Rating: 
Summary: Compelling? Yes. Prize-worthy masterpiece? I doubt it.
Review: There is a big difference between being a good writer and a successful writer. Roy is obviously a successful one but does her success mean that she is necessarily a good one? Is her work praise-worthy? Is it prize-worthy? These are subjective issues because art has a stronger emotional impact than an intellectual one. This makes TGOST a very compelling story indeed - complete with every form of human suffering that one could possibly imagine. It has spousal abuse, child abuse, incest, childhood tragedy, blame and guilt,loss of innocence, caste and racial prejudices and biases, police brutality, political upheaval, frustrated spinster, frustrated and/or emotionally numb divorcees, dead/dying pets,cynicism, hopelessness and you-name-it, you have-it. All sprinkled generously with cute regional references and strategically placed vernacular linguistic motifs.The resulting concoction, not unlike a Keralite culinary landmark, avial, is very rich, colourful and interestingly tasty dish. IN MODERATION.IF YOU WISH TO AVOID HEARTBURN. Although I was curious to see what would become of the characters in the story (which owes much of its appeal to the fact that is very likely at least partly autobiographical giving the reader a certain voyeuristic angle to the sordid goings-on), the cute repetitive literary elements that are relentlessly forced on the reader in order to achieve the emotional impact at the end of the novel, become tiresome enough to be distracting. As for the staccato style of prose, it works in some instances, and fails miserably in others. However, the short repetitive sentences/phrases make for extremely easy reading and this in my opinion is why this book is so popular.One can feel quite proud of having "read" a Booker prize winning work without investing too much time or effort! Roy's cleverness lies in the way she has presented a simple story - going back and forth in time - in flashbacks and 'flash forwards' juxtaposing the sad and happy times in the lives of the two hapless twins - to make them more memorable by manipulating the temporal sequence of events.The book works because of the style of its PRESENTATION. Shades of H. Pinter and Q. Tarantino screenplays? Is it any coincidence that Roy used to be a screen writer herself?
Rating: 
Summary: Like a holiday abroad.
Review: I very much enjoyed "God of Small things". Having just read "THE Autobiography of Jesus of Nazareth and the Missing Years" (set largely in the same areas), Ms Roy's wonderful book filled in the hearbeat of India for which Patton's book left me yearning. It was the humanity of Ms. Roy's writing that I found so absorbing. A worthy winner of the Booker prize.
Rating:
Summary: Very Thomas Hardyish but equally brilliant!
Review: This being her first book, it is quite amazing as to the depth of emotions that are covered with such amazing clarity of vision. Being an Indian my self, an Anglo Indian actually, I tend to identify with a lot of characters in the book. Also, since I had visited Aymenen way back in 1990, when it still was a sleepy little backwater town, her writing almost brought the pictures back in my mind's eye. Her writing has an almost Thomas Hardy approach which is also suprisingly similar to the author of "Salt" ( I forget who!!). I am looking forward to another offering from this brilliant writer!!!
Rating:
Summary: A depressing and emotional masterpiece
Review: This very very emotional and introspective novel by Ms. Arundhati Roy is one of the best I have read. This novel may not move you to tears but will haunt you for days. I have woken up a lot of mornings with rahel, eatha and ammu's tears from my eyes. It makes you wonder about the human mind. The incest of rahel and estha made me think. Really think. Being a "two-egg twin" myself I thought, "Would I have done that ?". My instinct was to say no, but honestly I do not know. May be thats natural given the life of both of them. What they did that night was not physical love but a expression of the longing love. A must read.
Rating: 
Summary: positively one of the WORST books I have ever read
Review: I bought this book on the strength of the review I read in our newspaper - I'll never make THAT mistake again! I absolutely don't get the hype over this novel. I couldn't follow the plot. I couldn't find a SINGLE reason to care about what happened to any of these characters. And I found Roy's "unusual" style distracting and affected.
Rating: 
Summary: EXCELLENT
Review: IT'S REALLY MAGNIFICENT. THROUGH THE BOOK I COULD ABLE TO GLANCE THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF MY MOTHER LAND. HER WORK REALLY MARVELOUS MRS. SUNIL CHACKO
Rating:
Summary: A linguistic fiction, hard to forget
Review: The language of this book is really marvellous. All the small things which have been noticed by her are incredible. Though she had used typical Keralite names, still I can recall each character after six months. The story telling skill of Roy is unbeatable. The small humours she has created are really fabulous like " The dangling Penis of the madman pointing towards the board COCHIN 26 Kms", " The taxi driver desperately trying to kill the straying dog" etc. The potray of the grown up Rahel is excellent. ( Akwardly beautiful collar bones...) A free flowing tale which will make U stop at several points. A great book noticing very small things. A must read for all whoever likes reading. I really enjoyed every moment, every page, every character and every sentence "God of Small Things"
Rating:
Summary: I was amazed! Spellbound! But a masterpiece? Sorry, no.
Review: In order to find out what kind of a book "The God of Small Things" truly is, simply turn to the end and read the section in which Ammu and Velutha finally make love. (Trust me, in doing so you will not be diminishing, even in the smallest measure, your eventual enjoyment should you decide to read the rest of the book later.) You will find these two tragical characters locked in steamy embrace, her "nut brown breasts" pressed against his taut body, the smell of river on his skin and so on and so on and so on. Some readers will find themselves instantly and artfully transported to the exotic locale of Ayamnum. Others will flip quickly back, check the book jacket: Is this a masterpiece? Or a bodice-ripper novel from the grocery store rack? A bit of both it seems. This is one breathless pant of a novel, strung along a series of clever motifs (like "E. Pelvis," "a dark leaf on his back that makes the monsoon come" and moons that shimmer in rain puddles). With these motifs the author hammers the reader over the head until he or she must admit: Yup, there's motifs here, just like the big-time serious-stuff writers use. In the hands of a master -- a Faulkner, a Rushdie, or one of the other novelists to whom Roy has been compared -- the elements of craft are densly and subtly woven. You're drawn in, and you don't know how; you just feel strangely caught. Subsequent readings reveal more and more of the author's architecture. It's never the same novel twice. Not so in "The God of Small Things." Here, motif and metaphor stand as ready signposts, guiding the reader through the a-mazing plot. But it's just not all that complicated, really. "The God of Small Things" is rigged up with lots of plotline gew-gaws (child abuse, incest) cardboard characters (the moppety kids, the strong and good Velutha) and verbal gimcracks (Roy's similes ripen and fall like ponderous fruit) to seem like something it's not: Great. Sure, there are some shocks and witty wordplay. There are some funny bits. There are also sizeable chunks of political and historical "insight" that read as if they were lifted whole from a government report. But, all in all, it's an enjoyable enough book to read. But a masterpiece? Naaaah. It's Rushdie meets Robert James Waller. It's "The Bridges of Kottayam County."
Rating: 
Summary: Ugh! Why Did I Waste My Time?!
Review: If you want a depressing tale of twins who grew up in a screwed up family where wife beatings, molestation, rape, murder and incest were the norm, this book is for you. However, the wry observations made of the South Indian class structure were ( I grudgingly admit) on target. This book had no redeeming qualities. Ugh!!!
Rating:
Summary: Go Baby!!!
Review: What started off as long airport delay due to bad weather led me to rediscover the joys of a good read.
This puppy is awsome - the style, the vivid experience of growing up in south India in the (nineteens silent)sixties , and the brilliant backdrop of the rural south are perfect.
Among the things I found particularly delightful are her spelling - Orangedrink man , the poems the children learn - nothing has changed there, and her depiction of the caste system in action. The book evoked a great sense of nostalgia. I would not hesitate to buy her next book, and would be happy to pay full price. Arundhati Roy RULES!!!
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