The Enchantress of Florence
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Product Description
Review
`it braids love, magic and the storyteller's teasing art into a yarn as rich as any he has spun'
--Independent
--Independent
The Economist
`carefully wrought and often exquisite'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 75 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As an avid Rushdie fan, I was deeply disappointed with "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" - a jarring mis-step - and was not totally enthralled by "Shalimar the Clown". However, Enchantress is a return to form for an author I genuinely regard as without peer amongst his generation.
What makes Rushdie so great? His use of language is simply staggering. He can construct the most dizzying, dense and multi-dimensional sentences. His prose is certainly convoluted, but it is not at the expense of the story. Far from that, the narrator is often as beguiling a character as any of the main protagonists. If you love the English language, history, theology, philosophy, etymology, art... in fact, anything which might pique a curious mind, Rushdie offers a cocktail of wonderment for the senses.
I see no reason to explain the premise or the storyline - you can read that in Amazon's description, and equally, it is only half the reason to read this novel and is, as always with Rushdie's work, an allegory for deeper philosophical and geo-political theses.
Rushdie's books are something of a challenge to read - his prose is not light and economical - but the challenge is well-worth taking. Nothing good ever comes easy. This is such an enjoyable book - I hope it's a lasting return to form.
What makes Rushdie so great? His use of language is simply staggering. He can construct the most dizzying, dense and multi-dimensional sentences. His prose is certainly convoluted, but it is not at the expense of the story. Far from that, the narrator is often as beguiling a character as any of the main protagonists. If you love the English language, history, theology, philosophy, etymology, art... in fact, anything which might pique a curious mind, Rushdie offers a cocktail of wonderment for the senses.
I see no reason to explain the premise or the storyline - you can read that in Amazon's description, and equally, it is only half the reason to read this novel and is, as always with Rushdie's work, an allegory for deeper philosophical and geo-political theses.
Rushdie's books are something of a challenge to read - his prose is not light and economical - but the challenge is well-worth taking. Nothing good ever comes easy. This is such an enjoyable book - I hope it's a lasting return to form.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Salman Rushdie, unfortunately still seen by many as the scandal writer of "The Satanic Verses" only, has with his new book given us readers again a magnificent novel. "The Enchantress of Florence" is a beautiful and opulent reading feast. Considering that one of the books characters is Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), the main time of this novel is the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century. A novel, which skilfully plays with the idea of "1001 Nights and Scheherazade", giving the story-telling role to a young european traveller, yellow haired, calling himself the "Mogor dell'Amore" and claiming to be the child of the lost Mughal princess Qara Koz. He tells his story to the feared Emperor Mughal Akbar, of course knowing that belief or disbelief will decide his fate. Salman Rushdie has written a (sometimes rather frivolous) fable, a wonderful book about love, trust, treachery, enchantment, the art of story-telling and the story of Lady Black Eyes. A tale of many voices, all perfectly united in one whole by Salman Rushdie, who has herewith delivered what I guess is maybe his best novel to date.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Years ago (more than I'd like to think about), one of my tutors recommended that I read Salman Rushdie's "Haroun and the Sea of Stories." I tried to finish the novel but have to confess that I didn't. I probably lacked the sophistication back then to appreciate the exquisite prose style and painstaking craftsmanship that went into creating that award winning novel. And truthfully speaking I rather thought that Salman Rushdie was going to be one of the many winning authours that would never make to my reading pile. But something about "The Enchantress of Florence" beckoned, and I decided to give it a go. And I'm truly glad that I did. What an exceptionally enthralling and compelling read "The Enchantress of Florence" turned out to be.
The Mughal Emperor, Akbar, is ready for a diversion away from the woes of family and ruling a vast nation, when a mysterious yellow-haired stranger arrives at his court in Fatepur Sikri, claiming to be an ambassador from England. The stranger has many tales to tell about the distant European city of Florence, and the enchantress from the East that enraptured the people of Florence with her beauty and grace, and soon everyone in Sikri is enthralled by the young storyteller's tales. But will these stories prove the undoing of the court, and will Akbar's growing affection for the storyteller cause even more strife amongst his family?
When I was a child, my mother used to subscribe to an Indian magazine for women that had recipes, articles, sewing tips and vignettes about Akbar and his wise advisor Birbal. Reading "The Enchantress of Florence" transported me back to those wonderful carefree days. Constructed somewhat like "The Arabian Nights," with the mysterious stranger playing the part of Scherazade, "The Enchantress of Florence" is a series of short stories that follows the supposed adventures of Qara Koz, a grandaunt of Akbar's, and that of her greatest love, the mercenary general, Argalia. Many of the stories are based on some historical fact, but are told with elements of the fantastical, so that the mood and atmosphere of the novel is really quite fairy-tale like and dazzling. Also adding to this magical tone is Rushdie's powerfully lyrical and vivid prose style and brilliantly rendered scenes. All in all, this was a very, very fascinating and beguiling read that enraptures, dazzles and seduces. Not a book to be missed -- and I think I may be finally grown-up enough to appreciate the authour's other novels
The Mughal Emperor, Akbar, is ready for a diversion away from the woes of family and ruling a vast nation, when a mysterious yellow-haired stranger arrives at his court in Fatepur Sikri, claiming to be an ambassador from England. The stranger has many tales to tell about the distant European city of Florence, and the enchantress from the East that enraptured the people of Florence with her beauty and grace, and soon everyone in Sikri is enthralled by the young storyteller's tales. But will these stories prove the undoing of the court, and will Akbar's growing affection for the storyteller cause even more strife amongst his family?
When I was a child, my mother used to subscribe to an Indian magazine for women that had recipes, articles, sewing tips and vignettes about Akbar and his wise advisor Birbal. Reading "The Enchantress of Florence" transported me back to those wonderful carefree days. Constructed somewhat like "The Arabian Nights," with the mysterious stranger playing the part of Scherazade, "The Enchantress of Florence" is a series of short stories that follows the supposed adventures of Qara Koz, a grandaunt of Akbar's, and that of her greatest love, the mercenary general, Argalia. Many of the stories are based on some historical fact, but are told with elements of the fantastical, so that the mood and atmosphere of the novel is really quite fairy-tale like and dazzling. Also adding to this magical tone is Rushdie's powerfully lyrical and vivid prose style and brilliantly rendered scenes. All in all, this was a very, very fascinating and beguiling read that enraptures, dazzles and seduces. Not a book to be missed -- and I think I may be finally grown-up enough to appreciate the authour's other novels
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Utterly brilliant
I'd never read any Rushdie before this, but certainly will again. This is a complex but highly readable novel with a cast of characters that includes the Medici, Savonarola,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by daisyrock
Drowning in detail
I can see why people like Rushdie's fiction. This novel is a feast of meticulous research, a tapestry of people and places, a kaleidoscope of magic and enchantment all held... Read more
Published 4 months ago by LittleMoon
Breathtaking
Oh to read a beautiful book again. This is up there with The Moor's Last Sigh and so breathtakingly skilful you forget the craft and just wallow in the writing. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Dillon the Villain
a very enjoyable Rushdie
The Enchantress of Florence is the 10th book by Salman Rushdie. Set amongst the extremes and excesses of Renaissance Florence and in the city of Fatehpur Sikri in Mughal India, it... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Cloggie Downunder
A storytelling treat
Is the world around you real, can you believe what your senses tell you, how do you know one way or the other and how do you test your conclusion? Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mick Read
Sumptuous Literary Feast
Salman Rushdie has a reputation for being one of the most significant and talented literary voices in the World and this novel clearly shows why. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Dr. Bojan Tunguz
Rushdie's Enchantress
SAFE READING - NO SPOILERS
For story details, please read other reviews but beware of having your enjoyment slightly neutered. Read more
For story details, please read other reviews but beware of having your enjoyment slightly neutered. Read more
Published 10 months ago by RR Waller
Beautiful and beguiling
I'm not writing a long review because others have already described so well why this is such a wonderful book. Beautiful and beguiling, I was totally under its spell. Read more
Published 11 months ago by James Russell
Reality check
The Enchantress Of Florence by Salman Rushdie is a thoroughly entertaining read. It's a super-real experience, so vivid and sharp that the focus starts to blur even imagined... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Philip Spires
orient meets occident
First up, I have to admit that this, Rushdie's 10th novel, is the first one I've read, so I may end up saying things that are blatantly obvious to people more familiar with his... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Michael Gross
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