viveknshah's review against another edition
3.0
Hooter: The parallels between the birth of the protagonist and India and how their lives unfold.
Considered a must read in nouveau classic literature, finally got down to this book with an extremely interesting premise of the journey of kids born right at the gong of midnight when India received freedom and how intertwined their lives are. While Salman has a colorful writing style painting the imagery through the decades and setting up the environment really well, I found myself plodding through the storyline not being invested in too many of the characters that came and went in the melee of Saleem Sinai's life. The magical realism gets a bit contrite, a degree of self centredness fits in where the book feels like it is the author loving to hear his own voice than the audience's reactions. But a great capsule into the backdrop of Indian history. The Brass Monkey was my favourite character till she turns into Jamila . There is a wide assortment of interesting characters who make a cameo performance and move on. Probably the book is too elite for me or I just had higher expectations.
Considered a must read in nouveau classic literature, finally got down to this book with an extremely interesting premise of the journey of kids born right at the gong of midnight when India received freedom and how intertwined their lives are. While Salman has a colorful writing style painting the imagery through the decades and setting up the environment really well, I found myself plodding through the storyline not being invested in too many of the characters that came and went in the melee of Saleem Sinai's life. The magical realism gets a bit contrite, a degree of self centredness fits in where the book feels like it is the author loving to hear his own voice than the audience's reactions. But a great capsule into the backdrop of Indian history. The Brass Monkey was my favourite character till she turns into Jamila . There is a wide assortment of interesting characters who make a cameo performance and move on. Probably the book is too elite for me or I just had higher expectations.
elsiebrady's review against another edition
3.0
I'm guessing I missed lots in many of the analogies because I do not know my Indian history well, but I know it better now. I enjoy Rushdie's writing, particularly his sarcasm. I will need to read this again after further study so I can enjoy it more and perhaps increase my rating to a 4/5. (My own ignorance marks it a 3/5).
riley_ng15's review against another edition
5.0
Một cuốn sách loạn xì ngậu về thời gian, không gian và đống định mệnh, điềm báo dây mơ rễ má từ quá khứ đổ tới hiện tại
Rất đáng thử sức nếu bạn thấy Trăm năm cô đơn chưa đủ đô :))
Rất đáng thử sức nếu bạn thấy Trăm năm cô đơn chưa đủ đô :))
eileenslibraryofwords's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
Well i didn't like this AT ALL. Felt like false advertising. I read the back of the book and thought "Yes, this is right up my alley." It wasn't.
The whole midnight children story started at page 267... PAGE 267. Over 250 pages of me wondering what on earth I was reading. And of course it slowed down my reading pace.
I think that, maybe apart from books I was obligated to read for school, this is my worst rated book. And I really had my hopes up for this one. I was so misinformed on this one, it sucked.
The whole midnight children story started at page 267... PAGE 267. Over 250 pages of me wondering what on earth I was reading. And of course it slowed down my reading pace.
I think that, maybe apart from books I was obligated to read for school, this is my worst rated book. And I really had my hopes up for this one. I was so misinformed on this one, it sucked.
sakibat's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Finire questo libro è stata una fatica indescrivibile. La storia era così lenta (e il titolo, a mio parere, fuorviante), e raccontata con una scrittura che non mi piaceva per niente, tanto che non sono neanche riuscita a godermi l'ambientaizone indiana. Non voglio più sentir parlare di nasi, ginocchia e cetrioli per i prossimi 10 anni!
wyemu's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a while to really get engaged with this novel but once I did it keep me gripped the rest of the way through. The magical strands of the novel are expertly intertwined with the history of the family and the country. Every character is entertaining and realistically drawn and while their are elements of caricature in some of them they never cross the boundary into becoming a stereotype. Very glad I stuck with it past the first few pages to the real story beyond.
wordswineandwitbookclub's review against another edition
challenging
funny
slow-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? It's complicated
3.75
kennyrae89's review against another edition
Very hard to read. Story is all over the place.