Customer Reviews

The God Of Small Things

5 star:		(227)
4 star:		(84)
3 star:		(60)
2 star:		(34)
1 star:		(45)

 

 

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. This was a book chosen for my monthly book club and I was quite happy that it was chosen because it had been sitting on my shelf for quite some time, without me having given it a second glance whenever I'd go to pick out something to read.

The God of Small Things is about Indian twins, Rahil and Estha, who learn that their whole world can change in a day. It's a story about love ' namely, the 'laws of love.'

Arundhati Roy is a magnificent writer. The whole story was written so beautifully, lyrically and poetic. Had I not been on a deadline to finish the book, I would have slowed down considerably in my reading to really take in the text. Roy plays with words, rhyming them, stretching them, flipping them backwards. She capitalizes certain ideas or phrases to give them meaning, and relies on foreshadowing ' a whole mess of foreshadowing ' to tell her story.

I really liked how, at the beginning of the story, the reader knows ' to an extent ' what happened. We don't know the details, but we know something is up. The rest of the novel is the story unfolding through the eyes of a child. It's disjointed and slightly confusing at times, but Roy does a good job of using repetition to hone in on certain important details. I read the whole novel only feeling a little confused, which isn't what I expected when I first started reading.

The characters are so well outlined, that it was so easy to love the twins and to hate their 'baby aunt' Baby Kochamma. There was politics mentioned throughout the novel, which I understood the basics of, but probably not the full extent of it. Roy's main theme, as mentioned above, is love and the 'laws of love,' which outline who citizens of certain castes are to love ' and how much.

While it feels like I'm praising the novel extensively, I'm not going to say this is going in the archives as one of my favourites. I appreciated what Roy was doing with her story, but it wasn't the story that I loved ' it was the writing of it. I loved the poetic quality of it, how certain phrases or sentences or paragraphs rolled off the tongue in a rhythm all their own. This isn't something that's normally seen in novels, so it was nice to read something different.

Of course, the whole novel isn't wonderful poetry, beautiful descriptions, and the upside of love. In fact, the book is quite dark and there are some very dark themes throughout ' most of which will make readers cringe. The thing that got me was that the novel was so dark, but I wasn't left feeling sorrowful after it was over. I wasn't left feeling elated and high in spirits, but it wasn't a story that dragged me down.

If you're looking to read a wonderfully-written classic novel, read The God of Small Things. If anything, the words will take your breath away.

Darkly disturbing and beautifully writing, Arundhati Roy has written an extraordinary first novel. Her voice is fresh and ripe with metaphor as the reader is surrounded by the world of southern India. Told through the eyes of Rahel, now grown, who revisits the childhood secret she shares with her twin brother, it speaks of love, life and a loss of innocence.

They live in Kerula, a Christian matriarchal state, with their divorced mother, blind grandmother, bitter aunt and sad uncle. It is a world where impending communism is supposed to be weakening the caste system which has been rooted in the culture for thousands of years. It is a world of decay and disaster. There's a skyblue Plymouth, a graygreen river and a world of wonder for the two-egg twins whose vision is filtered through their clear-eyed innocence.

The story is one of passion and forbidden love told with fresh eyes while "night's elbows rested on the water and watched.....". It grabs the reader with an emotional quality that goes far beyond the particular characters and even the particular setting. This is a book to be savored, thought about deeply, and, perhaps even read for a second time.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I am glad that it is his debut book. The story is lovely and convinced me that Arundhati Roy is a great storyteller. Many of the characters are rich and original and the story is full of credible twists and turns, making it the interesting read that readers are always looking for.

This fascinating novel that is set in India in the late 60s begins with the funeral of a cousin of the novel's narrator. Rahelas she is called shares with her twin brother Estha share family secrets that are masterfully presented to the reader in this gripping, suspenseful and revealing prose that is told from the point of a child. Rich in characters and an amazing plot, The God of Small Things takes you into the fascinating setting of India , its politics, rich culture , unique social and caste system, numerous taboos, and its turbulent rich which all have an influence on the characters of the story. A highly recommended read:

Also recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, NAMESAKE,THE KITE RUNNER, THE USURPER AND OTHER STORIES

I've read quite a varied bunch of books in my time, but Roy's "God of Small Things' is definitely the first book that comes to mind when you say 'favourite'.
I find it incredibly textured. The little word games that the characters play remind me so much of my own youth.
I grew up in India, though not in the locale that Roy's book features, and I remeber my childhood games mirroring those that Rahel and Estha play... nictitating, ictitating, titating, etc"
I felt every character in the book, whether I loved them or hated them. The sense of little pleasures and ultimate hopelessness that the tale embodies is incredible and feels disturbingly like truth. The nice thing about it is that although it's a sad story, you don't end it bitterly. Roy picked the perfect scene to end the book with. Had she chosen any other, I think I'd have been too disturbed to ever want to read it again.
To me, it is one of the great stories.... one that does not trick you with a surprise ending. It is one that you can enter at any point and inhabit comfortably; as familiar as the scent of your lover's skin.
Because, in the great stories, we already know what happens;who lives and who dies, who finds love and who doesn't; but we want to know again.. just as although we know that one day we will die, we live as though we won't.

If you like texture and description in writing, starve for two days if you have to, but have a pretty copy of this book.
I've actually got two copies: one hardbound and one paperback which I keep for my own use, and a separate copy for the sole purpose of lending out to friends that I think will appreciate it.

Set in late 1960's India, is the story of two twins Rahel and Estha and the family secrets that unfold.

Roy's richly textured prose sings! Her comic style and sense of humor were grand in this sorrowful story. While reading this novel, I felt like I was right there, looking in. Like a reality show with a camera. Sometimes the writing got a bit patchy in places, but overall, this is a very good book and I would recommend it.

This book was captivating both in written style and story. I fell in love with the characters. This book really stands out among a lot of other books I have read. The author really won me over with keeping the story going in an interesting way. Lovely!

Despite knowing the shipping time was between 3-4 weeks, it still felt like a long time for a product to arrive. However, different business have different expected wait times and it did fall within the set parameter. Upon arrival, the book was in fairly good condition. There was a bit of wear on the hard cover's outer casing but otherwise it was in excellent condition.

Ms. Roy has written one of the most wonderful works of descriptive prose that I have ever had the good fortune to read. Her words evoke an emotional response that is pure and honest, and the sorrow that I felt as I followed along was nearly perfect in it's authenticity. She made me aware of being an outsider to the precedings of the novel, yet I felt as though I were there, in Kerala, standing just outside the characters' home, listening through an open window. Her theme of love and its consequences and availability is staggering in its sadness and truth. This is a truly beautiful book.

The book's greatest asset is the beautiful use of language. The various emotions in the story are nicely sketched with the best use of words. The character-sketch is strong. I also find the author's comic style and sense of humor interesting. The one aspect that I can think which made me rate it 4 instead of 5 was its pace. Apparently, I felt that the plot was patchy. There were occasions when I found it to be absolutely perfect while at other times I found it losing its grip and becoming a drag.

Roy's critically acclaimed novel, The God of Small Things, is not an easy read about another culture. There are few surprises in the story of this novel. What there is, however, will force you to keep reading until you have absorbed every word of this lyrically-written novel.

The book is the tale of two twins, Rahel and Esta. Rahel has returned to America to see her brother, who she has missed for years since he was sent to live with their father after the death of their cousin, Sophie Mol. Seeing India, and Esta again after so long, brings Rahel back to the weeks prior to her cousin's death. In recollecting these times, she begins to understand how the caste system has shaped her existance, and comes to an understanding of the 'love laws,' which dictate who we should love, and how much.

This book is beautifully written and should be appreciated.