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manduh_kay 's review for:
The Satanic Verses
by Salman Rushdie
I was prepared to love this book, because of its acclaim, historical context, and its important place in my own history. (When it was published, my father was a bookseller. He ultimately decided not to sell it for the safety of his employees, but he said if he only had to worry about himself he would have because he believes art is worth dying for. This revelation is a core memory for me, one that exemplifies what type of person my father is).
Unfortunately, the fact it took me FOUR YEARS to finish makes it clear how much difficulty I had getting through it. Rushdie certainly has a way with words, and I often found his writing entertaining and surprising, but more often than not found him using far more words than is necessary for so little actual plot. I put down this book for months at a time before coming back to it without losing the plot, if that is an indication of how little actually happens. But perhaps it is also a testament to how memorable the characters are. Obviously, I know the literal plot is not the point of this book, but wish this was edited down 100 pages or so.
I guess finishing this book was my pilgrimage… and I did not come out the other side a believer, which leaves me feeling a little empty and a little blasphemous.
Unfortunately, the fact it took me FOUR YEARS to finish makes it clear how much difficulty I had getting through it. Rushdie certainly has a way with words, and I often found his writing entertaining and surprising, but more often than not found him using far more words than is necessary for so little actual plot. I put down this book for months at a time before coming back to it without losing the plot, if that is an indication of how little actually happens. But perhaps it is also a testament to how memorable the characters are. Obviously, I know the literal plot is not the point of this book, but wish this was edited down 100 pages or so.
I guess finishing this book was my pilgrimage… and I did not come out the other side a believer, which leaves me feeling a little empty and a little blasphemous.