Product Description

The "Continuum Contemporaries" series is designed to be a source of ideas and inspiration for members of book clubs and reading groups, as well as for literature students at school, college and university. The series aims to give readers accessible and informative introductions to 30 of the most popular, most acclaimed and most influential novels of recent years. A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question. The books in the series all follow the same structure, which features: a biography of the novelist, including other works, influences and, in some cases, an interview; a full-length study of the novel, drawing out the important themes and ideas; summaries of how the novel was received upon publication and how it has performed since publication, including film or TV adaptations and literary prizes; a wide range of suggestions for further reading, including websites; and a list of questions for reading groups or students to discuss.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #140170 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

About the Author
Julie Mulaney lectures in English at Manchester Metropolitan University

Customer Reviews

A-Level Postcolonial Studies
I studied Arundhati Roy's novel at A-level English for our post-colonial unit and found the continuum guide quite useful, but slightly dense and a touch too wordy (not a bad thing, just requires a greater effort in concentration). The chapters are mostly in essay form and there are some very interesing insights into her work and concerning her life. If you're well into your english or really enjoying this unit then its a useful purchase but for people just wanting something to help them pass their a-level, this might not be the best.

The Small things = the hypocrisy of not facing the truth
Ms. Roy the wordsmith. The novel purports to be about twins Rahel and Estha et al in mid-1960's Kerala. But it has a myriad stories interposed.
Behind a family tragedy lurks a tangled web of intrigue.
This a kaleidoscopic work, not to everyone's taste, but rated as a classic.

An interesting and reflective book about God of Small Things
I enjoyed this book by Julie Mullaney. It is clearly structured with interesting insights into both the novel and Roy's political life. There is also interesting analysis of the reception of The God of Small Things inside and outside India. A wide range of other relevant authors are mentioned along the way so Roy's novel is placed within a useful context and this also provides students with further reading. Mullaney's is quite a small book but includes a lot. 1st and 2nd year undergraduates might find it rather dense but the detail and analysis are also strengths of the book and I would encourage students to persevere.