puddleglum1983's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.5
dalamori's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A glorious mix of fantasy, pastiche, zeitgeist, magic and the surreal. Admittedly, it was my first ever Rushdie book I've read. As a deep reader, I thoroughly enjoyed all the references to classic literature (not just of Cervantes), to current culture and politics. It is not a breezy read, the plot gets complex, I had to chew on it. There is a story about writing a story and reality gets blurred with the surreal. Sometimes, one gets the feeling, it even spills out of the book. I loved it, as it tickled my brain at all the right places.
dllh's review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes I wish it was easier to read books without knowing who the authors are. If I had read this one without knowing Rushdie had written it, I think I would have figured it was sort of amateurish -- a neat idea with some fun enough writing, but on the whole not a particularly accomplished work. Great authors write duds, but the thing about it is that I lack the confidence in my own smarts to know whether the book is sort of so-so or whether maybe I'm just too dumb to appreciate it. If I didn't know it was written by someone who I know is well respected, maybe I'd approach it more confidently. Much of the book felt to me like sort of a minimalist version of what Barth and Pynchon and heck, probably even Cervantes, often take to (sometimes annoying) extremes. Maybe it's just Rushdie's shtick (I've read only one or maybe two others of his), or maybe he's doing some sort of takedown of that style. To me it felt a little phoned-in, the gags not really earned by the work they appear in. I liked it ok, but it wasn't a real winner to me.
mwmakar's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Brilliant. Ideal way to use magic, fiction, and adaptation.
The Dr. Smile arc is so vivid and devastating and hilarious
Sancho’s last scene was beautiful and heartbreaking
The Dr. Smile arc is so vivid and devastating and hilarious
Sancho’s last scene was beautiful and heartbreaking
tevreads's review
5.0
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2019, this novel was simply incredible. If this style is distinctive to Rushdie, I will have to read more of his works, because I loved it.
_________
Quichotte has a distinct flavour to it that is conversational yet sharp, witty yet thought-provoking, absurd yet painfully real. It reminded me of one of my favourite novels, The Sellout, of how some authors can write so eloquently about the society we live in. Although Rushdie stretches the boundaries of our world through hysterical realism, the satire is sharp and at times unsettling. Have I finally found a novel that can deal with social media and technology in a way that doesn't seem completely out of place? It would seem so.
_________
To not give the story away, the structure and narrative is peculiar yet addictive. When I got through the first couple chapters I already knew I would love this book, but then the different characters and perspectives that are introduced had me transfixed. This is an epic tale, a homage to Cervantes' Don Quixote placed firmly in a 21st century context that seems so hard to encapsulate in a story, but Rushdie seems to manage to do so. The current America is exposed here as one of natural disasters, opiod crises, gun violence, and populist leaders. Rushdie has perhaps provided the satire of America needed in these turbulent times, it's a novel that deserves to be remembered as such.
_________
Quichotte has a distinct flavour to it that is conversational yet sharp, witty yet thought-provoking, absurd yet painfully real. It reminded me of one of my favourite novels, The Sellout, of how some authors can write so eloquently about the society we live in. Although Rushdie stretches the boundaries of our world through hysterical realism, the satire is sharp and at times unsettling. Have I finally found a novel that can deal with social media and technology in a way that doesn't seem completely out of place? It would seem so.
_________
To not give the story away, the structure and narrative is peculiar yet addictive. When I got through the first couple chapters I already knew I would love this book, but then the different characters and perspectives that are introduced had me transfixed. This is an epic tale, a homage to Cervantes' Don Quixote placed firmly in a 21st century context that seems so hard to encapsulate in a story, but Rushdie seems to manage to do so. The current America is exposed here as one of natural disasters, opiod crises, gun violence, and populist leaders. Rushdie has perhaps provided the satire of America needed in these turbulent times, it's a novel that deserves to be remembered as such.
thomasgoddard's review against another edition
4.0
The great Don Quixote (key-SHO-tay) reimagined here as the American Indian (Dot, not feather!) Quichotte (key-SHOT) a travelling salesman complete with a desaturated companion child Sancho is a few channels short of a full subscription. And, in typical romantic fashion, sets out on a quest to win the heart of the oblivious Miss Salma R.
I mean... You're not going to tell me you're not already intrigued!
Inspired to read this by a defiance borne of the recent attack on Rushdie, I wasn't sure where to start with his books. I'd read Midnight's Children many years ago and frankly couldn't remember much about it. So I'll have to re-read that too now. As well as his other works. I settled on this book as it was his latest and promised to deliver on the topic of delusion... How fitting? Non?
In a book like this, knowing as much as you know isn't as helpful as you'd think and you find yourself obsessed with finding windmills, mistaking every new element with their arrival. It's splendid fun. Where are the giants?!
There is more to this than a simple re-hashing of an old idea. So much more!
Elements of Pinocchio, the real world, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Pop Culture (particularly of the televisual variety), spy thrillers, pulp noir... It drips with it all.
It really reminded me of Out Of Their Minds by Clifford Simak. Where reality just sort of starts breaking rules. I think I'll re-read that again soon. So many things to re-read. I don't re-read a lot. I like saying re-read.
All in all, a fantastic introduction to the sort of zany (best word) world of Rushdie's fiction. It loses a star because the latter half lost my interest a little in pursuit of its conceit, but it shouldn't put most people off. I'm just impatient. It redeemed itself with the ending, but not wholly.
And you know what else...? It was uncanny in foreseeing many things that would come to occur in the world after its initial publication in 2019. We really need to pay more attention to writers, they predict the future way better than any politician.
sonham's review
4.0
Ich bin großer Fan von Salman Rushdie, der immer wieder zu überraschen vermag und es mit seinem neuesten Werk auf die Shortlist des Man Booker Prize 2019 geschafft hat.
„Quichotte“ ist grob angelehnt an „Don Quichotte“ von Miguel de Cervantes, bedient sich aber auch an anderen Werken und Genres. Man findet hier eine wilde Mischung aus Büchern, Filmen, Figuren der Öffentlichkeit,…
Es ist die Geschichte eines von Trash-TV verblendeten Mannes, der sich auf die Mission begibt, seinen geliebten Fernsehstar zu erobern, unterwegs einen Sohn erfindet und seltsame Dinge erlebt.
Es ist aber auch die Geschichte eines Spionageautors, der seine Familienprobleme mithilfe Quichottes fiktiv verarbeitet.
Rushdie gelingt es ausgesprochen gut, Fiktion und Realität in diesem Buch zu verweben. Zwar treibt er es hier bewusst auf die Spitze, dennoch lässt sich nicht leugnen, dass unser Leben nicht nur aus Fakten besteht. Wir alle erschaffen unsere eigene Welt. Wir tagträumen, wir fantasieren und immer wieder finden wir uns früher oder später in einer Situation, die zu unseren Gedankenspielen passt. Wir alle schreiben unsere Geschichte selbst, mal mehr, mal weniger gelungen.
Zwar steht in diesem Roman das Thema „Familie“ stark im Vordergrund, doch es werden auch aktuelle Probleme beleuchtet wie beispielsweise Immigration, Rassismus und Missbrauch jeglicher Art.
„Quichotte“ ist ein großartiges Werk, das mir stellenweise allerdings ein ganz klein wenig zu übertrieben war, aber dennoch kann ich es sehr empfehlen und bin gespannt, ob es den diesjährigen Man Booker Prize gewinnen wird.
„Quichotte“ ist grob angelehnt an „Don Quichotte“ von Miguel de Cervantes, bedient sich aber auch an anderen Werken und Genres. Man findet hier eine wilde Mischung aus Büchern, Filmen, Figuren der Öffentlichkeit,…
Es ist die Geschichte eines von Trash-TV verblendeten Mannes, der sich auf die Mission begibt, seinen geliebten Fernsehstar zu erobern, unterwegs einen Sohn erfindet und seltsame Dinge erlebt.
Es ist aber auch die Geschichte eines Spionageautors, der seine Familienprobleme mithilfe Quichottes fiktiv verarbeitet.
Rushdie gelingt es ausgesprochen gut, Fiktion und Realität in diesem Buch zu verweben. Zwar treibt er es hier bewusst auf die Spitze, dennoch lässt sich nicht leugnen, dass unser Leben nicht nur aus Fakten besteht. Wir alle erschaffen unsere eigene Welt. Wir tagträumen, wir fantasieren und immer wieder finden wir uns früher oder später in einer Situation, die zu unseren Gedankenspielen passt. Wir alle schreiben unsere Geschichte selbst, mal mehr, mal weniger gelungen.
Zwar steht in diesem Roman das Thema „Familie“ stark im Vordergrund, doch es werden auch aktuelle Probleme beleuchtet wie beispielsweise Immigration, Rassismus und Missbrauch jeglicher Art.
„Quichotte“ ist ein großartiges Werk, das mir stellenweise allerdings ein ganz klein wenig zu übertrieben war, aber dennoch kann ich es sehr empfehlen und bin gespannt, ob es den diesjährigen Man Booker Prize gewinnen wird.
tmbrundage's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25