Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

149 reviews

awoodward1's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

This attempts to be an epic tale of India's class struggle, castle system and family and sexual politics. I didn't feel it was quite pulled off. In the early stages, too much effort is spent teasing the action to come in the final act, and as a result for at least the first half I just felt anxious about what was to come. The balance is also off between literary descriptions of the setting vs. genuine character development - particularly of the star crossed lovers. This makes the first two thirds a slog, although the final third is pacey and action packed. There are some uncomfortable moments involving the twins too which I would rather not have read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, and Death

Minor: Domestic abuse

serenspace's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Incest, Sexual content, Grief, and Classism

haleyshort's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

This was one of the most beautifully crafted books I’ve ever read. It was devastating on so many different levels and really challenging to read but definitely worth working through. I will be thinking about it for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault

avuavu's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Colonisation, and Classism

heartofchar's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Hate crime

storykotori's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment

suheshjanardhanan's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Incest

npeach's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, and Violence

mnasr's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

God of small things definitely deserves the attention it has gotten. Set in Ayenmen, Kerala, the narration takes a deep dive into the casteism, taboos around love and the different standards held for men and women (often held up by other women) when it comes to love and sex. 
 Despite being heavy, the writing style was still quite enjoyable. The descriptions were strange yet vivid and accurate. Many descriptions definitely unsettled me but that only increased the quality of the narration. This novel is supposed to be unsettling and the descriptions build that aura most aptly. Due to the thick and heavy writing style it did take me a while to get through it. 
 In my opinion it is primarily a socio-political commentary presented as a narration and might require the right head space for some to enjoy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, and Violence

Moderate: Incest and Sexual content

Minor: Sexism

ganes1410's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Classism