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15th Oct 2003, 15:47 | #14 |
Palimpsestarian
eats too much cheese
Join Date: 27 Jun 2003
Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire
Posts: 1,319
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I am ducking out of the next book, should be back for the next one though
personally I have returned to fantasy, although it is a new book, to try and get TGOST out of my head, nearly had to resort to a re-read! Hazel |
19th Nov 2003, 14:43 | #15 |
Senior Palimpsester
could do better
Join Date: 17 Apr 2003
Location: England
Posts: 1,672
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The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
As a story I thought, for the most part, it was great. As a work of accomplished artistic writing I thought, for the most part, it was pants.
I found the backwards and forwards flow of past and present hard to follow, as the plot jumped all over the place in the first half - I normally like novels that play with time in this way but Roy doesn't seem to have mastered it. And what on earth were those terrible gratuitous sex scenes there for, messing up the ending? To throw me off balance? Why? Though I enjoyed the plot itself, I won't be re-reading this. It just didn't meet the mark, and Roy seemed determined to show off at every opportunity. A good story ruined. Such a shame. Anyone know why it won the Booker Prize?
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30th Nov 2003, 2:02 | #16 |
Palimpsestarian
is a palimpsestin' fool!
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Hooray Lucoid,
i agree utterly, i hate to say i told you so, but i told you so. Horrid isn't it; jarring, loosely held together, manipulative. The small section on casual child abuse was handled with a particular eye to palming an evil act off as a normality, therefore highlighting it's filthiness. This, in my opinion, smacks less of social awareness, and rather more of shock factor lazy art. Maybe it could have worked if it wasn't all coupled with her appalingly florid style. As for why it won the Booker, well just look at it's pedigree: style over substance, young attractive indian author (i can see the judges patting themselves on the back as they imagined deigning to invite her to a dinner party in Islington so they could marvel at her), and hey, just look at that cover man! |
1st Dec 2003, 14:40 | #17 |
Senior Palimpsester
could do better
Join Date: 17 Apr 2003
Location: England
Posts: 1,672
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With regards to your comment that it was 'loosely held together', I'm guessing you're referring to both the past/present time thing and the several fashionable themes that were running about all over the place in a big old scribble (at this point I am imagining a drawing of Mr Messy).
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2nd Dec 2003, 14:21 | #19 |
Senior Palimpsester
could do better
Join Date: 17 Apr 2003
Location: England
Posts: 1,672
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I did look at the discussion for Dorian as I read the original last year. I will get round to reading Self's version at some point as it sounds interesting, but probably not for a while.
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28th Jul 2011, 13:11 | #20 |
Palimpsestarian
is a palimpsestin' fool!
Join Date: 17 Jun 2008
Location: Amsterdam
Posts: 555
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Re: Book 4: THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS - Arundhati Roy - discussion
I abandoned The God of Small Things after 50 pages on the principle that it was everything that gives literary fiction a bad name. Arundhati Roy, first-time novelist, was in desperate need of a patient and experienced editor, but had her book thrust into the world in such a rough state (and Col's comments above really nail most of what's wrong with it) that it's almost unreadable.
And then, bizarrely, she won the most prestigious prize in British and Commonwealth fiction.
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