• Slumdog Millionaire (a.k.a. Q&A)

  • By: Vikas Swarup
  • Narrated by: Kerry Shale
  • Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (795 ratings)

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Slumdog Millionaire (a.k.a. Q&A)  By  cover art

Slumdog Millionaire (a.k.a. Q&A)

By: Vikas Swarup
Narrated by: Kerry Shale
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Editorial reviews

Why we think it's Essential: It's rare that you hope for traffic on a road trip, but when I drove from New York to Boston with Kerry Shale's narration of Q&A for company, I had my fingers crossed for a back-up at the bridge. How could I tear myself away from Shale's distinct characterizations? The orphan from Mumbai, the faded Bollywood star, and the ruthless game show host - Who Wants to Win One Billion Rupeeeeees? - all made for a truly extraordinary listen. — Diana Dapito

Publisher's summary

A small prison cell in India holds an 18-year-old penniless waiter from a Mumbai slum. But Ram Mohammad Thomas isn't a criminal. He is under arrest for correctly answering 12 tricky trivia questions on the show Who Will Win a Billion? Reluctant to part with the jackpot of one billion rupees, the show directors bribe the police to arrest Ram, accusing him of cheating. For how else could a poor, uneducated orphan know so much: the name of the smallest planet, global capitals, and diplomatic policy? Ram is rescued by a lawyer who draws from him the always compelling, touching, and sometimes comic story of his life, explaining the source of his knowledge. An inspired performance by reader Kerry Shale captures the spirit of this off-beat novel, a blend of high comedy and touching melancholy.

This novel was originally published with the title Q&A and is the basis for the movie Slumdog Millionaire.

©2005 Vikas Swarup (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Critic reviews

  • 2005 Audie Award Winner, Fiction (Abridged)

"Shale's performance is brilliant." (USA Today)
"Reader Kerry Shale captures every nuance and distinction of the many personalities involved." (Boston Globe)
"This production gains much from Shale's excellent and lively performance....Shale makes it sincere, hilarious, heartbreaking, and delightful....His gifted reading, full of emphasis, inflection, and excitement, is a joy to listen to." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Slumdog Millionaire (a.k.a. Q&A)

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great listen

A captivating story that was excellently performed! Well worth listening to. I will definitely recommend it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story.

Love the way the narrator is able to change the voices. Great story great plot wish I could see this at the movies

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding narration of a terrific story

This is a good book. It is narrated in spectacular fashion with each character coming to life through the differing dialects of the narrator. I bought the audiobook for a trip, and sat in the car for 45 minutes at my destination, refusing to leave my car until hearing the end of the story.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

story you can not forseen

Great story, full of sharp terns and surprisess.
not a dull moment, in a culture full story you cant wait getting back to your car and listen more...
i loved it.

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

it is an easy opener

When I started listening to the story I got a little bit confusing because of the jumping between scenes but the story pick up speed and I enjoy it a lot I love the book

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

Great story!

I had no idea what to expect since I hadn't seen the movie or known the story. I was pleasantly surprised!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

There are some books you read, and some books you listen to. This is one of those that you definitely must listen to. Surely, it's an enjoyable read, but the narrator brings the characters to life with such vividity, that you cannot help but become fully engrossed within the first minute!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Vivid Story, Excellent Narration

If you overlook the fact that everything falls convincingly in place for Ram Mohammed Thomas to win the Billion Rupees, everything else is really superb... extremely apt description of both the locales and the characters, and the multi-religious lead man's roller coaster life story. However, the book would not be half as enjoyable without Kerry Shale's amazing narration.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Better than the movie

I listened to this before I went to India a couple years ago. A great audio book with an excellent reader. Captures the feel of India much better than the movie does. I also listened to 'Holy Cow' as part of my going to India prep and recommend that too is you are in the mood for more about India.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

a must listen

This is a new favorite among the many audiobooks to which I have listened - an entertaining and frequently moving series of short tales which together comprise the main story, replete with interesting and believable characters and situations - largely without contrivance - and a truly likeable protagonist. Ram Mohammed Thomas is an everyman and underdog - his name itself a metaphor for India's unique religious and cultural heterogeneity. Underestimated by all, yet no one's fool, Ram is humble, loyal, passionate and compassionate, but possessed of a titanium core - tough as nails and a man of action when his ethical and moral principles are challenged. This is an unambiguously good guy.

Having traveled extensively throughout India, I was comfortable and familiar with many of the settings and colloquialisms, which added to my enjoyment. But the book is still accessible - even educational - to any reader lacking this frame of reference.

What truly sets this audiobook apart from its peers, however, is the narration by Kerry Shales, an astounding perfomance which takes one's experience of this book to an entirely different level. He is deserving of whatever awards apply to the category.

In short, combine a really well-written story with superior narration and you have a recipe for a uniquely pleasurable entertainment experience.

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3 people found this helpful