Salman Rushdie - Victory City

Submitted by BlankyForce t3_10q5qdh in books

Is anyone else anxiously awaiting release of the book?

My first Rushdie read was The Satanic Verses, and that was within a year after its release. Of course, that decision was solely based on the hype and I didn't know anything about him. But I wanted to fancy myself a sophisticated reader. I hated the book.

About six years ago, after more experience reading literature and challenging books (and learning about Rushdie) I decided to give him another try. I reread The Satanic Verses. It took a little patience, but enjoyed it. Since then I've been making my way through his collection. I read only on Kindle so I can highlight and research as needed, and take it slow, generally two books a year, although it took a full year to get through Midnight's Children.

I'll be finishing Shalimar the Clown just in time to dive into Victory City.

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Head-Advantage2461 t1_j6o3ad6 wrote

Currently reading MC. Dense and frustratingly obtuse in places. References to 150 pages previous (like how would I remember that?). Nearly done. Not sure I wanna pick up another Rushdie. Question; Just gotta kindle. How can u do research on it? Currently reading Over the Edge of the World on it. Need my iPhone at the ready to search for people places and pictures. Can I do that in Kindle?

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BlankyForce OP t1_j6o5jhi wrote

Replying to Head-Advantage2461 (#1,672,575)

When you have Kindle connected to wifi you can long-press on a searchable item. With Rushdie, maybe he is referencing an actual historical figure, or location, or political situation, and it will bring up reference material/dictionary, probably not as extensive as searching on phone, but definitely help to provide context.

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fragments_shored t1_j6odegj wrote

I'm excited! My favorite Rushdie is "The Enchantress of Florence," a sparkling gem of a book.

Confession: I've started "Midnight's Children" 3 or 4 times and while I always get a little further on the re-reads, I've never managed to finish it.

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Merle8888 t1_j6oe0dy wrote

It took me several tries to get into Midnight’s Children. Once I did, I read it pretty quickly and wondered what the trouble had been. The beginning wasn’t hard to read so much as, for me, it didn’t immediately inspire investment, but I did ultimately get engaged with the story.

Shalimar the Clown, on the other hand, I found accessible from jump. That one was great, if disturbing.

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