The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017
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3 Months Free
Buy Now for £10.88
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Narrated by:
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Arundhati Roy
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By:
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Arundhati Roy
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...
Critic reviews
The first hour or two was just lovely but as the story became more complex the quality of the narration faltered. Some long passages sounded monotone and small phrases were paused at the end of sentences then quickly added as if the voice was catching up with the readers eyes. It really detracted from the enjoyment of and concentration on the story. I suspect we are getting used to such fabulous and professional narration that when a slightly amateurish attempt is presented, it is just too noticeable. Happy to have another go with another narrator at a later time.
Couldn't finish 😢
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Buried in the undergrowth of a forgotten garden
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Beautiful sprawling story that spans India
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Where does The Ministry of Utmost Happiness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
My favourite audiobook so far.What was one of the most memorable moments of The Ministry of Utmost Happiness?
I loved how the individual character's stories weaved amongst each other.Which scene did you most enjoy?
Each section of the book held its own memorable moments but the imagery linked to the ever-changing cemetery was superb.Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It's a big book and needed to be heard in small chunks, allowing time for each section to resonate.Any additional comments?
I particularly enjoyed the author's beautiful rhythmic narration - don't let some of the other reviews put you off!A beautiful novel
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Witty yet shocking
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