Eden Prosper > Recent Status Updates

When I first read this book in 2009, its only enduring impression was the deeply uncomfortable (pedo) scene early on. Rereading it now has been an interesting journey; I am especially enjoying the threads of the narrative that feel intimately autobiographical.

A bit sluggish at the start but about a third of the way through it started getting curious; about half way, I’m completely intrigued!

Other reviewers were not exaggerating when they stated this book is hardly a pleasurable read. While I didn’t exactly expect it to be conventionally engaging, it resists immersion more than I had thought; after only a few cantos, my attention begins to falter. That said, I have no intention of abandoning it; rather, I’ll approach it more deliberately, interweaving it with other books.

My knowledge of Jewish history is admittedly lacking; however, this has only served to sharpen my fascination with this story. I find the historical milieu entirely absorbing, and the prose is exquisite!

Bruh… I am both fascinated and perturbed by the mimivirus and pandoravirus, nature is creepy as hell. 😭

I really don’t want this book to end. The only rational course of action, as any responsible adult would agree, is to immediately acquire the entire collected works of Salman Rushdie and construct a literary life-support system to keep this feeling alive indefinitely.

Have you ever read a book so compelling that it gets you out of bed in the morning? The kind that, when life settles into a dull and weary rhythm, becomes a sudden source of light; something vivid and sustaining amid the gray? That is what this book is for me, and I fucking love it.

Rushdie’s wit is killing me! Scarcely a paragraph goes by without a giggle, so I’m perpetually smiling while I’m reading this. I am, without a doubt, thoroughly enamored with this book!

Loving this!

I am in love with the prose. It fuses the ordinary with the enchanted and has a lazy elegance and mythic detachment that feels like you're drifting through a fever dream. This is not your typical fantasy novel, but a work that prioritizes atmosphere, language and reflection over fast paced plot-driven storytelling.

A bit slow going on this second volume.

I had hoped to finish this book by the end of this week, but I was involved in a horrific car accident that left my head quite literally reeling. Alas, my ability to concentrate has been limited; but I’m still aiming to complete it by year’s end!

I took a brief hiatus from reading, not due to any fault of the book, but simply because I was away on vacation. Now that I’m back home, I’m excited and eager to return to the gloomy, gothic world of Gormenghast!

Although this one unfolds at a more deliberate pace than the first book (devoting greater attention to the development of Irma’s character) the prose remains so richly evocative that its languor honestly becomes a virtue rather than a flaw.