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The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
- Narrated by: Arundhati Roy
- Length: 16 hrs and 36 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Historical
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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.
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What listeners say about The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Shagufta Arshad
- 30-10-19
The God of Small things is better.
The first half of the story is great. I wanted to know more about Anjum but the story goes to Kashmir and other major characters surrounding the situation.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 25-11-20
Two novels in one book
First half of the book is about Anjum while the second revolves around Thilo. First half explores the world of trans people while the second, Kashmiri lives. What lacks is a proper link between the two worlds. Reader is forced to shift focus which kills the flow. As a writer of details, Roy has done a fabulous job with the descriptions. Worth a read.
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- Amazon Customer
- 20-08-19
Untangling and rearranging the happiness
Into the already twisted and complex worlds of Anjum, Revathy and Tilo, Saddam, Naga, Biplab and Musa, India and Kashmir and a home, dhuniya and the world, enters Udaya - a new hope, a new beginning - a product of everyone and everything - for whom everyone should do what is right and everything should be perfect. Roy is brilliant both in her writing and in her narration. Her brilliance in story telling is unmatchable.
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- mandeep
- 24-06-19
Story of Contemporary India
Narrated beautifully, this book talks about everything that is ugly & dark in India. The words are woven in an intricate thread and the writing is quite poetic - with phrases from Urdu, Kashmiri & Malayalam poetry. All characters have a strong history - they stay with you even after you have finished reading.
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- Amazon Customer
- 14-06-19
Gripping and Endearing
The author tells the long story with UTMOST sincerity and interest.
The story is a fantasy with realistic backgrounds and vivid descriptions of atrocities and sorrow.
However, Few parts seem unnecessarily long and burdening.
It takes a strong heart to listen or imagine the plot
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- Rajorshi Bhattacharya
- 23-05-19
Amazingly well crafted.
This book is amazing well crafted on a back drop which transcends through time. The characters and the story gets under the skin and gives you the feeling of leaving in the time, next to them and seeing them.
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- Pratyush
- 22-05-19
Makes you ponder about the country
At the outset, let me just say that Madam Arundhati Roy's narration was nothing short of amazing. Something that I personally enjoyed was the structure of the book: how the story is told from the perspective of different characters, the transition never feeling abrupt, and the story never feeling specious.
The book certainly compels you to spend some time wondering about India's past, present and the probable future. I definitely recommend this book! 👌🏽
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- Mohan Raj
- 22-05-19
Poetic prose
The narrative of Arundhati Roy is very poetic and engaging. The characters remain with you for a long time.
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- GP
- 19-05-19
A novel for the generations...
i am not much of a writer but a reader of novels. And this one surely deserves to be among the top shelf. Arundhati Roy has outdone herself and made a fan out of me. Her fluid story telling,the poetry ,the painting of pictures is so excuisite,that it even makes a "non-writer" like myself wish that i could write... the story flows through you ..it will move you in ways you can't imagine and will change the perception of the world around you or atleast give you one.
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- Tomy Mathew
- 23-11-19
So real... Excellent Narration
I really liked this book. The story was woven in an interesting fashion. Really an eye opener to understand what was happening in J&K. Arundhati's own narration added charm to this audible title.
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- Abhigyan
- 08-08-17
beautifully written , a simple yet storming story
beautifully written, there's magic in this book , I mean real magic , must read . a story from the heart .
3 people found this helpful
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- Greg D. Joffe
- 16-03-18
Brilliant
I loved this book. Arundhati Roy reads it beautifully and her writing sparkles and her anger at human behaviour and aspects of India is supercharged.
2 people found this helpful
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- Lisl Barry
- 23-09-19
Hauntingly poetic. Tragically beautiful.
As with her first novel, God of Small Things, I was spellbound. Being able to listen to Arundhati's beautiful writing read in her own soft, accented voice was the cherry on the top. The storytelling for this novel couldn't get more authentic. I felt honoured to be listening to this masterful weaver of words.
She threads her magic into every sentence and gives insight into India's multi-layered society. It is a wonderous tale (or many) that follows eccentric, marginalised characters and "ordinary" people in society who are pushed to extraordinary extremes in their lives in order to survive the prejudice, hardships and chaotic lawlessness. I found it an eye opener into the political and religious web that exists there and the occupied Kashmiri Valley. It is a disturbing reflection on human nature but her ability to transform even traumatic events into something close to poetry makes these tragic stories shared more bearable to hear, while at the same time emphasises the senseless of the dreadfulness. These left me wondering, not for the first time in my life, if the human race will ever actually succeed in getting along. Yet through all that, there are strong underlying stories that share our ability to love. Deeply.
I love Arundhati's subtle humour. Especially in the Jannat guest house created around Anjum's family graveyard. So many beautiful moments and characters, I often re-listened to sections just to fully appreciate her brilliance. Thank you Arundhati.
1 person found this helpful
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- Hans
- 05-04-19
Good but could be great
As usual Arundhati Roy's writing is wonderful but the unfortunately, the story doesnt do it service. The story lacks coherence at points and there isnt a clear line narration line
1 person found this helpful
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- Aureli
- 30-11-18
Great in every way!
Amazing writer for singular stories through a beloved India. High level of language so for non native you may enjoy to have the written version with you, depending on your level. I loved the book with all its nuances and details. Very recommended.
1 person found this helpful
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- KMV
- 19-06-17
Buried in the undergrowth of a forgotten garden
I can only think that Ms Roy used almost every fibre of her being to write this book. For anybody who has lived in a place where all is not as it seems on a fairly grand, enduring scale you'll appreciate the layers upon layers of this narrative. If those are not experiences familiar to you then the beauty of the images countered by others quite unexpected, some funny, many thought provoking, may hold your attention. I hope the person who gave the first review tries again. Ms Roy's reading may not be polished to perfection, but that is what gives this audiobook both charm and a sense of the story's immense wealth.
7 people found this helpful
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- Rachel Redford
- 20-06-17
A definite should-read!
Arundhati Roy’s follow-up to her 1997 Booker Prize winning The God of Small Things has been long awaited, and after her twenty years as a high profile political activist, it is no surprise that listening to 16 hours of The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is a challenging, deeply uncomfortable but rewarding experience.
There’s a sort of narrative following mainly Anjum, a transwoman struggling to live in Delhi and finally finding some kind of peace along with others in a city graveyard, and Tilo a strong woman activist not unlike Roy herself and the three men who fall unhappily in love with her. Around these few lives are woven looping skeins of other lives in this huge, sprawling, disjointed, polemical, hydra-headed work - fiction blended with myth, poetry and a justified raging fury against the myriad corruptions and cruelties of modern India and a fired by a determination to give a voice to the disregarded suffering millions.
For me, it’s a work of righteous fury based on Roy’s 20 years of activism – whether it’s concerning the victims of Bhopal walking 3 weeks to make another protest with their ‘macabre bunting’ of birth defects to be ignored once again; 2000 Muslims killed in revenge for Hindu pilgrims burned alive in their train; or most importantly her focus in this labyrinthine work the on-going, unsolved vicious battle over Kashmir in all its heart-breaking detail.
In between these huge concerns are a torrent of others woven in including the building of dams at the expense of communities of poor people and the vast range of government scams – and all those on a small scale – bodies returned without eyes to their relatives; sharp practice in the Eid goat market; precious dead cows swollen with ingested plastic bags; vultures killed by eating carcasses of cows injected to increases their milk yield resulting in dead bodies not being disposed of...
It’s the details that are so telling – the high-heeled young women who think it would such ‘fun’ to visit Kashmir, the woman chucking her rubbish over her balcony as her driver cleans the Toyota Corolla; the little girls in gold slippers trying to avoid the goats’ blood flowing down the street.
Roy reads this lengthy work herself which is entirely appropriate as she knows where to communicate emphasis, compassion, horror and irony. She also reads the quite considerable amount of Hindi / Urdu (I don’t know what language it is) which I would skip if reading the book, but even without understanding the words, it adds to the absorption of the work.
Definitely a 'should-read'!
12 people found this helpful
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- 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.
16 people found this helpful
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- Mrs Abigail S J Harrison
- 01-02-18
A marathon
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!
2 people found this helpful
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- K
- 04-11-17
Couldn't keep listening
Like many others, I gave up on this one due to the terrible narration. I loved 'The God of Small Things' and was so looking forward to this book - but after listening for several hours I couldn't go on because of the narration. This isn't the first good book I've listened to that's been narrated, terribly, by the author - I'll be avoiding them in the future. The story was interesting so I'll get the book from the library and enjoy in the old fashioned way when I have time to sit down and read (rather than listen and walk, which is how I most often access novels these days). A real shame.
2 people found this helpful
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- Niraj
- 26-02-18
Harrowing Book, Awful Delivery
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Yes and No. I found the book an eye opening tale of politics in modern India. The sections based in Kashmir were haunting and a real eye opening (the abuses are not widely reported in world media).
I would only recommend this book to the right sort of person or a person interested in politics/ human rights. The book does not follow a standard narrative, and in some ways the characters only exist as a conduit for the reader to explore the local environment/ politics.
The book is beautifully/ poetically written. However the book did seem disjointed in some sections.
What didn’t you like about Arundhati Roy’s performance?
The narration was performed by the author instead of a professional actor/ narrator. While the author can certainly write exceptionally well, the book is read as someone would speak in poetry recital! Her slow melodic voice akin to a lullaby is often at complete odds with the tension/ atrocities endured by the character.
By the end of the book I found myself desperate to continue the story, but dreaded listening to the narration! I would have give the book 4-41/2 stars out of 5 if the narration had been better.
3 people found this helpful
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- 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.
1 person found this helpful
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- CraftyM
- 20-11-17
Hard to listen to
I hoped the narration would improve but it's really not good, very monotonous and without any intonation. It's a mistake to have the author read their book I think, and would have been much better with an actor who could give it life. I bought the audio with the book, thinking I would enjoy having it read to me, but it actually made me want to run away and hide, just hearing that boring, boring voice (actually she has a lovely voice, but not as a reader) grating on me. Tried listening to it in bed at night, and had to turn it down as it was so irritating. What a shame. I gave the story only 3 stars because the narration has spoiled it for me, and I haven't been able to give it a fair go. Back to the good old reading version.
1 person found this helpful
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- 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.
1 person found this helpful
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- melanie john-ross
- 25-06-17
Poor narration. Will buy the book instead😕
Loved Roy's last book The God of Small Things and I think I will love this one too, but sadly have given up on this audible version as the narrator is just so poor. I was initially pleased when purchasing that Roy herself was the narrator as it can work well. This is a book of great detail, with many complex intertwining character's and their lives. The narration at times was flat and hurried. Understandably not all great author's are great narrator's - two very different skills.
Audio should have picked this up. Will definitely buy and read the book!
7 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-07-17
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.
7 people found this helpful
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- Lyn Bender
- 25-06-17
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 .
5 people found this helpful
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- tracy
- 20-10-17
authors shouldn't read their books!
monotonous tone and lack of plot made this difficult and uninteresting. pity. interesting premise
4 people found this helpful
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- Helen Marsh
- 09-12-17
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.
1 person found this helpful
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- KM
- 20-08-17
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.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 16-06-20
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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- Anonymous User
- 28-11-19
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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- Anonymous User
- 11-11-19
Impossible to access
I loved 'The God of Small Things' and made 'Happiness' my first download on Audible. I can't get past the first 2 minutes of the text. The author is reading it very slowly, and the accent slows the pace of the reading down. I'm not going to be able to push play on the next sixteen hours - which is a shame, because the prose is beautifully poetic. I think I'll read the book instead.
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- Kerry Kilner
- 29-07-19
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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- Saudamini
- 09-08-18
Really wanted to like this!
Was a struggle to get through this book. Didn't finish it in the end. Absolutely loved the god of small things. This one not so much :(