Publication
Transworld Publ. Ltd UK (2006), Edition: New Ed, 384 pages
Original publication date
2005
Collections
Genres
Subjects
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2010)
Benjamin Franklin Award (2006)
Irish Book Award (Nominee — 2007)
Exclusive Books Boeke Prize (Winner — 2006)
Writers Guild of America Award (Winner — Best Adapted Screenplay — 2008)
BAFTA Award (Winner — Best Adapted Screenplay — 2008)
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML: Former tiffin boy Ram Mohammad Thomas has correctly answered twelve questions on a television quiz show to win a cool one billion rupees. But he is brutally slung in prison on suspicion of cheating-for how else could a poor, uneducated orphan know so much: the name of the smallest planet, global capitals, and diplomatic policy? In the order of the questions on the show, Ram tells us which amazing adventures in his street-kid life gave him the answers. From orphanages to brothels, gangsters to beggar-masters, and into the homes of Bollywood's rich and famous, Ram's story is brimming with the chaotic comedy, heart-stopping tragedy, and tear-inducing joyousness of modern India..
User reviews
LibraryThing member Naisy
One of the best books I've read. This story of survival really opened my eyes to the living conditions in other parts of the world. For his first novel, Swarup's detail and description of the people and places in the book, is incredible. I would definitely read other works by him.
LibraryThing member TiffanyAK
This book is vastly different from the movie, and in a great way. The filmmakers used the basic premise, that of a poor Indian boy on a quiz show whose life experiences allow him to answer the questions, but drastically changed the characters and experiences. There are some parts of the book that
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are similar to the story told in the movie, but for the most part they are two very different things using the same general plot idea. Therefore, reading the book is not at all the typical experience of feeling like you know most everything already from watching the movie and are only getting a few new details. Instead, reading the book after seeing the movie is still fully enjoyable and fresh, and I would assume that's true in the reverse as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member Secret7
Challenging, cleverly written with twists, turns and great humour. I loved this book :)
LibraryThing member nomadreader
Q & A was the basis of Slumdog Millionaire. I have still not seen the movie, but I loved the book. The premise is brilliant and simple: a poor waiter in Mumbai lands on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and he wins. The producers are convinced he cheated; how could this
The book was an absolute joy to read. It was a beautifully haunting look at the unglamorous realities of life in India. As I love to say about great novels, the plot is not truly what it's about. Aren't we all representations of our collective knowledge from surprisingly and usual places? I love to ask the question, "how do you know that?" because it so often leads to great stories of happenstance.
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uneducated young man possibly know the answers to all these questions? The book takes us through his life, question by question. The chapters go in the order of the game show, so it's not chronological in Ram's life.The book was an absolute joy to read. It was a beautifully haunting look at the unglamorous realities of life in India. As I love to say about great novels, the plot is not truly what it's about. Aren't we all representations of our collective knowledge from surprisingly and usual places? I love to ask the question, "how do you know that?" because it so often leads to great stories of happenstance.
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LibraryThing member Clara53
The movie "Slumdog Millionaire", based on this book, won the Oscar, as was expected. I am happy for India, I agree that the intentions to make the movie might have been the best, but, truly, as far as I am concerned, it came out as another "shocker" meant for the western audience. But what amazes
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me the most is the fact that nobody is talking about how radically different the screen script is from the book, upon which they claim it was based. The writer himself (a talented Vikas Swarup) should be furious with the way his book was butchered. (Maybe all the fame went to his head and he is pacified?). Even the protagonist himself, while being portrayed as a Muslim boy, in the book he is an ORPHAN who is given a name Ram Mohammad Thomas - because his origins are UNKNOWN (his mother having abandoned him as a baby in basket at the entrance to a church). I've seen movies made from books before, but never one so atrociously rearranged. YET - if anything good comes out of it (by attracting attention to the poor of India), I am all for that, of course. Show Less
LibraryThing member kingsstaff
Brilliant novel which I had difficulty putting down, managed to read it in two days! It begins with the hero being arrested and thrown into jail being accused of cheating on the show, although we discover it is in fact that the production company who really do not have the money to pay him. Rescued
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from torture by a mystery woman he spends the night going through each question answered giving a snapshot of his life and how circumstances enabled him to answer each question. Show Less
LibraryThing member SamuelW
If Oliver Twist had been born in twenty-first-century India, his life might well have turned out something like this. Vikas Swarup’s debut novel Q & A is a vibrant new take on the trials and adventures of a familiar heroic archetype – the penniless orphan – structured into an engrossing
The narration is thoroughly readable, and the pages slip away with refreshing speed. Swarup has a storyteller’s gift; a talent for taking the reader to where he wants them and evoking his material in punchy snippets which blend seamlessly into each other. The style, fittingly, is reminiscent of memory, pushing strict chronology aside in favour of ideas and feelings, and swinging from scene to scene without dropping the reader for a moment. It is not a confronting replication of our thought processes, but it is certainly a convincing one.
Admittedly, the realism wears thin in places – there are some yeah right moments and some clichés – a few of the twists and revelations feel contrived, and some of the prose seems amateurish. All of these flaws, however, melt easily into the hyper-real style of the piece. Once the reader has been swept up in this convincingly childlike and irresistibly big-hearted yarn, any overblown passages seem only to contribute to the extraordinary atmosphere.
Impressively plotted, absorbingly structured, powerfully paced and written with enough energy to carry it all off, Q & A will keep its readers turning pages right to the very last rupee. A thoroughly enjoyable book.
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jumble of short stories. Each story stands alone as a snapshot of Ram’s remarkable experiences, complete with its own twists and revelations, but together, they paint an engrossing portrait of modern India, where rich and poor alike are swept up in the chaotic vicissitudes of life. With simultaneous frankness and feeling, Swarup captures not only the appalling conditions of India’s slums and chawls, but also the depth and humanity of the people who inhabit them – people with dreams and passions and senses of humour, rather than mere statistics to be pitied.The narration is thoroughly readable, and the pages slip away with refreshing speed. Swarup has a storyteller’s gift; a talent for taking the reader to where he wants them and evoking his material in punchy snippets which blend seamlessly into each other. The style, fittingly, is reminiscent of memory, pushing strict chronology aside in favour of ideas and feelings, and swinging from scene to scene without dropping the reader for a moment. It is not a confronting replication of our thought processes, but it is certainly a convincing one.
Admittedly, the realism wears thin in places – there are some yeah right moments and some clichés – a few of the twists and revelations feel contrived, and some of the prose seems amateurish. All of these flaws, however, melt easily into the hyper-real style of the piece. Once the reader has been swept up in this convincingly childlike and irresistibly big-hearted yarn, any overblown passages seem only to contribute to the extraordinary atmosphere.
Impressively plotted, absorbingly structured, powerfully paced and written with enough energy to carry it all off, Q & A will keep its readers turning pages right to the very last rupee. A thoroughly enjoyable book.
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LibraryThing member -Eva-
I really loved the format of this - what could have been a few separate stories is cleverly woven into a cohesive narrative, which describe certain aspects of Indian society (at least the lower echelons).
Our narrator, Ram Mohammad Thomas, is a street-wise orphan who manages to get himself into and
Although some of the stories are quite improbable, the narrator's innocent voice make them believable, but the ending is so neatly tied together it's almost annoying. It feels like the author wanted to make sure that his characters had happy endings after all the misery he has put them through. However, the Prem Kumar-solution is simply too much of a coincidence to be satisfying.
Note: The movie Slumdog Millionaire was loosely based on this novel, but the only things they have in common are the frame-story and a few details - most of the characters and events are quite different.
Our narrator, Ram Mohammad Thomas, is a street-wise orphan who manages to get himself into and
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out of various tight situations, sometimes with more and sometimes with less success. The stories are not chronological (they follow the order of the gameshow-questions) so sometimes it can be difficult to figure out the sequence of events in Ram's life.Although some of the stories are quite improbable, the narrator's innocent voice make them believable, but the ending is so neatly tied together it's almost annoying. It feels like the author wanted to make sure that his characters had happy endings after all the misery he has put them through. However, the Prem Kumar-solution is simply too much of a coincidence to be satisfying.
Note: The movie Slumdog Millionaire was loosely based on this novel, but the only things they have in common are the frame-story and a few details - most of the characters and events are quite different.
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LibraryThing member Cariola
I haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't say how the book compares. A good but not great novel about an uneducated young man who is accused of cheating to win the Indian equivalent of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" because no one can believe that he would know so many answers otherwise. Swarup
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uses an interesting structure: as Ram Mohammed Thomas reviews the show's tapes with his lawyer, he relates the events in his life that led to his knowing the correct answer for each. Although his story is one of cruelty and hardship, his optimism and good nature persist. The ending is full of happy coincidences and quite a few surprises. Show Less
LibraryThing member maup
Read this almost in one go. Clever structure, I really enjoyed it. It's a pageturner, you just want to find out how things are going to turn out for Ram Mohammad Thomas eventually. While finding this out, one learns a lot about Indian society and life's struggle for the lower classes.
Saw the film
Saw the film
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adaptation and yes, it was good. Not the book's story itself, but the book's idea in moving pictures. Show Less
LibraryThing member indygo88
I think I'm in the minority when I say that the movie was a disappointment after reading this book. I enjoyed this novel quite a lot. With a unique timeline plot, which was a bit confusing for me at times, it ultimately pulled the book together in a necessary & fulfilling way, with a few surprises
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that I wasn't expecting thrown into the mix. Having watched the movie immediately after finishing the book & expecting so much after all of the awards & hype, I thought the movie would've been better had it been adapted more closely to the book. The basic elements were there, but a lot was different & I had trouble coming to terms with that. But this is a book review & not a movie review, after all, so after all is said & done, I thought this was an excellent read. It was at times unrealistic & maybe a little bit too coincidental, but it ultimately ended up being a feel-good book, in my opinion. Show Less
LibraryThing member LynnB
I am a big fan of game shows, so when I learned that this book told the story of a poor orphan/waiter who won $1,000,000,000 rupees on a game show, I had to read it.
Ram Mohammed Thomas is arrested for cheating on a television game show -- he was uneducated and poor, so how could he possibly have
Ram's story is one of growing up poor in India, and provides a series of vignettes of the lives of various people he comes into contact with. His story is interesting, and his innocent, young voice remains true in spite of all his experiences.
My one criticism is that the ending tied everything up so quickly and neatly. I would have liked a little mystery left over, or a sense that Ram had something else to conquer.
Ram Mohammed Thomas is arrested for cheating on a television game show -- he was uneducated and poor, so how could he possibly have
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won otherwise, right? As his lawyer tries to help him, we learn the story behind how he knew the answers to each of the questions on the show.Ram's story is one of growing up poor in India, and provides a series of vignettes of the lives of various people he comes into contact with. His story is interesting, and his innocent, young voice remains true in spite of all his experiences.
My one criticism is that the ending tied everything up so quickly and neatly. I would have liked a little mystery left over, or a sense that Ram had something else to conquer.
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LibraryThing member AnneliM
The base of the Oscar winning film "'Slumdog Millionaire
LibraryThing member MisterJJones
An entertaining story of a young street-kid's life and luck in northern India, Q&A follows an unusual format of episodic flashbacks that, although confusing at times, helps to turn what could be a depressing tale of poverty and deprivation into an uplifting and entertaining read.
LibraryThing member afyfe
I really enjoyed this book, I loved the way it was written and structured. The only thing I didn't love was the ending, I felt like it was very anitclimatic when it all came to a conclusion after the last question. The twist at the end should've been built up more, maybe given hints along the way
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since her character was such a small part up until the final pages. But up until that point I was very involved with the book, and now I will let myslef see the movie! Highly recommend this book to almost anyone! Show Less
LibraryThing member nobooksnolife
Simon & Schuster has just re-released this book with a new title --Slumdog Millionaire-- to go along with the movie made from the book. Judging from the movie trailer, it will be worth a look. I've read many reviews of this book (on the sites of the major booksellers; I haven't even looked at LT
However, I really loved this book for its lack of pretense, and for the fact that it's not trying to be literary. In fact, it may have been "trying" to be a movie, and, gee, look what happened! It was clever, entertaining, and thought-provoking.
Whether you end up reading it or seeing the film, have fun with this one. It's lighthearted, but has a darker, complicated side, and in fact sent me into a long (still going on) reading spell for nonfiction and literature from India.
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reviews yet, intentionally) and many folks criticize it for its "lack of literary-ness". However, I really loved this book for its lack of pretense, and for the fact that it's not trying to be literary. In fact, it may have been "trying" to be a movie, and, gee, look what happened! It was clever, entertaining, and thought-provoking.
Whether you end up reading it or seeing the film, have fun with this one. It's lighthearted, but has a darker, complicated side, and in fact sent me into a long (still going on) reading spell for nonfiction and literature from India.
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LibraryThing member pollard157
Brilliantly conceived story based on a quiz show contestant in India. Culture, humour, pathos and a happy ending!
LibraryThing member LiteraryFeline
It was a spur of the moment decision to read Vikas Swarup’s novel when I did. I tend to prefer to read the book before seeing the movie it is based on, but I hadn’t known until recently that the movie was actually based on a book. In cases like this, when I really want to see the movie in the
I loved the book. I loved the movie. Slumdog Millionaire is both a love story and a coming of age story. The book and movie are very different from one another, while at the same time sharing a similar structure and commonalities that will be easily recognizable to those who have watched and read the two formats. And yet, the two are different enough from each other to be completely different stories all together, at least content wise. For those who are nitpicky about book to movie translations, you might want to put some distance between reading the book and watching the movie. The two are worth taking in though. Both the movie and book tell stories that will pull at your heart strings, make you laugh and cry, and make you fall in love. At least, that’s how it was for me.
In Vikas Swarup’s novel, set in India, Ram Mohammed Thomas was abandoned by his mother when he was still an infant. He was left on the church doorstep, taken in by the church, adopted by a family, and then abandoned again. During his early childhood he was raised by a priest but then, due to unfortunate circumstances he was ripped away from all he knew and his life took an entirely different direction.
The book opens with Thomas being arrested and then tortured by the police, accused of cheating on the game show, Who Wants to Be a Billionaire. He won by answering twelve questions, questions an uneducated street boy couldn’t possibly have had the answers for all on his own. Or could he?
Sticklers for novels told in chronological order may struggle with this one at first. The unfolding of the story comes in a roundabout way, the chapters structured around each of the questions asked on the quiz show. With every question, Thomas tells his life story, the story of how he knew the answers that would end up winning him a billion rupees. The chapters, therefore, jump back and forth through time, not always following a chronological path. I had no trouble following the story, however, and actually found the format of the story quite effective. It was the perfect set up for what was to come.
Thomas is an amazing boy. His life has been extremely difficult. He has seen things that no child should have to see. He is street wise and yet has a good heart. He is a loyal friend. After leaving the church, Thomas is sent to an orphanage where he befriends Salim, a Muslim orphan boy whose family was brutally murdered right in front of him. Thomas takes Salim under his wing and the two are, for a time, inseparable.
Thomas meets many people while growing up. He travels across India doing his best to survive. He lives off of the streets, serves the wealthy, is taken in by those with kind hearts and treated ill by those up to no good. Even in the worst of times, Thomas seems to come out of every situation okay, although perhaps a little more weary of the world.
I came away from the novel with tears in my eyes, touched by not only Thomas’ story, but by those whose lives he touched. It truly was an inspirational story. Slumdog Millionaire (aka Q&A) is well worth reading.
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theater, I often times will just go ahead and see the movie anyway. The book will have to wait. Fortunately, I was able to get my hands on a copy of Slumdog Millionaire, so titled after the movie no less. The original title of the book is Q&A. Perhaps not quite as sellable but still more accurate when it comes right down to it.I loved the book. I loved the movie. Slumdog Millionaire is both a love story and a coming of age story. The book and movie are very different from one another, while at the same time sharing a similar structure and commonalities that will be easily recognizable to those who have watched and read the two formats. And yet, the two are different enough from each other to be completely different stories all together, at least content wise. For those who are nitpicky about book to movie translations, you might want to put some distance between reading the book and watching the movie. The two are worth taking in though. Both the movie and book tell stories that will pull at your heart strings, make you laugh and cry, and make you fall in love. At least, that’s how it was for me.
In Vikas Swarup’s novel, set in India, Ram Mohammed Thomas was abandoned by his mother when he was still an infant. He was left on the church doorstep, taken in by the church, adopted by a family, and then abandoned again. During his early childhood he was raised by a priest but then, due to unfortunate circumstances he was ripped away from all he knew and his life took an entirely different direction.
The book opens with Thomas being arrested and then tortured by the police, accused of cheating on the game show, Who Wants to Be a Billionaire. He won by answering twelve questions, questions an uneducated street boy couldn’t possibly have had the answers for all on his own. Or could he?
Sticklers for novels told in chronological order may struggle with this one at first. The unfolding of the story comes in a roundabout way, the chapters structured around each of the questions asked on the quiz show. With every question, Thomas tells his life story, the story of how he knew the answers that would end up winning him a billion rupees. The chapters, therefore, jump back and forth through time, not always following a chronological path. I had no trouble following the story, however, and actually found the format of the story quite effective. It was the perfect set up for what was to come.
Thomas is an amazing boy. His life has been extremely difficult. He has seen things that no child should have to see. He is street wise and yet has a good heart. He is a loyal friend. After leaving the church, Thomas is sent to an orphanage where he befriends Salim, a Muslim orphan boy whose family was brutally murdered right in front of him. Thomas takes Salim under his wing and the two are, for a time, inseparable.
Thomas meets many people while growing up. He travels across India doing his best to survive. He lives off of the streets, serves the wealthy, is taken in by those with kind hearts and treated ill by those up to no good. Even in the worst of times, Thomas seems to come out of every situation okay, although perhaps a little more weary of the world.
I came away from the novel with tears in my eyes, touched by not only Thomas’ story, but by those whose lives he touched. It truly was an inspirational story. Slumdog Millionaire (aka Q&A) is well worth reading.
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LibraryThing member daneeee
i felt that this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. while some of the characters are really only touched upon, the primary character, ram, was well developed and many facets of his personality were presented, making him very realistic. indian culture waswell presented and i feel that i have learned
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not only about the people of india, but relationships between people of different nationalities and ethnicities as well. i'm glad to have been given the chance to read this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member aagpalo
Powerful story of coincidence, survival, and loyalty. This is an amazing story of a young man's survival in modern day society. This young man learns life lessons on his own through different experiences.
LibraryThing member Zmrzlina
Interesting premise. An Indian waiter, Ram Mohammed Thomas, wins the big prize in a television game show and is promptly arrested. Game show producers claim he cheated to win, but it is not secret the prize will bankrupt the production company, so the cheating charge is pretty much a necessity.
The
The reader learns early that major events in Ram Mohammed Thomas' life is the answer to the question he faces on the game show. His story is a Jeopardy-esque telling where the game show question is only revealed after the answer to that question. The reader must figure out first what part of the story is the answer, and then what the question is.
This way of storytelling is an interesting conceit and is fun for most of the story, but it gets quite tired at the end when coincidence and willing suspension of disbelief are taken just a bit too far. And the ending is just too perfect.
The
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arrested young man is visited by a stranger, a woman who says she wants to help him. She wants him to explain how someone with so little formal education could have won the game show quiz. He tells her that the answers to the questions form his life story. She puts the recording of the show into a player, but before she presses play so they can review the show, he begins his life story. The reader learns early that major events in Ram Mohammed Thomas' life is the answer to the question he faces on the game show. His story is a Jeopardy-esque telling where the game show question is only revealed after the answer to that question. The reader must figure out first what part of the story is the answer, and then what the question is.
This way of storytelling is an interesting conceit and is fun for most of the story, but it gets quite tired at the end when coincidence and willing suspension of disbelief are taken just a bit too far. And the ending is just too perfect.
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LibraryThing member madcurrin
Instant winner with a rewarding last act.
LibraryThing member vindemia
This is the book that the movie Slumdog Millionaire is based on. I had never heard of the book or the movie until it won Golden Globe Awards and is now nominated for the Academy Awards. The principle sounded very interesting to me, a young poor Indian man who is uneducated, lives in the slums, and
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works as a waiter goes on India's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and wins. He is immediately arrested and questioned because they think he cheated. The story is about the events that have happened in his tragic life that have enabled him to know the answers to the questions. This is by far the best book that I have read in a long time. I have not seen the movie, I hope it does the book justice. Show Less
LibraryThing member The_Hibernator
I found Q & A enjoyable for a couple of reasons. First, I am interested in Indian culture—and this book just drops you right in. Second, because I like books that encompass social justice and poverty issues. Q & A describes some of the things kids on the streets in India face. As for the quality
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of the book—the writing was pretty average. The flow between “now” and “then” kind of forced the dialog a bit. Also, the book tends towards Bollywood mellowdrama, but that may be intentional. I think it adds to the whole Bollywood theme of the plot. The interesting subject matter and plot make up for the average writing. Q & A is well worth reading! Show Less
LibraryThing member verenka
Again, a 180 degree turn in topic. Q and A is the book "Slumdog Millionaire" was based upon. I expected an over the top story about suceeding against the odds and that's what I got. I thought it was a good story and well told and it made me want to go see the Taj Mahal.
Some of the twists in the
My only critiscism is the amount of pedophilia/molestation in the book. Several times young boys are in danger of being molested by men who are supposed to take care of them. It happens so often that it seems a bit sensationalist to me. But I know, it's a popular topic. At least once pedophillia is equated with homosexuality, which is just plain wrong.
I finished the book about 10 minutes before I went to see the film. Naturally, the film missed bits that I liked and changed the story a bit. I was disappointed in how they took a good story and made it more hollywood. The book has a love story and they went and changed it to make it even more dramatic. The book had evil people and good people and the film made some characters become evil, just so they could redeem themselves by making the ultimate sacrifice which I though was unneccessary - the story was dramatic enough as it was and with these changes it felt like they turned it into a hollywood film.
Some of the twists in the
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story are so over the top that they are unbelieveable, but it doesn't really matter, because it's magic anyway.My only critiscism is the amount of pedophilia/molestation in the book. Several times young boys are in danger of being molested by men who are supposed to take care of them. It happens so often that it seems a bit sensationalist to me. But I know, it's a popular topic. At least once pedophillia is equated with homosexuality, which is just plain wrong.
I finished the book about 10 minutes before I went to see the film. Naturally, the film missed bits that I liked and changed the story a bit. I was disappointed in how they took a good story and made it more hollywood. The book has a love story and they went and changed it to make it even more dramatic. The book had evil people and good people and the film made some characters become evil, just so they could redeem themselves by making the ultimate sacrifice which I though was unneccessary - the story was dramatic enough as it was and with these changes it felt like they turned it into a hollywood film.
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Language
Original language
English
ISBN
055277250X / 9780552772501
Physical description
384 p.; 5 inches
Pages
384