - it doesn't fair well (for me) as an audiobook. I've never realized how much I rely on the SPACE in a book to help me follow along with a story. The space really does provide so much assistance when it comes to change of narrator, flashback, flashforward... not to mention that visually seeing a character's name (especially a foreign one) helps me to remember that characater better.
I love reading a book that requires you to exercise your grey matter - and this one does the trick - I have found it difficult to multitask while listening (one of my favorite treats from an audiobook) because if I space out for the briefest of seconds, I missed a crucial tie-in.
Upon finishing the book, and reading what others had to say, I have set my mind at ease.
I was torn between Rushdie's obvious talent, immagination, oft times brutish humor and my lack of passionate, emotional involvement in the plot or characters. I never really found something potent to latch onto. At first, I concluded that there was something wrong with me. I had not the substance to appreciate the book UNTIL I read the following reviews/comments from The Guardian, NYTimes, The Australian, and the LATimes - I agreed with all they had to say basically, the good and the bad.
A sumptuous mixture of fable and history
This ingenious and ambitious novel — no less than a defense of the human imagination — left me unmoved.
This book is unusually concupiscent, even for Rushdie. Overexcited, perhaps, by the Kama Sutra, which he cites as a source, Rushdie goes to town with scenes of harem life and brothels. This novel is as much a celebration of sex, of every kind and degree of expertise, as it is of the potency of tale-telling.
Told in his habitual high style of magical realism -- Rushdie weaves a baroque fairy tale that takes us from Akbar's empire to Machiavelli's Florence.
[a:Salman Rushdie|3299|Salman Rushdie|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1217934207p2/3299.jpg] is an author that I am convinced everyone should experience once (in the same vein as Austen, Dickens, Steinbeck and a myriad others) and since I have yet to satisfy my own conviction, I decided to use my credit to purchase a Rushdie audiobook.
I am not quite halfway through as of right now, but I am finding myself thoroughly impressed by the man's writing/tale-weaving prowess.
I have always been a dabbler in the world of writing, journaling, reading and reflecting but it has only been these past 5-ish months that I have taken my reading, reviewing and reflection to a serious level, such that I am able to read more than ever before and with a purpose - to discover what it is that I like and why I like it and how it is done and by whom. I have found all of these elements to be crucial to the work that is produced: what is the work, who is doing the work, how is the work being done, and why is the work being done.
more thoughts to come as I continue to read the book...
Most recent observation on Mr. Rushdie's writing as I find myself half way through - it doesn't fair well (for me) as an audiobook. I've never realized how much I rely on the SPACE in a book to help me follow along with a story. The space really does provide so much assistance when it comes to change of narrator, flashback, flashforward... not to mention that visually seeing a character's name (especially a foreign one) helps me to remember that characater better.
I love reading a book that requires you to exercise your grey matter - and this one does the trick - I have found it difficult to multitask while listening (one of my favorite treats from an audiobook) because if I space out for the briefest of seconds, I missed a crucial tie-in.
Upon finishing the book, and reading what others had to say, I have set my mind at ease.
I was torn between Rushdie's obvious talent, immagination, oft times brutish humor and my lack of passionate, emotional involvement in the plot or characters. I never really found something potent to latch onto. At first, I concluded that there was something wrong with me. I had not the substance to appreciate the book UNTIL I read the following reviews/comments from The Guardian, NYTimes, The Australian, and the LATimes - I agreed with all they had to say basically, the good and the bad.
A sumptuous mixture of fable and history
This ingenious and ambitious novel — no less than a defense of the human imagination — left me unmoved.
This book is unusually concupiscent, even for Rushdie. Overexcited, perhaps, by the Kama Sutra, which he cites as a source, Rushdie goes to town with scenes of harem life and brothels. This novel is as much a celebration of sex, of every kind and degree of expertise, as it is of the potency of tale-telling.
Told in his habitual high style of magical realism -- Rushdie weaves a baroque fairy tale that takes us from Akbar's empire to Machiavelli's Florence.
knjigoholicarka's review against another edition
4.0
Verujem da većina nas nikada nije čula za Akbara Velikog, mogulskog vladara koji je vladao u isto vreme kad i slavna engleska kraljica Elizabeta, i to podjednako velikom i moćnom imperijom, samo na drugoj strani globusa. Možda u školskom programu za učenje istorije zaista nema vremena da se spomenu baš svi veliki svetski vladari, ali eurocentrično poimanje istorijskih događaja koje nam se usađuje u glavu dovodi do krajnje iskrivljenog shvatanja poretka u svetu i propušta da sve deliće svetske istorije stavi u jedan širi, međusobno isprepletan kontekst koji bi služio boljem razumevanju današnjice i sveta oko nas. Nije džabe Orvel rekao: "He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past." Srećom, tu je književnost.
Rušdi nam donosi zanimljivu interpretaciju vladavine Akbara Velikog, „prosvećenog despota“ koji je stvorio stabilnu, prosperitetnu i uređenu imperiju, sa glavnim ciljem o postizanju apsolutne verske tolerancije. Jedna anegdota kaže da je, u želji da napokon pomiri verske vođe u svojoj zemlji, Akbar Veliki organizovao neku vrstu „okruglog stola“, čija je tema bila da se jednom za svagda dokaže kako su sve religije zapravo različiti načini ispovedanja jednog te istog Boga. Kako se rasprava rasplamsavala, Akbar je shvatao da do nekog univerzalnog pomirenja i shvatanja neće doći, te je razočaran napustio raspravu. To je istorijska anegdota, a slične događaje opisuje i Rušdi u ovoj knjizi.
Zaplet je naizgleda jednostavan: mladi, plavokosi stranac iz Firence, koji sebe zaziva Mogor del Amore, dolazi na Akbarov dvor sa tvrdnjom da je ni više ni manje nego ujak Akbara Velikog, budući da je sin zaboravljene mogulske princeze Karakez (Crnooke). Zaintrigiran strančevom pričom, kao i sudbinom princeze koja je izbrisana iz istorije porodične loze zbog toga što je odabrala slobodu odlučivanja o sopstvenom životu, Akbar odlučuje da stranca ostavi u životu i sasluša njegovu priču, kao što je nekada Šah Džahan slušao Šeherezadu.
Kroz priču mladog Mogora del Amorea, selimo se iz mogulskog carstva u Firencu Medičija, u kojoj stasava Nikolo Makijaveli, i pratimo sudbine njegova dva prijatelja, Aga Vespučija, za koga je Firenca čitav svet, i ceo život, i Nina Argalije, koji postaje turski janičar i najbolji vojskovođa svog vremena, nagrađen za godine verne službe Otomanskoj imperiji zarobljenom princezom Karakez, i progonom iz carstva. Vešto preplićući njihove priče, učimo o dodirima istoka i zapada kroz istoriju, o političkim, vojnim i čak ličnim odlukama ljudi koji su oblikovali tadašnji svet.
Međutim, iako se knjiga bavi ozbiljnim temama, iako je Rušdi obavio neverovatan istraživački rad na polju istorije mogulskog carstva i Firence u 16-tom veku, tok pripovedanja se na trenutke gubi, davi u digresijama opisa što glavnih, što sporednih junaka (i njihovih unutrašnjih monologa), a sama tema gubi na ozbiljnosti preteranim uplivom magijskog realizma na kom bi i Markes pozavideo. Stoga mislim da ova knjiga nije na nivou Rušdijevog prethodnog romana, „Klovn Šalimar“, koji naprosto briljantno i tragično obrađuje (nažalost, i dalje) aktuelan problem kašmirskog problema u Indiji.
Indija ostaje Rušdijeva Muza, i nadam se da nikada neće prestati da to bude, jer nam pisci poput njega pribižavaju svet o kome malo imamo prilike da učimo i slušamo. Zbog toga častim knjigu sa 4 zvezdice, iako ima nekih manjkavosti, ali i pored toga je štivo u kome se može uživati na više nivoa. Neko će pratiti tok pripovedanja na nivou radnje, i biće mu baš zanimljivi svi ti šareni likovi koji se inate i zaljubljuju i svađaju, a neko će se potruditi da shvati da je istorija sveta organska celina u kojoj je sve povezano i međusobno poticano kroz vreme i prostor, i o kojoj nikad ne možemo prestati da učimo.
Rušdi nam donosi zanimljivu interpretaciju vladavine Akbara Velikog, „prosvećenog despota“ koji je stvorio stabilnu, prosperitetnu i uređenu imperiju, sa glavnim ciljem o postizanju apsolutne verske tolerancije. Jedna anegdota kaže da je, u želji da napokon pomiri verske vođe u svojoj zemlji, Akbar Veliki organizovao neku vrstu „okruglog stola“, čija je tema bila da se jednom za svagda dokaže kako su sve religije zapravo različiti načini ispovedanja jednog te istog Boga. Kako se rasprava rasplamsavala, Akbar je shvatao da do nekog univerzalnog pomirenja i shvatanja neće doći, te je razočaran napustio raspravu. To je istorijska anegdota, a slične događaje opisuje i Rušdi u ovoj knjizi.
Zaplet je naizgleda jednostavan: mladi, plavokosi stranac iz Firence, koji sebe zaziva Mogor del Amore, dolazi na Akbarov dvor sa tvrdnjom da je ni više ni manje nego ujak Akbara Velikog, budući da je sin zaboravljene mogulske princeze Karakez (Crnooke). Zaintrigiran strančevom pričom, kao i sudbinom princeze koja je izbrisana iz istorije porodične loze zbog toga što je odabrala slobodu odlučivanja o sopstvenom životu, Akbar odlučuje da stranca ostavi u životu i sasluša njegovu priču, kao što je nekada Šah Džahan slušao Šeherezadu.
Kroz priču mladog Mogora del Amorea, selimo se iz mogulskog carstva u Firencu Medičija, u kojoj stasava Nikolo Makijaveli, i pratimo sudbine njegova dva prijatelja, Aga Vespučija, za koga je Firenca čitav svet, i ceo život, i Nina Argalije, koji postaje turski janičar i najbolji vojskovođa svog vremena, nagrađen za godine verne službe Otomanskoj imperiji zarobljenom princezom Karakez, i progonom iz carstva. Vešto preplićući njihove priče, učimo o dodirima istoka i zapada kroz istoriju, o političkim, vojnim i čak ličnim odlukama ljudi koji su oblikovali tadašnji svet.
Međutim, iako se knjiga bavi ozbiljnim temama, iako je Rušdi obavio neverovatan istraživački rad na polju istorije mogulskog carstva i Firence u 16-tom veku, tok pripovedanja se na trenutke gubi, davi u digresijama opisa što glavnih, što sporednih junaka (i njihovih unutrašnjih monologa), a sama tema gubi na ozbiljnosti preteranim uplivom magijskog realizma na kom bi i Markes pozavideo. Stoga mislim da ova knjiga nije na nivou Rušdijevog prethodnog romana, „Klovn Šalimar“, koji naprosto briljantno i tragično obrađuje (nažalost, i dalje) aktuelan problem kašmirskog problema u Indiji.
Indija ostaje Rušdijeva Muza, i nadam se da nikada neće prestati da to bude, jer nam pisci poput njega pribižavaju svet o kome malo imamo prilike da učimo i slušamo. Zbog toga častim knjigu sa 4 zvezdice, iako ima nekih manjkavosti, ali i pored toga je štivo u kome se može uživati na više nivoa. Neko će pratiti tok pripovedanja na nivou radnje, i biće mu baš zanimljivi svi ti šareni likovi koji se inate i zaljubljuju i svađaju, a neko će se potruditi da shvati da je istorija sveta organska celina u kojoj je sve povezano i međusobno poticano kroz vreme i prostor, i o kojoj nikad ne možemo prestati da učimo.
scifimagpie's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting one - I think it would have blown my mind when I was a bit younger, but now, I was a bit too conscious of some of its tricks. The prose is gorgeous, and the characters are well-realised, with an effortless mastery of language.
Lots of sensory details crop up, and the omniscient narration has a distinct voice, while still allowing for peeks into the minds of individual characters.
The ending wraps up the mystery in kind of a post-scripty way, though, and it felt a bit abrupt somehow? There is also something kind of languid and oddly fluffy about the tone of the whole book. The namedropped classical heroes are worked in well, and they're fair, not overly idealised portrayals, but the female characters just felt like queens on a chessboard somehow--powerful and interesting, yet somehow two-dimensional. Even Jodha, the imaginary queen, just doesn't get as much realisation and time as she could.
Over all, it was a wonderful book, but it was missing something I can't put my finger on.
Lots of sensory details crop up, and the omniscient narration has a distinct voice, while still allowing for peeks into the minds of individual characters.
The ending wraps up the mystery in kind of a post-scripty way, though, and it felt a bit abrupt somehow? There is also something kind of languid and oddly fluffy about the tone of the whole book. The namedropped classical heroes are worked in well, and they're fair, not overly idealised portrayals, but the female characters just felt like queens on a chessboard somehow--powerful and interesting, yet somehow two-dimensional. Even Jodha, the imaginary queen, just doesn't get as much realisation and time as she could.
Over all, it was a wonderful book, but it was missing something I can't put my finger on.
silverthistle's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Rushdie's writing is beautiful and poetic, but the story itself fell flat and felt wooden, especially in regards to female character development and representation. I read another review that describes this book as "lush emptiness," and I have to agree. This one wasn't for me.
smartcassart's review against another edition
2.0
I don't know...
This book should have been a treasure for me. I'm a sucker for lush settings, political intrigue and historical fiction weaved with fantasy so - Mughal India? Renaissance Italy? An epic saga spanning generations and a myriad of colourful characters and cultures as they embark on adventures across the world, among them a powerful enchantress who is also a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan? Sign me up!
In terms of writing Rushie does not disappoint. It is lyrical, seamless, deliciously excessive in the right places and therefore reflective of the decadent environments he describes, really pushing the boundaries of the English language (though there are many languages spoken in here). I have no complaints about the book's vivid imagery, boundless creativity and whimsy, which is everything I look for in magical realism or fantasy in general, after all.
HOWEVER, it takes more than pretty writing and cool mysterious shit happening (let's be honest - that's what many of the plot devices boil down to) to convince me to rate a book 4 or 5 stars. If a friend of mine wants a fun interpretation of 16th (?) century cross-cultural history and adventure vicariously, or to read for the pleasure of language or flowery, playful writing, I will recommend this without hesitation. But if the friend is looking for a story strong in plot and characters, I'll say move on. Because oh my god... where do I start?
So the plot is clear enough, at least to me - a blonde foreigner and avid adventurer travels to a Mughal capital to seek the audience of the illustrious emperor, Akbar the Great, to tell him his mother's story and convince him of their shared connection. As he regales him with this story, they form a deep bond and we, the readers, are take further back in time to follow the titular enchantress Qara Koz. I wouldn't say the structure is poor, but it is very meandering due to the blonde stranger beating around the bush. Ok, that's fine. However, it is clear the main focus is the story of Qara Koz, which doesn't even really start until more than halfway through the book and even though that is to be expected I still find myself annoyed at this, thinking of it as an interruption, because by then I am quite invested in Akbar's and the blonde stranger's storyline. The emperor's intellectual, spiritual and practical struggles, and the landscape of his city is much more interesting to me, as is his deepening relationship with the stranger who starts this story by sneaking into a ship and poisoning the captain to steal a letter from Queen Elizabeth I (you can't make this shit up) so he's quite exciting too! Rushdie spends so much time painting Sikri in the beginning, explaining the court drama, the emperor's talented peers, the people's dreams, philosophies, struggles and motivations, the diverse inhabitants of this kingdom, that Qara Koz's tale pales in comparison. Because I'm sorry, as much as I want to enjoy the journey of a strong, sassy, willful woman who does what she wants and gets what she wants... I can't enjoy this one. I find her motivations weak, her actions confusing, and most of all, her character lacking. She is not someone anyone can relate to because we are ordinary plebs with no magical powers or superlative beauty.
But can we all agree that being super hot is not a personality? I've read so many books where the heroine is very beautiful and attractive to most men they meet, but usually they have other qualities that give them more depth and even gain the reader's sympathy. I did not feel anything for QK or her lover Argalia or anyone else in their storyline EXCEPT Niccolo Machiavelli, a childhood friend of Argalia. As a loyal civil servant who dedicated his life to serving his nation only to be betrayed by it due to human cruelty and greed, Niccolo's story is criminally glossed over but at no more than a slim 4-5 pages a thousand times more profound than the infatuations of Qara and Argalia. Don't forget this is all happening against the tumultuous background of social and political turmoil, meaning conflicts, betrayal, nationalism and war. War is brutal, and to Rushdie's credit he does acknowledge that, I mean Argalia spends most of the book killing people and leaving a bloodbath in his wake everywhere he goes, but if you write about something like that don't expect me to give as much of a shit about Qara batting her eyelashes and making whole towns fall in love with her. That's just it - apart from one or two instances, she faces next to no conflict, neither do her loved ones, or when they do you just don't really care.
As you can guess, every other women in this story are oversexualized and Just Not As Special As The Heroine. As intelligent and talented as Rushdie is, this work still reeks of a straight (as far as I'm aware) male author writing a fantasy with a lot of sexy women in it who inevitably are objectified. In this regard, this book is not special or surprising at all, but damn it is tiring. Fantasy and magic is NOT an excuse to have female characters who are barely people, OK?
Anyway, 2/5. What a shame.
This book should have been a treasure for me. I'm a sucker for lush settings, political intrigue and historical fiction weaved with fantasy so - Mughal India? Renaissance Italy? An epic saga spanning generations and a myriad of colourful characters and cultures as they embark on adventures across the world, among them a powerful enchantress who is also a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan? Sign me up!
In terms of writing Rushie does not disappoint. It is lyrical, seamless, deliciously excessive in the right places and therefore reflective of the decadent environments he describes, really pushing the boundaries of the English language (though there are many languages spoken in here). I have no complaints about the book's vivid imagery, boundless creativity and whimsy, which is everything I look for in magical realism or fantasy in general, after all.
HOWEVER, it takes more than pretty writing and cool mysterious shit happening (let's be honest - that's what many of the plot devices boil down to) to convince me to rate a book 4 or 5 stars. If a friend of mine wants a fun interpretation of 16th (?) century cross-cultural history and adventure vicariously, or to read for the pleasure of language or flowery, playful writing, I will recommend this without hesitation. But if the friend is looking for a story strong in plot and characters, I'll say move on. Because oh my god... where do I start?
So the plot is clear enough, at least to me - a blonde foreigner and avid adventurer travels to a Mughal capital to seek the audience of the illustrious emperor, Akbar the Great, to tell him his mother's story and convince him of their shared connection. As he regales him with this story, they form a deep bond and we, the readers, are take further back in time to follow the titular enchantress Qara Koz. I wouldn't say the structure is poor, but it is very meandering due to the blonde stranger beating around the bush. Ok, that's fine. However, it is clear the main focus is the story of Qara Koz, which doesn't even really start until more than halfway through the book and even though that is to be expected I still find myself annoyed at this, thinking of it as an interruption, because by then I am quite invested in Akbar's and the blonde stranger's storyline. The emperor's intellectual, spiritual and practical struggles, and the landscape of his city is much more interesting to me, as is his deepening relationship with the stranger who starts this story by sneaking into a ship and poisoning the captain to steal a letter from Queen Elizabeth I (you can't make this shit up) so he's quite exciting too! Rushdie spends so much time painting Sikri in the beginning, explaining the court drama, the emperor's talented peers, the people's dreams, philosophies, struggles and motivations, the diverse inhabitants of this kingdom, that Qara Koz's tale pales in comparison. Because I'm sorry, as much as I want to enjoy the journey of a strong, sassy, willful woman who does what she wants and gets what she wants... I can't enjoy this one. I find her motivations weak, her actions confusing, and most of all, her character lacking. She is not someone anyone can relate to because we are ordinary plebs with no magical powers or superlative beauty.
But can we all agree that being super hot is not a personality? I've read so many books where the heroine is very beautiful and attractive to most men they meet, but usually they have other qualities that give them more depth and even gain the reader's sympathy. I did not feel anything for QK or her lover Argalia or anyone else in their storyline EXCEPT Niccolo Machiavelli, a childhood friend of Argalia. As a loyal civil servant who dedicated his life to serving his nation only to be betrayed by it due to human cruelty and greed, Niccolo's story is criminally glossed over but at no more than a slim 4-5 pages a thousand times more profound than the infatuations of Qara and Argalia. Don't forget this is all happening against the tumultuous background of social and political turmoil, meaning conflicts, betrayal, nationalism and war. War is brutal, and to Rushdie's credit he does acknowledge that, I mean Argalia spends most of the book killing people and leaving a bloodbath in his wake everywhere he goes, but if you write about something like that don't expect me to give as much of a shit about Qara batting her eyelashes and making whole towns fall in love with her. That's just it - apart from one or two instances, she faces next to no conflict, neither do her loved ones, or when they do you just don't really care.
As you can guess, every other women in this story are oversexualized and Just Not As Special As The Heroine. As intelligent and talented as Rushdie is, this work still reeks of a straight (as far as I'm aware) male author writing a fantasy with a lot of sexy women in it who inevitably are objectified. In this regard, this book is not special or surprising at all, but damn it is tiring. Fantasy and magic is NOT an excuse to have female characters who are barely people, OK?
Anyway, 2/5. What a shame.
sinelit's review against another edition
4.0
Neredeyse somutlaşıp cana gelmiş bir cinsiyetçilik var evet, yok demek imkansız. Ama hikayenin kendi çerçevesi içinde garip bir şekilde çok da rahatsız etmiyor. Çok uzun yıllar boyunca yapılan araştırmaların sonucu olduğu belli, 400 sayfadan bile az bir kitap yerine 400'er sayfalık üç ciltli bir seri bile olabilirmiş. Böyle bir "konsantre"lik hem güzel hem de yorucu, özellikle büyülü gerçekçi bir masal olduğunu düşünürsek.
Her şey bir yana, çeviri muazzam olmuş. O kadar güzel ki aslını okur gibiydim; tabi Orta Doğu kültürüne çok dayalı bir kitap olmasının da etkisi var.
Her şey bir yana, çeviri muazzam olmuş. O kadar güzel ki aslını okur gibiydim; tabi Orta Doğu kültürüne çok dayalı bir kitap olmasının da etkisi var.
superfamoustia's review against another edition
5.0
Salman Rushdie is a MASTER. wowie-wow. i've read him before, but i just plum forgot how gifted he is. this is a lyrical, magical, mythical adventure grounded in real history and historical figures. it weaves in and out of time and place, but everything feels like one story, one epic tale where the Imagined is just as important (and potent) as the Real, if not more-so....
jengiuffre's review against another edition
2.0
I started out liking this book, but am just not in the mood for it anymore. It has seemed like a chore trying to finish it. I wouldn't say it is bad, but I just can't focus on such ramblings and all the names with 2 toddlers at hand!
jessrock's review against another edition
5.0
I freely admit that I'm giving this book too many stars because the writing is just that beautiful. Parts of the book are slow going and the story is not always as compelling as it could be. But the writing!
The book flows back and forth between the early 1500s, when a mysterious Italian man appears in an Eastern city and enchants that city's king with his personality and his story-telling, and several generations before, when an ancestor of the king was abducted from the city and traveled to Persia and Italy with her servant, a mirror image of herself. The two stories begin to blend together as people in the king's court become obsessed with the Hidden Princess and as the Hidden Princess's consorts are revealed to have direct connections to the mysterious stranger. The king begins to question how much he can trust the stranger, and whether it's more important to seek truth or creativity. The whole thing feels like a waking dream. Did I mention it's absolutely gorgeous to read?
The book flows back and forth between the early 1500s, when a mysterious Italian man appears in an Eastern city and enchants that city's king with his personality and his story-telling, and several generations before, when an ancestor of the king was abducted from the city and traveled to Persia and Italy with her servant, a mirror image of herself. The two stories begin to blend together as people in the king's court become obsessed with the Hidden Princess and as the Hidden Princess's consorts are revealed to have direct connections to the mysterious stranger. The king begins to question how much he can trust the stranger, and whether it's more important to seek truth or creativity. The whole thing feels like a waking dream. Did I mention it's absolutely gorgeous to read?