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alinabkl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexism, and Violence
andyirwin89's review against another edition
3.0
Three stars is a generous review, I can't seem to go hard on Salman Rushdie. This is the fifth Rushdie novel I've read, I'm just glad it wasn't the first.
In places the writing is glorious, but this does little to compensate for spending much of ones's time trying to figure out what is happening and struggling to care. I'm on board with a protagonist who is a bastard with few redeeming features if they make me laugh. Malik Solanka (a half-baked Rushdie self-portrait, by all accounts) is arid and turgid.
The ending is unforgivably clumsy, and the whole thing is self-congratulatory about its misogyny.
In places the writing is glorious, but this does little to compensate for spending much of ones's time trying to figure out what is happening and struggling to care. I'm on board with a protagonist who is a bastard with few redeeming features if they make me laugh. Malik Solanka (a half-baked Rushdie self-portrait, by all accounts) is arid and turgid.
The ending is unforgivably clumsy, and the whole thing is self-congratulatory about its misogyny.
ibrareads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
didn't enjoy the book. Too slow paced for me. The story wasn't that great either.
tumblehawk's review against another edition
2.0
The only Rushdie book I had read prior to Fury was Haroun and the Sea of Stories, a wonderful short fable that he wrote for his child, and I'd been told by many it wasn't really representative of his novels. So Fury was my first real-deal-Holyfield Rushdie novel and I wanted to love it, I did! And I did love one important part of it - the writing. His style is gorgeous and hilarious and oh-so-colorful. But I just didn't care for the story here. I didn't really care what happened to any single one of the characters, which is a big dealbreaker for me, and found myself by the end of the book wishing it would, well, end already. This hasn't turned me off from him, though, and I definitely plan on checking out Midnight's Children in the near future.
melaniem03's review against another edition
1.0
Couldn't finish it; I like Rushdie but did NOT like this book at all.
pizzveta's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
dutchtineke's review against another edition
4.0
Dit was mijn eerste Bookcrossingboek ooit die door iemand anders was geregistreerd. 7 jaar en 3 maanden lang keek ik enorm tegen dit boek op, mede door de slechte reviews op onder andere GR en de vrij intimiderende eerste pagina. Maar lezen zou ik hem. Nu heb ik eindelijk de moed gevonden en wat bleek? Door mijn slechte verwachtingen, viel dit boek opeens enorm mee. De wat politiekere stukjes etc. vond ik vrij ingewikkeld, maar de verhalende delen vond ik best interessant en dat maakte dit boek goed leesbaar. Zo leesbaar dat ik dit boek over een aantal jaren nog eens wil gaan lezen. Maar dit exemplaar gaat eindelijk weer het bookcrosscircuit in!
kbratten's review against another edition
3.0
I've never read any Salmon Rushdie, and reading reviews of this book I take it this is not his best work. I understand why people love his writing style. His word choice is amazing. The story isn't bad, necessarily. I would have liked it more if all the build up of his complicated relationship with the women in his life were not left to fizzle in a random war halfway around the world. I enjoyed delving into the concept of fury, but the point seems to be that the resolution of fury is time, and a new girlfriend. It could have/should have been more interesting than that. He had all the pieces there, but didnt come through.
servemethesky's review against another edition
3.0
What a strange and puzzling read. I read a lot of weird literature, and this is, by far, the weirdest thing I have read all year. I honestly don't know what to make of it. I'm teetering close to 2 stars on this one, but I did like it and find it compelling, so I'm landing with 3.
Malik Solanka is not likeable in the slightest. By the end, I found myself still hoping for a redemptive reunion with Eleanor- which seems silly, in light of his deeply felt, more-than-just-a-tryst trysts throughout the novel. The scene with the three 'furies' was powerful. Lots of pieces were powerful or provocative, but much of the rest seemed like confusing, needless rants.
It's interesting from a historical perspective to look back on the time when this was written. When a website was an innovative idea for a creative outlet. The way Rushdie depicts America in 2001 is fascinating.
Mostly, I am confused by this book. It hasn't turned me off of Rushdie completely though. There was something Nabokovian about his writing that I liked (I did write my thesis on Nabokov, after all). And I do still have a copy of [b:The Enchantress Of Florence|1317696|The Enchantress Of Florence|Salman Rushdie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1200508801s/1317696.jpg|2495143] sitting on my bookshelf that I'll getto someday...
Malik Solanka is not likeable in the slightest. By the end, I found myself still hoping for a redemptive reunion with Eleanor- which seems silly, in light of his deeply felt, more-than-just-a-tryst trysts throughout the novel. The scene with the three 'furies' was powerful. Lots of pieces were powerful or provocative, but much of the rest seemed like confusing, needless rants.
It's interesting from a historical perspective to look back on the time when this was written. When a website was an innovative idea for a creative outlet. The way Rushdie depicts America in 2001 is fascinating.
Mostly, I am confused by this book. It hasn't turned me off of Rushdie completely though. There was something Nabokovian about his writing that I liked (I did write my thesis on Nabokov, after all). And I do still have a copy of [b:The Enchantress Of Florence|1317696|The Enchantress Of Florence|Salman Rushdie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1200508801s/1317696.jpg|2495143] sitting on my bookshelf that I'll getto someday...