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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
From the first page, I knew I loved this book.
"May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month" The two paragraphs that follow are filled with words that match the tempo: long, humid, gorge, hum, fatly, sloth, sullen. Then, in P3, the monsoon breaks, and we feast on mossgreen, glittering, root, bloom, burst, snake.
I was surprised that I liked the repetition in this book. Usually, I am skeptical when I see an author experimenting with prose and using grammar The Wrong Way(!), however, I felt that Roy never used errant capitalizations or nicknames(Ambassador) or extended metaphors (Little Man, Big Man) or misspellings(Afternoon Gnap) to substitute for absent detail, but rather to underscore the feelings of confusion and innocence in our young characters. Even things that didn't necessarily supplement the plot in their repition, such as the Hole in the Universe and the fountain in a Love-In-Tokyo establish a sense of familiarity in the story that is both not overdone and serves to add continuity and rhythm to a story structured by flashbacks.
Although I've marked it as five stars, I wouldn't say that this book is perfect. Structurally, I've never been a fan of obvious and recurrent foreshadowing. We were promised a horrible event(admittedly, that we did receive), but the continuous looming threat cheapens the raw emotions of the characters.
TLDR: Arundhati Roy is an icon in so many ways.
"May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month" The two paragraphs that follow are filled with words that match the tempo: long, humid, gorge, hum, fatly, sloth, sullen. Then, in P3, the monsoon breaks, and we feast on mossgreen, glittering, root, bloom, burst, snake.
I was surprised that I liked the repetition in this book. Usually, I am skeptical when I see an author experimenting with prose and using grammar The Wrong Way(!), however, I felt that Roy never used errant capitalizations or nicknames(Ambassador) or extended metaphors (Little Man, Big Man) or misspellings(Afternoon Gnap) to substitute for absent detail, but rather to underscore the feelings of confusion and innocence in our young characters. Even things that didn't necessarily supplement the plot in their repition, such as the Hole in the Universe and the fountain in a Love-In-Tokyo establish a sense of familiarity in the story that is both not overdone and serves to add continuity and rhythm to a story structured by flashbacks.
Although I've marked it as five stars, I wouldn't say that this book is perfect. Structurally, I've never been a fan of obvious and recurrent foreshadowing. We were promised a horrible event(admittedly, that we did receive), but the continuous looming threat cheapens the raw emotions of the characters.
TLDR: Arundhati Roy is an icon in so many ways.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
ahhhhhhhhhhh what en unexpected way to end a book
I want to give this book one star because I never want to read anything like it again because I don't think I can. But I have to give this book five stars because I never want to read another book again because of it.
I completely understand why this book is an international bestseller and winner of the Booker Prize. I would have given this a 5* rating, however the only reason I didn't was the book was, at times, laborious to read. Undoubtedly, it was beautifully written, but the switching from different tenses, chopping and changing unsystematically, felt unnecessarily difficult to read. However, I loved the fact that events mentioned at the beginning of the book change as you progress, understanding the context (and often malevolent undertones).
I am definitely going to need a light-hearted book for my next read!
I am definitely going to need a light-hearted book for my next read!
An immersive, introspective and touching story. The movement between stories was seamless. Everything linked together over the course of the story. It took a little bit to get into and I had originally shelved in as a DNF last year but picked it up again and so glad that I did. Beautifully written.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated