I wasn't sure if I'd like this book because I've already seen the movie, but I was glad to see that the book is an entirely different story. The premise is the same - a young man wins a quiz show and the producers arrest him on suspicion of cheating, but his life experiences help him answer the questions - but most of the questions (and the experiences that go with them) are completely different than the ones in the film, with a different cast of characters.

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I really liked this book, and it's much better than the movie. Fast read. Clever story telling.

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After my book club read several books about India and the situation there regarding women, slums, poverty, etc., I loudly proclaimed that I would never read another book about India. I had to eat those words when we decided to read and discuss this book. I loved it, even though all the above elements are still in it. Much, much better than the movie. The writing held my interest and I thoroughly loved the coincidences that led to Ram's victories.

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I would rank this book as a modern day classic. It is a very well written treatise on social condition. There is revenge for violence toward women and children. Reward for persevering and obtaining an education through life experiences. It shows how money or lack thereof influences even life and death decisions. I would highly recommend it.

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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 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.

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Never judge a movie until you have read the book that is behind it! An orphan of unknown race (or mixture thereof) wins a billion rupees on a quiz show only to be arrested for fraud. This is the story of his experiences that have led him to know the answers to all of the questions posed even though he is largely uneducated and illiterate. The questions and his answers are simply told, yet his experiences that have led him to the correct responses are not. This book will hold your rapt attention from beginning to end; it is a masterly woven tale.

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