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The God of Small Things: A Novel Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 16,112 ratings

BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERAn affluent Indian family is forever changed by one fateful day in 1969, from the author of The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

“[The God of Small Things] offers such magic, mystery, and sadness that, literally, this reader turned the last page and decided to reread it. Immediately. It’s that haunting.”—USA Today

Compared favorably to the works of Faulkner and Dickens, Arundhati Roy’s modern classic is equal parts powerful family saga, forbidden love story, and piercing political drama. The seven-year-old twins Estha and Rahel see their world shaken irrevocably by the arrival of their beautiful young cousin, Sophie. It is an event that will lead to an illicit liaison and tragedies accidental and intentional, exposing “big things [that] lurk unsaid” in a country drifting dangerously toward unrest.
 
Lush, lyrical, and unnerving,
The God of Small Things is an award-winning landmark that started for its author an esteemed career of fiction and political commentary that continues unabated.
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In her first novel, award-winning Indian screenwriter Arundhati Roy conjures a whoosh of wordplay that rises from the pages like a brilliant jazz improvisation. The God of Small Things is nominally the story of young twins Rahel and Estha and the rest of their family, but the book feels like a million stories spinning out indefinitely; it is the product of a genius child-mind that takes everything in and transforms it in an alchemy of poetry. The God of Small Things is at once exotic and familiar to the Western reader, written in an English that's completely new and invigorated by the Asian Indian influences of culture and language.

From Publishers Weekly

With sensuous prose, a dreamlike style infused with breathtakingly beautiful images and keen insight into human nature, Roy's debut novel charts fresh territory in the genre of magical, prismatic literature. Set in Kerala, India, during the late 1960s when Communism rattled the age-old caste system, the story begins with the funeral of young Sophie Mol, the cousin of the novel's protagonists, Rahel and her fraternal twin brother, Estha. In a circuitous and suspenseful narrative, Roy reveals the family tensions that led to the twins' behavior on the fateful night that Sophie drowned. Beneath the drama of a family tragedy lies a background of local politics, social taboos and the tide of history?all of which come together in a slip of fate, after which a family is irreparably shattered. Roy captures the children's candid observations but clouded understanding of adults' complex emotional lives. Rahel notices that "at times like these, only the Small Things are ever said. The Big Things lurk unsaid inside." Plangent with a sad wisdom, the children's view is never oversimplified, and the adult characters reveal their frailties?and in one case, a repulsively evil power?in subtle and complex ways. While Roy's powers of description are formidable, she sometimes succumbs to overwriting, forcing every minute detail to symbolize something bigger, and the pace of the story slows. But these lapses are few, and her powers coalesce magnificently in the book's second half. Roy's clarity of vision is remarkable, her voice original, her story beautifully constructed and masterfully told. First serial to Granta; foreign rights sold in France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Holland, India, Greece, Canada and the U.K.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001NBEWN6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House; Reprint edition (December 8, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 8, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4100 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 338 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 16,112 ratings

About the author

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Arundhati Roy
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Arundhati Roy is the author of a number of books, including The God of Small Things, which won the Booker Prize in 1997 and has been translated into more than forty languages. She was born in 1959 in Shillong, India, and studied architecture in Delhi, where she now lives. She has also written several non-fiction books, including Field Notes on Democracy, Walking with the Comrades, Capitalism: A Ghost Story, The End of Imagination, and most recently Things That Can and Cannot Be Said, co-authored with John Cusack. Roy is the recipient of the 2002 Lannan Foundation Cultural Freedom Prize, the 2011 Norman Mailer Prize for Distinguished Writing, and the 2015 Ambedkar Sudar award.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
16,112 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They describe the story as intriguing and relatable. The language is described as captivating and informative. However, opinions differ on the writing quality, heartbreak, and character development. Some find the prose flowing and poetic, while others feel it's disjointed and confusing.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

283 customers mention "Readability"248 positive35 negative

Customers find the book easy to read with its poetic prose and vivid descriptions. They appreciate the compelling plot and the author's imaginative storytelling. The story is relatable to readers on a basic level, making it one of the best books they have had to read for class.

"...Because Roy’s Universe is raw and rough, a few times sweet, filled with her beautiful, sharp-edged opinions - that some may think prejudiced - but..." Read more

"...Velutha was the intelligent, skilled artisan, awarded a high position in the pickle factory by Mammachi...." Read more

"...And "in my book," it's also a world-class (as well as world-lit) winner, heartbreaking, haunting, and wise...." Read more

"...Like the monsoon rains that drench Kerala, this book will move you to tears. It is beautiful and well worth reading." Read more

166 customers mention "Story quality"137 positive29 negative

Customers appreciate the story's quality. They find the main story told in tantalizing glimpses and teasing passages, laid out like a detective novel. The narrative structure, diction, and sense of place fit well. The characters are relatable, intriguing, and exciting. The plot is compelling and engaging, with wonderful moments described as no one else can. The book is described as a unique tale of childhood in India written in the lyrical prose of an artist.

"...Because what I care is that, in Roy’s work, there are magical, complex, centuries of old-untold relationships to be read about, learned and admired,..." Read more

"...The God of Small Things is an outstanding work of fiction, one that I think fully deserves its award and acclaim...." Read more

"...out the kernel of the story in broad strokes and the following chapters layer on detail - like peeling an onion in reverse...." Read more

"Complex and Poetic, insight into India's social and family structure. Beautifully written." Read more

43 customers mention "Language"37 positive6 negative

Customers enjoy the book's language. They find the use of imagination and creativity captivating, with an ability to describe places well that they feel transported. The writing style is informative, insightful, and thought-provoking, with a powerful social commentary on caste systems. Readers appreciate the descriptive technique and how the book reads like a fable.

"...is one of psychology (of both personality and relationships) and social commentary...." Read more

"...to the reader's mind because of the beautiful prose and play with the English language...." Read more

"...The author has a very unique writing style that really creates the books own language...." Read more

"This is a brilliant book; heart breaking, but very insightful and thought provoking...." Read more

264 customers mention "Writing quality"173 positive91 negative

Customers have mixed reviews about the writing quality. Some find the prose flowing and poetic, with a skilled writer's use of language. They appreciate compelling dialogue that skillfully portrays innocence. However, others feel the story is disjointed, complicated, and written in vignette form starting from the end.

"...accepting a bit more of myself you this world, and read this real, poetic, sad, grand, too-small-to-be-contained Book...." Read more

"...The prosaic love scene between Ammu and Velutha were beautifully written. The brief violence in the book is powerfully written too...." Read more

"...into her characters and their situation, and while the writing is deceptively lovely and easy to read, The God of Small Things has a great deal of..." Read more

"...I struggle to read and understand poetry and the prose in this novel is very poetic. Obviously, many many people love and appreciate this book...." Read more

115 customers mention "Heartbreaking story"67 positive48 negative

Customers have different opinions on the story. Some find it moving and poetically written, while others describe it as a sad and confusing tale.

"...the solution, and she gives the reader plenty of hints, respecting the reader's intelligence and gently guiding him or her to figure out the answer..." Read more

"...It’ll be always ten-to-two when Sorrow, Pain, Unrequited Love, Too Much Love, and Unbearable, yet Understandable, Truths of Life collapse from their..." Read more

"...The book's power comes from the contrasting of pity for lover's tragedy, the children's imaginative and playful delight in their world, and the evil..." Read more

"...with an innocence that makes its incoherence hilarious and heartwarming. They fill us with joy and dread...." Read more

75 customers mention "Character development"49 positive26 negative

Customers have different views on the character development. Some find it expressive and relatable, with an authentic juvenile voice and language. Others feel the characters are unlikeable and hard to keep straight.

"...act comes across as natural, appropriate, and even a positive thing for the characters involved...." Read more

"...Her main characters were underdeveloped and her main supporting characters were highly unlikeable...." Read more

"...Here, as in other scenes, is the remorseless eye of a great artist." Read more

"...things come together to form a sad but beautiful story that is so incredibly human that it is relatable to any reader on a simply fundamental level,..." Read more

40 customers mention "Description"12 positive28 negative

Customers have differing views on the book's description. Some find it engaging and challenging, with plenty of hints. Others feel the story is disjointed and difficult to follow, with too many details that make it easy to guess the plot.

"...There are similes I found indefinable. I would reread a passage trying to get the gist of what the author conveyed..." Read more

"...with things both good and bad; it is all superabundance, superfluity and sometimes surfeit...." Read more

"...book is more about the process than the solution, and she gives the reader plenty of hints, respecting the reader's intelligence and gently guiding..." Read more

"...But I found it to be disjointed, overwritten, sometimes confusing, and such a ghastly tale that it made for a hard read, and in the end I don't..." Read more

40 customers mention "Pacing"27 positive13 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing of the book. Some find it beautifully paced and moving, while others find it difficult to follow and slow.

"...Because Roy’s Universe is raw and rough, a few times sweet, filled with her beautiful, sharp-edged opinions - that some may think prejudiced -..." Read more

"...Masterful book. Something you want to read slowly and savor every word." Read more

"...the dense, descriptive language, while stunning, can sometimes slow down the pace, making the novel feel longer than it is." Read more

"...and pickle factory at which most of the action takes place are crisp and vivid in the extreme...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2014
    It's ten-to-two.
    It's ten-to-two on Rahel's painted watch.
    It’s ten-to-two on Rahel’s painted watch which lies under the revolved earth of The History House in the Heart of the Darkness.

    It’ll be always ten-to-two on the stillness of Roy’s book as the derailed freight train of her story slams into our hearts.
    It’ll be always ten-to-two when Sorrow, Pain, Unrequited Love, Too Much Love, and Unbearable, yet Understandable, Truths of Life collapse from their wagons and bury us all under them;
    It’ll be always ten-to-two as the train’s sharp wheels scar our souls as deep as the ugly scars on Mammachi’s head, her blind soul carefully hidden by the gray hair and they will be there forever, for us to carry.
    Ours will be beautiful scars.

    Scars… Healed scars. Scars healed by Unbearable Forbidden Necessary Cleaning Love, which will always be able to follow the Music escaping from a tangerine radio as it floats in the Air.

    The Still Air of Life.

    The Air of Roy’s story is filled with the haunting Truths of Life, so heavy to carry, they need to be shared, breathed by the twins, Esthappen, the boy-man, and Rahel, the girl-woman, as One. They are so horrible to be spoken of, that Rahel’s eyes becomes empty, empty with everything and Estha stops speaking, speaking with all. Inside.
    But the Truths of Life leak as Mammachi’s Pickles’ bottles have leaked, impossible to be tamed into perfection, silent as a mute shriek of grief, imperceptible as a light cutting deep into darkness.

    As History evolves and revolves as the round World we live in, the skyblue old Plymouth, with its painted rack falling apart, thunders the careening story of Life and Death.

    Life and Death. Love and Hate. Angels and Demons. Humans and Beasts. Happiness and Rules. The Big Things and The Small Things, which in a reversal of their inherent nature belonged to the Small light God, who sweeps clean his steps as he walks backward, and the Big powerful God (god?), who stomps into the House with his dirty, muddied boots.

    Roy leads us past glass of pickles and jellies of Paradise Pickles & Preserves, the factory; past The Sound of Music, the film; and past childhood, marriage, madness, pedophilia, poverty, violence, injustice and betrayal. And love, so much love.

    With no mercy, she tows us past the lost, hidden beauties and still there horrors of India; past confused Indians, immersed in caste hierarchy and lost in the war between British Imperialism and Karl Marx Communism; forced Evangelism; past Elvis Presley, Oxford, Coca-Cola, American TV shows and London life; all preferred, favorites in spite of the unique, laid-to-waste-in-twenty-minutes Kathakali dance.

    And she dresses us in saris of intolerance sewed carefully by single, married and widowed women and she gives us the painted masks of their unavailable, chauvinist kinsmen.

    For us, she disrobes the once-one turned-lonely children and two couples of forbidden lovers - who had already been bared, robbed… Loved less… The four of them The Gods of Small Things.

    And she makes us watch the Terror and the Love.

    I read this in two seatings only because I had to get a couple of hours’ sleep. I was frozen in my armchair, fossilized in time by the unjustified justice of my few smiles and many tears; nerves uncapped, shaking, almost hiding, as I saw many of my thoughts being SHOUTED OUT LOUD at me, from me.

    Will I read it again? Yes. Later. (Lay. Ter.)

    Now, I need a moment. Of quiet emptiness.
    To rage.

    Et tu, English, Indians, Christians, Syrian Christians, Hindus, Pelaya, Pulaya, Paravan, Touchables and Untouchables, Lower Middle Upper Classes, No Classes, all-and-yet-never Comrades! Who saw and looked away!

    Et tu, Sophie Mol! The unfortunate English child killed-killer of the simple happiness of Rahel's and Estha’s childhood, the two-egg twin that was only One.

    Et tu, Pappachi, the Imperial Entomologist, domestic abuser, proud and full of cruel, ugly moths; Mammachi, the almost-blind beaten-wife and example of Christian beatitude; Vellya Paapen, the one with a mortgaged glass eye and the real blind one; Baby grand aunt Kochamma, the gullible girl turned bitter-sour, with her perfect Per-Nun-Ciation and unfair, hasty judgements and psychologic torture! Who played alone-along their parts, ignorantly not knowing life was no rehearsal!

    Et tu, poor Rahel and Estha! Children so loved less, from the Beginning until the End, the only one, forever un-living-dead bearers’ of short sad lives and long alive deaths, who didn't know how to do otherwise.

    Et tu, All-of-Us! Who are rehearsing the Play and making Black Holes in the Universe, while out-of-our-minds, we count our Keys, looking into the void-avoiding the smelly injustice being distributed!

    What it worth it? The price to pay for a forbidden love?
    Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.
    I will need to read it again. Later.
    Now, I need a moment. Of empty quietness.
    To Praise.
    To Love.

    But no words of mine would do justice to Roy’s work of art, so leave me here, hurting and loving, stabbed in the back by my own hand with the Truths of my your our Life, accepting a bit more of myself you this world, and read this real, poetic, sad, grand, too-small-to-be-contained Book.

    And the Kathakali dancers danced and their drummers drummed, to ask pardon of their Gods, as we also should do for the daily, unconscious murder of our Gods of Small Things.

    While it’s ten-to-two.

    Before it’s too late…

    ———————————————————————

    In the light of my last review of another book, where I closed its ebook covers at 20% because of typos, missing commas, too-many-grand-long-forgotten words and foreign mottos written wrongly, loose-lost opinions about historical facts, and over-the-top “'pumpkin bums’ descriptions of nothing-happening-to-many-characters-that-had-nothing-to-do-with-any-one”, I think that to be fair to those who read my reviews, I owe an explanation to my 5 star rating for ‘The God of Small Things’.

    Roy took me through the creation and death of an ornamental garden; made me sat in a church filled with ants, a baby bat and a dead child.
    I traveled in a bluesky Plymouth on a road full of frog stains while she uses foreign words, many half-full sentences, repeated ideas and (over-the-top, some will say) analogies. I consulted the dictionary more than a couple of times, as English is not my mother language and she uses words I was not familiar with (Probably, I would have to consult the Portuguese dictionary too).

    She made me wait, as a pregnant woman waits, as I read story upon story of many different characters, who seemed to have nothing to do with Rahel and Estha or anyone else, but were all linked somehow by society and social relationships.

    Yes, this book could have been smaller, but it could have been bigger. But if it were different, then it wouldn’t be ‘The God of Small Things’.

    I didn’t closed the book at 20% and I rated her work 5 stars.

    Why?
    Because.

    Because there are books and books; authors and authors.

    Because I don’t care if another author has used a style before Roy used it. I don’t care if there is another author who does it better than she did it. What readers and reviewers sometimes don’t understand is that gifted authors are often gifted-avid-readers, with screaming souls begging to be set free; who drown in the works they have read and let them soak in and soothe their pains. These authors are allowed to use all the styles as their own, without being accused of stealing them, as I’ve seen a few reviewers raging about. And I tell you that as an avid reader with a newly-freed author’s soul, hoping to be one day as gifted as Roy.

    Because what I care is that, in Roy’s work, there are magical, complex, centuries of old-untold relationships to be read about, learned and admired, in the middle of the marvel unseemly-going-nowhere descriptions of a ripple fruit bursting and an orange sun setting.

    Because Roy’s Universe is raw and rough, a few times sweet, filled with her beautiful, sharp-edged opinions - that some may think prejudiced - but are historically based and lived. She tells us an Indian story that could have been a Brazilian story. My story. Your story.

    Because what I care is that, without asking my permission, Roy took my soul and gave it back; Sadder for a moment, but more knowledgeable and fuller of passion.

    Because this is not a book for everyone, but for those who live life on its full, and are grateful for the possibility that, even being of die-able age, they are still alive; for those who are interested in relationships and its octopus sucking tentacles; for those who are mindful of how cruel the world can be and yet are able to see the beauty of a sunset and a strict forbidden incest love told in poetical, not-rhymed words; for those who can stand up for others in need.
    For those who love.

    “Because Anything can Happen to Anyone.
    It’s Best to be Prepared.”
    Arundhati Roy, in The God of Small Things

    ———————————————————————

    P.S. 1 - If in your ebook you stumble upon lost inverted commas, dizzy dashes and en-dashes, overlook them. They are just simple typos - perhaps there on purpose, who knows?
    This book is like a child or a loved-lover, who should never be loved less, for his perchance carelessness, because it belongs to the Universe of Rippling Truths of Life.
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2014
    The author goes back and forth from the past to the present. At first, I found this annoying. However, I begin to admire that the author had her own rules for writing this novel. There are instances where there is no standard punctuation. There are similes I found indefinable. I would reread a passage trying to get the gist of what the author conveyed
    The main characters are the fraternal twins, Rahel, daughter and Esthappen (Estha), son, the children of Ammu, a divorcé, her lover, Velutha, a Paravan (untouchable).
    The story begins with the funeral of Sophie Mol, cousin and playmate of the twins. Sophie Mol was the daughter of Ammu’s brother, Chacko and his former wife, Englishwoman, Margaret Kochamma.
    Sophie and Margaret had recently arrived from England at the invitation of Chacko after the death of Margaret’s second husband.
    Ammu and the twins are forbidden to sit with the family during the funeral service. The reason will be revealed later.
    A disillusioned Ammu, married to an abusive alcoholic, returned to the family home in Ayemenem. Her father, John Ipe (Pappachi) does not believe her husband’s English boss requested he sleep with her. At home, she is expected to live out her days, in shame at divorcing her husband.
    After his failed marriage and the death of their father, John, Chacko, a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, returned home to manage his mother’s pickle business.
    Home is where Chacko and Ammu’s blind mother, Shoshamma Ipe, known as Mammachi (grandmother) resides. Mammachi founded and owned the Paradise Pickles and Preserves factory.
    Also living in the home are the twins’ deceitful, vindictive, unmarried, paternal great-aunt, Baby Kochamma. Throughout the novel, Baby Kochamma is devoted to self-interest. She is the catalyst who revealed life and death are in the power of the tongue.
    Kochu Maria (little Maria), is the family cook.
    This book gives a brief glimpse at the social mores of India concerning the “Untouchables.” Historically the country was divided among caste and color lines; an ancient system that rejected their fellow countrymen with discrimination, violence, persecution and social exclusion.
    In the book, the family’s bias is expressed with profound intensity when it is discovered Ammu and the brilliant and likable Velutha are having an affair. Velutha was the intelligent, skilled artisan, awarded a high position in the pickle factory by Mammachi.
    Even Velutha’s father, Vellya Paapen, was angry and horrified at his son “crossing the line.” Vellya felt indebted to Mammachi. She had purchased his artificial eye and treated his family well.
    The author’s vivid description of Mammachi’s deep-seated anger toward the “messenger,” Vellya, Velutha’s father, with Velutha was profound.
    Although blind, Mammachi’s vile denunciations and spittle hit their mark.
    Mammachi’ showed tolerance for her son Chacko’s “men’s needs” when he sexually exploited the female factory workers. However, she expressed intolerance for Ammu’s tender love affair with Velutha.
    Ammu was locked away in her room.
    As I read this book, I discovered the childhood terror witnessed by Rahel and Estha had damaged them emotionally as adults. Estha refused to communicate.
    As children, the twins were very close and had their own way of communicating. They even read backwards.
    Chacko, the weak-willed, indolent son, manipulated by Baby Kochamma’s promptings, ejected his sister, Ammu, from their home.
    Baby Kochamma is the “keeper of honor,” the traditionalist, and advocate of the caste system. Because of her deceit, she has her own reasons for wanting Ammu ousted and the children gone. I will not give the reasons away, but she strikes fear in the children’s hearts.
    I believe the small things are Velutha and Ammu’s love. He loved her children and they him.
    Ammu and Velutha were two kindred spirits. Theirs was a love affair that maybe even today would be unthinkable and not permitted in Indian society. But 40 years ago, they could have no future, so they made no plans. They lived for each night together.
    Although during the late sixties and early seventies, this was considered a patriarchal society, the women are strong characters.
    Mammachi was an accomplished violinist, later in life she was founder and owner of Paradise Pickles and Preserves, much to the annoyance of a violently abusive husband.
    I admired Ammu’s resilience. She defended herself against her husband, Baba’s, physical abuse, refused to sleep with his English boss and ultimately divorced him. I admired that she ignored the caste system and found love with Velutha.
    Velutha had an important role. Much of the conflict involved him, but in some instances he appeared almost invisible to me. I saw him as tender and loving with Ammu. A socialist, a man who desired change in his country.
    The prosaic love scene between Ammu and Velutha were beautifully written. The brief violence in the book is powerfully written too. I felt queasy reading it.
    I would have enjoyed more on the ill-fated lovers, Ammu and Velutha.
    Although the caste system and discrimination has been outlawed, I think Arundhati Roy’s book reveals what is still prevalent today, cruel and often inhumane treatment of India’s “Untouchables.”
    I think the author conveyed how deeply embedded the caste system is. How it destroys and demeans human lives and stereotypes them.
    Toward the end, Ammu’s outcome was sorely missed.
    The relationship that developed between the twins was perplexing.
    Imagery and symbolisms are common throughout the book. This novel would stimulate avid conversation in a book club.
    10 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Nora Delgadillo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Todo un reto de 5 estrellas.
    Reviewed in Mexico on January 6, 2022
    El caos en palabras. Conocer más sobre la vida en la India, su sistema de castas, su caos y su belleza. Todo aquel que se jacte de ser un gran lector, que ame los retos y la belleza de la narrativa debe conocer esta historia. Todo gira al rededor de la muerte de una niña. Por medio de saltos en el tiempo, de descripciones poéticas y complejas como la vida misma, conocemos la historia de una familia que se salta todas las normas de la cultura al amar. Sígueme en instagram para más recomendaciones literarias. @Nora_d_tinta_y_papel
  • Natália Pacheco
    5.0 out of 5 stars Obra maravilhosa
    Reviewed in Brazil on November 22, 2021
    Roy trabalha tópicos importantíssimos de forma muito sensível e delicada. Apesar de a intercalação dos episódios poder causar alguma confusão, a escrita é muito fluida. Recomendo muito!
  • Anilou
    5.0 out of 5 stars Une histoire à lire et à relire
    Reviewed in France on January 21, 2025
    Un style très particulier, une façon de voir les choses comme à travers des yeux d'enfants. Très bien observé. Pas très facile au début d'entrer dans l'histoire car le livre ne suit pas là chronologie, les noms des protagonistes nous sont étrangers et on a du mal à repérer les liens familiaux. Par la suite les choses s'éclaircissent, les non-dits deviennent plus evidents. On apprend des choses sur le Kerala (leurs coutumes, la politique, les rapports entre "touchables" et intouchables, la gestion de cette zone) qui nous font réviser le souvenir qu on en avait si on a eu la chance de le visiter. On comprend comme une remarque mal comprise d'une mère a ses enfants peut changer une vie et même plusieurs.
  • Powerbooost
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare and Gripping Masterpiece - Excellent Quality and Fast Delivery
    Reviewed in India on June 21, 2024
    Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" is a literary masterpiece that is as rare as it is gripping. From the moment I picked up this book, I was captivated by Roy's intricate storytelling and the profound depth of her characters. It's no wonder this novel won the Booker Prize, and my journey through the works of Indian Booker Prize winners feels especially rewarding with this gem in my collection.

    Book Quality:
    The quality of this book is outstanding. It arrived in perfect condition, with a sturdy cover and crisp, clean pages. The print is clear and easy to read, making for a comfortable reading experience. Additionally, the book came with a transparency scanner to check its authenticity, giving me peace of mind that I had received an original copy. This attention to detail in ensuring the authenticity of the book is much appreciated.

    Timely Delivery:
    I was incredibly impressed with the delivery speed. I received the book within just 4 hours of placing my order. This prompt service is commendable and added to my overall satisfaction with the purchase. Knowing I could start reading this highly anticipated novel almost immediately was a delightful surprise.

    Story and Writing:
    Set in the lush landscape of Kerala, India, the novel delicately weaves together the lives of its characters with a narrative that oscillates between the past and the present. Roy’s prose is both lyrical and precise, painting vivid pictures of the socio-political landscape while delving deep into the emotional and psychological realms of the protagonists. The story of Estha and Rahel, the tragic events of their childhood, and the enduring effects on their lives are depicted with a poignancy that is both heartbreaking and beautiful.

    One of the novel’s greatest strengths lies in its attention to the “small things” – the seemingly insignificant moments and details that cumulatively shape the lives of the characters. Roy’s ability to highlight these nuances makes the narrative incredibly rich and textured. Her exploration of themes such as forbidden love, family secrets, and societal norms is handled with such finesse that it leaves a lasting impression.

    The structure of the novel, with its non-linear timeline and shifts in perspective, might be challenging for some readers, but it is precisely this complexity that makes the book so engaging. Each chapter adds a new layer to the story, gradually revealing the full picture in a way that is both satisfying and thought-provoking.

    In conclusion, "The God of Small Things" is a book that demands to be read and re-read, each time offering new insights and emotions. It is a rare work of fiction that combines a compelling narrative with exquisite writing. If you are on a journey to explore works by Indian Booker Prize winners, this novel is an absolute must-read. Arundhati Roy has crafted a masterpiece in the truest sense, and it’s a book that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Highly recommended!

    Overall Experience:
    My overall experience with this purchase has been excellent. From the superb quality of the book to the incredibly fast delivery, I couldn't be happier. This level of service and product quality makes me confident in continuing my literary journey with similar purchases in the future.
    Customer image
    Powerbooost
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare and Gripping Masterpiece - Excellent Quality and Fast Delivery
    Reviewed in India on June 21, 2024
    Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" is a literary masterpiece that is as rare as it is gripping. From the moment I picked up this book, I was captivated by Roy's intricate storytelling and the profound depth of her characters. It's no wonder this novel won the Booker Prize, and my journey through the works of Indian Booker Prize winners feels especially rewarding with this gem in my collection.

    Book Quality:
    The quality of this book is outstanding. It arrived in perfect condition, with a sturdy cover and crisp, clean pages. The print is clear and easy to read, making for a comfortable reading experience. Additionally, the book came with a transparency scanner to check its authenticity, giving me peace of mind that I had received an original copy. This attention to detail in ensuring the authenticity of the book is much appreciated.

    Timely Delivery:
    I was incredibly impressed with the delivery speed. I received the book within just 4 hours of placing my order. This prompt service is commendable and added to my overall satisfaction with the purchase. Knowing I could start reading this highly anticipated novel almost immediately was a delightful surprise.

    Story and Writing:
    Set in the lush landscape of Kerala, India, the novel delicately weaves together the lives of its characters with a narrative that oscillates between the past and the present. Roy’s prose is both lyrical and precise, painting vivid pictures of the socio-political landscape while delving deep into the emotional and psychological realms of the protagonists. The story of Estha and Rahel, the tragic events of their childhood, and the enduring effects on their lives are depicted with a poignancy that is both heartbreaking and beautiful.

    One of the novel’s greatest strengths lies in its attention to the “small things” – the seemingly insignificant moments and details that cumulatively shape the lives of the characters. Roy’s ability to highlight these nuances makes the narrative incredibly rich and textured. Her exploration of themes such as forbidden love, family secrets, and societal norms is handled with such finesse that it leaves a lasting impression.

    The structure of the novel, with its non-linear timeline and shifts in perspective, might be challenging for some readers, but it is precisely this complexity that makes the book so engaging. Each chapter adds a new layer to the story, gradually revealing the full picture in a way that is both satisfying and thought-provoking.

    In conclusion, "The God of Small Things" is a book that demands to be read and re-read, each time offering new insights and emotions. It is a rare work of fiction that combines a compelling narrative with exquisite writing. If you are on a journey to explore works by Indian Booker Prize winners, this novel is an absolute must-read. Arundhati Roy has crafted a masterpiece in the truest sense, and it’s a book that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Highly recommended!

    Overall Experience:
    My overall experience with this purchase has been excellent. From the superb quality of the book to the incredibly fast delivery, I couldn't be happier. This level of service and product quality makes me confident in continuing my literary journey with similar purchases in the future.
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  • Oliver Page
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unique
    Reviewed in Italy on August 1, 2022
    I wasn’t expecting such an extraordinary piece of writing. A novel that invents its world through a unique use of language that echoes and sings through the whole book, creating a flow of imagery, atmosphere and characters unlike anything I have ever read. What’s more the narrative voice is at once entertaining, irreverent, moving, vulgar, vivid and utterly involving. As with many great novels the crescendo of events and emotions comes through traveling through a book that builds in layers rather than chronological events, so that by the end you not only know what happened but have experienced it in the complexity of destiny lived out in the context of culture, family, society and the individual choices of human beings. Absolutely recommended.

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