A Novel (Modern Library 100 Best Novels) - Midnight's Children

You love 20th-century literature (fiction) and came to this this book astonished by the Booker prizes (yes, plural!) it won and already bracing for an amazing reading experience?

Well, my advice is: think twice before buying it. This may be the most overrated book I have come across in my whole life. You can't relate to any character (no likeable chars at all); you can't tell whether this is history (the author famously deleted some words for political reasons, as he himself notes in the preface... go figure), historiography, magic realism, or a novel without a plot. It is very easy, by the way, to write bad magic realism, because there is always an easy way out. This genre requires mastery and technique, such as the one displayed in, for example, One Hundred Years of Solitude.

I tried, I really tried. In the end I could not make it to the last page. I was very bored and very disappointed by this book.

Salman Rushdie has what most would call "a way with words," but this work illustrates magnificence in writing to a much higher degree. It captivates readers from the first page... A must-have for any fan of Literature. This book was certainly my best purchase of the year. A great summer read.

his best book...he is so erudite and knowledgeable on a global level...i was in india at the tail end of the pakistani/india conflict...his universal eye increased my understanding of this age old tribal war.

It received many great reviews which is why I bought it, but I had trouble getting into it and felt that most of what was written was strange. I suspect the problem had more to do with me than the way the author writes. I stopped about 1/3 of the way through, as I could not keep my interest up and gave up trying to understand what he was writing about and why.

Mr. Rushdie never disappoints. This perspective of India's turmultuous history from one man's view is haunting and heartbreaking. His simplest sentences are crafted with such beauty, I repeatedly would reread whole paragraphs just for the pleasure of the author's mastery of words.

A wonderful book I found the language rich and totally enthralling and the metophor fascinating. I felt that the Character Saleem was deeply tramutised and his personal experiences and split from reality mirrored the trauma of the independance/partitation of India.

If some book loving thief broke into my house and stole every single one of my books, and dropped this one on his way out, I'd be thankful I still had it, rather than pissed that the rest were gone. Salman Rushdie is a masterful writer and one only needs to dig into this book to fall in love with him. If you are thinking about getting this book, just get it. If you aren't thinking about getting this book, there is something seriously wrong with you and you need to get the book anyways.
Thank me later (books, chocolate, and coffee are all acceptable forms of payment).

This author has such a wonderful imagination. Makes me feel that I have never had an original thought. I enjoy everything he writes and this is no exception. The way he conveys his thoughts on paper is simple amazing. He truly is amazing and takes me back to India better than any film could ever do. Loved it

An interesting read, but the unique style of prose is difficult to follow, especially for those not used to the genre. I quit about halfway through as the story lacked a compelling central storyline and was frustrating to read.

Salman Rushdie may be regarded as a prize winning artist, but not in my book. This novel was truly a tough read, and that is not because it is complex in language or scope. The first 150 pages almost caused me to put it down for good and donate it. However, around this point, the story takes a better turn as it finally focuses on the protagonist of the novel. Aside from the general history of Pakistan and India and the 30 year span this story takes place, there was far too much mysticism involved. Twists and turns here and there make for the story to slog along, but in the end it just doesn't gel. Incestuous thoughts, bawdy feelings and overall sexual feelings of ineptitude are replete thorough out the novel. That in and of itself doesn't bother me, but when it is used as an essential characteristic by and of the narrator, it tends to become trite and useless. Additionally, while the story does take place in India and Pakistan, the use of the local language or Rushdie's attempt and using sounds and local vernacular drowns out an otherwise descriptive passage at times. The conversations are somewhat void of attention to the situation at hand or don't address the overall theme of the novel. Alcoholism, poverty, opulence, and histrionics are used throughout the story as vehicles to paint a full picture of the narrator's life. Unfortunately, they run flat and the overall theme, if one can really discern a deep meaning to this novel, is lost so the book lands with a thud! I am only giving it two stars because it is a decent attempt. I won't attempt to read Salman Rushdie again. Far too many other better books out there.

This is an incredibly well written book. I lost myself into the world Salman Rushdie creates here and just wanted to keep reading.

I find it reads like some other Man Booker prize winners like White Tiger and Life of Pi - it's hard for me to explain properly, but that kind of first person, 'amazed with life' kind of view of the world it's written in... hope that makes some sense to you....

Anyway, this is a great book and I loved reading it. Strongly recommended!

Confusing because of character having 2 or 3 names for the same person. Puts characters in without any background until much later in the story. His style is like "stream of consciousness" writing and I did not care for it.

I really expected to love this book, but I actually couldn't finish it - got tired of it. The writing style and attention to detail are exquisite as you would expect with a writer of this caliber... however the amount of detail and historical references is such that the story line gets lost behind it. I recognize that much of the problem is that I'm quite illiterate about the everyday realities of India at the turn of independence, so 90% of that detail is completely lost on me... However, I made it to about 150 pages (on my kindle), just past - SPOILER - where the kids get swapped - and abandoned the book forever.

This was a most difficult book for me to understand. I need to know more background information about India in the colonial days, etc. The book does have its wonderful moments and I wish I could appreciate it more. I don't think I'll re-read it, though!