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The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
- Narrated by: Arundhati Roy
- Length: 16 hrs and 36 mins
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The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
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Summary
Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, written and read by Arundhati Roy.
An intimate author-read recording of the richly moving new novel - the first since the author's Booker-Prize winning, internationally celebrated debut, The God of Small Things, went on to become a beloved best seller and enduring classic.
Arundhati's voice transports us across a subcontinent on a journey of many years in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. It takes us deep into the lives of its gloriously rendered characters, each of them in search of a place of safety - in search of meaning, and of love.
In a graveyard outside the walls of Old Delhi, a resident unrolls a threadbare Persian carpet. On a concrete sidewalk, a baby suddenly appears, just after midnight. In a snowy valley, a bereaved father writes a letter to his five-year-old daughter about the people who came to her funeral. In a second-floor apartment, a lone woman chain-smokes as she reads through her old notebooks. At the Jannat Guest House, two people who have known each other all their lives sleep with their arms wrapped around each other, as though they have just met.
A braided narrative of astonishing force and originality, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is at once a love story and a provocation - a novel as inventive as it is emotionally engaging. It is told with a whisper, in a shout, through joyous tears and sometimes with a bitter laugh. Its heroes, both present and departed, have been broken by the world we live in - and then mended by love. For this reason, they will never surrender.
How to tell a shattered story?
By slowly becoming everybody.
No.
By slowly becoming everything.
Humane and sensuous, beautifully narrated by the author herself, this extraordinary audiobook demonstrates the miracle of Arundhati Roy's storytelling gifts.
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What listeners say about The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- GR BUTLER
- 04-09-17
Beautifully read and utterly heartbreaking
The first thing to say is that the fact this incredible work is read by Roy herself is what makes what could otherwise be a daunting, diffuse and complex novel an absolute delight to listen to. She has a beautiful voice, with pathos and humour: you sense her enjoyment of her own words.
The novel itself is long, with a vast array of characters, an achronological plot, split across decades and geographies. It features long passages that are often difficult to hear, accounts of rape, torture, massacres, riots and abuse. But for all the pain and suffering and injustices featured, and the inevitable discomfort this produces in the reader, the story revolves around ordinary, or rather extraordinary, people, coming together, finding one another, accepting and loving one another, and trying to create a space for themselves apart from the madness of twentyfirst century South Asia.
The central characters thread through the narrative and you develop a real fondness for them, with all their flaws. You are scared for them, Angry for them, impressed by them and always ultimately rooting for them. No one is one dimensional. By the end of the novel they feel like members of your own family.
There were several moments where I actually gasped at the beauty of Roy's language. She is a philosopher as well as a novelist, activist and commentator.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Hazel
- 18-05-18
wonderful storytelling
vivid settings, rich and complex characterisation. thoroughly enjoyable. I'll be looking out for more from this incredibly viseral author.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 25-01-18
Beautiful writing
I loved this book at first. The writing is poetic and evocative and it’s wonderful to hear it read by the author.
However the story gets so co fusing with sooooo many characters. In the end I was listening just to the snapshots of writing having lost the plot completely.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Ms. N. Ferguson-lees
- 28-09-17
fantastico
loved every bit of it and what a charming lullaby voice Roi has. charming and beautiful prose
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 17-01-19
disjointed
Well written but disjointed story, had difficulty following narrative. What started as a study of diversity transformed into a political history of violence in Kashmir.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dan Jackson
- 28-05-19
wow, what an amazing storyteller
Arundhati Roy has a beautiful voice, the story she has written is so powerful, perfect
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- SG
- 17-11-17
Complex and Moving
The tale of a marvellous cast of characters, passionate believers, graced with warmth and tenacity in a harsh and unyielding world. It depicts an India that few foreigners see, let alone understand. Long, easiest digested in chunks , leaving time for reflection between.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- M J Crawshaw
- 15-07-18
Acutely observed on both a grand & intimate scale
This is a very special book which I adored. Arundhati Roy has written a masterpiece in my opinion. It was wonderful to listen to the author read the passages in Urdu which also makes it a good book to listen to. I read it too and now that I have finished it I feel that I will miss it too much so may just have to read it again! This I might add is something I never do, nor is leaving a review but as I said it is a very special book. Read it!!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- B
- 20-05-23
History unfolding : a story of Love and friendships, of race , religion and politics in the largest democracy!
A wonderful story that has depth and tackles real issues facing India… the politics of Kashmir and the human cost, the current situation we face in india written well before it happened,, the divisions based on caste, race , religion and gender including the plight of transgender people ..all set within a story about deep friendships and love against the backdrop of Delhi. A must read for anybody who wants a glimpse into India or is a person of Indian origin Ms. Roy reads beautifully and I enjoyed it very much .I found having it read to me much more accessible and engaging .
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mrs
- 12-06-17
Couldn't finish 😢
Sadly gave up listening. I was so looking forward to Arundhati Roy's new book and was excited by the thought of the narration given by the author as I had heard her being interviewed.
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.
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17 people found this helpful