Rating: 
Summary: Believe the hype
Review: I was mesmerised by this book. Read it slowly to savour the writing's layers and detail and constant surprises and repetition. I felt utterly for the twins and for the tragic small lives of those around them. I loved the evocation of childhood and its own special sense of place. I felt deadened by the end which I felt was not a real conclusion. A strange sense of fate or destiny hangs over the novel like a river mist which you can't escape from. Powerful Stuff.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the most brilliant books I've read in years.
Review: I've spent a lifetime teaching great literature. I read this book with awe at its brilliance, in writing, in devising a plot, in capturing middle class Indians in the '60s. The author's poetic prose and her use of time are fascinating. I was hypnotized by this novel. It was both brilliant and dazzling.
Rating:
Summary: A surprise lurking around every corner
Review: "The God of small things" is set in an environment and society which I know nothing about. Whether or not the book is accurate is irrelevant to me. It is a different, refreshing, exhilarating yet tragic world to lose yourself in. Roy's use of language is flowing and her repetitive similies and metaphors gives the book an appealing, poetic air around it. Roy's perspective of childhood innocence and human nature is not just realistic. It's REAL! I felt a special bond with the twins in particular and it broke my heart to see them so traumitisied in adulthood. Roy is a talented new voice and who I'd like to hear more from( the God of small things is her first book). A MUST read.
Rating:
Summary: yet another praise
Review: it seems delayed to review a book that i expereiced over a year ago - but comment on it, i must. GOST has been one of my best 'reads' in recent year. i marvel at AR's ability to juxtapose the present with the past and yet retain the readers attention. the beauty of the language is highlighted in the dramatic use of word and play of similies. GOST was a truly satisfying read.
Rating:
Summary: Good read but...
Review: This book is one of the best books I have read but it is a bit disappointing as the storyline is weak. As the first book of the author it is a very good but as a Booker winner it is below expectations. The authoress's description of rural Kerela is pictoral, a good point of the book. The supporting characters seem to have sad lives and there is no cheer. The 4 central characters have been portrayed in a manner which is very unique.Roy's style is refreshing and there seem to be millions of plots running but this is due to the weak storyline.
Rating:
Summary: Brought back lovely childhood memories
Review: Ms. Roy depicted life in Kerala in the late 60's as I experienced childhood at that time. Her depiction of the simplest things made me appreciate the wonderful times spent in Kerala. Simple little things such as: incessantly murmuring or arguing "As if, As if" with my cousins--not knowing what it actually meant but saying it in order to be a little more "Western"-- and remembering myself pestering my mom for peanuts sold in paper cones in the evening (I still remember the smell)-- or, going to the movies with family members-what a treat it was and the commotion that went with it-- these are small things my son will never experience with the advent of Sony Playstations and Nintendos. I can only hope that modern day technology will never become a substitute for the "small things" we experienced in Kerala. I never felt so gratified for having lived through Ms. Roy's Kerala; a place that can never be replicated-in television, movies or otherwi! se. It was hard to imagine my American colleagues and friends understanding this tale, as so much of the descriptions could only be understood by a Malayalee. However, I was told not so. This is the power of the book; that it could evoke such strong emotions in people everywhere. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing word play
Review: The canvas of rural Kerala is so vividly captured its bewitching. The characters are described is exquisite detail. The narrative however skips back and forth and this takes a little getting used to. The end however was off putting and simply does not gel with the rest of the book
Rating:
Summary: An excellent novel innovatively told!
Review: No book had affected me as much as this one did, in a long time; the characters and their emotions are still fresh in my memory. As one who comes from a similar background, I could empathise (and sympathise) with almost every character and situation. But, I should admit that I did find a few situations highly fictional and hard to contend with (especially in Indian conditions). I will highly recommend this book; particularly if you have some ties with India.
Rating: 
Summary: Strong in Small Things, but Weak in Big Things
Review: The first impression I got after reading Arundhati Roy's maiden novel was a mixture of admiration, pleasure, and disappointment. As author's first novel it is definitely an achievement. The novel is humorous, passionate, and sincere, her style is new and refreshing, and her angry words truthfully convey the resentment and contempt she feels for the fixed social order. Her description of countryside in Kerala is beautiful. Her perception of children and their mental state is realistic. But when you analyze the novel calmly its shortcomings become apparent. The plot of the novel is weak and to make up for it she resorts to all sorts of diversions - many tragic stories (almost all the characters in the novel are divorced, or broken-hearted, or suffering from incompatible relationships and have a story of their own), irrelevant incidents, and repetitive word-plays and metaphors with the result that the novel becomes diffused. Too many tragedies divert the novel from its! central plot, and dilutes the effect of the final Terror on which the whole novel hangs, making it just one more tragedy, though horribly violent and unjust. Her western influenced, English speaking characters and their western life style neither go with the theme and plot of the story, nor do they belong to the rural setting in Kerala. All her characters are shallow, one dimensional and all of them, except the central four characters, are portrayed as "bad". Many players in Ammu's tragedy like Mammachi are kept in the background till towards the end when they suddenly show themselves by their unexpected, violent acts. The final Terror itself is not developed logically from the involved persons (Ammu and Velutha) by a convincing story line leading inevitably to the final tragedy. But rather it is suddenly sprung upon the reader making it hardly credulous. Since the whole novel is based on the Terror and the consequence, and she builds up her suspense from the firs! t page referring to the tragedy again and again, it is surp! rising that she has not laid down carefully the events leading to the terror and the Terror itself. The death of Velutha is unnecessarily violent and unconvincing. Her treatment of adult Rahel and Estha is the worst part of the novel. It is sentimental, unrealistic, and self-consciously trying to inspire sympathy. Sophie Mol's death is quite an unnecessary extravagance, and it doesn't have anything to do with the story. There are also some unnecessary, sensational incidents (for example Estha's encounter with the "Orangedrink Lemondrink Man" in Abhilash talkies, and the incest at the end of novel) which stick out like sore thumb. Arundhathi Roy's style is fresh and innovative though difficult to read. If she had watched her style and used it sparingly it would have added to the novel and enhanced its merits. But she has used her techniques excessively to the point of boring the reader and diverting his attention from the story to her narrative techniques. Her n! arration suffers from too many tiresome repetitions; she repeats whole paragraphs and incidents at times, and repeats too frequently sentences, wordplays, and metaphors. These tiresome repetitions spoil the effect which they have on their first introduction. Though the novel is inconspicuously sentimental, dramatic, and fares badly in structure, plot, and characters, it is definitely worth reading as it takes a sincere peek at the hopelessly caste-ridden society, its dogmatic prejudices, and the violent means used to keep the old social order.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling, poetic read!
Review: After having just completed this book, not only did I need a few days to reflect on it, but I also felt the strong need to share my thoughts on it! Ms. Roy's descriptive prose was beautiful - I could taste the fruits bursting with flavor, feel the rain as it poured down, anyone who has read this knows what I am describing. As for the "story" itself, I was quite engrossed by its unique unfolding...the end of the book is actually the beginning! It was certainly not, in my opinion, an "easy read", and at times I needed to put it aside to digest the story. It was truly heartwrenching to read how human beings, including ones own flesh and blood, can be so deceitful and downright destructive to each other. As noted in the inner flap, it is the story of a family's rise and fall, but the family is ultimately the destroyer of its own self! And children, as always, become victims. I was most struck by the final pages. Without revealing too much, I was mo! re than impressed with the passion and love that was able to come across without the slightest bit of profanity. These pages were beautiful! My congratulations to Ms. Roy for a stunning read, which amazingly was her first. She seems to have made quite a mark for herself.
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