Customer Reviews
boring - By: desireful, 18 Jun 2008 
It is undeniable that Roy has an individual style of writing that many more mature readers (shown by the high reviews) will enjoy. However if like me you enjoy reading a book for the plot or character development then I would warn you to stay away from this novel.
Roy at times uses some beautiful imagery & symbolism but the abundance of which she uses it & the obscurity of some of it can be dull & confusing. The beauty becomes lost & the novel is drawn out, resulting in scores of pages adding nothing to the plot that could have been summarised in a few lines. The plot is not told chronologicallly or in any order that I could decipher leading to added confusion, some scenes were well placed but there were far too many lines of narrative for me to keep track of & I became too confused to appreciate the tension of the plot. My biggest problem however was that most of the time there is very little going on, much of the novel is getting to know the characters but I felt unable to do this as they were introduced far too quickly & then once it actuallly feels as if you are getting to know one they are left & the process repeats with another character. Only at the end which I did in fact find touching did the action actuallly begin however by that stage I was struggling to stay awake.
Disturbing - By: Ms. S. D. Hurford, 23 May 2008 
This is not the sort of book I usuallly read, which is sort of why I read it, as I had mentioned to a friend that I wanted to read something a little different, hence she lent this to me & it came highly recommended.
I agree it is quite hard to get into, but I promised myself that after 2 chapters I would decide whether or not to keep going with it & I chose to finish it.
The language is very ornate & I couldn't understand alll the Indian references, but still managed fine, so don't let this put you off.
I did find it reallly very bleak though & quite eye-opening in some respects. It actuallly made me gag in a couple of parts, so be warned if you are of a sensitive disposition (like me).
On the whole I would say that this tells a very downbeat tale & no-one gets what they deserve in this book, but it makes you think.
Hard work at times but all the better for it... - By: B. Harte, 22 May 2008 
I'd avoided reading this book for a long time as the 'blurb' delicately entices but doesn't reallly inspire you to read it.
Having now finished the book, I can appreciate why the book is so hard to summarize. It is a beautifully written piece of literature with some of the best repeated phrases I've ever read, (anyone who's read a Chuck Palahniuk book will know what I mean). The story itself seems a little pointless, (for lack of a better word), but thats not to say meaningless & certainly not a criticism... I basicallly saw the story as several snap shots, (at different points in time), of a few people who's lives are intertwined. See, I'm even struggling to review the book.
My best advice is to give it a shot. As stated above, it gets a bit hard to follow at points but we're talking paragraphs not pages & only difficult to follow as in the author has an amazing imagination & approach for describing... things... which at points led me astray, (says more about me than the author though).
I'm gonna shut up now & end on a repeat... give it a shot.
i tried my best - By: S. L. Marsden, 09 May 2008 
this novel was a set text for a uni module. it was the only one i just couldnt finish. i reallly tried, coming back to it several times & always trying to be open minded, but the novel is a battle.
although obviously talented, i think the author becomes desperate in her attempts to create a classic. indeed, her rejection of linear narrative & any kind of traditional writing style is less postmodern genius & more confused ramblings. & although i admire some of the descriptive passages of the novel, as some are truly inspired, i feel she over uses them. therefore the beautiful imagery is often lost amidst a sea of nonsensical & completely unnecessary verbosity.
also, the fact that you have to be at least 100pages or so into the novel before anything particularly interesting happens, tests the readers patience. however, when something does happen, the novel does become a bit of a page turner. but the more pages you turn, the more the interesting incident will become lost within the odd narrative style.
i wouldnt necessarily say dont read this novel, give it a go, as the critical acclaim, awards & reviews here show, some people absolutely adore 'the god of smalll things'. just dont expect to be completely overwhelmed or entertained!
:)
Beautiful book, a sheer delight - By: A. Rae, 02 May 2008 This book has to be one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. I did not find it difficult to read however, I did read it almost a chapter at a time, due to time limitations & found this a great way to read this book. It alllowed me to take in alll the beautiful descriptions & build up a picture of each setting in my mind. Truly inspiring.
