Reviews

Whew. It's not easy reading. Parts flow hysterically well. Others are so fragmented and depressing it's hard to stay with it. But I had to since my stepdaughter's Charter School 12th graders read it over the summer. Surely I could too. It was a rich experience and a drenching in Rushdie's early writing, which is truly extraordinary. Worth the work to read this one.

katieopperman's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad slow-paced

4.75

catglasses's review against another edition

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The story felt all over the place and the the only question I had was,"where is this going?", I'm through over half the book and our protagonist is still like, barely a teenager. The part about history feels sidelined and its redeening quality is probably only the writting style.

grahamclements's review against another edition

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5.0

Midnight's Children tells the impossible life story of Saleem Sinai, born on the stroke of midnight on August 15 1947 when India gained independence. Through his life story we get a history of the tumultuous decades after India's independence. Saleem is convinced that he and his powers are responsible for much of the turmoil of India's independence and its partitioning into India and Pakistan.

The novel starts off with a bang with questions that need answering. At the end of the first section there is a massive twist. From then the novel alternatively trots and charges, as questions are solved and new ones demand to be answered.

The novel has a massive cast of characters, most of whom fate dooms to bizzare deaths. Rushdie shows his skill as a writer in how he reminds the reader of who the character is in relation to Saleem.

The novel is magic realism, with characters full of supernatural powers, but not marvel comic powers, these powers are much more subtly used. And according to our somewhat unreliable narrator, their use, especially his use of them, affect the destiny of India.

The novel is much like 100 Years of Solitude in concept, but Midnight's Children does more than just meander from one revolution to another (yes I think 100 Hundred years is totally over-rated). Rushdie's novels tells us he does not think much of the rulers of India and Pakistan, finding them generally totally corrupt and with visions clouded by superstition and self-interest.

Finally I have read a magic realism novel that is worthy of its veneration.

abhaykrishnanr's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny informative tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

blimeburner's review against another edition

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1.0

I don't really understand why this is a popular book. I really didn't like it. I feel like the plot was kind of all over the place. I thought the book would focus more on the Midnight's children since it's the title of the book, but they seemed like almost an afterthought. The plot seemed very rushed by the end. I think about a fourth of the book takes place before the main character is born and about half of the book takes place during his childhood. It was just oddly paced.

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