Midnight’s Children in 101 Books to Read Before You Die

Jun 05, 2015 Irene rated it it was ok

I am not a fan of magical realism; I simply do not understand it enough to appreciate it. The narrator of this novel was born on the stroke of midnight on the day of India’s independence. He believes that his life has directed the trajectory of India’s unfolding history. I could recognize the literary quality of the writing, understand why it is included on so many academic reading lists, but I did not enjoy it. It felt as if I were being asked to admire this book rather than to lose myself in i ...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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May 08, 2015 Sagheer Afzal rated it did not like it

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time as Salman Rushdie has long been the darling of the litterati; the supposed pioneer of magical realism. I am loath to say I was very disappointed. The prose was dense and the authors aversion to using paragraphs to add clarity to his narrative made the book plodding and ponderous. I fail to see the inherent symbolism of Saleem Sina and the Brass Monkey or Shiva. I fail to see how it gives any insight into any of the themes raised in the book. ...more

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Dec 30, 2014 Anirban Nanda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classic, favourite, modern-classic, magic-realism, tragicomic, joycian, comic

I have written a great review (my opinion) but this (beep) goodreads platform has annihilated that text conspiratorially the moment I have clicked the save button, and as a revenge, I'll deprive this world of my well thought and constructed review (which I have been writing for almost 30 mins). I feel this is a fitting revenge, for for an electronic fool's assholery, one just can't waste his another 30 mins. ...more

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