You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So here's the book that inspired Slumdog Millionaire, and it's one of those cases where the movie is much better than the book. It's not as if this book is terrible. I read through it in just a few days and it was certainly entertaining. It's just so...cheesy. Swarup lays something on thick. Some theme, some irony, whathaveyou. And as if the thick spread isn't enough, he points it out to you. I rolled my eyes so many times at this, as it seemed to happen again and again. His twists and turns were too obvious- made even more obvious by him laboriously spelling it all out for us.
That being said, the idea is great. I really enjoyed the structure of the novel. The execution, however, felt immature.
That being said, the idea is great. I really enjoyed the structure of the novel. The execution, however, felt immature.
Kiva rakenne, menevä juoni, inhottava ja vahingollinen homorepresentaatio.
Listened to this book. It held my attention, had realistic and depressing content, and created suspense despite knowing (partially) the ending of the story. Ultimately it’s a great underdog story.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
To begin with, I'm not a native english speaker. This book was excellent to test my level at english and learn some new words while having fun reading an interesting story. Although not perfect, it is a good book and I would recommend reading it, even though is a short version of the real book, to every non native speaker.
I'm certain that the complete book is much better than this version, covering much of the flaws on this short version. Those flaws are mainly character development (due to the size of the book, there isn't enough space to develop everyone, specially the support characters) and "content density" (amout of words to describe and narrate each event).
It's a solid 3,75 stars. I wouldn't recommend to native speakers that could read the normal version, but for those who wanna test or get better at english, 100% worth it.
I'm certain that the complete book is much better than this version, covering much of the flaws on this short version. Those flaws are mainly character development (due to the size of the book, there isn't enough space to develop everyone, specially the support characters) and "content density" (amout of words to describe and narrate each event).
It's a solid 3,75 stars. I wouldn't recommend to native speakers that could read the normal version, but for those who wanna test or get better at english, 100% worth it.
3,5 - Beaucoup aimé le concept et un peu surprise par le final de l'histoire.
Une bonne lecture, faite en Inde, justement!
Une bonne lecture, faite en Inde, justement!
3.5 stars. I knew this book had something to do with an Indian guy getting in trouble after being on an Indian quiz show similar to "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" but that was about it. I was pleasantly surprised.
We meet Ram Mohammad Thomas after he's won $1B rupees on a gameshow. The producers weren't expecting a young waiter to answer all the questions correctly and weren't prepared to pay out $1B rupees, so they charge him with cheating. He's saved during a brutal interview by a young lawyer who comes to his aid. He reviews the raw footage of his contest with her and shares tales from his past that explains how he was able to answer each question correctly.
His past is full of fantastical if haunting stories of murder, prostitution, abuse, stealing, greed, and even love. The story jumped around in time - some questions dealt with earlier or later periods in Ram's life and it took me a few pages of each chapter, which dealt with a new question and piece of Ram's life, to orient myself. The writing style was straight forward and simple, which fit well with Ram as narrator.
Overall, a lot better than I was expecting. Ram's life is hard and he makes some interesting choices that fall into that gray area between right and wrong. I'm curious to see the movie, though I hear it's a lot different than the movie - more focused on the love story that plays only a brief part in the novel. I'm not sure how much I'll like that aspect being the main focus, but I liked the book enough to give it a try.
We meet Ram Mohammad Thomas after he's won $1B rupees on a gameshow. The producers weren't expecting a young waiter to answer all the questions correctly and weren't prepared to pay out $1B rupees, so they charge him with cheating. He's saved during a brutal interview by a young lawyer who comes to his aid. He reviews the raw footage of his contest with her and shares tales from his past that explains how he was able to answer each question correctly.
His past is full of fantastical if haunting stories of murder, prostitution, abuse, stealing, greed, and even love. The story jumped around in time - some questions dealt with earlier or later periods in Ram's life and it took me a few pages of each chapter, which dealt with a new question and piece of Ram's life, to orient myself. The writing style was straight forward and simple, which fit well with Ram as narrator.
Overall, a lot better than I was expecting. Ram's life is hard and he makes some interesting choices that fall into that gray area between right and wrong. I'm curious to see the movie, though I hear it's a lot different than the movie - more focused on the love story that plays only a brief part in the novel. I'm not sure how much I'll like that aspect being the main focus, but I liked the book enough to give it a try.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Sexual violence, Suicide, Sexual harassment
Also read this in Nepal and really enjoyed it, although it is completely different to what I remember from the movie, so I need to rewatch that now. I really liked how it was written not-chronologically, but how everything became very clear at the end. Well written and a great read.
fast-paced