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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Some of this book was deeply moving, and I very much appreciated the elegant links he creates between his thoughts and a wide range of authors and literature, from the Bible to Milan Kundera to Henry James to The Beatles to The Wind in the Willows (and more). The book contains much that is thought-provoking about art and love and trauma and the meaning of life. Despite these high points, the narrative is uneven, sometimes brought down by excessive name-dropping and unnecessary details about, for example, the insertion of catheters. And after reading part of the chapter that is an imaginary conversation between himself and his attacker, I had to skip the rest of that chapter--I understand why he wouldn't want to talk to or give exposure to the misguided ideas of his attacker, but to make up the attacker's responses, to put words into the man's mouth without knowing anything about him, seemed unsavory, somewhat akin the attacker imputing ideas to Rushdie himself after reading two pages of his writing. Write it separately as a fictional exploration, but it felt out of place in this non-fiction book. (Unrelated to reviewing the content of the book, the cover art is brilliant.)
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
An elegant and inspirational account of Mr R's horrific experience at a literary event in 2022. References from Flaubert to Call of Duty. If you do have any opinion on Rushdie at all, you really should read this book, or any Rushdie book. Or at least more than two pages of one. Which is more than his assailant did.
Can books prevent violence, particularly violence from young men (SUCH a cliche)? Probably not, but this one might do some good. It needs to be read by all impressionable young men, which is all of them.
Can books prevent violence, particularly violence from young men (SUCH a cliche)? Probably not, but this one might do some good. It needs to be read by all impressionable young men, which is all of them.
45/100
What happened to Rushdie was a travesty and yes I'm sympathetic towards him and the suffering he and his family endured. However... 6 hours of him in my ears telling me that he 'should've died' and 'suffered more' like all his academic friends have, leaves a sour taste.
I'm a little unsure how someone recalling a knife attack can somehow paint the picture of 'poor me no one has liked me my whole career and my Ralph Lauren suit is ruined :(' yet here we are.
Saving grace was his chapter on Eliza, was extremely heartfelt and tender.
Anyway, no, it is not okay to try and kill someone over a difference in belief.
What happened to Rushdie was a travesty and yes I'm sympathetic towards him and the suffering he and his family endured. However... 6 hours of him in my ears telling me that he 'should've died' and 'suffered more' like all his academic friends have, leaves a sour taste.
I'm a little unsure how someone recalling a knife attack can somehow paint the picture of 'poor me no one has liked me my whole career and my Ralph Lauren suit is ruined :(' yet here we are.
Saving grace was his chapter on Eliza, was extremely heartfelt and tender.
Anyway, no, it is not okay to try and kill someone over a difference in belief.
The theme of this autobiography is genuinely promising, but I found its execution shallow. Instead of offering deeper insights into the author’s inner world; his thoughts, emotions, and how the attack may have changed him. The book primarily focuses on recounting events, often without much personal reflection.
I was also put off by how frequently the author referenced money. There’s a recurring need to mention expensive purchases or situations where he implies financial struggle, which feels disingenuous given his wealth.
I don’t mind disliking an author through their autobiography. I actually find it valuable to learn about different personalities and life experiences. But in this case, it feels like something essential is missing. I just didn‘t care anymore about what the author had to say and was really struggling finish this. Something only half listening to the audiobook.
I was also put off by how frequently the author referenced money. There’s a recurring need to mention expensive purchases or situations where he implies financial struggle, which feels disingenuous given his wealth.
I don’t mind disliking an author through their autobiography. I actually find it valuable to learn about different personalities and life experiences. But in this case, it feels like something essential is missing. I just didn‘t care anymore about what the author had to say and was really struggling finish this. Something only half listening to the audiobook.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Rushdie truly is an incredible author. I would never have read probably any of his work just because we have very different backgrounds and it’s so out of my realm but I love memories and won this in a giveaway and am so grateful. I love how unapologetic he is at belittling his attacker and how he approaches his own memoir. He is a fiction writer so for him to “imagine” a conversation between him and his attacker makes total sense. For him to call him an incel makes him a savage icon. The only thing I didn’t like his he has a few pages bashing basically any one that is not a democrat. He does it well but it was odd and out of place. I will probably read more of his work though. This man was born to be a writer.
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced