Chosen as the Booker Prize winner of all Booker Prize winners. Magical realism in India and Pakistan. Not for me, for some reason. It took me forever to read this. ( )

More on magical realism. And then some. There is some truth in the idea that any banned author is worth reading. If you don’t believe me, re-read Calvino (above), and then we can talk. ( )

For me, a successful piece of magical realism is possible when the constraints and opportunities for the characters are set in some impossible way, which you promptly forget is artificial and become invested in. This is absolutely the case with the way the Midnight's Children can hear each other's voices, and is even mostly the case with the special powers of the main characters. At the end, when we learn about the rush of powers possessed by other Midnight's Children, it did all seem a bit artificial, but it didn't matter so much at that point. Within the world established at the start, it was a lot of fun to watch Saleem buffeted around by the various voices in his life. ( )

Personaggi, colori, odori, decenni, passaggi storici, salti temporali, lenzuoli bucati: c'è sovrabbondanza di tutto in questo corposo tomo che si legge d'un fiato grazie a una scrittura di notevole brillantezza.
Davvero consigliato, era parecchio che non mi divertivo così tanto a leggere un libro. ( )

Ésta es la historia de Saleem Sinai, nacido en Bombay al filo de la medianoche del 15 de agosto de 1947, en el momento mismo en que la India, entre fuegos artificiales y multitudes, alcanza su independencia. El destino de Saleem queda inexorablemente unido al de su país, y sus peripecias personales reflejarán siempre la evolución política de la India o serán reflejadas por ella. Es la historia de un hombre dotado de facultades insólitas pero también la de una generación y la de una familia, lo que la convierte en un retrato completo de toda una época y una cultura.