The Enchantress of Florence: A Novel

by Salman Rushdie

book data

1,681 ratings, 3.38 average rating, 596 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		14%
4		35%
3		30%
2		13%
1		6%

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published

May 27th 2008 by Random House

binding

Hardcover, 352 pages

isbn

0375504338 (isbn13: 9780375504334)

description

A tall, yellow-haired, young European traveler calling himself “Mogor dell’Amore,” the Mughal of Love, arrives at the court of the Emperor Akbar, lord...more

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09/04/08

Jordanmagill rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Read in October, 2008

On occasion a novel receives harsh treatment from critics not based on the actual work, but rather because it is not what the critics want it to be; this then is the only explanation I can find to explain the harsh, often shrill, reviews received by Rushdie's equisite "The Enchantress of Florence." Having read several of these negative assessments I find the same sub-text runs through them all, namely the complaint that "Enchantress" is neither Rushdie's masterwork "Midn...more On occasion a novel receives harsh treatment from critics not based on the actual work, but rather because it is not what the critics want it to be; this then is the only explanation I can find to explain the harsh, often shrill, reviews received by Rushdie's equisite "The Enchantress of Florence." Having read several of these negative assessments I find the same sub-text runs through them all, namely the complaint that "Enchantress" is neither Rushdie's masterwork "Midnight's Children" nor that lesser work for which he became broadly famous - or in other circles infamous - "The Satanic Verses." To be sure, "Enchantress" is a far different book than Rushdie's previous work, less meditative and more fantastical, yet what is the problem with a great writer branching out into new genres and worlds? While I have loved several of his earlier work, for his choice to create the extraordinary world of "Enchantress" I celebrate Rushdie's genius and thank him for giving me what I can only describe as an extraordinary read.

Other reviewers have offered excellent plot synopsis of "The Enchantress of Florence" and therefore I will offer only the briefest details of the story lines. A blond haired stranger, calling himself Mogor del'Amore (the Mughal of Love) appears in the quasi-magical city of Akbar, the Mughal King of Kings. The stranger claims to be the descendant of Akbar's grandfather's lost younger sister, carried into captivity earlier. He regales Akbar with the tale of the "lost princess" and how she journeyed across Eurasia and found herself eventually in the city of Florence. Overtime a horde of historical personages make appearances, some major, others less so, such as members of the Medici family and Machiavelli.

The story itself is so rich with detail that on occasion the reader feels as if they have been a guest at a feast. One constantly questions which details are true and which are products of Rushdie's extraordinary imagination. Interestingly, Rushdie spent years researching this work and in interviews claims that much of what one might think the most fantastical - the Shi'a monarch who uses his enemy's skull as a drinking goblet or the Ottoman Caliph who's gardeners double as his executioners - are in fact the ones that are true. On occasion on really wishes that there were a study guide to go along with the book.

Like the best fairy tales, Rushdie's "Enchantress" layers in many deep and vexing questions that transcend any age: What does it mean to be real? What is the good life? How can one be happy? All of this arrives in a story written with such incomparable talent, that one can not easily put it down. "The Enchantress of Florence" may not have been the work that the critics wanted Rushdie to write, but I have little doubt that in generations to come, readers will recognize it as among his greatest works. (less)

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07/14/08

Elizabeth rated it:

bookshelves: authors-i-ve-met, historical-fiction

Read in July, 2008

While every review seems a need to state the basic plot of the yellow-haired stranger appearing in Akbar's court I will quickly skip over this and go straight to what I thought. I felt that the book was very uneven, there where parts that were just wonderful and deserving a full five stars, in particular the story of the illuminator who disappeared into his own artwork and the concept of Jhoda, and others that were so very boring that the average became a two.

The main problem I ha...more

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08/19/08

Christa rated it:

bookshelves: library

Read in September, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

In The Enchantress of Florence, Salman Rushdie mixes history with fiction in order to create a tale of adventure, power, and romance. I enjoyed most of the book, but I found it to be a bit disjointed in places. There were so many names in the book that it was hard to keep them all straight at times. Some of the primary characters in the novel are a mysterious golden haired adventurer, an all powerful emperor, an imaginary queen, and a princess who has been erased from history. Toward the end ...more In The Enchantress of Florence, Salman Rushdie mixes history with fiction in order to create a tale of adventure, power, and romance. I enjoyed most of the book, but I found it to be a bit disjointed in places. There were so many names in the book that it was hard to keep them all straight at times. Some of the primary characters in the novel are a mysterious golden haired adventurer, an all powerful emperor, an imaginary queen, and a princess who has been erased from history. Toward the end of the book, Rushdie includes my least favorite storyline, that of incest. I would have rated the book higher if he had not woven incest into the story in a couple of different ways.

A golden haired adventurer enters the city and says that he has a message for the emperor. He is taken before the ruler, and finds favor. Over a long period of time, he tells the emperor a legend that is his own story as he knows it. The emperor, a very lonely ruler with three unworthy sons who has created for himself an imaginary wife, is entraced by the adventurer's story. The adventurer tells a tale of three friends, one of whom leaves his home in Florence as an orphan and returns as a powerful warrior with an enchantress as his consort. The enchantress is also an eastern princess, and all of Florence falls under her spell for a time. The emperor begins to feel the presence of the long dead princess and to want her for his own - however, this is forbidden as she was his great aunt. The emperor feels strongly drawn toward the adventurer and considers bestowing great honor on him, but instead, turns away from him, bringing ruin to his great city.

This is the first novel I have read by Rushdie. I found it to be interesting, and I enjoyed his style of writing. It was difficult to keep up with the characters and story in some places, but the main turnoff for me was the forbidden relationships that were in the end of the book. I had mixed feelings about this book, and I am not certain if I will read more by him.

(less)

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06/24/08

Scott rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

Filled with lush emptiness. There is more love-at-first-sight in the Enchantress than all other stories put together. Entire cities fall in love at first sight. And the level of subtlety rarely rises above this. After a promising first 80 pages or so, it begins to resemble a cartoon (in a bad way). Even the blasphemies in this book—-which seemed to be produced by Rushdie perfunctorily, like a band that always makes sure to play its most popular song—-are wooden and innocuous.

It�...more

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06/05/08

Ben Babcock rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

bookshelves: 2008-read, fantasy, historical-fiction, indian-fiction, literary-pretentious, own, romance

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in July, 2008

As a neophyte of Salman Rushdie's work, I was not fully prepared for The Enchantress of Florence, although I should have been. Rushdie possesses an uncanny ability to manipulate perspective. In his stories, the flow of time is always questionable, and subject to change--if it flows at all. And his characters are larger-than-life, capricious archetypes that embody the virtues and flaws of humanity.

In this novel, Rushdie runs two stories parallel to each other: that of Emperor Akbar...more As a neophyte of Salman Rushdie's work, I was not fully prepared for The Enchantress of Florence, although I should have been. Rushdie possesses an uncanny ability to manipulate perspective. In his stories, the flow of time is always questionable, and subject to change--if it flows at all. And his characters are larger-than-life, capricious archetypes that embody the virtues and flaws of humanity.

In this novel, Rushdie runs two stories parallel to each other: that of Emperor Akbar's court, the emperor's life and philosophy; and the story of a man's heritage, of a lost Mughal princess who travels from Asia to Florence to the New World, then beyond. The boundaries between these two stories--the latter of which takes place in the first one's past--are flimsy, permeable. If you were expecting a linear narrative that reads like a movie novelization, then you a) have not read Salman Rushdie before and b) will not get that.

I might even characterize this story as a fable, for it carries that particular brand of enchantment about it. Romance, yes, that too: the main characters all mediate on the nature of love at one point or another. Cloaked in sixteenth-century philosophical ideas, these ruminations may seem pompous or boring, but I found them intriguing. Akbar struggles with the existence of God, the divine right to rule, whether might truly is the only arbiter of power. We also see a fictionalized Machiavelli, disenchanted with his wife, and like so many men in this story, drawn into the web of enchantment that the eponymous princess weaves.

Descend deeper through these layers, and Rushdie focuses on the nature of power for women in a world dominated by men. How do women exert their influence? Is their beauty, their sexuality, the only way they can ever gain power? In this book, two female characters are essentially imaginary, constructed from the mind of Akbar. What does this say about the nature of gender, a man creating his feminine opposites because he cannot find them in life?

Rushdie uses this story as a vehicle to explore a woman's life--told largely through the perspectives of men, ironically--in this period of history. However, I wouldn't necessarily call this a work of historical fiction, in the sense that it does not concern itself too much with the details of history except when they serve a purpose. The story is not about the Mughal empire so much as it is set, for a part, in that empire.

While "epic" or "sword and sorcery" fantasy has its place, its success of late has typecasted the genre. In those stories, magic is almost a science, subjected to laws the way we have restricted gravity. We often forget that the definition of fantasy is broader. In this respect, The Enchantress of Florence reminds me of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is truly a fantastic adventure and romance just steeped in unrestrained magic, a world in which anything is possible--but not everything is permitted.(less)

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04/02/08

Nancy rated it:

Read in April, 2008

Rushdie has this particular trait that I've noticed in his writing: he writes entertainingly, but the reader cannot simply sit back and be entertained. This book was no exception.

In one sense, I felt like Shahryar waiting for Scherezade to continue her tale. Every time I'd put the book down and come back to it, there was always something new, and something to look forward to. There's not just one story here, but several, and each one is intricately layered so that the reader has ...more

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06/05/08

Lori rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

Read in July, 2008

Reading this is like eating a bowl of creamy ice cream. Luscious words that seem to slide down and enervate but tastefully lingers to remind you it's not as light as you first thought. Reading Rushdie is like a spark of recognition with a fellow traveler and I tip my hat in greeting, to say hello! it was lovely walking with you for awhile, thank you for reminding me what it is to connect with someone, hope to bump into you again further down the road, and may you have a good journey.

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01/04/09

Jesse rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

Read in January, 2009

this is the first book i have read by rushdie and it's good enough to encourage me to read "midnight's children" which i hear is his best book. if anyone has any suggestions as to something besides that, i'm open for some advice. this book was fairly entertaining, but it seemed to get wrapped up in itself and stumbled to the finish, rushing through the most important part of the plot in about 20 pgs, while spending the previous 270 pgs, slowly spinning an east meets west orientalist ya...more this is the first book i have read by rushdie and it's good enough to encourage me to read "midnight's children" which i hear is his best book. if anyone has any suggestions as to something besides that, i'm open for some advice. this book was fairly entertaining, but it seemed to get wrapped up in itself and stumbled to the finish, rushing through the most important part of the plot in about 20 pgs, while spending the previous 270 pgs, slowly spinning an east meets west orientalist yarn. the parts of the story about the golden=haired traveler (mogor dell'amore) were the most entertaining. his story-telling ability and charm were amusing enough to keep the pages turning, but the gloomy musings of akbar the great (the mughal emperor) became tedious after a while. this was rather disappointing as akbar was an extremely fascinating historical figure, who built a temple to knowledge and allowed the discussion of all religions to be had in a common sphere, in an attempt to find the one true religion. he was also an artist, inventor, and animal trainer. all this was fodder for some great material, yet rushdie settled for continual ruminations about akbar using the grammatical singular (boring). besides the court of the mughal emperor the other part of the story took place in florence. and while both these locations are exotic, rushdie just isn't a good enough writer to really bring 16th century florence to life. he even includes niccolo machiavelli (author of "the prince"); yet this character comes across flat and because of the winding, disjointed order of the story, you never really get a good sense of his motivation for writing his most famous work.
the novel's plot involves mogor dell'amore showing up at the mughal court telling akbar that he is his uncle by a long lost princess who eventually wound up in florence. akbar doesn't quite believe him and - arabian nights style - the traveler slowly reveals his tale of enchantment, war, and love. this part of the novel contains some of the most moving writing as well as some of the novels stock villians: wormwood khan (apparently the real name of an historical figure), shah ismail of persia (a coward on the battle field who flees, leaving the princess to be captured and taken west), and a plethora of medici's (always great as villians). yet none of these charcaters are developed in any way: they are just there to create obstacles for the princess to overcome and thus add more tales to her fantastic story.
however, there were some solid moments in the novel. the opening scene with the the golden pool of water and the traveler ariving in his colorful jacket (bringing up memories of joseph, another foreigner currying favor with a local ruler) held some of the best writing in the novel (check out the first paragraph of the book). another string scene was the memory palace. a woman who was enchanted, thus erasing her memory, and then had it replaced with a character's story of his travels in the ottoman empire.
but overall the novel never really gets off the ground. with all the colorful historical characters - as well as an enchantress (which is pretty much a carte blanche for an author, making plot that much easier) - rushdie is never able to fully reel in the reader; add to this his swift summary of an ending and you have an average novel, by an author who could probably write a great one.(less)

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8 comments

01/09/08

Tina. rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

bookshelves: read-in-2008

Read in April, 2008

Well, Rushdie can pretty much do no wrong by me. So, yes, five stars. He's just so good.
I hope I don't have to wait another three years for his new creation.

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06/23/08

Brian rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

bookshelves: fiction

Read in June, 2008

It's hard for me to "review" a Rushdie novel, mainly because of the feeling I get each time I finish a particular text. It's difficult to describe, but perhaps analogy will shed some light.

I recall the first time I walked through the Pulitzer Foundation in St. Louis. Designed by Tadao Ando, the building is jarring at first. Entirely concrete, it initially screams heartless modernism. But then you see the Ellsworth Kelly piece running the length of the concrete stairway. An...more

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02/26/09

Alan rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

Read in February, 2009

Salman Rushdie is in top form in this historical novel set in Mughal India and in Renaissance Florence. A mysterious Italian shows up at the court of the Mughal Emperor claiming to be his relation. How could this be? He has yellow hair and pale skin. Slowly the story unfolds.
Rushdie creates a dreamlike atmosphere in which magic can and occasional does happen but more often humans make their own choices and accept their own fates. It's a meditation on the nature of love, of imagination, of ...more

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02/18/09

Bruce rated it:

(review of isbn 0679640517)

Read in February, 2009

I have yet to be disappointed by any of Salman Rushdie’s novels, and The Enchantress of Florence proved to be no exception. Rushdie’s language is wonderful, his metaphors sensual and evocative (the novel’s opening sentence is, “In the day’s last light the glowing lake below the palace-city looked like a sea of molten gold.”), his vocabulary delightful (“…[he:] move[d:] toward his goal indirectly, with many detours and divagations.”), his images rollicking with creativity (“T...more

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02/11/09

Jon rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

What a wonderful book. A vast series of Arabian Nights tales, all linked, but with tantalizingly fluid chronology and meaning, with some rock-hard realistic sections in the Florence of the Medicis, although now that I think of it, those had plenty of enchantment too. The book is divided into a number of chapters, each titled on a separate initial page by its first few words. Some of them: "In the day's last light the glowing lake" "At dawn the haunting sandstone palaces" "...more

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04/07/08

Ruth rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

good yarn.

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08/21/08

Tony rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

bookshelves: fiction-mainstream

Rushdie, Salman. THE ENCHANTRESS OF FLORENCE. (2008). **. It’s obvious that I’m not Rushdie’s targeted reader. This is a book of marvels, but not a marvelous book. It’s the story of a travelling salesman who journeys from Florence to India to the Mughal ruler Akbar’s court at Sikri (near Agra, and which I visited during my time in India). He supposedly has a “tale which only the emperor’s ear may hear.” The rest of the book provides the tale – a long, drawn-out series o...more

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06/07/08

Lisa rated it:

bookshelves: british, contemporary, fiction, indian, novels, salman-rushdie

Read in June, 2008

This is Rushdie for the masses. Rushdie for people who are too intimidated to read Midnight's Children or The Satanic Verses. Rushdie-lite is what I'll call it.

The Enchantress of Florence is a book about fairy-tales, fantasy, myth, mirages, and illusion. Highly appropriate subject matter considering that the book itself is not much more than a pretty chimera. Feather soft and lighter than air, Rushdie weaves the story in and out of Florence, Italy and The Mughal Empire, skippin...more

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06/05/08

Nori rated it:

Read in June, 2008

I love, love Rushdie's writing style. An excerpt from this appeared as a short story in the New Yorker a few months before the book was published, and just that passage about the emperor's deliberations on the meaning and usage of the first person singular vs. plural (not to mention the exertions and verbiage of the Chief Flatterer) reminded me just what I'd loved about Haroun & The Sea Of Stories.

This is a lovely one, a cute story involving generations and continents and benign pas...more I love, love Rushdie's writing style. An excerpt from this appeared as a short story in the New Yorker a few months before the book was published, and just that passage about the emperor's deliberations on the meaning and usage of the first person singular vs. plural (not to mention the exertions and verbiage of the Chief Flatterer) reminded me just what I'd loved about Haroun & The Sea Of Stories.

This is a lovely one, a cute story involving generations and continents and benign passive sorcery and women and treachery and the new world and the golden age of Florence and men of war and human nature. There's a passage, coincidentally from that section that also appeared in the New Yorker, that sums up his close relationship with what it is to be simply human: "[P]eople were finally able to tell each other everything they had been obliged to keep unsaid for moths on end. 'I love you. My mother is dead. Your soup tastes good. If you do not pay me the money you owe me I will break your arms at the elbows. My darling, I love you too.' Everything." (p. 29)

It's vulgar, it's sweet, it's cute, it's in many ways timeless. It could easily be 2 or 3 times the length and be a proper Neal-Stephenson-esque novel, rich with detail and historical context and fleshing-out; Rushdie chooses to keep the details in the realm of fantasy, though, referencing actual historical moments but weaving them, in this relatively slim volume, into his overall narrative without disturbing the one for the other. History meets quotidian meets magic seamlessly: "The familiarity with which the supernatural occurrence was received was of course the consequence of such occurrences being normal at that time, before the real and unreal were segregated forever and doomed to live apart under different monarchs and separated legal systems." (p. 324)

I almost wish he'd taken the longer tack, but I suppose there's more of his out there that I haven't read yet, so I shouldn't complain.

Only 4 stars because it didn't sweep me off my feet in the way that a truly transcendent book can. But well worth the indulgence. More stories of this level of articulacy, understanding, and narrative are needed in the world.(less)

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05/27/08

Manu rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

recommends it for: Naeem (especially)

While the lyrical fanaticism in praise of new literary upstarts has led some to sardonically emphasize the Sir in Sir Salman Rushdie (and assert his cultural whiteness to boot!), it is with books such as these that the much maligned author asserts his belief in the persistence of difference in even the most syncretic themes.

In so doing, while the author cannot silence his critics (indeed, that would be furtherest from his mind), he does succeed in reminding readers of a possibility wh...more

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04/15/08

Roopsi rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

bookshelves: diaspora, poco_lit

Read in May, 2008

recommends it for: Rushdie and contemporary literature fans, history buffs

Like many of Rushdie’s older novels, The Enchantress of Florence makes South Asia one of its subjects. Unlike his other novels, which are set during contemporary times, however, the new one takes place during the late 15th and early 16th centuries in Florence, Italy and Fatehpur Sikri, the capital of Mughal Emperor Akbar’s empire. At the beginning of the novel, a blonde Italian calling himself Mogor dell’Amore (“Mughal of Love”) travels to South Asia in search of Akbar, who is at the h...more Like many of Rushdie’s older novels, The Enchantress of Florence makes South Asia one of its subjects. Unlike his other novels, which are set during contemporary times, however, the new one takes place during the late 15th and early 16th centuries in Florence, Italy and Fatehpur Sikri, the capital of Mughal Emperor Akbar’s empire. At the beginning of the novel, a blonde Italian calling himself Mogor dell’Amore (“Mughal of Love”) travels to South Asia in search of Akbar, who is at the height of his power. The premise of the novel is that Mogor dell’Amore, a consummate storyteller, has a tale that he must tell Akbar-—one that might even result in his own death. Weaving together family intrigue, miscegenation, sorcery, sex and history, the power of Rushdie’s novel lies in the hands of Mogor dell’Amore as he spins his tale carefully and cautiously, beginning with his own childhood and a tale of three friends, one of whom will grow up to become Niccolo Machiavelli. The tale takes on global proportions, explaining how Mogor dell’Amore finds himself in the court of the Mughal Emperor. With the skill of Scheherazade, spinning her stories for 1001 nights, Rushdie offers his own carefully constructed narrative, switching between the story that Mogor dell’Amore tells Akbar’s court and the reactions of the imperial court to the impossible tale that he tells. Quick changes in narration, time, and place often feature prominently in Rushdie’s novels, but they flow naturally in The Enchantress of Florence and reward even the casual reader with a tale filled with intrigue, humor and history.

But Rushdie’s new novel rewards his long-time readers and fans as well. Over the past 30 years, we have seen Rushdie’s geographical scope widening from South Asia to Europe and the United States, following his own migration around the globe. In The Enchantress of Florence, however, we have a new treat as Rushdie widens his temporal scope, moving farther into the past than we have ever seen from him before. The result is a novel that includes everything you love about Rushdie’s writing—clever puns, overbrimming prose, inside jokes for Hindi speakers and fantastic and colorful characters—but also offers a way for Rushdie to show off his expansive talent, one that extends beyond representations of South Asian culture to Renaissance Europe.

Full review in the June 2008 issue of ABCDlady.(less)

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05/08/08

Meri rated it:

(review of isbn 0224061631)

bookshelves: india, magic-realism

Another classic from an incomparable author! The Enchantress of Florence tells the story of Akbar, a Mughal emperor, who meets a traveler from Florence who claims to be his relative. As is typical with Rushdie's books, the plot is only the novel's skeleton, and the story weaves myth, history, and philosophy to open dialogue on the mingling of Eastern and Western culture, their differences, and what their histories tell us about our world today. It is set in the Florence and India of our colle...more

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