Saleem Sinai was born at midnight, the midnight of India's independence, and found himself mysteriously 'handcuffed to history' by the coincidence. He is one of 1,001 children born at the midnight hour, each of them endowed with an extraordinary talent - and whose privilege and curse it is to be both master and victims of their times. Through Saleem's gifts - inner ear and wildly sensitive sense of smell - we are drawn into a fascinating family saga set against the vast, colourful background of the India of the 20th century. (19941121)
Midnight's Children
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Amazon Review
Before Salman Rushdie had that problem with a certain religious-political figure with a serious need to chill out, he'd already shown he was an important literary force. Quite simply, Midnight's Children is amazing--fun, beautiful, erudite, both fairy tale and political narrative told through a supernatural narrator who is caught between different worlds. Though it's a big book, with big themes of India's nationhood and of ethnic and personal identity, it's far from a dry history lesson. Rushdie tells the story in his own brand of magical realism, with a prose of lyrical, transcendent goofiness.
Review
'Salman Rushdie has earned the right to be called one of our great storytellers.' Observer
'Huge, vital, engrossing... in all senses a fantastic book.' Sunday Times
'The literary map of India has been redrawn... Midnight's Children sounds like a country finding its voice.' New York Times
'A brilliant and endearing novel.' London Review of Books
'Huge, vital, engrossing... in all senses a fantastic book.' Sunday Times
'The literary map of India has been redrawn... Midnight's Children sounds like a country finding its voice.' New York Times
'A brilliant and endearing novel.' London Review of Books
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
107 of 113 people found the following review helpful
By Neil Kealey
Format:Paperback
Like many, I intially read this at University and didn't really enjoy it, but there is a huge gulf between reading and studying and when I came across it again on a forgotten book shelf I thought, "Well, it won the Booker of Bookers, I must've missed something." With this in mind, I read it again and oh, my goodness, I'm glad I did. I certainly missed something. Actually, I missed rather a lot (and not just lectures).
Midnight's Children deserves a place alongside One Hundred Years of Solitude as one of the finest examples of Magic Realism. It is allegorical, reflecting India's development as a country and more loosely Rushdie's own childhood, but the books stands up as a piece of writing in its own merit. The writing is vibrant; the (many) characters are well-observed; the humour is delightful; and the story is melancholy and touching in places but is stuffed with examples of Rushdie's elegant style.
To me, it is more than just an allegory for the birth and development of a nation, it is more than a great piece of writing; Midnight's Children has become an evocative depiction of how we seek to find things to lift ourselves from the futility of existence, to separate ourselves from the normal. By way of example, I give you Saleem's birth. It is normal in every way apart from the accident of timing that gives the book its title but it's the way he uses this accident of timing to lift his existence away from the mundane that I love.
Finishing this book left me hollow and a little lost. In short, I loved it and have subsequently read it again and again. Rushdie has done nothing that matches this. I doubt he, or anyone, can.
Midnight's Children deserves a place alongside One Hundred Years of Solitude as one of the finest examples of Magic Realism. It is allegorical, reflecting India's development as a country and more loosely Rushdie's own childhood, but the books stands up as a piece of writing in its own merit. The writing is vibrant; the (many) characters are well-observed; the humour is delightful; and the story is melancholy and touching in places but is stuffed with examples of Rushdie's elegant style.
To me, it is more than just an allegory for the birth and development of a nation, it is more than a great piece of writing; Midnight's Children has become an evocative depiction of how we seek to find things to lift ourselves from the futility of existence, to separate ourselves from the normal. By way of example, I give you Saleem's birth. It is normal in every way apart from the accident of timing that gives the book its title but it's the way he uses this accident of timing to lift his existence away from the mundane that I love.
Finishing this book left me hollow and a little lost. In short, I loved it and have subsequently read it again and again. Rushdie has done nothing that matches this. I doubt he, or anyone, can.
65 of 70 people found the following review helpful
By scjackson3
Format:Paperback
Four and a half stars.
This was my first Rushdie book. A multilayered, multifaceted book. The story of "Saleem Sinai, later variously called Snotnose, Stainface, Baldy, Buddha and even Piece-of-the-Moon.." who was born at midnight, the precise moment of independence for his country, India. And 'thanks to the occult tyrannies those blandly saluting clocks" he was "mysteriously handcuffed to history". His story is the immortalisation of his memories, the "chutnification of history", "the pickling of time". It is the story of a nation finding it's identity, of impressions and memories, of people and events, of families and more.
This was my first Rushdie book. A multilayered, multifaceted book. The story of "Saleem Sinai, later variously called Snotnose, Stainface, Baldy, Buddha and even Piece-of-the-Moon.." who was born at midnight, the precise moment of independence for his country, India. And 'thanks to the occult tyrannies those blandly saluting clocks" he was "mysteriously handcuffed to history". His story is the immortalisation of his memories, the "chutnification of history", "the pickling of time". It is the story of a nation finding it's identity, of impressions and memories, of people and events, of families and more.
But it is Rushdie's fantastical, magical prose that brings the book to life, colours, sights and especially smells, like you've never experienced before. It is not necessarily an easy read, for at least the first fifty pages I couldn't get it, but then something clicked and I just immersed myself in the wonderful text. Some of the passages I read again and again to savour the intricacies. It won't be everyone's idea of a good read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and believe that I will enjoy it more when I come back the second time.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Im only 16 and wanted to see if I would handle a Rushdie piece of work. I grabbed this book at the airport before a trip to India and was at once surprised and exasperated. I did find it difficult and had to re-read many passages to try and comprehend what Rushdie was saying. But the idea, writing and ending were superb and Im glad I stayed with it, although as this has been described as one of Rushdie's "easier" novels to read I think I'll stay away from him for a few years yet!
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4.1 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Glorious language but a difficult to read
Oh dear - I had to give up on this novel - I so desparately wanted to read it - I loved the descriptions of the family members and the saga-ness of the novel, but the story is so... Read more
Published 22 days ago by J
5.0 out of 5 stars
India before 1985
I finished reading this book just now, still in Saleem's world.
I really liked how Rushdie explains in detail an India before 1985, it's not exactly how India is now. Read more
I really liked how Rushdie explains in detail an India before 1985, it's not exactly how India is now. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Virdi
4.0 out of 5 stars
Big, complex read.
This is a big read, with intertwining threads, that keep nearly reaching something, but then backing off until later. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Upholsterer extrordinaire
2.0 out of 5 stars
not for me
found this book incredibly difficult to read as it made no sense to me, had to keep rereading chapters to understand what was going on. Read more
Published 2 months ago by rita73
3.0 out of 5 stars
Arty farty
Very arty and pretentious. Stream of consciousness dialogue often descends into long-winded and irritating waffle. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Summersalt
3.0 out of 5 stars
Midnights children
I really wanted to like this book, but I do struggle to finish Salman Rushdie books. There is just so much dfetail to get through. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ms Linda Louisa Dell
1.0 out of 5 stars
don't waste your money
I downloaded this book having just finished 'A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry and Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Nailz
4.0 out of 5 stars
Birthday present
Liked the order but was surprised how long the delivery took, was meant as a birthday present, but had to buy something else last minute as the delivery didn't come in time.
Published 3 months ago by Phillip Colver
3.0 out of 5 stars
Phew, I finished it!
This was a Book Club choice and not a book I would normally read. But since it is not only a Booker Prize winner but even the "Booker of Bookers", I felt that could hardly not do... Read more
Published 3 months ago by W. Tegner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Salman Rushdie at his best
I've not yet finished this book but have found it to be very entertaining and very unputdownable! Salman Rushdie throws you right into the story and you become part of it. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Simmie
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