Midnight's Children
Ratings137
Average rating4
this book goes down in my own personal history as the first book i picked up, read the first paragraph and realized i have already read it.
interestingly, i did not recognize the words exactly, but i recognized the place it described. my brain created the exact same image and my initial response was not, “hey, i've read this,” but, “hey, i've been here before.”
What an amazing book! Unlike anything else I've ever read! I felt myself immersed in the story from the first page. I love reading, but I'm not really very good at writing reviews. Unfortunately I'll never be able to do this book justice with my poor writing skills. This was really one of the most amazing books I've ever read, and I don't know how I could ever describe it to anyone else. Except to simply say you have to read it for yourself.
Rushdie's 1981 acclaimed book follows the birth of the Indian Subcontinent through the means of “Midnight's Children”, a title given to kids born on the day of India's independence from the British rule.
The narrator, Saleem Sinai, is one such kid born along with India, at the stroke of midnight on 15th August, 1947. Saleem narrates his infancy, childhood & adulthood drawing parallels to Indian subcontinent.
The first 2 sections are well-paced albeit a bit lengthy but the last section concerning the Indian emergency period feels like a drag.
No; not an easy read. Not an easy read at all; to begin with. The book is pickled. Pickled with distractions, tangents, references from Islam and Independence of India. The author rambling ahead of time.
It felt like reading DMs of my friend except they chose to send me a book.
I just cannot appreciate the writing style enough. One of the most unique.
And I am still trying to digest that change in narration in the chapter Buddha.
All that coming together in last giving a perfect cathartic release; like eating that last bite of aloo-paratha generously spoilt with pickle and chutney.
What a slog. Pretentious, long-winded, annoying. I found myself wondering how this could be the same author as [b:Victory City 61111246 Victory City Salman Rushdie https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1670259879l/61111246.SY75.jpg 96232966]. (Likely answer: forty difficult years).Maybe it would help if I knew more about India's history and culture. Or if I liked florid ornate excessive circumlocutious language. Or if I were more tolerant of moronic religions and stupid vain shallow self-absorbed people. But that's not me, and I am clearly not the target audience.In a delicious coincidence, halfway through my reading I stumbled into a conversation with a remarkable young person who was drawing parallels between this book and [b:The God of Small Things 9777 The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590282886l/9777.SY75.jpg 810135] and who urged me to just not bother with this one, and rush to pick up that one. Unfortunately, it turns out I already tried and DNF'ed it... with similar gripes about flowery prose. Sigh.Unrated, because who am I to argue with a Booker Prize.
Originally published on my website
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A phenomenally written book! Mr. Rushdie is a master of using metaphors and he went all in in this book. Weaving together multiple narratives, using India's post-colonial history in a postmodern prose to deliver a magical realism masterpiece, there's no wonder why this book was awarded as the Best of the Bookers.
In my previous piece about Shame by Mr. Rushdie, I'd written:
Rushdie has a peculiar way with words, an authoritative stance where the sentences bend over backwards to dance to the master's tunes. He weaves them in and out and creates intricate relationships between the story, storyteller and reader. You need to be acquainted with the history of India and Pakistan, or at least be familiar with the events surrounding the partition, in order to grasp fully what he has set out here to do. The book is filled with brilliant uses of metaphors and similes, creating a parallel universe of Pakistan during the tumultuous years after partition. The sentences are measured and precise, neatly packed with an intricate plot and the social commentary (with a tinge of satire) leading you towards the destination.
What can I say.. What a book! At first it was externally difficult to follow, I struggled to read it and was so frustrated with it. But after maybe 30% of it, I couldn't put it down. The prose is phenomenal. It's very thought provoking, tricky, magical and colourful.
লিখতে বসে বুঝতে পারছি, এই বইটার সমালোচনা লেখা সহজ হবে না। সমালোচনাটায় একটা গণ্ডি রাখতে হবে যেন নিরসকারীতে রূপ না নেয়। তো, প্রথমত, দেখার বিষয় পড়ে কেমন লেগেছে। ম্যারি পেরিরা'র চাটনির মত। ঘাসফড়িঙের মত উজ্জ্বল রঙের, এবং নিজস্ব স্বাদের। একটু টক, টক না বলে বলা উচিত ‘চটপটা' স্বাদের। বলিউডি মুভির মত। রঙচঙে ক্লাইম্যাক্সে ভরা। আসলে পড়ার শুরুতে এটা একটু খারাপ লাগছিল, কিন্তু রুশদি জানেন কোথায় থামতে হয়। আর দশজন ভালো লেখকের মত সংযমের গুণটা তারমধ্যেও আছে। এমন লেখা, এবং টিভি সিরিয়াল চোখে পড়ে- যেখানে ঐতিহাসিক সময়ের অন্য একটি ব্যাখ্যা দেওয়া হয়, একটি সমান্তরাল বস্তবতা তৈরী করা হয়। এটা সেরকমই একটা উপন্যাস। খানিকটা ডিসটোপিয়ার ঘ্রাণও পাই বুঝি।
সংক্ষেপে বলতে গেলে ঘটনা পরম্পরার যে সারল্য থাকা প্রয়োজন, আমি ভীত, মিডনাইট'স চিল্ড্রেনে তা নেই। সেলিম সিনাই, আমাদের কেন্দ্রীয় চরিত্র, যার জন্ম ১৯৪৭ সালের ১৫ আগস্ট মধ্য রাতে, অর্থাৎ ভারত ও তার জন্ম একইসাথে(এবং হাসপাতালে আরেকটি এরকম সন্তানের সাথে বদলে গিয়ে সেলিম সিনাই হিসেবে বড় হয়) শৈশবে আবিষ্কার করে, সে একজন টেলিপ্যাথ। এবং, ওই মধ্যরাতের একঘন্টার মধ্যে জন্মানো আরো কিছু ছেলেমেয়েরা প্রত্যেকেই কোনো না কোনো ক্ষমতার অধিকারী। এরাই মিডনাইট'স চিল্ড্রেন। নামের সার্থকতা পাওয়া গেলো। অতএব, গল্পের দিকে আমি আর এগোবো না।
আমার বইটা ভালো লেগেছে। বেশিই ভালো লেগেছে। ভালো লেগেছে আদম আজিজের ঈশ্বরের সাথে দ্বৈরথ, আমিনা সিনাইয়ের একটু একটু করে স্বামীকে ভালোবাসার চেষ্টা, সেলিম সিনাইয়ের রোগ, আশাবাদী হওয়ার রোগ। চরিত্রগুলো প্রাণবন্ত, কখনো কখনো হয়ত একটু বাস্তবতাবিবর্জিত। কিন্তু, এটা শুধু বাস্তবতার গল্প না। পরাবাস্তবতা, অবাস্তবতা সমস্তকিছু নিয়ে এই উপন্যাস। যেমনটা ভারতবর্ষ। বহুরকম বিপরীতধর্মী মতাদর্শ, জাদু ও পুরাণ যেখানে মিলেমিশে থাকে।
১৯৪৭ এর কিছু আগে, আদম আজিজের যৌবন থেকে ‘৪৭ এর পর ৩১ বছর উপন্যাসের সময়কাল। এইসময়ের প্রায় সব গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ঐতিহাসিক ঘটনার সাথে সেলিমকে পাওয়া গেছে। পাওয়া গেছে একাত্তরের মুক্তিযুদ্ধেও। আর এই বইতে যুদ্ধটা পাক-ভারত যুদ্ধ না। যুদ্ধটা মুক্তিবাহিনীর সাথেই হানাদার বাহিনীর।
বইটা আমার খুব প্রিয় বইগুলোর একটা হয়ে থাকবে। আমি রুশদির আর কোনো বই এখনো পড়িনি। জানিনা ওর লেখার ধরনটাই এমন কিনা। তবে এই বইটার জন্য এই ধরনটাই হয়ত দরকার ছিল। বইয়ের ত্রুটি-বিচ্যুতি আছে, কিছু ঐতিহাসিক ঘটনার সময় এলোমেলো হয়ে গিয়েছে। তারপরও, সবকিছু মিলিয়ে বইটা চমৎকার।
Anyone who has been paying attention knows I love the Man Booker Prize. I love the contest and I enjoy reading the books nominated. It's the one prize that I actively pay attention to (two weeks until the 2015 long list is announced, by the way). I'm excited to open any Booker winner.
It's no surprise therefore that I eagerly anticipated Salman Rushdie's Midnight Children. Not only was this novel selected as the Booker winner in 1981, but it went on to win the Booker of the Bookers in 1993 and the fan-selected Best of the Booker in 2008. That's a whole lotta Booker. How could I not love this book?
I didn't love it. In fact, I eagerly hoped the end would come much sooner than it did. Perhaps it was the expectation, but I don't think so. Midnight's Children was just too farcical for my taste. It was also very cultural. Those intimately involved in the story of India's history and culture are sure to understand this novel much more than I did. And if I loved the story and the voice, I might have made an effort to learn the history. But I didn't love anything about it. It was written well. There were certainly many memorable scenes throughout. But the comical, Dickens-like approach to everything grated my patience. The voice of Saleem Sinai, so repetitive, so whimsical... ugh, so what?
Midnight's Children is clever and written well, but for me it wasn't memorable. At its best, it reminded me of magical epic historical family sagas such as Middlesex and One Hundred Years of Solitude. At its worst, it reminded me of a precocious child who doesn't know when to shut up.
I'd like to say more good about this novel, but frankly I struggled too much with getting through it to really enjoy it. The question in my mind at this point is whether this is Rushdie's style, or merely the voice of his protagonist. Either way, I think Rushdie's non-fiction is my next step.
Now, any predictions on this year's Booker?
One of the most challenging, and rewarding, reads in a long time. A masterpiece where every sentence folds in on itself two or three times. Having read Middlesex previously, I was shocked at the similarities in theme and structure, and it was too close to be a ripoff, so I think that book must be an homage to this one.
An incredible fantasy story in the form of an autobiography set against the trials and tribulations of pre and post independence India. A deserved winner of the Booker award. Equal parts funny and poignant Rushdie's sparkling prose and fascinating cast of characters kept me hooked until the very end.
В общем, домучила я “Детей Полуночи” Салмана Рушди. Читала очень долго, с начала лета, - книга тяжелая, плотная, очень ей быстро пресыщаешься. Я бы бросила читать, но не люблю бросать начатое. Так что можно читать между строк - пропуская страницы истории Индии, европейскому человеку непонятные и не слишком интересные (хотя, конечно, кому как...) Но если выкинуть эти исторические вставки, то сам по себе сюжет интересен, местами даже очень. Сама история героя, полумагическое действо, местами так напоминающее горячо любимый мною “Сто лет одиночества”. Но это совсем не одно и то же, совсем.
Do they have exclamation points in Hindi?
Or is it just understood that everything in India
should be said with an exclamation point?
I just finished Midnight's Children.
It is the masterpiece of Salman Rushdie.
And now I want to end every sentence I write about
this author, this book, with an exclamation point.
Midnight's Children!
A masterpiece!
Salman Rushdie!
Brilliant!
My husband and I went to see Salman Rusdie Friday night.
He talks just like he writes.
He speaks in beautiful metaphors
that seem to flow from his mouth
as naturally as rain from dark clouds.
I just finished this book,, and ran straight to the computer, searched reviews and views, and here I am, reading your thoughts on the novel.(already read I mean)
Well I am from India, the place where most of the action from the novel takes place, and I can say that I didnt find the book as difficult as some readers express; lengthy, though, it is.
Reading the reviews and hearing the views, as I settle back in my chair and contemplate my own experience, I could say that, for me too, the book has been more of an experience than a joy of reading. Ofcourse, it has so much to say as far as the history, mythology and culture of the subcontinent is concerned. And yes, the author has spent much creative energy in exhibiting a style of his own. And then the gamut of characters really.
As far as I am concerned, I could not enjoy this book as much, didnt stir me from inside, couldnt connect with my I dont know what, perhaps for the reason that too much of dramatic happenings, too much of action, starts taking away the essential space for your own thought process to unfold and connect with the essential nature of the piece of art you come across or the book you hold on for days and eyes fixed on the page to get your being requited somewhere.
There is a writing which is the result of a clear conviction born out of an emotional depth irrespective of the genres it is weaved in; and there is writing which is more a product of a sleight of hand and talent.
Midnight's Children is, I am afraid, for me a book of the latter category.
Not taking away the book's assured promise of the magic box contents, it nonetheless would not matter a great deal to leave it for a single reading.