Slumdog Millionaire

Critics

• Book review: Vikas Swarup's *Slumdog Millionaire*

  Slumdog Millionaire Vikas Swarup Scribner Paperback 336 pages November 2008 Originally published as q & a, Vikas Swarup’s debut novel is the story of Ram Mohammed Thomas, a 19-year-old orphan from the slums of Bombay. When the novel opens, he is a) a ... (read full critics)

  curledup published on Tue, 7 Sep 2010

11 Reviews

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  A brilliant book. Holds together much better than the film, and the characters are more believable. Stylishly written, and with the changes in time it is challenging and fun.

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  adreamine said on Mar 21, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  Who Will Win A Billion?

  From my Amazon review
  
  The book is different from the film. The idea is the same, some characters also but quiz questions, the life story and conditions of the upbringing Ram Mohammad Thomas are different.

  The book is written as stand alone chapters in which Ram tells his lawyer the story of the p ... (continue)

  From my Amazon review
  
  The book is different from the film. The idea is the same, some characters also but quiz questions, the life story and conditions of the upbringing Ram Mohammad Thomas are different.

  The book is written as stand alone chapters in which Ram tells his lawyer the story of the part of his life that has given him the answer to the question in the quiz show.
  Little by little you are fed information and can piece his life story together.
  Only at the last question do we learn the real reason of his going onto W3B ( not the reason of the film !)
  As you learn more of this kind-hearted character, his tribulations and what he has done during his life you feel that he is worthy of winning all that money.
  I actually preferred Ram as he was depicted in the book than in the film.

  The story is of course written in simple language as it is narrated by Ram, who has had very little education.
  I found Q& A an easy, captivating read and finished it in one day, well written as you "live" each chapter through the eyes of the character.
  Highly recommended even if you have seen the film.

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  Allybally said on Jan 20, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  Probabily one of the very few cases in which I prefered the film over the book. I loved the structure of the plot but the author provides far too many minor details that make the story really boring sometime.

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  Minugia said on Sep 4, 2009 | Add your feedback

• 

  I'd have preferred the author kept the original title Q/A because I think it's more catchy than the present one. Moreover I think I have been to indulgent rating the book. The idea of connecting the plot to the quiz show is pretty original. Also the idea of using Thomas' lawyer and her DVD -player a ... (continue)

  I'd have preferred the author kept the original title Q/A because I think it's more catchy than the present one. Moreover I think I have been to indulgent rating the book. The idea of connecting the plot to the quiz show is pretty original. Also the idea of using Thomas' lawyer and her DVD -player as means of enabling the narration. If we had hidden manuscript in the past which serve as means of narration now we have DVDs and DVD players. This connection with the world of media works throughout the book. Thomas sees the world through Bollywood lens and every character (dis)behaves according movie rules. The reader know more about life than the character does. This is in part due to the naivete of Thomas himself who - like a Dickensian character - wins against perplexities in the end. But the reader feels that some situations probably don't happen in real life. How can an autistic boy approach a stranger? In real life it's exactly the opposite but life in books doesn't mirror ours sometimes and this is its force..

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  AnnaLuce said on May 24, 2009 | Add your feedback

• 

  Sad and heartbreaking, yet still uplifting. Beautifully written and read.

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  SeanaMO said on Apr 28, 2009 about the Audio CD edition | Add your feedback

• 

  Slumdog Millionaire (Q & A)

  Normally I do not review a book by comparing it to the movie, however this book differs so much from the movie that it almost begs to be addressed - character names are different, relationships are different, many events in our protagonist's life are different, the W3B questions are even different. ... (continue)

  Normally I do not review a book by comparing it to the movie, however this book differs so much from the movie that it almost begs to be addressed - character names are different, relationships are different, many events in our protagonist's life are different, the W3B questions are even different. There are only a few points where the two story lines actually converge. The book is a tremendously engaging read, however I have to say I enjoyed the storyline in the movie more.

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  Readingrat said on Apr 23, 2009 | Add your feedback

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Book Details

• Rating:
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• English Books
• Others 324 Pages
• Edition: 1
• ISBN-10: 1439138168
• ISBN-13: 9781439138168
• Publisher: Scribner
• Pub date: Nov 01, 2008
• Also available as: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD and eBook
• In other languages: other languages 繁體書, 简体书, Livres Français, Deutsche Bücher, Libros en Español, Livros em Português, Libri Italiani

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