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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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Publisher's 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.
What listeners say about The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 05-07-2017
At times brilliant, at others boring
A wonderful beginning and very interesting commentary on the past and current Indian political landscapes were, for me, dulled by some of the literary choices in the middle of the book. The last part was again satisfying though.
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7 people 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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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Justinecs
- 06-03-2018
Wonderful, exquisitely sad, beautifully written and read.
Ms Roy writes prose that are poetic and staggeringly original. I just love the way she uses English. The story weaves like a Kashmir rug full of colours and imaginary. Ms Roy brings her own work to life as no one else can. I highly recommend this audio book.
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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
- Kerry Kilner
- 29-07-2019
astonishing return
I will be listening to the wonderful novel again straight away so that I can embed more fully the story, the characters, and the poetry of Arundati Roy"s second novel. Just wonderful. Complex and deeply pertinent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lyn Bender
- 25-06-2017
Hard work but worth it
As was my experience of India many years ago . This book is complex ,unruly, paradox abounds. It encompasses corruption and poverty . Progress and antiquity. Rationality and the world of spirits. The book defies classic literary constructs. It's structure is embedded in stories. Seeming to meander yet moving forward and backwards steadily .
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5 people 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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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jos_P
- 28-11-2019
Amazing book
I lived the story. Epic. The author read it perfectly. I saw it all in my mind. Highly recommended.
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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
- Helen Marsh
- 09-12-2017
Minute detail. Overall masterpiece.
Not a book for the feint hearted, the story takes the minutiae of individual life stories and weaves them together to create an enormous portrait. It interweaves each character into each other’s life and bring a globally human understanding to a way of life, religion, war and what we think of as ‘terrorism’ while remaining impartial and observational. No walk in the park, this. Nevertheless, insights and characters that will remain with you long after you finish the book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Lyn
- 31-07-2017
Beautiful words
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Sorry ; I can't finish it, so many characters and the story told in a monotone confusing style.
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
not finished
Would you listen to another book narrated by Arundhati Roy?
yes
If this book were a film would you go see it?
yes
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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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Story5 out of 5 stars
- KM
- 20-08-2017
Literary Masterpiece.
Master story teller who takes you into the heart of the entire experience.
The narration by the author is completely authentic and is emotionally spellbinding.
Her writing is in the same league as Harper Lee and JK Rowling.
Well worth the 20 year wait for her second novel.
An excellent read.
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1 person found this helpful
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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
- Faisal Sayani
- 19-05-2018
Too much to absorb...
Although she tried doing so many things... as in so many stories in one book, I loved it. loved it because each story felt like my own.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 16-06-2020
Roy is a spinner of tales.
So tragically graphic and historically rich. Arundhati's voice is one of my favourites. So soothing.
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