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Confessions of a Thug  By  cover art

Confessions of a Thug

By: Philip M. Taylor
Narrated by: Sanjiv Jhaveri
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Editorial reviews

The term thug is now synonymous, in English, with any type of criminal or violent lowlife. This is in large part due to Englishman Philip M. Taylor’s tale of crime and murder based on his knowledge of the Thuggee cult in India. To modern ears the narrative at times feels dated and xenophobic, but Taylor did have a genuine interest in India and extensive knowledge of the culture, here chronicling what was a real and dangerous phenomenon. The tale itself is, of course, entertaining in its own right, told under the guise of a true confession. Sanjiv Jhaveri gives a gripping performance accenting the complacence of its narrator’s unapologetic recollections his of life of ritualistic crimes among organized, devoted killers.

Publisher's summary

Confessions of a Thug is an English novel written by Philip Meadows Taylor in 1839 based on the Thuggee cult in British India.This book is a tale of crime and retribution. Set in 1832 in India, the story lays bare the practices of the Thugs, or deceivers as they were called, who lived in boats and used to murder those passengers whom they were able to entice into their company in their voyages up and down the rivers.

Confessions of a Thug went on to become a best seller in 19th-century Britain. The book also became one of Queen Victoria's favourite novels. The story of the Thuggee cult was popularized by Confessions of a Thug, leading to the Hindi word "thug" entering the English language.

Public Domain (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Confessions of a Thug

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A timeless thriller - Most exciting book

I read this book when I was only 12 years old in URDU. Listening audio is always fascinating. The book written over 175 years ago still tastes like cognitive feast. Not in Victorian English it is easy to understand and all the terms are still very commonly used. Fantastic tale of crime, wickedness, royal courts of the era, bravery, suspense, romance distinguish and equitable details. It will take you in India 1830's. I love to see this in a Hollywood movie but movie (although The Deceiver was made) would not do justice with the book.
The only regret I have is the ill pronunciation of Hindustani language by Sanjive. Although, Sanjive speaks English in fascinating accent but he has murdered Hindustani words, slangs and Muhammadan words such as Inshallah, Ameen. I had to remove one Star. I wish he would have gotten help with pronunciation. Overall a book every Indian, Pakistani, British, American and anyone interested in ancient India should read. Must listen....

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Grotesque at best

This interesting and LONG work is at best grotesque. The repetitive murder after murder, I mean I get it already! However Sanjiv Jhaveri narration drags you in. But good grief, how many repetitive scenario of enticement, travel, murder and burial do we have to listen to get to the actual tale of this poor demented souls life.
If you have a long drive, and a lot of time and patience, you will probably enjoy Sanjiv's soothing voice. But there are more than enough repetition to bore even the most stalwart listener.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

confessions of a thug

Boring I expected a tale of the country it's people and it's to polite no one speaks like that. Sorry I down loaded

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Book

This is a real good book. Well narrated. Thanks to Audible for having this in store. I will recommend this to my family and friends.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

uninteresting narrative

This tale i found was something that did not capture my attention. So much so that after listening to about a third of it i went on to something else and have not gone back to finish it. I was aware of the Thuggee cult and was initially looking forward to an interesting tale but was dissapointed.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A bit wordy and dated

The book speaks of a time and place so long ago. A charming manner of story telling in the first hours, becomes a bore the longer it continues. A very interesting tale, but dated by the passage of 200 years since first authored.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

long overdrawn

The narration to this story was very good, but I found myself getting lost with the characters. It seems the story line (and I realize it was written quite a few years ago) is long. After the first half, I've lost interest, as the wording could be better. But then again, it was written quite a few years ago.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Mesmerizing...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The audio here is astounding... there's two narrators, one English and one Indian. It means the dialog between the two comes alive and sparkles, you can almost feel like you're there in the various scenes of swashbuckling and treachery... it feels so visceral, 1800's India truly comes alive. Hell of an adventure story too.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Fabulous title

Do listen to this title, the writing is so fresh and when you listen it on audio too you find it exciting.

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1 person found this helpful