After Gone with the wind, this is the second book that took me a month to read and again the book was completely worth a read. In the beginning the plot seemed twisted, the author is writing about the present in one line and then shifting focus to his grandfather’s life in the next line. The book is not at all a light read. At some points the reader might get irritated and wonder why the author is rambling on but later on it all seems justified.
Midnight Children expresses a historical connection through the literary journey. This journey is again not singular; it is the journey of self and a nation. It begins a few years before 1947, set in the Indian sub-continent it sets the stage for Saleem Sinai, the narrator’s birth. Saleem was born in 1947 exactly at midnight along with an independent India and a new country Pakistan. All the children born at that time get unusual gifts.Saleem’s gift is his “nose” that allowed him at first to go into people’s heads and know what they are thinking. He is also able to telepathically communicate with the other midnight children forming a kind of radio link of sorts with the rest of the children.
The narrator is not someone you will look upto or admire, the characters are curiously lopsided. The entire narration is allegorical, which perhaps suggests an enhanced enjoyment of the work after studying a bit of Indian history. The seems to be well researched and times it was hard to differentiate if the history was fictional or factual, Rushdie did a great job weaving in the history. Beneath the dense, slightly overwrought language, there were tons of surprises in store. Till the end, I literally had no idea where the story was heading.
Although it was not a book that I immediately wanted to finish or the kind I would read even past my bed-time but I’d still recommend it. And I think will read it again myself. To conclude I’d say this book is a masterpiece literature and very hard to come up with.Have fun reading it, although you have to be patient this one.
I was already feeling insecure while working with team of talented youngsters, and now someone is even trying to steal my job in Ep!c
Nyc and crisp review, Let’s see how you review ‘Freedom at Midnight’ – Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre.
haha no you dont have to be insecure and will read that book soon after i finish the current ones i have