The Enchantress of Florence

By: Salman Rushdie

Narrated by: Firdous Bamji

Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Few writers living or dead have received the monumental acclaim that has been accorded to Salman Rushdie for his richly textured, superbly crafted works. The Enchantress of Florence once again demonstrates the author's unparalleled mastery of his craft.

In the imperial capital of the Mughal Empire, a traveler arrives at the court of Emperor Akbar. The traveler, Mogor dell'Amore, has a tale to tell, and as the words flow out of him, the tale's rich tapestry of power and desire begins to take on a life of its own. Fueled by the urgency of his narrative and its growing effect on his audience, the traveler paints a vivid portrait of faraway Florence, a beautiful enchantress, and the infamous figure of Niccolò Machiavelli.

Winner of the Booker Prize, Rushdie delights all those who revel in literature of sublime achievement. Narrator Firdous Bamji matches the author's exquisite prose with a reading that conveys the full breadth of this lovingly detailed novel.

©2008 Salman Rushdie (P)2008 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

“This is ‘history’ jubilantly mixed with postmodernist magic realism.” (Joyce Carol Oates, The New York Review of Books)

“A romance of beauty and power from Italy to India . . . so delightful an homage to Renaissance magic and wonder.” (Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World)

"Ingenious...[a] sparkling return to form." ( Publishers Weekly)

An absolute delight

This book is more accessible to a Western audience than many of Rushdie's. And the satire is less bitter than some of his more famous works (Midnight's Children and the Satanic Verses). The story line will be of particular interest to those fascinated with late 15th and early 16th Century (global) history.

It is not his best book. My personal favorites are Shalimar the Clown and Fury. But it is his most delightful -- enchanting in fact.

Jim

The Enchantress of Florence ... Why?!

So much writing talent devoted to such highly embellished and extremely well written meaninglessness. Way too much pointless detail, unending sentences (phrased to death), and mountains of fully spelled out Florentine and Hindustani names. With full respect for Rushdie's phenomenal abilities, I nevertheless suggest that there is too much talent thrown at too little substance. A real disappointment, and unending!

Bad Narration

This is a difficult book to follow. It is not helped by a narrator who makes every sentence a declarative statement with awkward pauses. His style reminds me of grade school when we had to sit through each kid reading a paragraph out loud.
I've attempted to listen to this a few times over the last 6 months. It's too annoying. I make sure I listen to the sound samples very carefully now.

Fantastic

I was not keen on Satanic Verses... This is very wonderfull book

Rushdie: GGMarquez Wannabe

What a lame load of signature male fantasy! More or less like Marquez, Rushdie goes far to demonstrate how deeply the fantasy of a silent, obedient, sexually available automaton is the sine qua non of his imagination. This basic datum is moved from one exotic locale through time and space, but never progresses to anything worth reading. Pathological.

Mesmerizing

This book is mesmerizing. The language, the story, and the characters kept me fascinated throughout. Beautifully told and magical throughout.

Enjoy!

Dreadful, Boring, Confusing

When I finally made it to the end I asked myself why. I still have no idea why I did not give up sooner. Too many names, places, repeated names and repeated places. On and on...

I can’t stand it!

10 hours left and I simply can’t go on. It might be better as a read book. Feels like a convoluted mythical history lesson with no point or plot.

Sexist Bullshit

Just another sexist point of view on female characters written by an old man.