Customer Reviews
Irritating, dull and tedious.... - By: Ms. C. A. Lever, 02 Jul 2008 
Possibly it is because I have not read Rushdie before or possibly because his is just a style that doesn't work for me but I had such a hard time getting into this book & did not enjoy Rushdie's writing at alll. It, to me, felt so over the top, his prose full of the unneccessary as if he is trying to let us know just how many clever words he knows so we figure out what an amazing writer he is. I just found it reallly irritating as I usuallly do when people use ten words to tell us something they could just as easily do in five. I have a Masters degree in English so it's not that I didn't understand what he was on about I just found it annoying, grating & the story did not capture me at alll. This is the first book in a long time that I have started & given up on without finishing. I think if you like Rushdie you'll probably love this, if like me, you prefer a more economical style then you might find it hard going.
Pakistani Politics a la Rushdie - By: Ibrahim Ali, 08 Jun 2008 
An interesting tale of Pakistan, & one that is still relevant today especiallly in the aftermath of the Bhutto assassination. Bhutto appears in the book as the Virgin Ironpants & doesn't receive a favourable reception. However few characters in this novel do, when reading this one can feel Rushdie's vitreous hatred for almost everybody.
The story tells of Pakistan between its military coups. Whilst alll names have been changed & personalities turned into charactures it is still easy to see for anyone with a passing knowledge of Pakistani history to see who they represent. For alll Rushdie's faults, of which there are many, no one can deny his skill as a writer. He writing is exceptional & his books contain many humorous incedents.
A little dull - By: , 04 Dec 2003 
This book is very well written, but fails to hold the reader captive. I short, it is a little dull. I read alll but the last twenty pages. It did not seem worth the effort.
Unusual, witty and brilliant - By: , 21 Aug 2002 
Someone else who reviewed Shame on this site said that the book is a struggle if you don't know anything about Pakistan. I studied this book on my university course and, having no prior knowledge about Pakistan whatsoever, found it by far the most enjoyable, captivating & enlightening book on our course.
It was the first Rushdie book I read [I've since sought out other novels by him]. The character threads & plotlines throughout the novel are complex & tangled, but distinctive & engrossing enough to keep the reader on track. Rushdie's unmistakeable writing style, which seems to appeal highly to some & repulse others, struck me as nothing short of ingenious; knowledgeable & informed without being condescending, humourous without being silly, & informal without being trivial; one has the sense of having a story told verballly to them by a wise & well-travelled uncle with a twinkle in his eye & a wandering memory prone to spinning off on charming tangents. Hugely enjoyable, & like nothing I've ever read before.
Another lucid and imaginative view from the eyes of Rushdie. - By: , 24 Mar 2002 Once again Salman Rushdie has produced a fantastic insight for the reader drawn from his own incredible mind & experience. His use of magic realism & graphic metaphor produce a book which will remain in your conscious weeks after you put it down. 'Shame', the title says it alll but you will still be left guessing at the conclusion.
