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maziodynes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was honestly one of the most thought provoking books I've ever read.
Yes, it's meandering with an incredibly unreliable narrator. The pacing is challenging, and sometimes even frustrating. But the way every character and notable item is symbolic, representative of a deeply human feeling or a time in history - it's something that feels magical. It's a fantastical multi-generational story rooted in hard historical truths, and that's no easy task.
I'll be thinking about Saleem's story for a long, long time. And I'll never look at pickles the same way again!
Yes, it's meandering with an incredibly unreliable narrator. The pacing is challenging, and sometimes even frustrating. But the way every character and notable item is symbolic, representative of a deeply human feeling or a time in history - it's something that feels magical. It's a fantastical multi-generational story rooted in hard historical truths, and that's no easy task.
I'll be thinking about Saleem's story for a long, long time. And I'll never look at pickles the same way again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Gore, Incest, Miscarriage, Suicide, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Police brutality and Dementia
notthatcosta's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I kinda went all over the place with this one - I was dreading starting it because it's so damn long (the longest book I've read, in fact) and to be honest I remain unconvinced that this book (or any book for that matter) has any right being over 600 pages.
I tend to struggle with first person narration at the best of times, but when it's this indulgent, tangiential and scattered as this it became a slog to try and follow the plot. With a story as expansive, there were also a lot of characters (many having multiple names) which also made it hard to know which threads to pay attention to. Even our narrator often switched how he referred to himself...
While I would say Gabriel García Márquez's 100 Years of Solitude is a far better execution of a similar story (and even provided a graphic to help you follow the family tree), I really enjoyed book 2 because of its focus on the family and its dysfunction, which is always a winner for me in a novel. When it was meandering preamble about ancestors who you don't get much time with or our antihero being kind of awful, I was less invested.
On the positive side, it has a great premise and most of the plot is pretty riveting despite the execution being spotty. I can see why it's so beloved, because it's a remarkable work of fiction despite my critiques.
I tend to struggle with first person narration at the best of times, but when it's this indulgent, tangiential and scattered as this it became a slog to try and follow the plot. With a story as expansive, there were also a lot of characters (many having multiple names) which also made it hard to know which threads to pay attention to. Even our narrator often switched how he referred to himself...
While I would say Gabriel García Márquez's 100 Years of Solitude is a far better execution of a similar story (and even provided a graphic to help you follow the family tree), I really enjoyed book 2 because of its focus on the family and its dysfunction, which is always a winner for me in a novel. When it was meandering preamble about ancestors who you don't get much time with or our antihero being kind of awful, I was less invested.
On the positive side, it has a great premise and most of the plot is pretty riveting despite the execution being spotty. I can see why it's so beloved, because it's a remarkable work of fiction despite my critiques.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism
goldripred's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.5
Surprisingly good as everything wraps up at the end. I find this a characteristic charm of Rushdie where you find yourself longing for the end where he ties up all the characters, all of the disparate ends of history into an arc you can trace. I really enjoyed parts of this novel and found it informative in understanding the history. It had significant gravitas towards some of the most heart-breaking segments such as the Bangladeshi genocide. I felt exhausted and appalled after reading that segment which was the purpose of narrating that storyline. It was a book that aimed to explain ALL of India’s history 30 years after independence even through the tracks of Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was hopeful towards the beginning and slowly lost its optimism until the reader feels the legacy of being an Indian as Rushdie describes it: constantly trampled under the weight of history. Overall, an enlightening experience. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Torture, Murder, and War
vibartolomei's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Murder, and War