A House for Mr. Biswas

By: V. S. Naipaul

Narrated by: Sam Dastor

Length: 21 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

A House for Mr. Biswas, by Nobel and Booker Prize-winning author V. S. Naipaul, is a powerful novel about one man's struggle for identity and belonging. Born into poverty, then trapped in the shackles of charity and gratitude, Mr. Biswas longs for a house he can call his own. He loathes his wife and her wealthy family, upon whom he is dependent. Finding himself a mere accessory on their estate, his constant rebellion is motivated by the one thing that can symbolize his independence. The book is striking in its lush and sensual descriptions of Trinidad and was listed as one of Time magazine's 100 Best English-Language Novels from 1923 to 2005.

©1969 V.S. Naipaul (P)2017 Naxos AudioBooks

Thoughtful story, WONDERFULLY narrated

This is a long, funny, sad, sometimes frustrating story about a man who dreams of something better. It's not an easy listen, but well worth the time invested in the end. As always, Sam Dastor brings the story to life with his narration. I could honestly listen to this guy read the phone book. He interprets the author's words beautifully.

Great Performance. Great Story.

Many different accents, Helps the color of the many characters. Nice flow, welcomes story into your mind and heart. Loved.

Classic Naipaul

Another from one of the great storytellers. The sequence of events is a bit depressing, but it’s impossible to become fully involved with the characters and events.

The narrator is one of the best I’ve heard. The dialect is perfectly executed, and the timing of the dialog is good for many laughs.

Although I’ve only read it in paper, Naipaul’s “A Bend in the River” is a must read.

A modern day classic

One of the top 10 books I’ve ever read. Naipaul’s depth of understanding of human nature, his detailed descriptions, and believable dialogue..makes his characters real and the story alive. Well worth reading. One of the best written books I’ve ever read.

Racist narration

Are you kidding me? Why does the English narrator have to use an accent for the protagonist. Incredibly offensive. Stopped listening as soon as he started. Yuck!

Didn't Finish

This might be a bit too cerebral for me. I confess I found thus widely praised classic boring.

21.5 Hours and 623 Pages of Compelling Frustration

21.5 Hours and 623 Pages of Compelling Frustration

#ahouseformrbiswas is a beautifully written novel by #vsnaipaul that wonderfully captures the Indian immigrant experience of #brahmin class in much of the Caribbean. It is also extremely frustrating as, per the depiction of #naipaul the vast and extremely insular Indian families are exceedingly aggravating, bullying and humiliating of one another in ways I find intolerable. Reading around the story, I believe that was the case with the author as well.

Main character #mohunbiswas (modeled after the author's father) was born of a poor immigrant Indian family in #trinidad where they had been brought as laborers after the abolition of slavery. Living in abject poverty despite the Brahmin status, Mohun was considered unlucky by an Indian holy man because he was born with six fingers on one hand. While educated at the missionary school he had limited prospects but circumstances found him marrying into a huge, well connected and prosperous family that did little for his personal advancement as his poverty forced him to live with his wife and raise his children on the various properties of his in-laws. With only two sons and 14 daughters, the male children were sheltered and spoiled while the daughters, their husband and seemingly countless children and grandchildren live a communal life with the family ran by the widowed Mrs. Tulsi and her brother in law who serves as the estate overseer. His power and bullying influence is unquestioned and modeled as family members align to aggravate and humiliate each other as a means of establishing oneself in the familial pecking order.

As the title suggests, the 25 year or so story arc shows Mohun desperately trying to carve out a future for himself and his family and escape the grip of the Tulsi family. It also documents a little know aspect of Trinidad history in the years before and after #worldwarii as the Caribbean island nation undergoes its own economic and political evolution, being a seemingly forgotten #british planter colony of a few whites and many #black and Indian laborers attempting to elevate their status as, first laboring subjects of the #unitedkingdom and then contractors for the #unitedstates military which occupied the strategically located Caribbean island during and after the War. Like Mr. Biswas's son, V.S. Naipul used his education and brilliant mind to achieve higher education at #cambridge and became on the the millions of foreign British subjects to find opportunity and a new life in Great Britain.

Though this novel was released in 1961, it is part of the body of work that netted him the #bookerprize in 1971, the #nobelprizeforliterature in 2001 and the #72 position on the #modernlibrarytop100novels which is why I ended up coming across his work at this time. Interestingly, he also occupies the #82 position as well with #abendintheriver which I will be getting to soon enough. I enjoyed this novel via #audible and narrator #samdastor did an excellent job telling the story. I appreciate that, as well as reading another #nobellaureate , I have likewise checked off one more from my global reading challenge with #trinidadandtobago . It was long and frustrating, but it was a beautifully written story well told. #readtheworldchallenge #readtheworld #globalreadingchallenge #trinidadandtobagoliterature

So much good prose

This novel came to interest me when I first heard it mentioned on the QI television program in Britain. I had never read a novel about Indian people before, nor did I know much about their lives in Trinidad. I found it very illuminating with regard to Indian culture and changing times.
The overwhelming sadness of this book made it rather a chore to complete. most of the characters seem unsympathetic, or at worst hard to approach. now I feel I must study up on what other readers have gleaned from this novel, as I don't feel I've taken much away with me.

Charming prose. Lovely book.

Naipaul never dissapoints in his narrative. This is a very simple story of a man who lives a fairly, short life on the fringes of poverty and amidst a patriarchal household. Many readers can be put-off by the pure absurdness of this story-line but for me as a Naipaul advocate, this is pure magic.

The protagonist, Mohun Biswas, is a dreadful character who continuously bites the hand that feeds him and wishes for grander things in life. His wishes to escape the chains of the Tulsi clan and buy a house of his own are the center pieces of the story. The novel spans the years of his life: his unhappy and tragic childhood, marriage to Sharma and the expectations of the Tulsis, children, and the continuous machinations of the sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws. Getting beaten and giving a beating is expected in the Tulsi house.

I wanted so badly for Mr. Biswas to succeed and yet, at some junctures, I wanted him to fail. That is the beauty of the story and the book. Remember the first chapter and then you will understand the rest of Mr. Biswas’s life and trials. Loved this book and the narration was pretty good too.

Humble yet powerful...

This thoughtfully written story of of man's journey to find his place is a reflection of every man struggle. Beautifully constructed, eloquent and playful, it speaks to anyone, regardless of station, nationality, or era, trying to find their place in this world.