Book Report Monday: The Enchantress of Florence

Title: The Enchantress of Florence

Author: Salman Rushdie

Genre: Literary Adult Fiction/Magical Realism

Synopsis: A tall, yellow-haired young European traveller calling himself 'Mogor dell'Amore', the Mughal of Love, arrives at the court of the real Grand Mughal, the Emperor Akbar, with a tale to tell that begins to obsess the whole imperial capital.

The stranger claims to be the child of a lost Mughal princess, the youngest sister of Akbar's grandfather Babar: Qara Koz, 'Lady Black Eyes', a great beauty believed to possess powers of enchantment and sorcery, who is taken captive first by an Uzbek warlord, then by the Shah of Persia, and finally becomes the lover of a certain Argalia, a Florentine soldier of fortune, commander of the armies of the Ottoman Sultan.

When Argalia returns home with his Mughal mistress the city is mesmerized by her presence, and much trouble ensues.

"The Enchantress of Florence" is the story of a woman attempting to command her own destiny in a man's world. It brings together two cities that barely know each other - the hedonistic Mughal capital, in which the brilliant emperor wrestles daily with questions of belief, desire and the treachery of sons, and the equally sensual Florentine world of powerful courtesans, humanist philosophy and inhuman torture, where Argalia's boyhood friend "il Machia" - Niccolo' Machiavelli - is learning, the hard way, about the true brutality of power.

These two worlds, so far apart, turn out to be uncannily alike, and the enchantments of women hold sway over them both. But is Mogor's story true? And if so, then what happened to the lost princess? And if he's a liar, must he die?

(from Goodreads)

Why did I pick it up?: A staff suggested read while I was at Tattered Cover, where I visited last June. And yes, sometimes I take a year to read a book on my shelves.

Favorite Line: "Seems that even the plague was no match for Mamma's sweet polenta."

My Review: It's difficult to write a non-spoiler filled review for this one. It's more than a story within a story. The Enchantress of Florence has stories within stories within stories being told to characters and the reader simultaneously. Rushdie keeps the pages turning by having unanswered questions in the present tale of the yellow-haired traveler who narrates the inner story to the Emperor of India. The past story of Qara Koz, the lost princess, and three childhood friends in Florence provides the meat of the middle of the book.



Vlad III



Of course, I loved the bits set in Italy the most but I also loved the historical figures mentioned. The Medici family, Vlad the Impaler also known as Dracula, and Ghengis Khan.

Historic fact blends with fantastical myth and a dash of magical realism to create a patchwork tale or rather a collection of tales. I think, if you know a little of Europe's history-particularly 15th century-you will be pulled in to the story easier than if you do not.

There's a lot of magic used, even if much of it is the sleight of hand variety. Some of it can be explained as skill and the right application of perfumes but other events cannot and that magical ambiguity pleased this fantasy-loving-writer-girl immensely.

In the beginning, I thought the yellow-haired visitor, Mogor, was a charlatan but it turns out there is some enchantment about him. Whether it is enough to save his life once his story is finished is the question that kept me reading.

Next Week: American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It's my first e-book from the library!

A Concert And Wilderness Tips

In case you missed it, I was in Denver this past week. The reason for this trip was primarily to see a concert at Red Rocks, an outdoor amphitheater created by giant, you guessed it, red rocks. Brandi Carlile, one of my favorite musicians was there on Friday opening for Ray LaMontagne.

The day of the show was rainy and we feared the concert would be cancelled or else, very wet. A large portion of the afternoon was spent in search of ponchos. Fortunately, we found but did not need the ponchos as the night stayed dry.

FYI, Denver is a mile above sea level and I am from New Jersey, which is at, or below, sea level. After parking we had to climb a small mountain to get to the concert. I am not in bad shape but I was out of breath after that hike. We traipsed through a field, a narrow path through a patch of woods and up a steep, steep road. It didn't matter much, we had arrived. Red Rocks is a legendary venue and it did not disappoint. The views of the Rockies alone were worth it.

Brandi's set was short but awesome, I have seen her three times before so I can't complain. Shawn Colvin (of "Sunny Came Home" fame) came out and sang a song with her which was an unexpected surprise.

Ray went on just as darkness descended on the mountain. It got colder and stars came out. I completely understand why this place has such a great reputation. It is incredible. A lot of people there were like us, and did not live in Denver, but had traveled far and wide to come to the show. I have been to quite a few concerts and it was one of the best crowds I've experienced. Second only to the folks at Ram's Head in Baltimore. I don't know what it is about that place, but the crowd is always fun without being rowdy or annoying.

The crowd listening to Ray

However, it was getting cold and we had only come to see Brandi (and in very thin sweaters), so we left early. I know fans of Mr. LaMontagne will gripe, but he serenaded us during our long walk down the mountain. We made our way to the exit and were just reveling in how much nicer it is going down hill when my girlfriend squeaked in fright and jumped back. There was a skunk up ahead. I am ashamed to say, I squeaked too. You would think we'd never seen wildlife. The skunk, who didn't notice us, quit the path and scaled the rock. I mean Spiderman style, the skunk climbed down the vertical rock face. I had no idea they could do that!

It was then I realized something. We were in the mountains. There are bears and mountain lions and who knows what else nearby and in leaving the concert early we would be walking back to the car alone in darkness. I considered turning around and waiting for the safety of the crowd we wanted to avoid, but I was set on staying tough. We spoke to each other in loud sing-song voices and clapped without rhythm. I don't know why we thought this would keep mountain lions away.

 

This picture was taken so the flash would scare off carnivorous beasts. 

Once we were out of the woods and in the field we ran as fast as we could to the car. All the while Ray's raspy yet soothing voice bellowed behind us. As you may have gathered, we made it to the car unscathed though very out of breath.

A few days later we went to the Denver Nature and Science Museum and learned what to do if you see a mountain lion. The first thing they say is not to run, as it may entice the animal to give chase and eat you. 

Figures.

Party Like A Writer

I am in Denver, Colorado for a week of vacation. Denver is known as the Napa of Beer. The city is full of Microbreweries and while I am a lightweight, I do love micro brews.

I wanted to share this wildly appropriate article How To Drink Like Your Favorite Authors, which highlights certain writers who surprisingly found time to write between drunken blackouts.

I intend to get a lot of reading and revising done over the next week and while I don't necessarily recommend writing and drinking to become a common practice, I am bound to end up doing both simultaneously at some point this week. 

That article makes me want to throw a themed party, where everyone dresses up like their favorite writer and drinks like them too. Maybe we could give out prizes if you can guess who someone is supposed to be.

Some non-alcoholic Denver Highlights are:


1. It was home to the Unsinkable Molly Brown,

2. The famous Tattered Cover Bookstore and,

3. Gorgeous views. As I type this, I can see a bright blue sky, fluffy white clouds, oh and the Rocky Mountains.

4. It is the Capital of Panem. I keep looking down side streets for booby traps, I will let you know if I find any.