Reviews

Victory City by Salman Rushdie

perksland's review

informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

beanpod's review

3.0

Not my favorite of Rushdie’s books. It had transcendent moments, but most felt like a cataloging of characters. Still, he is an amazing author and I love the idea of telling the story of the Vijayanagara empire. To read it was a true place lost to us now, and that many of the other things writings are real made it even more thrilling. Would I suggest this first to a person wanting to read Rushdie? No. But I wouldn’t tell them to avoid it if they were reading more of his works.

solhibou's review

challenging reflective 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? Yes

3.0

jentrevellan's review against another edition

1.5

I finished this for my book club... otherwise it would've been a DNF. This was a slog: written like a history book/allegory and yet it's fictional. I found it hard to care. 300+ pages/time I'll never get back. 

lou13st's review

adventurous inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kalyfornian's review

adventurous emotional reflective

4.25

quizlitbooks's review

4.0

In the wake of an unimportant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in fourteenth-century southern India, a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, the grief-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for a goddess, who begins to speak out of the girl’s mouth. Granting her powers beyond Pampa Kampana’s comprehension, the goddess tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnaga, Victory City, the wonder of the world.

Over the next 250 years, Pampa Kampana’s life becomes deeply interwoven with Bisnaga’s, from growing the city from a bag of magic seeds to the tragic downfall of the empire. Whispering Bisnaga and its citizens into existence, Pampa Kampana attempts to make good on the task that the goddess set for her: to give women equal agency in a patriarchal world. But all stories have a way of getting away from their creator, and Bisnaga is no exception. As years pass, rulers come and go, battles are won and lost, and allegiances shift, the very fabric of Bisnaga becomes an ever more complex tapestry—with Pampa Kampana at its center.

Brilliantly styled as a translation of an ancient epic, Victory City is a saga of love, adventure, and myth that is in itself a testament to the power of storytelling.

This sweeping epic of a novel is the type of book that Rushdie does brilliantly. Even at his advanced age he is on form here, a magical tale full of life, love, intrigue and betrayal. A very entertaining read.

https://quizlit.org/book-of-the-month-august-2023

grinnemaki's review

Not what I’m in the mood for

bookish_calirican's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

coltontrowbridge's review

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25