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: Murder, Torture, War, and Rape
macydigital's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Some of the most elaborate writing I've ever seen, painting a gorgeous, vibrant, and sad portrait of a country at a unique point in its history
benjobuks's review against another edition
4.0
Rushdie follows three generations leading up to the narrator: a man born at the exact moment of India's independence. Accordingly, much of his ancestry and life story are allegorical with India's origins development as a nation state. It follows a decently typical multi-generational tale, starting in the 'wild' of rural Kashmir with a German-educated doctor returning home to the tumult of home, going to the city where the narrator's mother grows up amid the chaos of Agra and later Mumbai.
As with any allegorical story, the metaphor can land a bit too heavily, and the narrator's indulgent literary voice doesn't always help. That said, the writing is beautiful and I can think of very little writing at this scale that isn't somewhat indulgent. Rushdie takes incredible lengths to explain the political, religious, cultural and colonial complexities of India before and after independence, including ongoing struggles between Hindu and Muslim communities and I was left with a much richer vision of India's history as a result.
I didn't always enjoy reading the book, but I always looked forward to returning to the magic, mystery and vibrancy of Rushdie's writing and the characters he created.
As with any allegorical story, the metaphor can land a bit too heavily, and the narrator's indulgent literary voice doesn't always help. That said, the writing is beautiful and I can think of very little writing at this scale that isn't somewhat indulgent. Rushdie takes incredible lengths to explain the political, religious, cultural and colonial complexities of India before and after independence, including ongoing struggles between Hindu and Muslim communities and I was left with a much richer vision of India's history as a result.
I didn't always enjoy reading the book, but I always looked forward to returning to the magic, mystery and vibrancy of Rushdie's writing and the characters he created.
cecibird's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
fordsofberuna's review against another edition
I’m going to come back to this one. I was enjoying it but it’s that wordy type of book with lots of prose and description which often takes me more effort to read, something I don’t want to put in right now.
lsaligmander's review against another edition
3.0
I have very mixed feelings about this book, but to sum it up I would say that I did not feel that the novel as a whole was equal to the sum of its parts. I found some parts to be really intriguing, like the midnight children’s conference and also the way that Padma kept spying on the narration. That being said, overall I found myself frequently bored or lost in all the things that kept happening at once. Maybe I need to have more context to fully relate to this book.
paracosm's review against another edition
4.0
This book is dense, I think that's the best way to describe it. There is so much going on all the time. Every chapter is packed with a multitude of details, events, symbols and more. The author touches on a great amount of topics including colorism, sexism, colonialism, culture, politics, and others. It's clear from the beginning that the author planned everything from the beginning, and the rusult is quite impressive.
All the characters were great. Even the minor ones were full of life and felt like real people. The main character is very interesting and a very good narrator. There is so much symbolism, metaphors and parallels that you should probably read this book more than once to get it all. The only problem is that it can get tedious after a while, but it's still worth reading.
All the characters were great. Even the minor ones were full of life and felt like real people. The main character is very interesting and a very good narrator. There is so much symbolism, metaphors and parallels that you should probably read this book more than once to get it all. The only problem is that it can get tedious after a while, but it's still worth reading.
gordonfreeman904's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
schenkelberg's review against another edition
4.0
massive and intricate and overwhelming, copious and frenetic.
triceratopper's review against another edition
challenging
slow-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
2.0