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Midnight's Children
- Narrated by: Homer Todiwala
- Length: 25 hrs and 39 mins
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Midnight's Children
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Summary
This Audible production expertly brings to life Salman Rushdie’s postcolonial masterpiece Midnight’s Children, available for the first time unabridged in audio. A magical tale of discovery and identity, Midnight’s Children explores the wonders and perils of India’s birth through the eyes and actions of a child blessed with extraordinary powers.
About the book
Salman Rushdie’s second novel, Midnight’s Children, was an immediate success following its publication in 1981. The winner of both the Booker Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize that year, it also went on to win the Booker best all-time prize in both 1993 and 2008.
Written in the magical-realist style that Rushdie is renowned for, Midnight’s Children follows Saleem Sinai - a child gifted with extraordinary powers after being born at the exact moment India becomes independent. The captivating events that unfold act as an allegory for India’s transition from colonialism to independence as Saleem finds himself 'handcuffed to history', with his fate entwined with that of his newly independent state.
Midnight’s Children is both comedy and tragedy, blending the real with the surreal as an enthralling family saga unwinds against the backdrop of a postcolonial India. A stunning story, rich with vibrant images and delightful characters, it thoroughly deserves its place as a modern masterpiece and an inspiration for a whole generation of future Indian writers.
About the author
One of the most celebrated and controversial authors in modern literature, Salman Rushdie is a multi-award-winning British Indian novelist whose writings on magical realism and postcolonialism have inspired and enchanted millions of people around the world. Born in Bombay in 1947, his early years were spent in India before moving to England and eventually reading history at King's College, University of Cambridge.
Rushdie first gained fame following the publication of his second novel, Midnight’s Children, but it was the publication of his fourth book, The Satanic Verses, that resulted in global notoriety. Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him which resulted in death threats and the banning of the book in 13 countries. A winner of dozens of the highest awards in literature, Rushdie was also the recipient of a knighthood in the UK in 2007.
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‘I am the sum total of everything that went before me’
Watch the exclusive trailerWhat listeners say about Midnight's Children
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Wowbagger_The_Third
- 04-03-22
A bit of a chore with flashes of genius
I was committed to the end but at times I felt my concentration wandering from the over long drawn out sections - there were things I really liked that pulled me back in - but ultimately I’m not sure it works for me as an audiobook - mostly because I feel there could have been a really harsh edit that would have done it the power of good.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Ian
- 20-08-23
Not the best story…
On the positive: Great use of the English language with rich and detailed descriptions. Negative: weak story line that could have been half the length. Wouldn’t recommend and a bit gutted as I’ve wanted to read this for ages…
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Michellep
- 29-11-22
Beautifully written
Exquisite writing and very evocative of an India long gone - midnights children was a worthy booker prize winner.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Scott at the Junction
- 08-01-19
Magical, historical confusion
Nearly gave up early on. some great moments but somehow overblown and pretentious at times too.
Good narration.
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12 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Vonny Milonny
- 19-01-22
Interesting story, well narrated
It's the first book by Salman Rushdie that I've had. It was a different style of writing than I've had before but once I got into its rhythm I enjoyed it. I'm not going to lie, I think it could have been a little shorter and it wouldn't have effected how good it was.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jamie Barron
- 22-04-21
An extraordinary book!
Not like anything I’ve listened to before! Very absorbing and fascinating, the magic realism is beautifully detailed and, although it takes a bit of getting used to, is tremendously entertaining once the listener gets into it.
Homer Todiwala invests a great deal of understanding and sympathy into the performance, and distinguishes the voices of the characters elegantly and effectively.
I learned much about the history of India following independence, and Saleem’s journey mirrors that of his native country in a complex and fascinating way.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 02-10-21
Brilliant!
Very enjoyable listen, excellent story and performance. A brilliant tale, wonderfully written and performed. Recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Judith
- 16-10-18
good narration
great narration, as for the story is was not for me. But it's a book I have wanted to read for a long time so I'm glad audible finally released an audiobook for it
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rainbow Cool Stuff
- 05-07-22
Glad I waited
I am 58 and am glad I did not attempt this when I was younger. I don’t think I would have had the patience. As others have said the first part of this very long tale seems slow paced and rambling - it seems unnecessarily so. But around halfway through I realised that the pace had picked up somewhat and also that a LOT happens in this book, both in the narrator’s life and also in India.
By the time it ends, so much has been crammed in and with such a variety of story telling. It was in turns a straightforward tale of family life, a supernatural tale of telepathy and other gifts, a kind of poetry, in parts very amusing, in parts thought provoking. Some recurring themes of noses and knees, saffron yellow and green, and some weird long prose about green and black. Still not sure what all that was about. Some trippy parts in a jungle, moving from affluence to military to slum. So many characters and so many things happening, described in a somewhat deadpan and unemotional way so that when you stop and realise how much has happened it is quite a surprise
Some odd aspects such as the narrator switching regularly between first person and third person when describing his life. And characters changing name several times, which seems odd but maybe that is culturally accurate
Overall I am very glad that I persevered with this very very
long tale. It was worth it and I will try more of Mr Rushtie’s books but might give myself a bit of a lighter interlude first
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Izzy
- 12-09-22
Tedious and tenuous
Self indulgent with a tenuous storyline.
His excellent use of the English language is the only redeeming feature. Otherwise far too long and tedious.
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