.
The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.
Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or 
so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.
Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.
~~~
A messy bookshelf is the norm around the Fundin household. I just cannot help but pick up another book and another and another…
Today I will be sharing a book I bought when it became banned overseas.
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.
Any time I hear about a book surrounded by controversy, I must have it.
My 56
“…No wonder I fell for you, sugar, when the local product is so low grade you get to like goods from foreign.”
(Page 56 in hardcover, published in 1989)
Book Beginnings
‘To be born again,’ sang Gibreel Farishta tumbling from the heavens, ‘first you have to die. Ho ji! Ho ji! To land upon the bosomy earth, first one needs to fly. Tat-taa! Taka-thun! How to ever smile again, if first you won’t cry? How to win the darling’s love, mister, without a sigh? Baba, if you want to get born again…’ Just before dawn one winter’s morning, New Year’s Day or thereabouts, two real, full-grown, living men fell from a great height, twenty-nine thousand and two feet, towards the English Channel, without benefit of parachutes or wings, out of a clear sky.
GOODREADS BLURB: One of the most controversial and acclaimed novels ever written, The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie’s best-known and most galvanizing book. Set in a modern world filled with both mayhem and miracles, the story begins with a bang: the terrorist bombing of a London-bound jet in midflight. Two Indian actors of opposing sensibilities fall to earth, transformed into living symbols of what is angelic and evil. This is just the initial act in a magnificent odyssey that seamlessly merges the actual with the imagined. A book whose importance is eclipsed only by its quality, The Satanic Verses is a key work of our times.
- To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
- To see all my reviews, go HERE.
- If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.- Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
- Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
- Thanks for visiting fundinmental!
Which cover would make you stop for more info?
These are some of the covers, but I did not see the one I have anywhere (below).
Is that a good thing? I think so. Makes mine rare, right?
Great excerpts and blurb…enjoy!
As I looked at your “messy” bookshelf, I saw several of my favorites: Erica Spindler, Karin Slaughter, Lisa Scottoline…and more. I would shuffle through your shelves any day. Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.
This is one I’ve always wanted to read. Maybe one day….
Happy weekend!
I hope you enjoy the book. I have bought books because of their popularity and set them on my TBR mountain too. I’ll often discover them years later and wonder what I was thinking. Happy reading!
Enjoy your current read! 🙂
That’s an ominous title, but it sounds really intriguing. That synopsis! Have a great weekend.
I got to say, never wanted to read this one. It’s probably my religious upbringing. 🙂 Interesting tease.
Hi Sherry,
I must admit that I have never come across a book with quite so many different cover images.
Your cover is really quite dramatic and it did take me some while to track it down, but it looks as though this was the very first hardcover image …
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/salman-rushdie/satanic-verses.htm
I find those opening lines very intriguing and although I’m not sure it is a book for my own TBR pile, I hope that you find it an interesting read 🙂
Yvonne
My copy is the same cover as yours. I’m embarrassed to admit I never read it. Another one waiting for me to get to.
I tried this author’s newest release but I just couldn’t get into it, but I still want to try this one. 🙂
I’ve heard a lot about this book (and its author) but haven’t read it. Sounds heavy, like something I’d have to be in the right mood to read.
My Friday post features The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
I remember when there was a ton of controversy about this book and I knew a ton of people who were reading it. It does sound interesting though I’m not sure if it’s for me. I’ll be curious to see your thoughts on it when you’ve finished!