A review by edsantiago
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
What a slog. Pretentious, long-winded, annoying. I found myself wondering how this could be the same author as Victory City. (Likely answer: forty difficult years).
Maybe it would help if I knew more about India’s history and culture. Or if I liked florid ornate excessive circumlocutious language. Or if I were more tolerant of moronic religions and stupid vain shallow self-absorbed people. But that’s not me, and I am clearly not the target audience.
In a delicious coincidence, halfway through my reading I stumbled into a conversation with a remarkable young person who was drawing parallels between this book and The God of Small Things and who urged me to just not bother with this one, and rush to pick up that one. Unfortunately, it turns out I already tried and DNF’ed it... with similar gripes about flowery prose. Sigh.
Unrated, because who am I to argue with a Booker Prize.
Maybe it would help if I knew more about India’s history and culture. Or if I liked florid ornate excessive circumlocutious language. Or if I were more tolerant of moronic religions and stupid vain shallow self-absorbed people. But that’s not me, and I am clearly not the target audience.
In a delicious coincidence, halfway through my reading I stumbled into a conversation with a remarkable young person who was drawing parallels between this book and The God of Small Things and who urged me to just not bother with this one, and rush to pick up that one. Unfortunately, it turns out I already tried and DNF’ed it... with similar gripes about flowery prose. Sigh.
Unrated, because who am I to argue with a Booker Prize.