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There are currently 52 reviews for The God of Small Things Rated
of 5 by Marianne V Love and betrayal
The God of Small Things, the first (and so far, only) novel by Indian writer, Arundhati Roy, was written between 1992 and 1996. This (semi-autobiographical) story takes place in the village of Ayemenem and the town of Kottayam, near Cochin in Kerala, and is set principally during two time periods: December 1969 and 23 years later. The main characters are Esthappen (Estha) and Rahel, seven-year-old two-egg (i.e. non-identical) twins, and their mother Ammu. Ammu falls in love with Velutha Paapen, a Paraven (Untouchable) who works for the family’s Pickle Factory, a man the twins already list amongst their most-loved. But even in 1969, with a Communist Government, parts of India are still firmly in the grip of the Caste system. By breaking the "Love Laws," or "The laws that lay down who should be loved, and how. And how much”, Ammu and the twins set in motion “The Terror”. The manipulations of Ammu’s aunt, Baby Kochamma, are instrumental in bringing down The Terror, and her subsequent cruelty to Ammu and the twins will leave readers gasping. As well as commenting on the Caste system and Class discrimination in general, the novel examines Indian history and politics, the taboos of conventional society, and religion. But more than anything, this is a story about love and betrayal. The innocent observations of 7-year-olds, their interpretation of unfamiliar words and phrases, the (typically Indian) Capitalisation of Significant Words, the running together of and splitting apart of words , the phonetic spelling, all are a source of humour and delight in this novel. “It’s an afternoon-mare”, Estha-the-Accurate replied. “She dreams a lot”. Even as Estha is being molested by the Orangedrink Lemondrink man in the Abhilash Talkies, his observations (“Not a moonbeam.”) bring laughter. Echoes, repetitions and resonances abound. Roy is a master of the language: “So futile. Like polishing firewood.” Her prose is luminous. This novel is powerful, moving, tragic. Beautifully written, with wonderful word pictures. This novel demands at least two reads: once to learn the story; a second time to appreciate the echoes and repetitions and understand what the early references mean. It deserves a third reading to fully appreciate the prose, the descriptive passages. On this, my third reading, I read parts I would swear I had not read earlier. And I had tears in my eyes very early in the novel. I loved this book when I first read it: I love it even more now. I remain hopeful that Arundhati Roy will share her considerable literary talents with her eager readers in the form of another novel. Rated
of 5 by geeta Reality of society
Roy's TGOT is outstanding.it arouses the feeling of sadness on the other hand it makes us to feel the reality of society.condition of women in India and dalit........ Rated
of 5 by roy terrible book
Worst book I have read in a long time, couldn't even finish it. Most parts didn't make sense and it was so wordy it was unbearable. Rated
of 5 by bob the god of small things...
Roy's "The God of Small Things" is written in a fascinating stylistic way.. However some of the phrases and sentences don't make sense. Arundhati uses metaphors very well to create a realistic picture in our minds, but often they seem to go on for far too long, and finally you come to the point where you can't remember what the meaning of the metaphor was in the first place. Rated
of 5 by Rima Mukherjee Crossing forbidden lines
This book is miraculously ,fantastically crafted. I have never seen such fluency in English language in an Indian writer before. The book only describes the naked truth behind the facets of society. It leaves the reader to gape and wonder why are the love lines are always being demarcated? Should love be a few dictated lines of the society? Rated
of 5 by Me Yum yum
It's true the book lacks a clear plot (at least in the first half, I haven't finished), but a book should be appreciated for what it is. If you are a writer, this book will enrich your life... at least, it did mine. What I feel I get most out of it is that just by reading this book I am better able to view the world symbolically. When I look at the sky or trees, I see life I had not seen before. The world is so much more meaningful.
Anyway, there are lots of smaller stories within the overarching story, and these should be valued as such because the journey is as important as the destination. Some of these are just profound and beautifully written metaphors which I found myself extending into my writing journal.
If you have any appreciation for social justice, this is an excellent read in terms of details as well. "Merciless" is a good descriptor, mercilessly honest.
However, if you are looking for a book that will make you a better person and currently your life is meaningless, this book won't give your life a deeper meaning. It's like the oracle at Delphi, which says, "Know thyself" and "Nothing too much", and tells you nothing about how to get there. Although it's a bit more complicated and closer to helpful than the oracle. If you already basically understand what the hell she's writing about, this will certainly enrich that understanding.
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