From the Bookshelf of Reading the Chunksters…

Midnight’s Children

Salman Rushdie

Start date: June 13, 2015

Finish date: August 19, 2015

Discussion: Archive 2015: Literary Readathon

Discussion leader: Ami

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Archive 2015: Literary Readathon

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* Catalog for Literary Readathalon
By Ami · 1 post · 42 views

last updated Oct 30, 2016 06:33PM

* Literary Chunkster - Readathon
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last updated Jul 13, 2015 02:00AM

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What Members Thought

Jun 14, 2015 Nicola rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1001-books, magical-realism

Some authors have intimidated me in the past, I'm not sure why. Mr Rushdie was one such. The first book of his that I was aware of, was, unsurprisingly, The Satanic Verses and along with all of the hysteria I also picked up that it was a weighty tome of a book and that many people either didn't like it and/or didn't understand it. It put me off. I filed him under 'highly serious writer' and somehow got it into my head that I wouldn't enjoy his work.

Grimus was my first introduction thanks to the ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Apr 02, 2015 Linda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, boxalls-1001-books-before-death, own_scanned-books

New favorite phrase: "chutnification of history". ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jan 26, 2018 Jack rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018

I LOVED Midnight's Children. I also found an odd number of similarities to NBC's forgettable superhero tv show Heroes. The book is much better thank god.
...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Alana rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: foreign-culture, historical-fiction, fantasy, man-booker-prize, boxall-s-1001-books

I read a lot and I know that there are some book that connect with me and some that just don't. I have never gotten to the end of a book like this and had no earthly idea what just happened. I have no idea what this book is about. Ok, it's about India, and the parts that were about the tumultuous history of that region are in fact quite fascinating. However, the history of India is covered over by the segeying storytelling of the narrator of his own life, which is completely uninteresting. The f I read a lot and I know that there are some book that connect with me and some that just don't. I have never gotten to the end of a book like this and had no earthly idea what just happened. I have no idea what this book is about. Ok, it's about India, and the parts that were about the tumultuous history of that region are in fact quite fascinating. However, the history of India is covered over by the segeying storytelling of the narrator of his own life, which is completely uninteresting. The first few chapters I was really into to and found parts quite humorous. But as the story progressed (well, continued, anyway) and he kept diving off in a thousand different directions "Wait, I can't tell that part yet," "No, it is not time yet," "But no, I am letting that into the story before its time," and telling things so out of order that what might have been an interesting narrative to mirror the changes in India and Pakistan at the time became so bogged down in a pointless side story that I literally forced myself to continue merely because I was already halfway through the book. I should have abandoned it then, as nothing else of note happened afterwards.

Perhaps this is one of those books that I just have to be at the right period in my life to enjoy. In general I don't find Eastern cultures super engaging (not that they aren't rich and diverse, simply that they don't interest me in particular) but I would have found the history and culture presented in the book very intriguing if it had just been a straightforward non-fiction telling of the history of India. I do love seeing how cultures interact and change over time to create the world as we know it today. But that rich history got bogged down in a story so outrageous that I kept thinking "I don't CARE, just tell me what happened!" And if I had to hear one more disgusting description of how snot (literally) allowed him his extraordinary powers, I might have thrown the book across the room.

I'm surprised I had such a strong reaction to this, as the ratings in general seem to be incredibly high. I guess I just don't understand the subject matter. Perhaps I will one day, but I'm not in a hurry to try it out again.

Just not for me, at least not now. ...more

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Jul 03, 2019 J_BlueFlower rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1001, 1001-read, norwegian-100, catching-up-read

One of the best books I've read this year. The greatest value for me is his language and word play. Try read aloud or listen to an audiobook.

"to creep unobserved into the tower of crippled hours."

"I entered my secret hideout, stretched out on the straw mat I’d stolen from the servants’ quarters" The book is full of these goodies.

And secondly his invention of words like ”sonship” that not only has a nice sound, but boils down all the angst of rejection into a single word and his use of Muslim wo ...more

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