Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

El dios de las pequeñas cosas by Arundhati Roy

6 reviews

frannyrdclark's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Death, Cursing, Police brutality, Sexism, Racism, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Incest and Rape

Minor: War, Pregnancy, and Violence

leoniefnk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Child death, Sexual violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Classism, Death, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, and Police brutality

Minor: Cursing, Car accident, War, Body shaming, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Violence, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

kibiiiariii's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Gore, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Ableism, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Rape, Death, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Classism, Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Murder, and Pregnancy

writersrelief's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 

Set mostly in India in the late 1960s, Arundhati Roy’s THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS is an achingly poetic, gorgeous exploration of how the events of one day can change a family’s life forever. 

 

The novel is centered on fraternal twins Estha and Rahel, who return home nearly twenty-five years after the death of their cousin Sophie Mol. As the book proceeds, we learn about events on the day surrounding Sophie Mol’s death and about the lives of Estha and Rahel’s friends and family. We learn about the unhappy marriage of their mother, Ammu, and her struggles to raise two children on her own; their Uncle Chacko, an academic who attended Oxford and is the father of Sophie Mol; Baby Kochamma, a former nun whose unrequited love rendered her bitter and manipulative; and Velutha, an “Untouchable” whose inter-caste romantic relationship with Ammu brings tragic consequences. 

 

Roy’s prose and structure employ a unique literary style. In many ways, THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS reads more as a prose poem than as a conventional novel. Her non-linear narrative jumps back and forth in time and from different character perspectives. This non-linearity may disturb readers hoping for a more traditional structure, and some of the beautiful writing can be a bit overwrought at times (too much of a good thing, perhaps!). But the fractured structure and heightened prose reflected the theme of how unreliable and inconsistent memory can be. 

 

The deeply complex and well-defined characters are presented to us warts and all—the characters in this book aren’t necessarily likeable. In fact, some of their actions are rather despicable. But Roy obviously loves her characters and clearly illustrates how their lives molded them into the people they are. This was where the non-linear narrative helped by allowing us to peek into the epic, heartbreaking, and devastating backstories of these characters. 

 

Readers should also note that there is some disturbing content in the book involving children (the novel was actually tried for obscenity in the author’s native India). But it is definitely a worthwhile read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Pedophilia, and Death of parent

Moderate: Violence, Classism, Child death, and Incest

hatoooz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

a tough read tbh but it’s worth it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, and Gaslighting

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

supertaylormoon's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Incest, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, Violence, Death, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Blood