Group Read: Midnight's Children Week Two Book 2

This section is about 250 pages!

So:
I am well into book two and this is really a strange book, to my mind. And I am reading it; but enjoying it? Not so much. It sounds as though most of you readers are liking it. Hmmmmmmmm; something "wong" with the "belva brain" cuz like I said I am not enjoying it so very much.
However "he" is still a baby so perhaps as "he" grows the storyline will improve for me. I am determined to finish this book after all the trouble I went through to get it. But I really just want to rush back to Moby Dick and you all know how I just love the "dreaded" Melville so that tells you how not so very much I am liking Midnight's Children.
I'll give you a hug anyway,
belva

I sort of tend to agree with you. The use of language in this book is outstanding and it has laugh-out-loud humor as well. However, the story isn't grabbing me that much. But then One Hundred Years of Solitude didn't either. I think that when this book was published Indian authors were still something new in the literary world and since he was one of the first,in what has become a large body of work that has enriched the English language, it is important that I know something about his work. I can honestly say that when I sit down to read this book the language reaches out and grabs me but the story doesn't so I find myself picking up other books to read. It is taking a little bit of discipline to read this one. It isn't a waste of time, but more demanding than I thought it would be.

Perhaps that does explain why I feel the way I do about it.
I must say, though, that last night I finally got to the part where we are introduced to "the children of midnight" and things began to pull together a bit beyond that point so I am becoming a little hopeful now.

I finished Book 2 and I loved the introduction of the "children", but I wish he would have explored it more. Rushdie crams an amazing amount of story in a short amount of space and I would have liked a bit of breathing room. I will start Book 3 on Monday and I'm curious to see how he will wrap this up. Will anyone be left?

#5 I've been struggling to get into book 2 (yes I'm behind again!) mainly due to end of week tiredness but I am still going to read it - promise!

I couldn't resist the temptation to check out the week 2 thread, and I'm so glad to see I'm not the only one who's woefully behind! I'm two chapters in, just finished "Snakes and Ladders."

I am finding Book 2 easier so far and am still enjoying Rushdie's writing even when I have no clue what he's talking about. The section where Reverend Mother and Mary Pereira cook food for the Sinai family and transfer their own feelings into the food reminded me a lot of Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate.

From what I remember of reading One Hundred Years of Solitude, that story grabbed me more than this one. But, it was also easier to read. I find that with Midnight's Children, if I read it on the weekend when I have a lot of time to make a good dent in it and to really concentrate, I do get into the story. Then work starts up again and the momentum is lost. I am determined to finish it, though.

oops, I lied! Just finished the "Accident in a Washing-chest" chapter, so three chapters in.

I also find the book much more demanding than expected and I am not yet sure what to think and how to rate it in the end. It really takes a long time to read, and without this thread I might still be stuck in book 1.
I do love the language and the historical information. But whenever I start feeling 'safe' with the direction the story takes (i.e. finally the introduction of the midnight's children or the revelation of the 'baby swap'), the story takes an unexpected turn and kind of throws me into unknown territory where it takes a while to find new orientation.
I hope that some of the threads which seem to be abandoned will be taken up again in book 3 and we will learn more of Shiva and their special connection.

Nearly finished Book 2. I agree with many others that it is sometimes difficult to read, with lost of digressions and general jumping about.

Thsi is a re-read for me and I remember enjoying it much more the first time round. Unfortunately that's pretty much all I do remember from my first read - it was a long time ago! I assume that I had a lot more free time then and could read it much more quickly.

Interested in thoughts about the Shiva/Saleem connection. It eems to me that together they are intended to represent the two sides of India. Saleem is secular and inclusive, Shiva violent and full of rage. Saleem has many similarities with Nehru (but a lot of differences too) and has a connection with him throughout. For example, he suggests a third way of managing the Conference akin to Nehru's attempt to find a third way between communism and capitalism and his creation of a third bloc of non-aligned countries.

OK I finished the book yesterday. I had to plow my way to the end just to be done with it. I did not like this book much at all. If anyone wants to see why my review can be found on the Midnights' Children work page. (I don't really give away anything.)

I want to post a link for the people starting Book 3: right here

I seem to be miles behind. In my copy book 2 goes all the way to page 481 and I'm only on page 371. I'm enjoying it but it isn't a quick read. I'll try to catch up!

I'm sort of glad that so many other people have been struggling with this one. I was worried I'd be the only person so far behind! Well done on finishing already Bonnie!

I think I'm enjoying it but I'm reading it a lot slower than I thought and I'm only half way through Part 2 at the moment.

What did people think of the opening of 'At the Pioneer Cafe' in Part 2? I'm not really a poetry reader but this section really blew me away. At the same time it reminded me a bit of Dr. Seuss, I think. But I have no idea what it was about - I'm hoping we find out later?

And Saleem keeps making references to how there are errors in his story, it feels like it's really being emphasised that he might be remembering wrong. We're not going to get to the end of the book and find out it was 'just a dream' are we? Last time I saw a film that ended like that I nearly threw something at the screen...

souloftherose - I had wondered about that myself. I posted in the week 1 thread that spark notes has also suggested that Saleem was dropping hints at being an unreliable narrator. I wasn't sure as I read book 1 but I am starting to see it now in book 2. The part where he commented that he mixed up the date of Ghandi's death struck me as odd, you'd think that would be a really memorable date, especially for someone whose life is so closely tied to India's history! Then he went on to say that Ghandi would continue to die at the wrong time in his life. So, I really do wonder what exactly is going on with Saleem.

I read "Love in Bombay" last night and I loved the parallel between the elections in India and he and Sonny vying for the affections of Evie and the Brass Monkey. That was a fun chapter.

Having just finished "At the Pioneer Cafe," I'll add one more thought re: the opening of that chapter. Saleem has referred to the Widow before, but has yet to reveal who she (or it?) is. I thought that all the black/green imagery in the opening was part of Saleem's fever-induced delirium, but it is probably also symbolic of something.

In the chapter that describes Saleem's birth, there is a lot of references to saffron and green, which mirror the Indian flag. I thought maybe the black and green had to do with Pakistan's flag but a Google search shot down that theory. I have no idea :)

The fever from which Saleem recovers in this chapter is said to be the same one he had when he was 10, and he says that that was 21 years ago. Is Saleem really only 31 years old as he's telling this story? I had the impression of him being a much older man. Maybe, since he is supposed to be symbolic of India itself, he has aged (or just become weaker) as quickly as India has grown/become corrupt?

I think he is meant to be 31. I guess the book was written in 1978/9 so, 31 years or so after independence.

I don't know about the black and green. The Indian flag is saffron, white and green with the white representing peace between Hindus and Muslims. Perhaps black is the opposite?

Andrea- Thanks for all the interesting thoughts! You always have me go back and mull some things over! Glad you are enjoying it. I know it's not always easy!

Well, I didn't finish it. I made it about half way through and shelved it, telling myself that I had better ways to spend my time.
I thought the book pretty much just blew!~! Big green goats; that is how much it sucked!~!
Brenzi tagged it just right in her HOT REVIEW. I tried to like it Mark, I really did, but I truly disliked it almost all the way to the point where I put it down. Frankly, I am enjoying the dreaded Melville waaaaaaaaaaaay more!~!
But that is just this girl's point of view.

#16 Thanks for your thoughts Andrea - they were very interesting!

I had also assumed that Saleem was much older than 31. I think because he has talked so much about his body decaying (I can't remember his exact words) and about how he is dying (although I'm starting to wonder whether this is not entirely accurate).

I also noticed a lot of green and white references at the beginning of The Kolynos Kid.

And there was a quote in Revelations which made me wonder again where the book is going as Saleem keeps emphasising he may be changing events to fits his narrative:

"in autobiography, as in all literature, what actually happened is less important than what the author can manage to persuade his audience to believe"

And now I'm only three chapters away from the end of Part 2!

Finished Part 2 and reading through the spark notes guide to the book I found this quote about 'How Saleem Achieved Purity' which struck home:

"Exhausted, Saleem yearns for a return to uncomplicated purity. As readers, we too may feel exhausted and worn-down by the endless complexities of Midnight’s Children and wish for a return to a less-convoluted narrative, such as that of the novel’s opening chapters."

Yep, exhausted, that's how I feel. Need to find some brain candy to read this evening.

>19 rainpebble: Another one bites the dust! Sorry it didn't work out for you, Belva. You are right, though, life is too short and if it's dragging you down, it's time to move on.

>20 souloftherose: and 21 Yay, souloftherose! Hang in there, we're so close to the end!

I finished Book 2 tonight and still don't know whether I like this book or not. It frustrates and confuses me, but at the same time, something about it keeps me hanging on. Ok, it's partially the fact that I've already put so much time into it that I might as well finish it, lol, but there is something interesting and entertaining in it too.

I haven't had time to read spark notes yet and reflect on it, but some initial thoughts...

We are getting more direct indications that Saleem is unreliable. This makes me curious about where it's leading, but it also gets frustrating at times because I have to wonder what the heck I'm spending all this time reading the story for if I can't trust anything I'm reading! Also, the last chapter makes me wonder if the bombing is what caused Saleem to be so unreliable - maybe his memory was affected somehow.

I found the idea of the Midnight's Children a bit much for me, even for this book. I had a hard time suspending disbelief for that. But when Saleem mentioned that there were other children of midnight, i.e. greed, corruption, etc., it got me thinking. Since we already know that Saleem is probably not telling it like it is, is it possible that these children of his were not really what he told us they were? Maybe they are just symbols of those "other" children, and are actually different aspects of his own character. Since he is supposed to mirror India, it would make sense that he would embody all of its characteristics, both the good and bad.

My last thought is actually a question: what is the symbolism of the silver spittoon? It keeps showing up, so it is significant in some way, but I think I'm missing it.

I'm starting Book 3 tomorrow and hope that I can finish this thing off by the weekend. It's definitely time to move on to something lighter!

I almost forgot - there are a lot of times when Saleem refers to himself in the third person. I've been wondering if there is any significance to that, given the whole "unreliable narrator" thing. But it could just be that I am waaaay overthinking it at this point!

I loved the chapter snakes and ladders. The end of it was just like reading a thriller. I had to read the last part when the thief was shot just to figure out that he was stealing from the snake doctor and got bit by one of the snakes. It was the snake bit that really killed him and yet the onlookers seemed to think that the police shot him. The doctor knew that the thief died from a snake bite but it seemed that nobody else did.

I too have wondered about that darn spittoon.

I also wonder about the "dung lily". Saleem makes a big point of telling us the meaning of her name and how she fits it and then laments the fact that she is suddenly gone. I wonder what she symbolizes?

Hi Benita- You seem to be flying solo here! I'm glad you are still plugging away and offering some nice insights. I enjoy reading them!
I never quite figured out "dung lily"!

You're not alone, Benita, I am still plugging away with you! Just trying to get through the last couple of chapters of Book 3 this weekend.

I liked the snakes and ladders chapter as well because I thought the ambiguity of the snakes and ladders was interesting. And it turned out to be a metaphor that Rushdie kept returning to, which was nice.

I don't get the meaning of "dung lily" either but I've thinking about Padma's value to the story and I really don't see what her purpose is. I know that she's supposed to represent the reader, to an extent, so that Saleem can directly address the reader as he tells the story. But I think he could have done that anyway, without Padma.

Also still plugging away! I am finding it really helpful reading everyone else's thoughts.

I am also stuck with the symbolism of the spittoon and dung lily. I've been hoping that things will clear up by the end of the book but I'm only a couple of chapters away from the end now and a lot of it still doesn't make sense to me. This is such a complex book!

I did not have this book on my shelves (can you believe that?) and so borrowed it from the library. I reached the limit of check-outs yesterday so had to take it back. I wrote my page number down in my book diary so will return to this book in a week or so. Until then I won't be posting any more comments. I do intend to finish this book. Just won't be this week.