* Waste of time. Wouldn't recommend it.
** Didn't like it much.
*** Average.
**** It is a good book.
***** Liked it very much. Would strongly recommend it.
Originally Posted by Pensive
I ignore them I thought I might be missing something plot driven, but maybe I'm missing something more poetic, which would be the reason I don't find the prose original. Am I missing something Pensive?
70 pages! You got through in a night, what I've been working on for two weeks. I did take breaks for two other books and now hooked on the noble knight of La Mancha.
"Do you mind if I reel in this fish?" - Dale Harris
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn." - Ernest Hemingway
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Nah, I don't think you are missing something very important or related to the plot. But if you feel curious about any word or expression, you can always discuss it here. I would like to be of some sort of help.And there are always free Urdu-English electronic translators too (though I think they are very hard to find)!
I can also understand what would make you feel this way that the prose is not orginal. The manner of speech is according to an Indian's style. Even when translated, author has to show the dialogues according to the style of the place he is writing about, and Indian style I think is quite different from West. For example, I remember Naseem using 'whatsitsname' as her leitmotif and this leitmotif is quite common amongst where I live (I am myself used to saying it, oh in Urdu though). I have never come across such a pet-phrase in any English novel or have never heard/read it spoken/written by a foreigner! Or even if it has come somewhere before, I am quite sure this wouldn't be much included in the daily conversation. And I can understand if this looks a bit weird to people from other culture.
It's really difficult to write in Urdu style an English book and portray India's culture through the dialogues translated in English. Seeing that, it seems as if Rushdie has done an awesome job!
Oh I think it depends on how much you 'get into' the book. My will was to read To The Lighthouse but I couldn't bring myself into it, and after completing about half of it (and I did force that completed half on me), I could not bring myself to read more of it.70 pages! You got through in a night, what I've been working on for two weeks. I did take breaks for two other books and now hooked on the noble knight of La Mancha.
I hope you get into it after some period. In the start anyway, I don't think Tai's character is very interesting but after estimatedly ten to fifteen pages, things get far more interesting!
Last edited by Pensive; 08-17-2007 at 10:57 AM. Reason: Typo
I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew.
I've been ignoring them also, but only because every time I've come across them I've been in places where I can't get to the internet/dictionary.
Do, or do not. There is no try. - Yoda
I usually ignore such words as well and most of the time they are used in a manner that it is possible to guess the meaning from the text. It is my belief that no author would use such words/references without leaving clues about their meanings (they wouldn't like to alienate the readers after all).
I don't think they are any more important than an unfamiliar English word one comes across, anyway.
I haven't read much yet but so far, I have been enjoying it.
Nick> I am very reminded of HYOS as well (though Marquez' prose is superior to Rushdie's, I think).
~
"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
I've only used it when I couldn't remember the name of the thing I was refering to: "I used a whatsitname for the-"
I agree. Rushdie does use some fine metaphors though. I enjoyed the assassination and the moon and cresent knives bit. The rubies and diamonds bit in the beginning I didn't care for though.
"Do you mind if I reel in this fish?" - Dale Harris
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn." - Ernest Hemingway
Blog
I'm not sure if I'll be able to join this time or not. I checked the library and all three copies are checked outI put it on hold, but it might be a couple of months before I ever get it.
Whenever you get it whatsitname, I'll be here to discuss it.I'm not sure if I'll be able to join this time or not. I checked the library and all three copies are checked out
"Do you mind if I reel in this fish?" - Dale Harris
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn." - Ernest Hemingway
Blog
Did you call me whatsitname????Whenever you get it whatsitname, I'll be here to discuss it.Meg works just fine
I've been meaning to see if there is a way to change my user name without opening an entirely new account, but I haven't gotten to asking yet.
Haven't tried Marquez yet but found in the back cover some part of a review from The Times:
'I haven't been so continuously surprised by a novel since I read 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'.
Yeah, interesting metaphors but sometimes get confusing. I have completed a few more pages and what have impressed me the most are the dialogues! Quite informal and lively. Description is good too. Characters also interesting. In fact, I am liking everything in the story yet.
Last edited by Pensive; 08-18-2007 at 03:20 AM.
I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew.
Isn't anyone on this thread concerned about the fatwah factor?
I think that was mainly because of The Satanic Verses, wasn't it? *confused*
I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew.
Could you be more specific please, Quasimodo?
~
"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
I have completed about forty more pages. Would have to say the book looks fantastic. What I like is that Rushdie, during the Independence time, has seemed to make it clear that from both sides there were extremists. Ravanas as well as Muslim extremists. The whole description of what was happening around in 1947 seems very realistic, very much like the tales I have been hearing from my grandfather and reading in digests.
I liked it when Mumtaz (now Amina) saved a Hindu's life. The meticulous and assiduous Amina is my favourite character yet! How interesting to read!The whole situation of her going to the fortune-teller was simply interesting. Would have to say once again the metaphors used in this book are also amazing, very different from those used in most of the books I read.
Noticed one thing in these later pages, the whole sentences which are in Urdu are later translated too, fully in English.
Now I am wondering what will happen next.
I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew.
First two hundred pages are done! Veeery veeeeery interesting. How could have I missed so much when the last time I read it! Oh well, perhaps I have forgotten a lot of it.
Brass Monkey is very interesting! Like Padma, Saleem being not his parents' child (though he would deny it and perhaps I shouldn't say that!) hit me, hadn't expected it.
*edit to add*
By the way, can anyone yet understand what exactly Padma is when it comes to her relation with Saleem Sinai? She seems to be either his wife/girlfriend to me?
Last edited by Pensive; 08-21-2007 at 04:09 AM.
I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew.
I say lover. Fiance?
"Do you mind if I reel in this fish?" - Dale Harris
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn." - Ernest Hemingway
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