Midnight's Children

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An incredibly rich and expertly written novel by Rushdie which expertly weaves historical fact, myths and magic with unreliable human narrative. Th... (show more)

An incredibly rich and expertly written novel by Rushdie which expertly weaves historical fact, myths and magic with unreliable human narrative. The novel is the story of Saleem Sinai, a child born on the stroke of midnight at the exact time of India gaining independence and his link with his mother land and other children born in the midnight hour. Saleem's life reflects the twists and turns of modern India and Pakistan.

Midnights children is a beautiful read, and a good way to appreciate Salman Rushdie's flair with language. The depth and detail of the description is stunning, although at times can be hard work to plough through. It is definately worth persevering though! A basic knowledge of modern Indian history may be helpful, but not absolutely necessary as the narrative voice is by his own admission, unreliable, and it can be hard to distinguish fact from fable. But this is part of the novel's charm.

This is my second experience of a Rushdie novel, and I can't wait to begin my next. (show less)

 

 

by Facebook User

No, it's a flop!

long winded, overly complicated and I persevered for 3 weeks then left it on the train because I couldn't be bothered finishing it.

 

 

by Facebook User

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  I recommend this book to all my friends (especially those who like magical realism). Rushdie's style is completely engaging, even from the first page. I do recommend reading a bit about this book and/or about India's independence first, or you might miss a very important dimension to this novel.

   

   

  by Facebook User on Jan 28, 2008 at 05:31AM

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  Salman Rushdie may be the most remarkable author of the twentieth century. He is one of very, very few people who can use prose for personal expression without having it collapse in a mess of gimmicks and pretension. His books succeed like no other I've read in conveying not necessarily stories or facts, but a sense of personal experience and atmosphere.

  The flip-side of this is that he's an unsatisfying storyteller. His books tend to feel, throughout, like the tedious preamble to a really g... (show more)

  Salman Rushdie may be the most remarkable author of the twentieth century. He is one of very, very few people who can use prose for personal expression without having it collapse in a mess of gimmicks and pretension. His books succeed like no other I've read in conveying not necessarily stories or facts, but a sense of personal experience and atmosphere.

  The flip-side of this is that he's an unsatisfying storyteller. His books tend to feel, throughout, like the tedious preamble to a really good book; the exposition we need to work through before we can get down to the business of actually dealing with the story. Rushdie carefully takes all of his tin soldiers out of his toy box, examines them in detail and lines them up (or discards them, as wanted), but then just when you think it's finally time to start playing with them, he just kicks them over and walks away.
  Midnight's Children is perhaps less guilty of this than some of his other works, reaching as it does something resembling a real storyline (as opposed to just a common theme between a bunch of barely-stories) some three or four hundred pages in. This storyline peters out long before the book is over, however, and the final few chapters are once again underwhelming.

  Despite this, though, Midnight's Children is one of the best books I've ever read. I'm not entirely sure how he manages it. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Sep 25, 2009 at 10:45PM

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