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The Enchantress of Florence: A Novel | 
| Author: Salman Rushdie
Publisher: Random House
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy Used: $8.94
You Save: $17.06 (66%)
New (63) Used (40) Collectible (23) from $8.94
Rating:  56 reviews
Sales Rank: 3624
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 0375504338
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780375504334
ASIN: 0375504338
Publication Date: May 27, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best of the Month, June 2008: Trying to describe a Salman Rushdie novel is like trying to describe music to someone who has never heard it--you can fumble with a plot summary but you won't be able to convey the wonder of his dazzling prose or the imaginative complexity of his vision. At its heart, The Enchantress of Florence is about the power of story--whether it is the imagined life of a Mughal queen, or the devastating secret held by a silver-tongued Florentine. Make no mistake, it is Rushdie who is the true "enchanter" of this story, conjuring readers into his gilded fairy tale from the very first sentence: "In the day's last light the glowing lake below the palace-city looked like a sea of molten gold." At once bawdy, gorgeous, gory, and hilarious, The Enchantress of Florence is a study in contradiction, highlighted in its barbarian philosopher-king who detests his bloodthirsty heritage even while he carries it out. Full of rich sentences running nearly the length of a page, Rushdie's 10th novel blends fact and fable into a challenging but satisfying read. --Daphne Durham
Product Description
A tall, yellow-haired, young European traveler calling himself “Mogor dell’Amore,” the Mughal of Love, arrives at the court of the Emperor Akbar, lord of the great Mughal empire, with a tale to tell that begins to obsess the imperial capital, a tale about a mysterious woman, a great beauty believed to possess powers of enchantment and sorcery, and her impossible journey to the far-off city of Florence.
The Enchantress of Florence is the story of a woman attempting to command her own destiny in a man’s world. It is the story of two cities, unknown to each other, at the height of their powers–the hedonistic Mughal capital, in which the brilliant Akbar the Great wrestles daily with questions of belief, desire, and the treachery of his sons, and the equally sensual city of Florence during the High Renaissance, where Niccolo Machiavelli takes a starring role as he learns, the hard way, about the true brutality of power.
Vivid, gripping, irreverent, bawdy, profoundly moving, and completely absorbing, The Enchantress of Florence is a dazzling book full of wonders by one of the world’s most important living writers.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 51 more reviews...
 Enchantress doesn't enchant November 24, 2008
Lois A. Leach (Littleton, Colorado)
The Enchantress of Florence: A Novel
While the lyrical language in Salman Rushdie's latest novel is erudite and beautiful, the story line is incredibly hard to follow. Character's names change, as do the plot locations. Terminology from multiple languages are included. Sentences go on for a quarter page. In short, the reader can easily get lost in a sea of beautiful language.
I read this book for my long-running book club -- a group of people who are normally very conscientious about completing the books we select. None of us finished this one because we just couldn't slog through it. Too bad, because it's pretty to read -- just incomprehensible.
 India and Italy in the 16th Century October 25, 2008
Sam Santhosh (Pleasanton, CA)
Finally a book from Salman Rushdie that I could read and enjoy! I had tried a couple of his earlier works including the 'Midnight's Children' but found them too confusing and complex.
This is a wonderful story based in 16th century India during the time of Akbar the Great, the most well known Mughal emperor. The visitor from Florence, Italy comes to the Mughal court with a secret to tell to the emperor and the story keeps the reader enthralled throughout. The contrasting lifestyles and philosophies of the western and eastern world is beautifully brought out by the author. Mr.Rushdie's in depth understanding of history, religion, culture and philosophy is obvious and his ability to mesh them all together to bring out a great book is outstanding. Every line contains so much information that I am astounded on how much research that must have gone into this book.
This one deserves many prizes!! (maybe a Nobel?)
 The Enchantress of Florence October 24, 2008
Linda L. Schroeder (Westminster, CA)
I kept thinking I must be missing something. It was so hard to follow all of the differenct stories within the same book. I did't experience suspense, joy, or any of the other feelings descriped in the forward. I could not reccommend this book.
Decameron & Arabian Tales rolled into one October 18, 2008
Ethem Alpaydin (Istanbul, Turkey)
Western tales with Eastern characters (Qara Koez - "Kara Goez" in Turkish spelling, "Lady Black Eyes") meet Eastern tales of Western characters (the yellow haired European traveller -- a la Marco Polo). The plot follows Silk Road, and sometimes goes as slow as a camel. The language is pretty impressive though.
If you liked Eco's The Island of the Day Before and Pamuk's My Name Is Red, you will also like this book.
a little hard to follow, but beautiful poetic writing October 14, 2008
Heather A. Buettner (Los Angeles)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
To start with, I envy anyone who can put together words in such a beautiful way. But I had a pretty hard time following the story. I really didn't care, though, because the writing was so beautiful. If you're someone who has to understand what is going on in every aspect of the story, you might be frustrated reading this. If you can get over it and just enjoy the writing and the parts you understand, then it's definitely worth it. I loved the descriptions and the fable quality of the story.
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