Forget the film - the book's ten times better!

Like a lot of cinema-goers I loved the film 'Slumdog Millionaire', but I had heard a bit of the narration of the story 'Q & A' on radio 4 and had the idea that the book would probably yield more rewards.How right I was!The narration was skilled and fitted the story perfectly. I cannot recommend this book enough, a real feel-good story .The plot was far more involved and interesting, and left me with a huge smile on my face.



The backdrop reflects the abject poverty facing an orphan child in India. It does not flich from showing us a number of possible unbearable scenarios. The chasm between rich and poor is made depressingly clear. While the plot twist of poor boy makes good could have emerged as a deus ex machina, leaving the reader with a sugary, sickly taste in the mouth, this book avoids any such feeling by simply promoting the message 'do as you would be done by.' In real life, perhaps, karma never quite works as quickly as it does in fiction, but we all need the hope this book inspires.

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2 people found this helpful

great story telling

Vikas swarup is a master of the morality tale as entertainment. Twists and turns abound.

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excellent

I listen to this book over a year ago and it is the most engaging story I have listened to. I listened to the story before I saw the film, which was quite different. Very disturbing at times,and some parts were very difficult to listen to. The narration captured the drama and beauty of the story and I was lost in imagination. The story was exiting and I was gripped.

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4 people found this helpful

Excellent listen!

What a great story told by an even better narrator.

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5 people found this helpful

Completely brilliant

An amazing story that translates really well into an audio book. The narrators intonation and accents worked perfectly! Definitely a laugh one minute and cry the next...I’m actually pretty gutted it is over.

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Great audio book

Brilliantly read by Christopher Simpson his voices are amazing and the story is great taking you through the journey of a funny empathetic and intelligent orphan boy from India.

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Superb!

I have been listening to Q&A over many car journeys and I can say that I have not been so emotionally involved with a book for many years. The hardship, violence (well portrayed and never graphic) fun and sheer energy is amazing. It reduced my Partner to tears on more than one occasion. After the book we tried the film - what a dissapointment! I urge you to give this a try but, beware it sucks you in and leaves a vivid impression of one persons success against all the odds. A great story well written and read with passion and style.

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narrator amazing, story brilliant

One of the best narrators I've heard - able to switch between accents smoothly and do them all so well. The story itself is magical. Now look forward to the film version.

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5 people found this helpful

Eye-opening story, excellent performance

Having watched the movie adaption Slumdog Millionaire a couple of times, much of this story came as a surprise to me as there is very few points of intersection between the film and the book upon which it is based - aside from the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire-style" game show and the subsequent investigation into cheating allegations. That having been said, the events or recollections described in the book are every bit as poignant and pivotal in the life of the young protagonist as those portrayed in the movie. Perhaps even more so. At the end of the day, I'm glad I bought and listened to this. Christopher Simpson does a stellar job of narrating this, and I would definitely recommend this to any other listeners who enjoy this type of book.

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Brilliantly Read

Incredible story. Entertaining and educational. Takes time to get into but worth the trouble. The reader is great.

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