Rating: 
Summary: Intricate and exquisitely detailed.
Review: I must admit, I was rather confused in the beginning, but Ms. Roy has a fascinating way of piecing together a compelling story in a unique way. Her details were breathtaking and left nothing to the imagination. I truly felt as if I were right there, with Estha and Rahul. It not only revealed beautiful imagery of that region in India, but it was also a lesson on one aspect of Indian politics. There was so much to be learned. And by the end of the novel, I was left feeling satisfied that I had learned all there was to know about Estha and his muteness, and Rahul's hesitation in love. A tragic yet tender story. This reader will definitely be waiting for Ms. Roy's next novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Probably a good book for much more mature people
Review: The first half of the book was not exactly what I was expecting. I thought, it being a Booker prize winner must be gripping from the first page. I am not criticizing it though. I am 18. I am going to keep the book and read it when I am 30, again. I think I will understand more at that point. The later half of the book was very intersting. The use of original and startling similies by Ms. Roy is astonishing. On the whole the book would have been much more interesting if I had been about 6-7 years older
Rating: 
Summary: worthy of the booker, but i have some comments
Review: there's nothing wrong with saying that roy's book is boring, or shallow, or whatever. every interpretation is valid because they all come from one's personal experiences. however, i am really appalled at some of the reviews of a. roy's novel. while criticizing her writing style or technique, her political stance, or her characterization is warranted, and definitely is to be respected, i am disgusted by the number of reviewers who claim that the novel is sick or deviant just because of its subject matter(s). this reminds me of the assaults on salman rushdie's "the satanic verses" which neglected to acknowledge that "the satanic verses" -- like "the god of small things" -- is a work of FICTION. while these writers are writing about a specific culture or religion, they do not represent the whole of that culture or religion, nor do they even claim to do so! just because the characters in "the god of small things" have incestuous or inter-caste relationships does not mean that all indian (or keralan/keralite) people have incestuous or inter-caste relationships as well (although there isn't necessarily anything wrong about inter-caste relationships). that would be similar to saying that based on "american psycho," all average, middle class american males are really serial rapists/murderers, while we can safely generalize that most average, middle class american males are really just average, middle class american males. i can sort of understand the concern of an east indian reviewer who commented that s/he was worried about the way people will perceive india because of the novel. some idiot already commented about not wanting to travel to india because of what s/he read. however, it is not roy's responsibility to promote india as a tourist destination -- she would be writing travel books if it were. nor is it her responsibility to write likeable or morally upright characters. her only responsibility to us as a writer is to write as well as she can.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: As a Latinamerican, I am used to Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez's worlds. When I started reading this book, I though I was going to find something similar... but, as pages went by, I discovered that Roy's characters were something special. For me, a must-read book.
Rating:
Summary: I can't understand the detractors
Review: I would have read this book in one sitting if I had the time. It took a great act of will to put it down, and even then, the words haunted me. I took many a long lunch break to read this.To the critics: yes, what the author describes is often ugly. I think that's partly the point. But what she does so well, so very very well, is find the sublime in even the ugliness. It reminds me of when I was a child. I could be fascinated for hours by playing with mud, or by watching grasshoppers produce their "tobacco sauce," as we called it. Ugly things to adults. But to a child, it can be a world of wonder. And as to the much ballyhooed incest: I'd ask you to think a bit more metaphorically. What are twins but two halves of one whole? And what might the union between the two represent? Those who love metaphor, who love symbols, I think will love this book. Those who favor the literal will have a harder time with it.
Rating: 
Summary: Am I Missing Something?
Review: Apparently I'm not the only one who was annoyed and irritated by this book. The style was distracting, the plot minimal to nonexistent, and the hype overblown. My suggestion to whoever edited this would have been to move the last hundred pages to the front, lose the first hundred pages altogther, edit down the middle hundred down to about ten and call the whole thing a very long short story.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Prose & Imagery--But Who Are We Trying to Please
Review: I must confess I had to read the God of Small Things twice. The first read, left me wondering, where's the plot? I could find no beef! During the second read, I was able to appreciate the splendid use of imagery, the poetic prose, and sheer talent that made this book an award winner. Estha's departure at the train station and Ammu and Velutha's love scene at the end were positively haunting. However, the novel's ambigious nature--Ms. Roy's attempt to show the brutality of Anglophila on Indian culture while musing about its literature (several references to Gatsby)and Oxford ('you don't study at Oxford you read at Oxford')--made me want to vomit. Similarily, Ms. Roy painstakingly reveals mysogeny in Indian culture yet, among the twins Estha is the quick-thinker, the more reliable, mature and utimately suffers more than any of the characters (that live). In the end I think she brought up a more interesting subject--a 'Big Thing': exactly where do the Indian class who 'read' stand on issues of mysogeny and racism. I had looked forward to reading a book about India by an Indian woman and instead, I feel like I read a book by guilt-ridden liberal English male who traveled into the "heart of darkness" to ruminate over the sins of his fathers. Politically speaking, the later may have been more powerful.
Rating:
Summary: One of the great novels of the century
Review: I read this book over a year ago. Still, its haunting images return. On the first level of consciousness, one may say that this is a brilliant novel. Its characters are multi-dimensioned and very real. Roy's style is so very much her own; intelligent and so unique it startles. On a more subconscious level of review, this book was like a great movie. We can measure its greatness by how much it occupies our thoughts long after it is viewed. I write this belated review only to thank A. Roy for reminding me of my capacity for empathy, understanding and humankindedness.
Rating:
Summary: By publishig this she captured the minds of whole world
Review: As a young writer from India she is well known for the world by this uncompetable literature. She is from God's own country ie the southern most city of india, Kerala.
Rating:
Summary: I cannot believe this is her first book! Keep them coming!
Review: This is an amazing book written with an honesty that reflects the age of its main character. The author's use of language is beautiful and she is a remarkable story-teller. I would recommend this book to anyone.
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