Rating: 
Summary: pretty confusing and average
Review: The God of small things is really no masterpiece as publishers make it out to be. The story is meant to be the world view of a child. Unfortunately because of poor narration capability of the author the whole story leaves you confused and cold. There is some potential in the tale no doubt, but the treatment is really not too good. Then what happens? To the reader it will just seem like mysterious characters coming in and going out with no flow evr happening. As someone pointed out this seems more like diary writing. At times there are some exotic descriptions. But good god ! This is not enough to make you read the whole thing... My advice is read the reviews, not the book! That way you will be saved of disappointment!
Rating: 
Summary: A True Masterpiece!
Review: With so many excellent reviews of this fantastic book this will be brief. This is a true masterpiece written in truely beautiful poetic language. This is very sad tale of two generations of a well to do family of Syrian Christian Indians. Relatives from the West visit and lives are never the same again. It is also a tale of the cast culture and the untouchables and of many people and events that cross the path of the main "tale" Roy's prose is beautiful. Her ability to create truly vivid images is extraordinary. I took so much pleasure in her description of the many fine details of the lives of her characters. Her unique style of writing that keeps going back to earlier images to revive them in the mind of the reader was most enjoyable. If you like a clear plot and fast action this book is definitely not for you. There is no plot per se, events unfold very slowly most of the time with lots of digression. I loved that it, it gave me time to build an image in my mind and that image kept on getting developed and refined. The main charachters are sketched but not always in total, this comes across as a given, so you don't miss it. I absolutely can not wait to read more of her work.
Rating:
Summary: Merits multiple readings
Review: I can see that this book might not appeal to everybody, but I really loved it. I read the first chapter once, found it interesting, but I wasn't compelled to read any more, as there didn't seem to be going anywhere. But next time I came across it I read it all at once, and was fascinated. It was the first book I've ever read where I immediately began to reread it right from the beginning. The more you read of the book, the more falls into place, and then when you read it again you notice things you didn't notice properly before. Every sentence is important, and yet I don't think it should be read, paying close attention to details, as it can take away from the whole. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: grossly overated and boring
Review: I read this book with a lot of patience and hope! And as an Indian I wanted to believe that I was reading real literature. But frankly at the end of it all, it just seemed a trivial piece of diary writing. Again we should not always look for a linear flow of story in a novel, that is true. But then there should be something to at least sustain a readers interest. Here I could find nothing. The tale is set in kerala; Some, maybe most of the characters are autobiographical that much is obvious. And Arundhati is settling scores with her father and some relatives that too is clear. But a book definitely requires something more. And that is missing. What then explains the success of this novel? Clearly publishing hype, marketing strategies and Arundhati's looks. The real test for Ms Roy willo be her next book. You can write one autobiography and make claims to being a heavyweight writer. But the second one will reveal her true talents.
Rating:
Summary: The _Emporers New Clothes_ of Our Time
Review: After a moderately untoward comment on the merits of female authors a good friend of mine recommended (insisted on pain of torture) that I read _The God of Small Things_. She assured me that I'd be cured of my ignorance. I got through the first five pages before I set it down, intent on not returning. The language is floral, in a dandelion sort of way. She makes jokes, apparently with herself, in a language not English. There are too many names for any given character. The fore-shadowing is incessant and more annoying than intriguing. I'd had enough. It was vague-ry masquerading as profundity. The next day, I picked it back up, disappointed in myself for having given up so easily. The second day I read the first hundred or so pages. All along the way I was perturbed by the, beyond baby talk, baby thought presented throughout. She takes great pains, it seems, to pretend she is a curious eight year old exploring sociology. The disjointed time travel seems to be included on a whim. I was also puzzled at the outbursts of seemingly unwarranted profanity. And then came the theater scene. It was the pseudo-intellectual equivalent of American Pie, vulgar and pointless. This was a cheap trick, by a hack. It was Steel Magnolia-esque with a hefty dash of crass. I put the book down again, this time intent on not returning, with an added bonus of self-righteous indignation. And an upset stomach. The next day I picked the book up again, intent on not allowing the book to beat me. And I did finish. She seems a particularly angry woman. Also manipulative. She uses one set of values to spit on the other, then later attacks the other with the first. Every male character was evil, with the exception of Estha, the male twin, saved, presumably, by his sharing a soul with Rahel, a smug contrivance. This book is not poetic. Ms. Roy is not Picasso. Her subjects are deformed not through cubist fervor, but because she just does not know how to draw.
Rating:
Summary: Your senses will reel!
Review: I feel as if I've just climbed out from inside a kaleidoscope. The color, plot patterns, time warps, swirling images, and quickly changing emotions created by Arundhati Roy leave the reader-survivor utterly spent. A magical, but finely crafted, novel which will sweep you up and tumble you into new views of life,love, family, and fate.
Rating: 
Summary: The Language of Small Things
Review: It is not English; it is not any language that has a comforting recognizable name. Yet you have heard and spoken it somewhere someday...and it comes back to you in snatches in those fractionally resurrected memories of childhood dreams and nightmares; fears and imaginings. Somebody asked me how I liked the book. I was stumped. How does one describe one's response to a book like this? That one enjoyed reading it? I, for one, feel bizarre saying something like that. All I can say is that I felt an unnamed sadness seeping through my bones as I read it, that left me so empty with longing when I finally finsihed it and had to get back to my own life. I left part of me in Ayamenem.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent novel!
Review: Initially, this novel, depicting the experiences various members of an Indian-Christian family go through, starts off slow. However, after the first chapter, and into the second, I became totally engrossed in this book. It is a complex story, one that requires a great deal of patience, attention, and understanding from the reader. I recommend it to the discriminating reader who wants to experience the complexities of Indian culture, without actually going to India. A mature reader, one who is open, will enjoy this well-written book. This is definately one of my favorite novels of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Uniquely woven masterpiece.
Review: An amazing book with a totally unique style that makes you want to re-read it over again. It takes a look at the deep engrained caste system in India that affects the lives of an already disfunctional family and results in the destruction of all hopes and dreams for the characters involved. The general theme of 'who shall be loved and how much' is twisted into a family drama that changes everyones' lives. The author very cleverly gives you glimpses of the past and future with some intriguing foreshadowing, weaving the story together and enticing the reader to the final dramatic climax. I encourage people to read this book even though the names and culture may seem so foreign to begin with - it is definately worth it!
Rating:
Summary: Small Things make this book great
Review: This is a beautifully written book that describes the lives of two dizygotic twins and their extended family. Set amidst the exotic splendors of India which Roy so excellently describes, this novel is a wonderful read. I loved the language of the book and it's "stream of consciousness" form which included isolated and make up words. Some readers may find this annoying, but I found that it greatly enhanced the quality of the novel. My only problem with the G of S Things was that it is rather slow at the beginning, but stick it out.
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