A House for Mr. Biswas cover art

A House for Mr. Biswas

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free + £10 Audible voucher

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

A House for Mr. Biswas

By: V. S. Naipaul
Narrated by: Sam Dastor
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £19.90

Buy Now for £19.90

A House for Mr. Biswas, by Nobel and Booker Prize-winning author V. S. Naipaul, is a powerful novel about one man's struggle for identity and belonging. Born into poverty, then trapped in the shackles of charity and gratitude, Mr. Biswas longs for a house he can call his own. He loathes his wife and her wealthy family, upon whom he is dependent. Finding himself a mere accessory on their estate, his constant rebellion is motivated by the one thing that can symbolize his independence. The book is striking in its lush and sensual descriptions of Trinidad and was listed as one of Time magazine's 100 Best English-Language Novels from 1923 to 2005.

©1969 V.S. Naipaul (P)2017 Naxos AudioBooks Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Small Town & Rural World Literature
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
VS Naipaul's masterpiece set in his birthplace, Trinidad. This audiobook would have benefited from some effort to give it more authenticity . As a Trinidadian listener it was jarring to hear place names pronounced incorrectly. Also, while getting the accent right can be difficult, substituting an Indian accent is not the answer.

Audiobook marred by inattention to country context

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
V. S Naipaul's tragi-comic masterpiece, beautifully read by Sam Dastor. I kept listening again and again and finding new things to love and remember about it. I read it years ago but enjoyed it much more as an audio book.

One of the great novels of the 20th century.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A favourite book, I wished it had a happier ending. I'd like to know the Naipaul's thought on this.
Great narration, too

solemn end

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’ve long admired V S Naipaul’s writing, and ‘A house for Mr Biswas’ is an outstanding example of the author’s skill and talent. What really brought the story alive for me was the superb narration, which captured and brought to life each individual character. Highly recommended.

The beautifully told story of a flawed life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great lens into what life was like in those days.
Issues with narration:
- Inaccurate Trinidadian accent
- Several names are pronounced incorrectly

Great story, poor narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews