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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Different from the movie, but certainly not it a bad way.
I picked up Slumdog Millionaire (formerly Q&A) after I saw the award-winning film under the same name. I knew from perusing Wikipedia that the book and the movie had a lot of differences, so I treated them as two separate entities. The movie was lovely and touching and completely fascinating.
The book was the same.
I absolutely adored the vivid characters and the storyline. Ram Mohammad Thomas (Jamal in the film) shows that even people brought up in a world where they aren't given the opportunity to follow a higher education can still become some of the most intelligent people in the world. The book follows the theme of destiny. Ram is in the right place at the right time to learn the exact thing that he needs to learn in order to answer the next question. His life is *interesting* and he is so personable that you can't help but love him.
Vikas Swarup is an excellent writer. He gave life to every single character in the story. Whether it was Ram or some random person that crossed his paths.
Slumdog Millionare (formerly Q&A) is well worth the read. It is well worth the time spent because it is *worthy* writing. It is writing with a purpose. Evocative and rich. Pulling at your emotions in such a way that you want to get angry, yet you still keep coming back for more.
Brilliant.
I picked up Slumdog Millionaire (formerly Q&A) after I saw the award-winning film under the same name. I knew from perusing Wikipedia that the book and the movie had a lot of differences, so I treated them as two separate entities. The movie was lovely and touching and completely fascinating.
The book was the same.
I absolutely adored the vivid characters and the storyline. Ram Mohammad Thomas (Jamal in the film) shows that even people brought up in a world where they aren't given the opportunity to follow a higher education can still become some of the most intelligent people in the world. The book follows the theme of destiny. Ram is in the right place at the right time to learn the exact thing that he needs to learn in order to answer the next question. His life is *interesting* and he is so personable that you can't help but love him.
Vikas Swarup is an excellent writer. He gave life to every single character in the story. Whether it was Ram or some random person that crossed his paths.
Slumdog Millionare (formerly Q&A) is well worth the read. It is well worth the time spent because it is *worthy* writing. It is writing with a purpose. Evocative and rich. Pulling at your emotions in such a way that you want to get angry, yet you still keep coming back for more.
Brilliant.
This book teaches us that knowledge is always available to us, if we remember to take everything in.
The movie Slumdog Millionaire is based upon this book. It is totally different but just as interesting. Like the movie, the protagonist explains how he knew the answer to each question by telling a story from his amazing life. The stories and characters are all different than those in the movie. Well written! The screenwriter did a great job adapting it for the screen.
The book tells a story about Ram Mohammad Thomas, an Indian waiter in Mumbai. He entered Who Wants to Be A Millionaire and won the top prize in the astonishment of everybody on set. Soon, he was caught by the polices because they believed he had cheated during the game. Each chapter in the book tell a story behind each of his correct answer.
Schools aren't the only place you got knowledge. You could learn from a friend, a mafia, a priest, a has-been actress. It's street smart. The book becomes more and more exciting toward the end.
Schools aren't the only place you got knowledge. You could learn from a friend, a mafia, a priest, a has-been actress. It's street smart. The book becomes more and more exciting toward the end.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Kidnapping
The movie "Slumdog Millionaire" is loosely based on this book. Although I liked the movie, the book is better. It's well written with a great plot.
Interesting, but I didn't see what all the hoopla was all about!
must-read, very attractive, but i have a little confused about the timeline of main character's story bcs it related to the questions (?)
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In regards to the novel's prose, I found say that Slumdog Millionaire can be an enjoyable and easy read, specifically; the use of first-person was an effective choice for a story recounting the life experiences of its protagonist as it allows us to see everything through Ram's perception - his thoughts, feelings, opinions, and actual sight - and its use also, obviously, makes the story more personal and thus humanises Ram effectively too.
On the other hand, the novel's structure, which I didn't hate and I even understood the use of it because of its simplicity, does eventually make the story, and in particular, Ram's anecdotes become repetitive and predictable, a feeling which is exacerbated by the story's overall gloom and doom tone which at times feels exploitative and similar to torture porn, and thus the novel is not the enjoyable and/or easy read that it can be occasionally.
Critically, there are main themes and ideas mentioned in the novel, such as: sexuality, racism, religion, crime and corruption, as well as abuse and neglect. Yet, clearly the most dominant themes/ideas mentioned, and further explored, are poverty, wealth and social class as the story's itself revolves around a young lower-class man working as a waiter and who was born as orphan, who then ends up winning a billion rupees on a game show. While the latter themes, as stated above, are explored further, the eventual analysis and conclusions about them are basic and uninspiring. Furthermore, the former themes like sexuality, racism, etc, are mentioned and some help highlight tensions if the environment and reveal the histories of settings, and some show the ignorance and bigotry of certain characters, there is also a lack of profound or poignant commentary on them and in the case of exploring the theme of sexuality, the novel does come across quite homophobic.
Finally, in regards to the novel's characters and setting, Swarup did a decent job at creating likeable and interesting characters in believable and intriguing settings. However, the character development of Ram feels underwhelming and as previously stated about other aspects of the novel, the characters and the settings too become repetitive and predictable, thus losing their effectiveness.
Overall, Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup was simultaneously an easy, enjoyable read and then a tiring, taxing read, I didn't regret reading it and as I've said there are some aspects of the novel that I appreciated and even enjoyed. Yet, considering its potential as novel, especially regarding its structure and premise, it could be far more satisfying, inspiring and entertaining than what it turned out to be.
On the other hand, the novel's structure, which I didn't hate and I even understood the use of it because of its simplicity, does eventually make the story, and in particular, Ram's anecdotes become repetitive and predictable, a feeling which is exacerbated by the story's overall gloom and doom tone which at times feels exploitative and similar to torture porn, and thus the novel is not the enjoyable and/or easy read that it can be occasionally.
Critically, there are main themes and ideas mentioned in the novel, such as: sexuality, racism, religion, crime and corruption, as well as abuse and neglect. Yet, clearly the most dominant themes/ideas mentioned, and further explored, are poverty, wealth and social class as the story's itself revolves around a young lower-class man working as a waiter and who was born as orphan, who then ends up winning a billion rupees on a game show. While the latter themes, as stated above, are explored further, the eventual analysis and conclusions about them are basic and uninspiring. Furthermore, the former themes like sexuality, racism, etc, are mentioned and some help highlight tensions if the environment and reveal the histories of settings, and some show the ignorance and bigotry of certain characters, there is also a lack of profound or poignant commentary on them and in the case of exploring the theme of sexuality, the novel does come across quite homophobic.
Finally, in regards to the novel's characters and setting, Swarup did a decent job at creating likeable and interesting characters in believable and intriguing settings. However, the character development of Ram feels underwhelming and as previously stated about other aspects of the novel, the characters and the settings too become repetitive and predictable, thus losing their effectiveness.
Overall, Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup was simultaneously an easy, enjoyable read and then a tiring, taxing read, I didn't regret reading it and as I've said there are some aspects of the novel that I appreciated and even enjoyed. Yet, considering its potential as novel, especially regarding its structure and premise, it could be far more satisfying, inspiring and entertaining than what it turned out to be.