The Satanic Verses
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Amazon.co.uk Review
No book in modern times has matched the uproar sparked by Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, which earned its author a fatwa from Iran's Ayatollahs decreeing his death. Furore aside, it is a marvellously erudite study of good and evil, a feast of language served up by a writer at the height of his powers and a rollicking comic fable. The book begins with two Indians, Gibreel Farishta ("for fifteen years the biggest star in the history of the Indian movies") and Saladin Chamcha, a Bombay expatriate returning from his first visit to his homeland in 15 years, plummeting from the sky after the explosion of their jetliner, and proceeds through a series of metamorphoses, dreams and revelations. Rushdie's astonishing powers of invention are at their best in this Whitbread Prize winner.
--This text refers to the
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A great novelist, a master of perpetual storytelling. --V S Pritchett
A rollercoaster ride over a vast landscape of the imagination. --The Guardian
A masterpiece. --The Sunday Times
A rollercoaster ride over a vast landscape of the imagination. --The Guardian
A masterpiece. --The Sunday Times
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
79 of 85 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" has polarised opinion to an extent almost unprecedented in the modern era. Some people have viciously condemned the book for its "blasphemous" references to Islam and confusing narrative, while others have applauded the novel for its unique characters and clever storytelling. In reality however, although "The Satanic Verses" remains an intelligent work of fiction, it is ultimately a very difficult and frustrating read.
The story revolves around the two characters Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha who miraculously survive the destruction of an airliner jet. Upon falling thousands of feet through the sky and washing up on the shore of a small English town, Gibreel finds that he has acquired a halo while Saladin begins to develop hooves and horn-like appendages. What follows is an epic tale in which both men come to terms with their transformation, and what this all means in the world's eternal fight between good and evil.
The main problem with "The Satanic Verses" is the unique and original - yet extremely confusing - way in which it is written. Rushdie constantly shifts the narrative between numerous characters, subplots and realms of reality, which requires an awful lot of effort on the part of the reader in order to merely understand how the story is progressing. I have an A-level in English Literature and a postgraduate degree in Middle East studies and although I realise that this does not automatically make me an expert on the subject matter of this book, I believe that the difficulty I had in reading it reflects just how unnecessarily complex the storytelling is.
That said, there are a number of positive aspects to "The Satanic Verses". Although as I have mentioned, the story is extremely confusing and even convoluted at times, I cannot fault the scale of Rushdie's imagination. At times I was forced to sit back and admire the bizarre nature of the events that unfolded and the depth of the various colourful characters that were scattered throughout the story. There are also a number of genuinely funny and heart-warming moments throughout the book that helped to make my journey through this grand tale more enjoyable.
However, I find it very difficult indeed to recommend this book. If you are looking for a straightforward, light read then this is not it. If you are looking for a classic piece of modern fiction then this is not it. If you are looking for a good example of Rushdie's work then this is not it either (instead, I would recommend either "Midnight's Children" or "Shalimar the Clown", which are both more accessible and enjoyable). The only person I could recommend the "The Satanic Verses" to is an individual who wishes to make up his or her own mind as to what all the fuss is about, and who doesn't mind the difficulties associated with constantly shifting narratives and subplots.
In short, I did not ultimately enjoy reading this book. Epic, intelligent and funny at times it may be, but the extremely confusing manner in which "The Satanic Verses" is written tested my patience and at times left me frustrated. If truth be told, I honestly believe that the novel would have disappeared and been forgotten had the supposed "blasphemous" references towards Islam in this book gone largely ignored, no fatwa declared on Rushdie and no resulting media circus taken place.
Even so, as I mentioned at the beginning, no book has polarised opinion to quite the same extent as "The Satanic Verses" - you either love it or hate it. The best advice I can give anyone is to pick up a copy, approach it with an open and patient mind, and decide for yourself.
The story revolves around the two characters Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha who miraculously survive the destruction of an airliner jet. Upon falling thousands of feet through the sky and washing up on the shore of a small English town, Gibreel finds that he has acquired a halo while Saladin begins to develop hooves and horn-like appendages. What follows is an epic tale in which both men come to terms with their transformation, and what this all means in the world's eternal fight between good and evil.
The main problem with "The Satanic Verses" is the unique and original - yet extremely confusing - way in which it is written. Rushdie constantly shifts the narrative between numerous characters, subplots and realms of reality, which requires an awful lot of effort on the part of the reader in order to merely understand how the story is progressing. I have an A-level in English Literature and a postgraduate degree in Middle East studies and although I realise that this does not automatically make me an expert on the subject matter of this book, I believe that the difficulty I had in reading it reflects just how unnecessarily complex the storytelling is.
That said, there are a number of positive aspects to "The Satanic Verses". Although as I have mentioned, the story is extremely confusing and even convoluted at times, I cannot fault the scale of Rushdie's imagination. At times I was forced to sit back and admire the bizarre nature of the events that unfolded and the depth of the various colourful characters that were scattered throughout the story. There are also a number of genuinely funny and heart-warming moments throughout the book that helped to make my journey through this grand tale more enjoyable.
However, I find it very difficult indeed to recommend this book. If you are looking for a straightforward, light read then this is not it. If you are looking for a classic piece of modern fiction then this is not it. If you are looking for a good example of Rushdie's work then this is not it either (instead, I would recommend either "Midnight's Children" or "Shalimar the Clown", which are both more accessible and enjoyable). The only person I could recommend the "The Satanic Verses" to is an individual who wishes to make up his or her own mind as to what all the fuss is about, and who doesn't mind the difficulties associated with constantly shifting narratives and subplots.
In short, I did not ultimately enjoy reading this book. Epic, intelligent and funny at times it may be, but the extremely confusing manner in which "The Satanic Verses" is written tested my patience and at times left me frustrated. If truth be told, I honestly believe that the novel would have disappeared and been forgotten had the supposed "blasphemous" references towards Islam in this book gone largely ignored, no fatwa declared on Rushdie and no resulting media circus taken place.
Even so, as I mentioned at the beginning, no book has polarised opinion to quite the same extent as "The Satanic Verses" - you either love it or hate it. The best advice I can give anyone is to pick up a copy, approach it with an open and patient mind, and decide for yourself.
64 of 74 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Don't you think it's about time you made up your own mind about the most controversial book of the modern era? If nothing else, it will give you an opinion the next time the media gets its knickers in a twist about what is, at the end of the day, a work of fiction
But it will give you so much more than that. There is everything you expect from a Salman Rushdie novel: vast in scope, vivid in portrayal and seriously bizarre. As the author has often pointed out, it is also darkly comic and often hilarious. It is a vastly satirical meditation on the theology of religion, the struggle between human doubt and belief and, above all, the power of stories to change the world. Themes of race and immigration flow through the book alongside the usual contemporary and classical references. Reading a Salman Rushdie book is like reading nothing else, he is wholesomely devious, wonderfully irreverent and completely unique. His is a style of writing brimming with delightful sentences, so beautifully worded as to be like some fabulous cocktail: refreshing and invigorating and with that little kick of something you know is truly special.
The story revolves around the lives of Gibreel Farishta, legend of Bollywood Cinema, and Saladin Chamcha, the voice of radio, the man of a thousand voices. When their plane is blown up by terrorists high above the English Channel they float slowly to earth, as though divinely spared certain death. It soon becomes apparent that there is more to their escape than meets the eye. For while Saladin Chamcha begins to sprout horns, cloven feet and a forked tail, Gibreel Farishta seems to be shrouded by the glow of a halo. Confronted with dreams of past prophets Gibreel sets out to change the world. But as the lives of the two men become increasingly entangled within the social climate of the 1980's the clarity of Gibreel's belief becomes cloudy and we are left questioning where enlightenment ends and madness begins.
Salman Rushdie is a breath of fresh air in this tense and divided world: the antidote to community relations rather than the cause. Read this book, and make up your own mind. Because that is what Rushdie is all about, not dogma, not fear, but making ones own mind up, questioning the world, and being able to laugh at oneself. Rarely has a knighthood been so thoroughly deserved.
But it will give you so much more than that. There is everything you expect from a Salman Rushdie novel: vast in scope, vivid in portrayal and seriously bizarre. As the author has often pointed out, it is also darkly comic and often hilarious. It is a vastly satirical meditation on the theology of religion, the struggle between human doubt and belief and, above all, the power of stories to change the world. Themes of race and immigration flow through the book alongside the usual contemporary and classical references. Reading a Salman Rushdie book is like reading nothing else, he is wholesomely devious, wonderfully irreverent and completely unique. His is a style of writing brimming with delightful sentences, so beautifully worded as to be like some fabulous cocktail: refreshing and invigorating and with that little kick of something you know is truly special.
The story revolves around the lives of Gibreel Farishta, legend of Bollywood Cinema, and Saladin Chamcha, the voice of radio, the man of a thousand voices. When their plane is blown up by terrorists high above the English Channel they float slowly to earth, as though divinely spared certain death. It soon becomes apparent that there is more to their escape than meets the eye. For while Saladin Chamcha begins to sprout horns, cloven feet and a forked tail, Gibreel Farishta seems to be shrouded by the glow of a halo. Confronted with dreams of past prophets Gibreel sets out to change the world. But as the lives of the two men become increasingly entangled within the social climate of the 1980's the clarity of Gibreel's belief becomes cloudy and we are left questioning where enlightenment ends and madness begins.
Salman Rushdie is a breath of fresh air in this tense and divided world: the antidote to community relations rather than the cause. Read this book, and make up your own mind. Because that is what Rushdie is all about, not dogma, not fear, but making ones own mind up, questioning the world, and being able to laugh at oneself. Rarely has a knighthood been so thoroughly deserved.
36 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought The Satanic Verses for many different reasons.... the main one being to see why there was so much contorversy surrounding the book....
Even though the book in my opinion was very cleverly written with highly intriguing characters, I don't know, I just didn't enjoy the book. Whilst reading the book I was disappointed as I thought it would offer me more than what it did, which was hardly anything. As a Muslim, I wasn't as offended as others because I thought the book was a higly imaginative work of fiction. I found the characters in the book very intriguing and completely fell in love with the characters of the young teenage girls as I thought they were hilarious and correctly portrayed young teenagers. I liked the cross of cultures and the surreality of certain aspects of the text. I thought the idea of good and bad, and what is really good and bad very intelligent and also thought provoking. But even then, I just didn't enjoy the book. Maybe it was because the text was so small... maybe because there was too much imagery, maybe because it just didn't have that little something in it for me.
I see a lot of mixed reaction to this book, which is good as not everyones opinion is the same, but for me: the book was very intelligent but I just didn't enjoy it.
I do recommend it however, to most people. As its one of those books that everyone should read and draw their own opinions of. I need to read his other books to compare them against this one.
Not very helpful as a review I know. Sorry. I'm just torn bewteen my opinions of this book.
Even though the book in my opinion was very cleverly written with highly intriguing characters, I don't know, I just didn't enjoy the book. Whilst reading the book I was disappointed as I thought it would offer me more than what it did, which was hardly anything. As a Muslim, I wasn't as offended as others because I thought the book was a higly imaginative work of fiction. I found the characters in the book very intriguing and completely fell in love with the characters of the young teenage girls as I thought they were hilarious and correctly portrayed young teenagers. I liked the cross of cultures and the surreality of certain aspects of the text. I thought the idea of good and bad, and what is really good and bad very intelligent and also thought provoking. But even then, I just didn't enjoy the book. Maybe it was because the text was so small... maybe because there was too much imagery, maybe because it just didn't have that little something in it for me.
I see a lot of mixed reaction to this book, which is good as not everyones opinion is the same, but for me: the book was very intelligent but I just didn't enjoy it.
I do recommend it however, to most people. As its one of those books that everyone should read and draw their own opinions of. I need to read his other books to compare them against this one.
Not very helpful as a review I know. Sorry. I'm just torn bewteen my opinions of this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Satirical and at times humorous
I grew up in India and very annoyingly this book was banned there. I think this is a perfectly normal book on satire, anyone who loves that genre will fully enjoy this. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ayan Kar
Verses for the masochist
This isn't a book that requires any introduction, at least in terms of the furore and controversy surrounding it. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Felix Valencia
Salman Rushdie's Satanic Versess
This is a master piece and beautifully written book. I think the book is very entertaining and enjoyable, I do recommend it. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Hamid M.
Controversial Fiction
"The Satanic Verses" is a novel which has been overshadowed by its history. Published in late September of 1988, it was on February 14th in 1989 that a fatwa was issued by the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dave_42
Gorgeous
Salman Rushdie is heroic. One of the best living novelists writing in English, he is one of the best novelists of all time - right up there with George Orwell, Jonathan Swift,... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Teach
Beautiful
Perhaps the best way to enjoy this book would be to refer to the Internet and search the names/events mentioned in the book. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Eaterofjams
Too clever by half
I got as far as page 2 before checking later in the book to see if the writing style improved - it didn't. Read more
Published 13 months ago by D. H. Westhead
The Satanic Verses
The best book I've read in years; I wish I'd picked it up earlier.
Don't be intimidated by its size (500+ pages), as it moves swiftly with beautiful prose. Read more
Don't be intimidated by its size (500+ pages), as it moves swiftly with beautiful prose. Read more
Published 15 months ago by David Brookes
A most confusing read
I am not a particularly clever person and neither am I a particularly stupid one, however I found this book totally confusing and unreadable (a bit like those Science Fiction... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Ian Crawford
Exceptional novel i Love it! but very hard to read!
An extra ordinary novel; it's not easy to read at all, you will need to re-read some chapters, so you can understand the author ideas and the connections between characters. Read more
Published 21 months ago by napparawy
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