The Satanic Verses

By: Salman Rushdie

Narrated by: Sam Dastor

Length: 21 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Inextricably linked with the fatwa called against its author in the wake of the novel’s publication, The Satanic Verses is, beyond that, a rich showcase for Salman Rushdie’s comic sensibilities, cultural observations, and unparalleled mastery of language. The tale of an Indian film star and a Bombay expatriate, Rushdie’s masterpiece was deservedly honored with the Whitbread Prize.

The story begins with a bang: the terrorist bombing of a London-bound jet in midflight. Two Indian actors of opposing sensibilities fall to earth, transformed into living symbols of what is angelic and evil. This is just the initial act in a magnificent odyssey that seamlessly merges the actual with the imagined. A book whose importance is eclipsed only by its quality, The Satanic Verses is a key work of our times.

©1988 Salman Rushdie (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"No book in modern times has matched the uproar sparked by Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, which earned its author a death sentence. Furor aside, it is a marvelously erudite study of good and evil, a feast of language served up by a writer at the height of his powers, and a rollicking comic fable." (Amazon.com review)

"A rollercoaster ride over a vast landscape of the imagination." ( The Guardian)

"A masterpiece." ( The Sunday Times, London)

Brilliant writing. Meandering story.

The writing is absolutely brilliant, but the story is hard to follow, veers off on too many tangents in my humble opinion, and the conclusion was unsatisfying for me. The narration is absolutely spot on though and I really enjoyed listening.

Brilliant novel, brilliant reader

Any additional comments?

I can't answer any of the dumb questions Audible now wants to ask.

I first read the Satanic Verses in '92, wanting to see what all the fuss was about. I was astounded to discover a hilarious yet harrowing set of interlocking stories that upended my ideas about colonialism, Islam and India.

20 years later, it was just as great as the first time. I read my old copy at home and listened in the car to a great performance by a reader who does great Indian and English accents while conveying the tale's irony.

I still believe this is one of the great novels of the 20th century.

Confusing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This book is fascinating at times but you better have wikipedia ready and, more so, a knowledge of world religions. Especially, as a listen, where you can't really (or at least on my little ipod shuffle) stop and linger over confusing passages, this book is very difficult to comprehend. For example, after the plane crash, when he shifts right to Jahilia, I thought I had literally lost my place in the novel.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I really loved the twang of the various dialects. Rushdie is a genius of language and Dastor reads amazingly.

Which character – as performed by Sam Dastor – was your favorite?

I loved the way Jabril spoke to Saladin.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

If there was a movie of this book it would start world war three!

Any additional comments?

My incredible, life long educator, fiercely agnostic, grandmother, since past, was a great admirer of Rushdie. I wanted to try him out. For now I have no plans to go on reading him. I need folks like Franzen, Irving, TC Boyle, and Eugenedes. Maybe when I've reached a more scholarly level I'll get more out of the work of this brave and masterful writer.

If this book was at a party, it would too drunk!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Salman Rushie is an extremely creative writer. His output is staggering and sprawling. It is not whether Satanic Verses was or wasn't worth the the time to read, but whether Rushie is a prisoner of the same cage of sexism he purportedly seeks to escape.

Would you be willing to try another book from Salman Rushdie? Why or why not?

I suppose I will have to give all his books a chance some day, because of the time and attention he has given to reading over the years.

Outstanding Performance!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Satanic Verses to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the text version but can only imagine imagine that the print version is far more superior.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Satanic Verses?

The book was very deeply layered and complex and can't say one particular moment stood out.

Which character – as performed by Sam Dastor – was your favorite?

Sam Dastor's performance was great for every single character and made the book possible for me to read. For me it was so complex that reading it on my own I would have taken weeks to finish.

I was one of those people

What made the experience of listening to The Satanic Verses the most enjoyable?

You know the type, they are the loudest critics and yet have never even seen the movie or read the book which they are lambasting. I am ashamed to say that I vaguely remember condemning Salman Rushdie and this book without reading it in 1989, thinking he should have known better than to offend the Ayatollah. I wish I had been wise enough to condemn the fatwā which called for Rushdie's death. I wish I had been courageous enough to stand up for freedom of speech. Well now I have read The Satanic Verses and I loved it. No wonder Rushdie and Christopher Hitchens were friends. Rushdie and write! This is a bizarre story no doubt but so entertaining. There are a few good lessons buried in there too. I highly recommend the book. I'll be reading more of Rushdie's work. And I will be reading the books and watching the movies before passing judgment on them in the future.

What is evil? What is good? Can you reconcile with your past and, embrace the future?

I truly loved this book. I think you most go in to reading this work with a completely open mind, with no preconceived ideologies or, prejudice.
You will learn a lot. I really enjoyed the back and forth between God and Man, as well Gabriel and Muhammad. I realized why the Imam, who became the Shah and,religious leader of Iran got so angry about this book. It was because made him look bad. If you study history, when he came back to Iran in the beginning many people thought there would finely be democracy. We all know how well that went. Look where are now, no thanks to even more American intervention. I loved authors narrative, like we were in on a conversation with God and, he/she saying " I have done everything I can. Let these poor saps figure it out on their own. " as there horrific otherworldly tests, sidelines and, stumbling blocks placed on their path to their future or demise. I will definitely read again! So I can pick up on any parts I might have missed. Maybe I found it easy to embrace because my religious beliefs are not secular, the thing that I have never understood. The three religions that fight the most are all born of Abraham, I just don't get it. I know Sunnis and Shiites, still born of Abraham.

Exceptionally well read.

Sam Dastor’s work on this controversial books. As usual, Rushdie is at times laugh-out-loud funny.

Confusing

A multitude of words, beautifully read, but difficult to make any sense of the story.

certainly gave me pause

Wasn't what I was expecting. I'll have to listen once again in a quieter environment to truly absorb it all.