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A Passage to India
- Narrated by: Sam Dastor
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
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A Passage to India
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Summary
Exclusively from Audible
Dr. Aziz is a young Muslim physician in the British Indian town of Chandrapore. One evening he comes across an English woman, Mrs. Moore, in the courtyard of a local mosque; she and her younger travelling companion Adela are disappointed by claustrophobic British colonial culture and wish to see something of the 'real' India. But when Aziz kindly offers to take them on a tour of the Marabar caves with his close friend Cyril Fielding, the trip results in a shocking accusation that throws Chandrapore into a fever of racial tension.
Set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s it deals with the common racial tensions and prejudices between Indians and the British who ruled India.
Many of Forster's novels observed class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society including A Passage to India, the novel which brought him his greatest success. A secular humanist, Forster showed concern for social, political, and spiritual divisions in the world.
Time magazine included A Passage to India in its All-Time 100 Novels list and it was selected as one of the 100 great works of 20th century English literature by the Modern Library.
Directed by David Lean, a film adaptation was released in 1984 that won numerous awards including two Oscars.
Narrator Biography
A Cambridge graduate who trained at RADA under the direction of Sir Laurence Olivier, Sam Dastor has long featured on screen and stage. He is best known for The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) and for twice portraying Gandhi in both Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy (1986), and Jinnah (1998).
Sam Dastor has starred in many West End productions with roles such as Ariel in The Tempest, and Orlando in As You Like It. His most recent work has included starring on stage at the Wolsey Theatre in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2016). He has narrated a large catalogue of audiobooks including V.S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr Biswas.
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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
- Kindle Customer
- 02-02-16
Don't overlook an older book...
What did you like most about A Passage to India?
A not unsympathetic colonial perspective on India that shows how attitudes were not always as prejudiced as we may imagine whilst reminding us of the worst facets of British colonial racism.
What about Sam Dastor’s performance did you like?
His extraordinary ability to range between Indian and British accents
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Definitely!
Any additional comments?
I imagined this would have been a lot fustier than it was.
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7 people 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
- Sophie goodall
- 21-05-23
Really enjoyed
A really interesting take on India in the hight of the British rule. Touches on race, religion, culture and society. Written in a great perspective documenting the highs and lows of friendship between the English and and Indians. Really good listen, would recommend.
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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
- Mr Tea-Mole
- 18-02-20
Sheer brilliance
Sam Dastor is absolutely brilliant, I actually thought there were a team of Indian actors!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wowbagger_The_Third
- 29-05-21
Surprising
I had a prejudgement in my head because of the merchant Ivory brand of film, and I’m so glad I gave this a go as it is not at all what I would have expected. Yes it is dated, but of it’s time, I felt it was quite progressive in that it didn’t reduce everyone to stereotypes and instead gave subtleties to caricatures and made them more human.
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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
- Emma D'Cruz
- 27-05-20
Amazing, Amazing, Amazing
Brilliantly written and the atmosphere was superbly set by the reader Sam Dastor who’s ability to act out every part is astonishing!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- T
- 01-03-15
Amazing
I can't believe it's taken me this long! It is an exceptional book. That being said, I could not have fully appreciated had I been any younger.
It is so well written, really gets into the complexities and emotions of people. Even characters you don't like much are three dimensional so you can see their point of view- even if you don't agree with them. For such a large book not much happens- but the words are so wonderful it doesn't matter. A brilliant performance- so well read. I can't praise it enough and will go on to read more of EM Forster.
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15 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
- Mister Peridot
- 01-09-16
Brilliant reading
Sam Dastor does an amazingly good job of reading this book. The skill of these actors! And its a masterpiece of a book too, bringing out the mysterious and maddening complexities of India at many levels.
As a good novel should, it gives you an understanding of the times and the people that you could never get from reading a travel guide or history book. But its not all plain sailing. Not much humour, the story is slow to get started and the plot could be outlined in a few short sentences. Yet somehow none of that matters.
In its treatment of the colonial British, the book is reminiscent of Orwell's first novel, Burmese Days, another excellent book which was written about the same time I believe.
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2 people 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
- Allan
- 27-01-22
Sublime narrator
They story and characters of a Passage to India are easy to follow. And the narrator is most definitely 5 star!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- David Bisset
- 22-11-17
Beautiful rendition of Forster's glorious prose
Sam Castor reads the narrative passages superbly. His own Indian background shows in his ability to replicate the varieties of Indian English. Perhaps his only weakness is some rather strident female voives.
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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
- TheZee
- 02-11-17
Powerful
This book is a powerful treatise on the conquest of empire, the wisdom of the conquered and the tender vagaries of friendship. I was moved by this book. E.M. Forster writes with soul and the narrator lends his voice with creative aplomb. Powerful!
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