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

All things yes!

This was spectacular and engaging from start to finish! I loved the storyline and the many characters—all come to life by the narrator which delighted me throughout!

Great Story

What made the experience of listening to Slumdog Millionaire the most enjoyable?

Slumdog Millionaire was easy to follow and the story was entertaining. The dialect of the narrator was spot on and easy to understand.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I felt complete joy when I completed the book. The story really grabs the audience and makes them think and appreciate every situation in life, good and bad. Slumdog Millionaire really shows you that every decision can change your life.

Loved it!

The authors Indian accent, made it very authentic. An amazing Odyssey the authors use of the Gameshow questions to create the chapters was ingenious. I couldn’t stop listening to it once I started.

Interesting presentation. Engaging mystery.

I like this kind of book. There's a huge mystery to be solved. Hints and details are given in *unchronological order* (If you like that style of presentation, Google search: "Haruhi novels"). Those hints/details are told with believable amounts of embellishments by the unreliable narrator who is at the center of this huge mystery. (Since I can only listen to audiobooks a chapter at a time, I found myself mulling over possible clues scattered throughout the novel and was rewarded for my analysis efforts in the end). Decent and lovable characters die horrible deaths just as easily as random NPCs from the street. Oh, and the story takes place in India. India! How many books on Audible take place in India? From someone who really knows India? Sure, Vikas Swarup may be yet another US-born Indian, but the details he writes in sounds credible enough.

Narration hard to understand at times

At times I was going to award this book three stars. At other times, it was five. I finally settled on four because the story and characters were riveting but the narration left me missing phrases at a time. Accents can certainly contribute to the atmosphere of a reading but when they compromise understanding, they've gone a bit overboard. A major plot revelation very near the end caught me by surprise and it probably should not have. In my mind that gave Swarup some extra points and pushed the stars to four. With the exception of that surprise, most of the rest of the book was pretty easy to predict. The author made it easy for the listener to put himself/herself in Thomas' place and that meant some good listening. I look forward to seeing the movie adaptation of this book.

Delightful

I generally avoid fiction. This time I just wanted to know what all the hype was about. I haven't seen nor do I plan to see the movie, but the audio version of the novel was quite a surprise. The writing is amusing and the reading is excellent.

Essentially, this is the story of one Ram Mohammad Thomas (yes that is an interfaith name) who wins a billion rupees in a quiz show. He is accused of throwing the quiz and the novel explains how he "obtained" the answers.

The story-line is a little contrived, but it doesn't matter. The reader is repaid many times over. The humor is wonderful and the stories will keep the listener's attention. If you tolerated Forest Gump. there is much more here for the interested.

Slumdog isn't high brow, but is an entertaining listen. Take a chance, relax, and enjoy the trip.

Great twisted look at the underdog

A very interesting read telling the story of how a boy who's roller coaster life equips him with the right trivia to win a fortune and help the people who he holds dear. It is also a Karma full story where those who do evil get what's coming to them. I have never seen the movie but after reading the book I am certain I will find the opportunity to do so.

wow!

This story kept me riveted the whole time! sad but amazing at the same time!

Amazing

Listened multiple times. One of my favorites. Amazing story. Definitely better than the movie. Highly recommended.

Beautiful.

This story is heartbreaking, inspiring, heart-warming - all in one. I haven't yet seen the movie, but I can't imagine it comes close to portraying all of the love and pain and raw emotion that is described in the book. Beautifully narrated - a must read/listen.