Confessions from an Incomplete Education

Well, at least one confession:

In all my years on this earth, I'd never read any Salman Rushdie.

What in the world was I thinking? I mean, my daughter has been a partisan of his forever—and I take her opinions about books very seriously. Nonetheless, I somehow missed out. Until now. Because as of this moment I'm about halfway through an advance copy of Rushdie's new novel, THE ENCHANTRESS OF FLORENCE, and I'm entirely knocked out.

The press materials describe it as "a dazzling historical novel set in Renaissance Florence and the court of the great Mughal Empire," and that's true, as far as it goes. Me, I'm enchanted by the author's enormous imagination, penetrating eye, and generous heart. THE ENCHANTRESS is a fabulous, fabulist creation, reminding me more of the work of Italo Calvino than I'd ever thought it might.

Which is a very good thing. I mean, my daughter loves Calvino, too...