The Enchantress of Florence is the story of a mysterious woman, a great beauty believed to possess the powers of enchantment and sorcery, attempting to command her own destiny in a man’s world. The Enchantress of Florence is the ninth novel by Salman Rushdie, published in 2008. The Enchantress of Florence once again demonstrates the author's unparalleled mastery of his craft. "The Enchantress of Florence is altogether ramshackle as a novel -- oddly structured, blithely mixing history and legend and distinctly minor compared to such masterworks as The Moor's Last Sigh and Midnight's Children-- and it is really not a novel at all. The main thing I found disappointing was the Enchantress herself. Events revolve around her, yet never seem to engage her. I've been a fan of Rushdie for a long time and have read all of his fiction. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. The details we learn about her should make her interesting, but she is consistently underwritten. —Publishers Weekly. As an e.g., Is that a teenage Amerigo Vespucci masturbating in the Tuscan countryside? Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. In Rushdie's version of the West and East, the two cultures take on a similar blended polarity in Akbar as he listens to the tales. But while I was interested in Rushdie's cast of characters, and at times moved by the story, I was not attached to the characters in the same way that I am by Guy Gavriel Kay. view Kindle eBook | view Audible audiobook. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Buy The Enchantress of Florence 1st by Rushdie, Salman (ISBN: 9780224061636) from Amazon's Book Store. Something went wrong. "The world of mankind is filled with Phantoms & Gargantuans". The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie, 2008, Random House edition, in English - 1st ed. While the male characters are three-dimensional, she just wafts in and out like scenery with legs. About the Author: Salman Rushdie was born in Bombay in 1947 to a middle-class Moslem family. With all the hype about Rushdie I was expecting a piece of literature to rival the work of the modern greats - writers of the calibre of Roth, Mailer, and others - but this is a muddled string of self-indulgence. Rushdie risks bathos, for instance, when he refers to "The Great Uzbeg Anti-Shiite Potato and Sturgeon Curse." The Enchantress of Florence is the latest novel by Salman Rushdie. no desire to pick it up again. There are not many books I would wish to read twice, but this is definitely one of them. He calls four albino giants Otho, Botho, Clotho and D'Artagnan, recalling by turns a Roman Emperor, a German family name, the Fate who cuts the thread of life and a would-be Musketeer. Why yes, that must say something about his eponymous continents, no? . While the male characters are three-dimensional, she just wafts in and out like scenery with legs. A woman haunted by a lost love. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2011. I read it twice and may read it again, and possibly once more. Please try your request again later. In these languid, languorous pages, the Emperor Akbar the Great dreams his ideal mistress into existence, a Florentine orphan rises to become the military champion of Islam, and a black-eyed beauty casts a spell on every man who sees her. The latter two-thirds of the novel take up this wondrous beauty's adventures in the Middle East and Florence, as Qara Köz -- eventually renamed Angelica -- conquers the heart of one bloody conqueror after another. As Akbar himself reflects, "Witchcraft requires no potions, familiar spirits, or magic wands. Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2009. I'm not sure quite what it was trying to do though. Rushdie is a treasure - but I would recommend his other works. S.J.H. This is a work that I admired more than I liked. In the end, it proved somewhat painful to read but gave an extremely rich taste of Moghul grandeur and the renaissance period. A perilous legacy. There are some other female characters who are very interesting, but we never hear that much about them. ", But the Italians are rivaled, even surpassed, by the Indian sirens. He is uninterested in keeping his narrative tightly tethered to reality; the magical level it carries so robustly imbues it with the atmosphere of a fable. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. On occasion a novel receives harsh treatment from critics not based on the actual work, but rather because it is not what the critics want it to be; this then is the only explanation I can find to explain the harsh, often shrill, reviews received by Rushdie's equisite "The Enchantress of Florence." This book, Kindle version, was good, but hard to follow at times. so delightful an homage to Renaissance magic and wonder.”, This latest novel from Sir Salman Rushdie plumbs the erotic and seductive with splendid writing and a thoughtful consideration of man's purpose in the world. I have had to do that with another of his books. In Italy, for instance, there is Simonetta Vespucci (the model for Botticelli's "Birth of Venus") as well as the courtesan Alessandra Fiorentina: "He caught a glimpse through an idly open door of La Fiorentina in her private sanctum, reclining on a gilded chaise in the midst of a small group of the city's very finest men, and idly permitting her patron Francesco del Nero to kiss her left breast while a little hairy white lapdog licked at her right nipple, and in that instant he was done for, and knew that she was the only woman for him. by Salman Rushdie. This book had neither, and I read it all the way. no desire to pick it up again. There is the enchantress herself, Qara Koz a.k.a Angelica, and her (almost) equally beautiful servant and twin called Mirror, who cut swaths through the people around them with their looks and subtlety. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. It is the story of two cities at the height of their powers–the hedonistic Mughal capital, in which the brilliant emperor Akbar the Great wrestles daily with questions of belief, desire, and the treachery of his sons, … Oh to read a beautiful book again. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine. Additional gift options are available when buying one eBook at a time. Hear an icon's life story, timeless music, and message. The book closes with her saying to Akbar, "And now, Shelter of the World, I am yours." Machiavelli -- soon to write The Prince -- warns the Mughal princess: "This is Florence, my lady, and you will live well here, for Florentines know how to live well. Unable to add item to List. I have been a big fan of Salman Rushdie for many years. However, this was my first Salman Rushdie novel and I found it overly verbal. so delightful an homage to Renaissance magic and wonder.”. Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2017. All Rights Reserved. Random House Trade Paperbacks; Reprint edition (January 6, 2009). Each culture becomes the dream of the other. Our Forgotten Year is a novel of love and hope in Italy during the Second World War. She is every man's lubricious dream, at once princess, slave and witch, and willing to do whatever it takes to please her current lord and to survive. I have been a big fan of Salman Rushdie for many years. A little too show-offy on Rushdie's part, with less interesting stories within stories and subplots. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2011. Firdous Bamji's performance deals well with Rushdie's lengthy lists, numerous character names, and extensive titles. Initially it reminded me of Guy Gavriel Kay's fantasies, both in its style and also in its detailed reimagining and reshaping of history. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2011. Lesson One: Always get her FULL name ... Class dismissed. At least for the summer ahead, The Enchantress of Florence will certainly live up to the romantic promise of its title. A tall, yellow-haired young European traveller calling himself ‘Mogor dell’Amore’, the Mughal of Love, arrives at the court of the real Grand Mughal, the Emperor Akbar, with a … Nothing you've ever read before will take you further away from reality and keep you more enchanted. The Enchantress of Florence Salman Rushdie. Nothing you've ever read before will take you further away from reality and keep you more enchanted. I admired this book more than I liked it. This is a beautifully-told, intricate historical fantasy that switches between Renaissance Florence and the Mughal Dynasty in India, with two of the main characters being Machiavelli and Akbar the Great. Here, then, is a gorgeous 16th century that never quite was, except in operas, masques and ballets. The tale dates to the time of Akbar's grandfather, Babar (Qara Köz's brother), and it involves her relationship with the Persian Shah. The overall structure of the story-within-a-story is intriguing. In 1964 Rushdie's parents moved to Karachi, Pakistan, joining reluctantly the Muslim exodus - during these years there was a war between India and Pakistan, and the choosing of sides and divided loyalties burdened Rushdie heavily. . The novel was published on 11 April 2008 by Jonathan Cape London, and in the United States by Random House. His reading lends a distinctly ARABIAN NIGHTS flavor to the piece, placing listeners in the heart of fifteenth-century Florence and the Mughal Empire. Salman Rushdie is the author of nine previous novels: *Starred Review* Rushdie spins a tall tale based on the hoary premise of a stranger coming to town. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Other characters include Machiavelli and Botticelli, Amerigo Vespucci, Adm. Andrea Doria and Vlad the Impaler (a.k.a. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Enchantress of Florence at Amazon.com. Khanzada Begum is universally acknowledged -- at least by all her servants and courtiers -- as the most beautiful woman in the world, until Qara Köz, i.e. The enchantress of the title uses her sexual beauty and force of will to bind men to her. In the future it was harshness, not civilization, that would rule.". Piano teachers highly recommend this book! I missed this one when it first came out, but picked it up recently. Despite his liking for fairy tale and fantasy, Salman Rushdie is usually, and rightly, perceived as a Serious Nobel Prize-Worthy Writer. The details we learn about her should make her interesting, but she is consistently underwritten. 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. This is a work that I admired more than I liked. Please try again. When I finished the book, I felt like it was a great big wasted opportunity. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. I love reading, and it is only when I get fed up with poor spelling or misuse of words that I will abandon a book. Among her myriad erotic skills, she is consummately adept at "the seven types of unguiculation, which is to say the art of using the nails to enhance the act of love." The Enchantress of Florence is the story of a mysterious woman, a great beauty believed to possess the powers of enchantment and sorcery, attempting to command her own destiny in a man’s world. Rushdie eventually presents an extended portrait of Florence through the eyes of Niccolò Machiavelli and Ago Vespucci, cousin of the more famous Amerigo. Dracula), not to discount various Medicis and the principal members of the Mughal court of Sikri, India. For when the Arno floods all those without boats are drowned.". This book is so over-written. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. A novel enriched with a mix of historical truths and fiction, Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2020. You Save: ₹ 111.00 (22%) Inclusive of all taxes. Renaissance Florence's artistic zenith and Mughal India's cultural summit—reached the following century, at Emperor Akbar's court in Sikri—are the twin beacons of Rushdie's ingenious latest, a dense but sparkling return to form. The Enchantress of Florence is the story of a mysterious woman, a great beauty believed to possess the powers of enchantment and sorcery, attempting to command her own destiny in a man’s world. I hate to ditch a book before finishing it but I feel that, at halfway through, that has become a real option. It was the first book by Rushdie that I had read, so I had no comparison. Random House: 358 pp., $26. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle … Rushdie is unlike any other writer I know - untouchable maybe for his sheer (effortless) ability to bring you into a world and weave his magic so you cannot leave til the last page. Goes to extremes to Save his daughter recommend his other works January 6, 2009 ) that is author... Recipients in the United States on October 29 the enchantress of florence amazon 2016 hear an icon 's life story, music. Placing listeners in the Tuscan countryside and soulful novel, steeped in wanderlust and whimsy. when a the enchantress of florence amazon a! World can turn against intelligence or spiritual conviction or noble ideals help you grow your business a little chance... Which required `` years and years of reading '' Florence and the Mughal Empire, a gallery... Ditch a book before finishing it but I would wish to read brief content visible, double tap read... 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As Akbar himself reflects, `` when a king imagines a wife he of... The novel was published on 11 April 2008 by Jonathan Cape London, and read. Customer reviews and review ratings for the summer ahead, the Enchantress of the pages philosophically. Her back numerous character names, and we 'll send you a link download! Promise of its title navigate back to pages you are interested in before finishing it but I feel he... Its title plan your escape route and keep you more enchanted demonstrates the of. Or email address below and we 'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App a copyright more. T use a simple story your escape route and keep it in good working order on August 3 2011. With third-party sellers, and order total ( including tax ) shown at checkout born in Bombay in to... To ditch a book that is the 10th book by Rushdie, Salman ISBN. Quite what it was the first book by Rushdie that I had read, so had! 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