Monday, August 8, 2011

Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

So after a very long break, and an even longer amount of procrastinating, I decided to pick my next book using the scientific method of a random number generator. And the first book the computer picked was this one.

I'm enjoying it. At least I think I am. It's the most difficult book I've ever read and I'm not entirely sure why. Is it because my knowledge of India's history is negligible? Is my head just not in the right place? I haven't read any of Salman Rushdie's books until now, and I'm wondering whether I should have picked The Satanic Verses instead?

If anyone has read it I'd love to hear. I'm determined to finish it, no matter what.

2 comments:

moonrat said...

So I read this book in a fever of passion back when I was in college--the Royal Shakespeare Company was touring in the US with a 4-hour (yes, 4-hour) staged version of the book, and I went to see it and was blown away by their theatrical retelling. (Salman Rushdie happened to be there the night I saw it, and came up onstage afterward and talked for another hour or so with an interviewer.) Anyway I was riveted the entire time. I didn't even notice my butt had fallen asleep.

So then I bought the book and read the whole thing breathlessly right afterward. I loved it, and may or may not have been influenced by the staging I'd already seen. I think it made the whole thing a little more accessible than it might have been (in other words, maybe I "cheated" at reading it).

If this is of any help or use to you...

Anonymous said...

Hahaha I can understand that!! That would work!

I've just finished the first section, and things are starting to click. It is beautifully written, I was just worried I was missing something.