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The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017

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The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

By: Arundhati Roy
Narrated by: Arundhati Roy
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Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, written and read by Arundhati Roy.

FROM THE BOOKER PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR OF THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018


LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2017

NOMINATED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR FICTION

LONGLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE 2018

THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE and THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

'A sprawling kaleidoscopic fable' Guardian, Books of the Year

'Roy's second novel proves as remarkable as her first' Financial Times

'A great tempest of a novel... which will leave you awed by the heat of its anger and the depth of its compassion' Washington Post

'A dazzling return to form' Independent

'Intricately layered and passionate, a work of extraordinary intricacy and grace' Prospect

'A masterpiece. Roy joins Dickens, Naipaul, García Márquez, and Rushdie in her abiding compassion, storytelling magic, and piquant wit. An entrancing, imaginative, and wrenching epic' Booklist starred review


'At magic hour; when the sun has gone but the light has not, armies of flying foxes unhinge themselves from the Banyan trees in the old graveyard and drift across the city like smoke...'

So begins The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, Arundhati Roy's incredible follow-up to The God of Small Things. We meet Anjum, who used to be Aftab, who runs a guest-house in an Old Delhi graveyard and gathers around her the lost, the broken and the cast out. We meet Tilo, an architect, who although she is loved by three men, lives in a 'country of her own skin' . When Tilo claims an abandoned baby as her own, her destiny and that of Anjum become entangled as a tale that sweeps across the years and a teeming continent takes flight...

20th Century Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Political Romance World Literature Heartfelt Happiness
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Critic reviews

She is back with a heavyweight state-of-the-nation story that has been ten years in the making
Roy's second novel proves as remarkable as her first
A great tempest of a novel... which will leave you awed by the heat of its anger and the depth of its compassion
A humane, engaged near-fairy tale that soon turns dark - full of characters and their meetings, accidental and orchestrated alike to find, yes, that utmost happiness of which the title speaks
An author worth waiting two decades for
Ambitious, original, and haunting. A novel [that] fuses tenderness and brutality, mythic resonance and the stuff of headlines . . .essential to Roy's vision of a bewilderingly beautiful, contradictory, and broken world
A masterpiece. Roy joins Dickens, Naipaul, García Márquez, and Rushdie in her abiding compassion, storytelling magic, and piquant wit. A tale of suffering, sacrifice and transcendence-an entrancing, imaginative, and wrenching epic (Donna Seaman)
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness confirms Roy's status as a writer of delicate human dramas that also touch on some of the largest questions of the day. It is the novel as intimate epic. Expect to see it on every prize shortlist this year
Heartfelt, poetic, intimate, laced with ironic humour...The intensity of Roy's writing - the sheer amount she cares about these people - compels you to concentrate...This is the novel one hoped Arundhati Roy would write about India
Teems with human drama, contains a vivid cast of characters and offers an evocative, searing portrait of modern India
All stars
Most relevant
I did finish it however it was not enjoyable at all. The first quarter was wonderful but then it just became so complicated and impenetrable. Possibly a really tough edit would have helped!

A marathon

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Would you try another book written by Arundhati Roy or narrated by Arundhati Roy?

I enjoyed the God of Small Things, so was looking forward to this one. I wouldn't try another one narrated by her though. Her voice is terribly annoying and she doesn't follow her own punctuation when she is reading.

Would you be willing to try another book from Arundhati Roy? Why or why not?

I would try another book, but not a narrated version.

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Arundhati Roy?

There are many actors who could have fitted the bill much better as narrator for this book. They would have been able to shape and energise the words with emotiion, and keep the words flowing naturally.

Was The Ministry of Utmost Happiness worth the listening time?

No.

Poor narration

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Brilliant narration by Arundhati Roy to accompany such a wonderfully written book! Absolutely loved it.

What a beautiful performance by Roy!

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It would be wrong to say this book is an easy read - it has a complex plot and multiple characters. However, once you surrender yourself to the beauty of the writing you will not look back.
Hearing Arundhati read her own book to you is a serious treat.

Thought provokingly stunning

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it is an experience in itself

Who was your favorite character and why?

Anjum, for the complexities of her character , Saddam, for the mix of humour and eccentricity, Musa, for his strength yet also his humility, Tilo, for her general outlook and strength of character

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Anjum coming out of her depression and announcing to the kwaghbah that SHE would decide the way Zainab would dress!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I have spent hours listening and re-listening over and over, not least because I adore Arundhati Roy's voice and her way of speaking (she is also the narrator).

Any additional comments?

If you find the story hard to follow at first stick with it because it is a tapestry that reveals itself and becomes a fascinating work of art. Please don't wait 20 yrs to write your next masterpiece of fiction, Ms Roy!!

Outstanding, on par with the G.O.S.T's , fantastic

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