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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “I absolutely loved the way this book was written. The style, imagination, and sense of supernatural were spellbinding. I couldn't put it down. I was a bit disappointed with the end, however, which seemed abrupt. It was almost as if his editor said, "It's getting pretty long. Can you wrap this...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“This book was incredibly interesting, but is at the same time completely overwhelming. It attempts (and i think succeeds) to address almost every question that literature has ever attempted to ask: what kind of an idea are you? how does the relationship between author and work function? where does the control of the writer end and the reader's begin? it at the same time grapples with religion, sex, terrorism, immigration, internationalism, the media, and pretty much everything else under the sun. It's a fantastic book, but I would have to read it fifteen more times to glean everything it has packed in it, both implicit and explicit. ”
Becca V wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is a big beautiful bewildering mess of a novel, two thirds of which I thoroughly enjoyed. The rest was just too obscure for me, with my severely limited knowledge of Islam, to properly comprehend. However Rushdie has such an energetic writing style (not to mention a prodigious vocabulary) that you just get swept along or mesmerized even when you don't have a clue what he's on about.”
Rory S wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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Adam B wrote this review 7 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Where to begin with this novel? First, the prose & style: While I find Rushdie to be a supreme story-teller and master of language, it is sometimes difficult for me to enjoy reading his particular Indian-dialect English. The mix of cultural Indian-English grammar and style with lofty English vocabulary is, at times, uncomfortable and discombobulating. Also, Rushdie’s obsession with the eminence of London, England (as, like his writing style, is present in other works) is sometimes a bit much to swallow. I appreciate the author’s love for the particular progressive, comfortable culture indicative of and represented by the English, but the bias is almost too blatant to be meaningful. In terms of story/plot: I found it very difficult to get involved in the story, because it was all over the place. Not just in terms of setting and time, but characters were one thing and then another. “Home” was one place and then someplace else. I understand the appeal and the necessity, but the overall effect was so distracting and generally confusing, that it became difficult to care about any of these people or places. This is unfortunate, because the story itself, as it turns out, is really quite meaningful – not just in terms of the religious revelation (or disillusionment) but in terms of the psychological issues being addressed. Part of me sunk into this novel at times, and really dug in – roaring through the pages; but the book took some time to really finish, as certain elements were truly displeasing. Overall, I think the performance is solid and the awards/recognition well-deserved, though perhaps I am in disagreement with the reasons why (I prefer the final pages, where mental illness is at root, rather than the majority of the story which focuses on the religious …especially because this focus on the religious is eventually revealed to be a delusion). All-in-all, interesting and meaningful with moments of distraction and frustration.
”“This is one of my top five favorite novels. I love postmodern writers and Rushdie is about as postmodern as any nihilist writer -- a Henry Miller or Virginia Woolf -- and as far as modern literature goes, it's one of the best novels of the past 100 years and probably THE best of the last 30.
Washington P wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Fan-poppin-tastic!”“Definitely worth reading, great stories, a decent flow.”
Kerem A wrote this review Tuesday, November 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
0 of 1 members found this review helpful“i need to get hands on this one..... but how??????/”
Dhaval Bhate wrote this review Friday, November 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Quite good, though no comparison with Mignight's Children!”
Sharada L wrote this review Tuesday, November 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A classic. Epic writing.”
Paul H wrote this review Thursday, October 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Very philosophical! Hard to swallow at times, difficult to grasp at others, but the irony it is sprinkled it is absolutely precious! ”
Andrea K wrote this review Tuesday, October 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
