Slumdog Millionaire

By: Vikas Swarup

Narrated by: Christopher Simpson

Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Vikas Swarup's spectacular debut novel, the inspiration for the award-winning film, opens in a jail cell in Mumbai, where Ram Mohammad Thomas is being held after correctly answering all 12 questions on India's biggest quiz show, Who Will Win a Billion?

It is hard to believe that a poor orphan who has never read a newspaper or gone to school could win such a contest. But through a series of exhilarating tales, Ram explains to his lawyer how episodes in his life gave him the answer to each question. In his warm-hearted tale lies all the comedy, tragedy, joy and pathos of modern India.

Hear the whole story behind the Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire!

©2005 Vikas Swarup (P)2009 BBC Audiobooks America

Great read

One of the best books I've ever read. I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates great and well thought literature.

GREAT Story; Beautifully Told

I love this book, which is one of the most imaginative and revealing novels I know. Christopher Simpson does a great job reading a complex story, and I really appreciated the accents and inflections he used to try to keep the different characters distinctive. My only complaint is in the construction of the recording - rather than break the reading up by chapter, they broke it at random intervals, especially in the choice of dividing the book in 'half'. Poorly done.

Even better than the movie

I saw the movie when it came out and loved it. Having been to India a few times I could really relate to it. Finally I decided to listen to the book. What a surprise it was, the story is totally different, I absolutely loved it.

Learn something

Great way to learn a whole bunch of random things about India, while being entertained by a funky tale

Even if you have seen the movie, read this.

Any additional comments?

This book has a lot going for it. It has a unique plot, the main character is someone you really want to root for and it is an education of a way of life very remote for most of us.

I knew the story, I had seen the movie, but even so I couldn't put the book(headphones) down. As usual, the book was much better even though the movie was good as well.

If you enjoyed the movie and want to prolong the experience, give this a listen.

Narration was good.

amazing story!!

I saw the movie years ago and enjoyed it, but the book was much more satisfying!
It was hard at times, as an American listener, to understand every word that was said in the Indian accent. That being said, I would certainly not have wanted it any other way! The narrator gave it the authenticity it needed.
Some of the character voices were a bit much, but I can't really say that I have ever listened to a audiobooks that didn't have some weird voices thrown in. You just get used to them! That is the only reason for not giving the narration a 5. Otherwise It was very well read! So much depth to the voice. You felt that he felt!
Amazing book!

Thumbs Up

Better and different from the movie. Easy to follow . Took me a week to finish

Brilliant and heart breaking and warming

A wonderful tale of twelve answers. The answers to twelve game show questions paint a vivid picture of India - from aging movie stars to man made cripples, abuse, rape, murder and ultimately - redemption .
With a pinch of luck for spice and happy endings. I'm a fan.

Thoroughly Entertaining!

If you could sum up Slumdog Millionaire in three words, what would they be?

Wonderful story telling

What was one of the most memorable moments of Slumdog Millionaire?

Of course the scene where Tomas layes the body of his dead freind on the dining table of the rich mother is stuning. We always want the good guys to win, especially when they are poor and powerless.

What about Christopher Simpson’s performance did you like?

I loved how Mr. Simpson transitioned from one character to another.

Any additional comments?

I didn't see the movie and didn't know what to expect with this book. It did not disappoint. It is a cross of Forest Gump and Life of Pi. Love it.

Much better than the movie!

I saw the movie when it came out and it was okay but not great. Recently, my sister recommended it to me, but I was reluctant to try it after having seen the movie. She insisted that it was exceptional, so I downloaded it and she was right! It's one of the best selections Ive made from Audible! The story is captivating and exciting at every turn. The narrator is fantastic although it takes a while to get used to the dialect. The most difficult aspect of the book was differentiating the characters' names in the Indian language. I would definitely recommend this book to any adult looking for an entertaining, uplifting and gratifying read.