Another book about the Holocaust? Is there really anything more to say on the subject? Surely we’ve explored that particular episode of human history as far as we need? In truth, the subject matter caused me to leave this one sitting on the shelf for a year or more before deciding finally to pick it up and give it a go. But it turns out I was cheating myself, because Marcus Zusak does indeed have something new to say, and the voice he uses to say it is truly breathtaking. Read the rest of this entry »

Filled with beautiful, florid prose and some magnificent passages of writing. However, as with many Rushdie books, when you step back and consider the whole piece, it is sprawling, chaotic and largely incoherent. I found myself pretty uncaring as to the fate of the main characters: for all their detail, they are still caricatures to me - cartoon characters drawn with fine pen strokes. But I have to admit, there are some really magical moments, like the story of Rosa Diamond, and the first segment centring on Mahound, that make this well worth a read.