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donnawr1 's review for:
The Satanic Verses
by Salman Rushdie
You have to be in the mood to read Salman Rushdie, in the mood for a long, complicated story that wont always make sense as you are reading the words, because of the magical realism. You have to both dive in and let go. I really enjoyed Midnight's Children, but did not enjoy this book quite so much. I felt it hard to get invested in the characters, especially when they kept changing and there were so many intertwining stories that it was easy to get lost. Thankfully I listened to a well narrated audiobook, which helped move me along, although I did start another audiobook in the middle for when I needed a break. That said, it is always a pleasure to learn more about Indian culture, and, in this case, the intersection of Indian and English culture in a Rushdie book. The prose often makes you stop and mentally acknowledge how much you enjoyed a particular description or event. I wanted to read it partly to see what all the fuss was about, and why someone had to live a life underground. I can see why some might have been insulted by the text even though it was dreams, but the reaction was certainly extreme and unwarranted. I look forward to reading his memoir (Joseph Anton) relating to that kind of life. Overall, glad I read it, but glad it's done!