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Time Warner Books Uk (2005), 944 pages
Description
Fiction. Thriller. HTML: Now a major television series from Apple TV+ starring Charlie Hunnam! "It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured." An escaped convict with a false passport, Lin flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of Bombay, where he can disappear. Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter the city's hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries, who seek in this remarkable place what they cannot find elsewhere. As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals. The keys to unlock the mysteries and intrigues that bind Lin are held by two people. The first is Khader Khan: mafia godfather, criminal-philosopher-saint, and mentor to Lin in the underworld of the Golden City. The second is Karla: elusive, dangerous, and beautiful, whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a terrible power. Burning slums and five-star hotels, romantic love and prison agonies, criminal wars and Bollywood films, spiritual gurus and mujaheddin guerrillas�??this huge novel has the world of human experience in its reach, and a passionate love for India at its heart.… (more)
Media reviews
"Get things moving with this sprawling epic about an ex-bankrobber making a new life for himself in the poverty-stricken slums of Bombay."
The book is full of vibrant characters.
"A sensational read, it might well reproduce its bestselling success in Australia here."
"Roberts is a sure storyteller, capable of passages of precise beauty, and if his tale sometimes threatens to sprawl out of bounds and collapse under its own bookish, poetic weight, he draws its elements together at just the right moment."
'Shantaram': Bombay or Bust
En gedigen lesefest. Dersom du syntes Papillon var bra, vil du elske «Shantaram», en røverhistorie som makter å gjøre de sjelelige prosesser hovedpersonen gjennomgår, til en integrert del av helheten.
Vanvittig røverhistorie. Rått, vakkert og røverromanaktig om livet og døden i Bombay.
User reviews
LibraryThing member lit_chick
2006, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Humphrey Bower
"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured."
So begins the epic Shantaram, and I was
Shantaram held me mesmerized: a web of intrigue and a story of staggering breadth of human experience. Its criminal element alone is an enigma: drugs, money laundering, fraud, forgery, robbery, prostitution. The author does occasionally tend to the overwritten, largely overdone similes and metaphors; and I considered a lesser rating on this account. But the story is so epic, so wholly entertaining, and written always with such a passionate love for India, that I could not but give it 5 stars. Highly, highly recommended!
"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured."
So begins the epic Shantaram, and I was
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hooked! Set in the underworld of contemporary Bombay, the novel is narrated by Lin, an Australian convict who escaped maximum security prison and fled, with a false passport, into the teeming Indian city to disappear. A hunted man, with no home, no family, and no identity, Lin is accompanied by Prabaker, his guide and steadfast friend as he navigates the city. His search for love and for purpose leads him to Bombay’s poorest slums, prison torture, criminal war, five star hotels, spiritual gurus, murder, and bloody betrayal. Two characters Lin will meet along the way hold the key to his very being: Khader Khan, mafia godfather; and Karla, elusive, dangerous, and beautiful.Shantaram held me mesmerized: a web of intrigue and a story of staggering breadth of human experience. Its criminal element alone is an enigma: drugs, money laundering, fraud, forgery, robbery, prostitution. The author does occasionally tend to the overwritten, largely overdone similes and metaphors; and I considered a lesser rating on this account. But the story is so epic, so wholly entertaining, and written always with such a passionate love for India, that I could not but give it 5 stars. Highly, highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member baswood
[Shantaram] like Bombay (Mumbai) and its author Gregory David Roberts is full of contradictions and at over 920 pages this block buster of a novel has a lot of contradictions. I found myself lost in admiration for the vivid descriptions of Bombay and then almost simultaneously offended by some
Any reader writing about this book must consider the author himself, because to all intents and purposes it is autobiographical. It is written in the first person and at the start of the second paragraph the introduction is made:
"In my case, it's a long story, and a crowded one. I was a revolutionary who lost his ideals in heroin, a philosopher who lost his integrity in crime, and a poet who lost his soul in a maximum-security prison. When I escaped from that prison, over the front wall, between two gun towers, I became my country's most wanted man."
This is no shrinking violet and the derring-do gets more derring as the novel's action and adventure is ratcheted up to its climax, first in a gun running expedition to the mujahedeen in the Afghan war and then in a battle of the gang warlords back in Bombay. This all brings us back to Roberts, how much of this stuff actually happened and this is one of the books great contradictions. From the author's profile on the net it is clear that he did escape from a high maximum prison in Australia and sought to lose himself in Bombay, but on his own web page Roberts says that "All of the characters in the novel, Shantaram, are created. None of the characters bears even a remote resemblance to any real person I’ve ever known". One wonders why then that he chose to base his central character: Lin, on his own life experiences. It could be argued that Bombay is a city of contradictions, where the super rich live cheek by jowl with some of the poorest people on the planet, but I don't think this is key to the novel's themes or ideas. Roberts refers to Shantaram as his masterpiece and leaves us in no doubt that he sees his novel as dealing intelligently with themes of alienation, of exile and of love and their is certainly much talk of philosophy and/or sophistry from Lin, he even has a go at explaining the meaning of life. All of this tends to pad out the novel into some sort of catch all for the reader, but it fails to give it the weight that Roberts seems to want to achieve, because the adventure/crime thriller story keeps pushing the action beyond the realms of believability and taking it into block-buster movie mode.
There are however, plenty of things to like in this novel; the descriptions of street life in Bombay, from a Western mans point of view are very realistic and thoroughly convincing. I could easily imagine myself back in Bombay peering over Robert's/Lin's shoulder as he made his way through the streets. He also captures the Indian city dwellers rational on the life that they lead, the almost desperate energy in trying to make something out of very little, the acceptance of the differences between them and others in their world, the sheer numbers of people pressing all around them that makes any sort of privacy alien to many of them, but above all the desire to be happy despite everything. I thought his description of the shanty town was also full of life and he captures particularly well the sights sounds and smells of a place that is totally unfamiliar to most of us. He does an excellent job of replicating the vocal intonations of the English speaking Indians, however he just about avoids being over sentimental about some of the people there. He also creates some fine characters living on the fringes of the underworld and although he has a tendency to romanticise some of the gangsters that we meet, he does a good job with them as well. The plot tends to creak a little in places, but this is almost inevitable in a book of this length, the action scenes are handled with plenty of verve and there are some surprises.
Roberts has provided such an excellent back drop for his novel that the reader is swept along in this exciting and sometimes exhilarating world and whenever I found myself not being able to swallow some of the plots mechanics or the actions of the characters there was always this wonderful background material to fall back on. I didn't like some of the philosophising as it felt a little false in places, but it rarely interrupted the flow of the story for too long and it was never so esoteric that it could not be followed. I thought that his language was at it's most bombast when he was expressing feelings of love and although his sex scenes avoided any elements of soft porn, they were pretty unconvincing. His descriptions of violence tended towards the gratuitous for me, but would probably be acceptable to most movie goers. What I really did not like was the character of Lin/Roberts; far too full of himself, far too machismo and yes far too uncomplicated, far too much of a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
This novel tries to be "all things to all men" and for some readers it might succeed, but it is no literary masterpiece. it is a good action adventure story with some excellent background material written by a man who has lived the life of a slum dweller and who has gotten involved in the Bombay underworld. The real India (from a Western mans perspective) seethes and gurgles throughout this book and is utterly convincing, however it is at times overly sentimental and the depth of feeling and thoughts expressed are for me a little too simplistic. Oh! and it's far too long. I rate this at 3.5 stars.
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bombastic language, the hero worship of the villains and the general machismo that surrounds this story. Shantaram apparently means "man of peace" an epithet attached to the hero of this story: Gregory David Roberts himself, but Roberts is all too anxious to get into a fight; anybody's fight, which makes me wonder if the title is deeply ironic or if Roberts just has no sense of humour. I think the latter.Any reader writing about this book must consider the author himself, because to all intents and purposes it is autobiographical. It is written in the first person and at the start of the second paragraph the introduction is made:
"In my case, it's a long story, and a crowded one. I was a revolutionary who lost his ideals in heroin, a philosopher who lost his integrity in crime, and a poet who lost his soul in a maximum-security prison. When I escaped from that prison, over the front wall, between two gun towers, I became my country's most wanted man."
This is no shrinking violet and the derring-do gets more derring as the novel's action and adventure is ratcheted up to its climax, first in a gun running expedition to the mujahedeen in the Afghan war and then in a battle of the gang warlords back in Bombay. This all brings us back to Roberts, how much of this stuff actually happened and this is one of the books great contradictions. From the author's profile on the net it is clear that he did escape from a high maximum prison in Australia and sought to lose himself in Bombay, but on his own web page Roberts says that "All of the characters in the novel, Shantaram, are created. None of the characters bears even a remote resemblance to any real person I’ve ever known". One wonders why then that he chose to base his central character: Lin, on his own life experiences. It could be argued that Bombay is a city of contradictions, where the super rich live cheek by jowl with some of the poorest people on the planet, but I don't think this is key to the novel's themes or ideas. Roberts refers to Shantaram as his masterpiece and leaves us in no doubt that he sees his novel as dealing intelligently with themes of alienation, of exile and of love and their is certainly much talk of philosophy and/or sophistry from Lin, he even has a go at explaining the meaning of life. All of this tends to pad out the novel into some sort of catch all for the reader, but it fails to give it the weight that Roberts seems to want to achieve, because the adventure/crime thriller story keeps pushing the action beyond the realms of believability and taking it into block-buster movie mode.
There are however, plenty of things to like in this novel; the descriptions of street life in Bombay, from a Western mans point of view are very realistic and thoroughly convincing. I could easily imagine myself back in Bombay peering over Robert's/Lin's shoulder as he made his way through the streets. He also captures the Indian city dwellers rational on the life that they lead, the almost desperate energy in trying to make something out of very little, the acceptance of the differences between them and others in their world, the sheer numbers of people pressing all around them that makes any sort of privacy alien to many of them, but above all the desire to be happy despite everything. I thought his description of the shanty town was also full of life and he captures particularly well the sights sounds and smells of a place that is totally unfamiliar to most of us. He does an excellent job of replicating the vocal intonations of the English speaking Indians, however he just about avoids being over sentimental about some of the people there. He also creates some fine characters living on the fringes of the underworld and although he has a tendency to romanticise some of the gangsters that we meet, he does a good job with them as well. The plot tends to creak a little in places, but this is almost inevitable in a book of this length, the action scenes are handled with plenty of verve and there are some surprises.
Roberts has provided such an excellent back drop for his novel that the reader is swept along in this exciting and sometimes exhilarating world and whenever I found myself not being able to swallow some of the plots mechanics or the actions of the characters there was always this wonderful background material to fall back on. I didn't like some of the philosophising as it felt a little false in places, but it rarely interrupted the flow of the story for too long and it was never so esoteric that it could not be followed. I thought that his language was at it's most bombast when he was expressing feelings of love and although his sex scenes avoided any elements of soft porn, they were pretty unconvincing. His descriptions of violence tended towards the gratuitous for me, but would probably be acceptable to most movie goers. What I really did not like was the character of Lin/Roberts; far too full of himself, far too machismo and yes far too uncomplicated, far too much of a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
This novel tries to be "all things to all men" and for some readers it might succeed, but it is no literary masterpiece. it is a good action adventure story with some excellent background material written by a man who has lived the life of a slum dweller and who has gotten involved in the Bombay underworld. The real India (from a Western mans perspective) seethes and gurgles throughout this book and is utterly convincing, however it is at times overly sentimental and the depth of feeling and thoughts expressed are for me a little too simplistic. Oh! and it's far too long. I rate this at 3.5 stars.
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LibraryThing member piefuchs
A mixed bag. This book is a fast reading, engaging, dare I say - old fashion, and plot driven epic. The constant addition of the "If I knew then what I found out 1 year later..." only adds to the thrill. Once I started reading, it was hard to put down - a long day on the beach, and it was done.
The
I am usually a character driven reader - this is a plot driven book. Hence I found a number of the characters (obviously including the main one) a combination of over romanticized, poorly developed, and unbelievable. A key part of the plot is a love interest - yet this character (and their so-called love) is so poorly constructed that you fail to understand the main characters motivations (there are a lot of the "enough already" type moments). The author seems so anxious to put some of the mobsters in a positive light that they become cartoons of great and complex men with small but fatal flaws.
But alas, though not great literature (as some would have you believe) I read it, and I read it fast. Very few people who have a the kind of experiences of the author end up writing about - and in spite of all my complaints - he has a great story to tell.
The
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book is highly autobiographical and you do learn a lot about the life of ne'er do wells who drift to Bombay. The early part of the book where he lives in a slum and visits a remote village are particularly enjoyable - the main character comes off quite sympathically. Later, after a stint in jail, he becomes a mobster and ends up fighting in Afganistan - these parts of the book are less intriguing, and the main character moves to the realm of being an annoyance whose motivations are difficult to comprehend.I am usually a character driven reader - this is a plot driven book. Hence I found a number of the characters (obviously including the main one) a combination of over romanticized, poorly developed, and unbelievable. A key part of the plot is a love interest - yet this character (and their so-called love) is so poorly constructed that you fail to understand the main characters motivations (there are a lot of the "enough already" type moments). The author seems so anxious to put some of the mobsters in a positive light that they become cartoons of great and complex men with small but fatal flaws.
But alas, though not great literature (as some would have you believe) I read it, and I read it fast. Very few people who have a the kind of experiences of the author end up writing about - and in spite of all my complaints - he has a great story to tell.
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LibraryThing member Rynooo
The reader would be forgiven for thinking that for what is on the face of it a semi-autobiographical novel, many elements of the story are outlandish and over-exaggerated, so it should be noted that while there is documented evidence of some of the events (such as Roberts' prison break-out), the
The beginning of the book, tracing the Lin's inauguration into the Indian lifestyle, is beautifully written and highly evocative. Unfortunately, the story loses its focus towards the middle and later events are skimmed over so quickly that the last third feels rushed and vague. Finally the book ambles clumsily to its disappointingly vapid conclusion.
However the novel is certainly memorable, and is worth a read for the first third alone.
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author has conceded that most of the story is fiction. Taken with a pinch of salt, the book is an enjoyable yet unbalanced yarn, slightly trashy in places.The beginning of the book, tracing the Lin's inauguration into the Indian lifestyle, is beautifully written and highly evocative. Unfortunately, the story loses its focus towards the middle and later events are skimmed over so quickly that the last third feels rushed and vague. Finally the book ambles clumsily to its disappointingly vapid conclusion.
However the novel is certainly memorable, and is worth a read for the first third alone.
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LibraryThing member bingereader
Sadly, this is one of the more tedious and pretentious books I have purchased. I wanted to say listened to, but I have stopped about 1/4 of the way through.
The reader is excellent and has a wonderful command of pace and language, pronouncing Indian words with skill. That, unfortunately, is the only
Having read the back blurb and even pondered purchasing the hefty book, I had expected a story about the Bombay underworld ... if it emerges later in the book, I will not get to it as I can fathom dredging through the tedious minutae of the tale to get to what I would consider the more interesting meat (sorry for mixing metaphors).
Based on the author's lifestory, with dramatic and poetic license I imagine, I would believe this would have worked better as a straight autobiography rather than a weak and boring fiction. It has been described as engrossing, though I could find little to hold my attention.
The reader is excellent and has a wonderful command of pace and language, pronouncing Indian words with skill. That, unfortunately, is the only
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saving grace I could see in this 35 CD monstrosity.Having read the back blurb and even pondered purchasing the hefty book, I had expected a story about the Bombay underworld ... if it emerges later in the book, I will not get to it as I can fathom dredging through the tedious minutae of the tale to get to what I would consider the more interesting meat (sorry for mixing metaphors).
Based on the author's lifestory, with dramatic and poetic license I imagine, I would believe this would have worked better as a straight autobiography rather than a weak and boring fiction. It has been described as engrossing, though I could find little to hold my attention.
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
There are some books for which the phrase, "self-aggrandising shite" might specifically have been coined. This was one of those books
The sense of liberation I felt after deliberately leaving it on a train was considerable.
The sense of liberation I felt after deliberately leaving it on a train was considerable.
LibraryThing member KeetabiKeeda
Disclaimer: A very long review with small spoilers, written with an intent of forcing people to read this book. :P
Shantaram is an epic piece of literature by Gregory David Roberts. It is a story that could could have sustained itself just because of its sheer vastness and diversity. That it
The book starts with the eponymous character Lindsay arriving in Bombay and immediately settling into the hum drum of this large city. Moving forward, we are told that back in Australia, he was born in a respectable society but fell into drug addiction and local mafia. To fulfill his heroin needs, he started armed robberies for which he was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment in Victoria’s highly secure state prison. That he escaped from it after 2 years, and on his way to Europe landed in Bombay is remarkable. There is a chapter in the book that contains the details of how he escaped from the prison with one of his inmate.
Lin immediately fells in love with the city and is introduced to a host of characters leading of which are ‘broad smiling’ Prabhakar, his guide in the city and with whom he spends 6 months in his village. It is there that he is named ‘Shantaram’ by Prabhakar’s mother which means ‘Man of God’. His love interest Karla is a beautiful ‘green eyed’ enigmatic women who is extremely proficient with quick retorts. He sees Khader, the local don of Bombay as his fatherly figure and is ready “to die for him”. One of the unique features of the book is the way it describes characters. Each character is associated with one particular quality like ‘broad smile’ for Prabhakar, ‘green color’ to Karla and so on. There are constant instances in the novel that keep highlighting these instances. Prabhakar, even in the worst of times, is shown with his effervescent smile and Karla is often associated with green clothes and her green eyes.
Lin works as a slum doctor for a considerable time owing to his ‘more than first aid knowledge’, weaving a magic around the people he meets through his generosity and kind heartedness. Through a series of events, he goes about working for local mafia dealing with passport forging and black market exchange currency, ends up again in a jail in India, goes with Khader to Afghanistan to deliver arms for fighting against Russians. The book is like a revolving window which is always focused on the main character Lin but keeps showing the people and extraordinary events that occur around him.
The things which stand out in this novel are his descriptions of the events and places around him. Bombay has been described as a city with ‘punishing heat’ and where smell of sweat is a constant part of life. The trauma, inhumane conditions endured by inmates at Arthur jail, where Lin was imprisoned in India, is the most horrifying and ghastly account of the tyrannous rules by which human beings can be dominated. He portrays corrupt policemen, fires, cholera outbreaks in slum yet you cannot help yourself falling in love with the city. It is ironic that despite all this, you still want to go and taste the life in this city. According to Roberts, the city has a pulse of its own and its magnificent larger than life characters keep bringing you closer to them. I think it is the bonds one make with these people even when there are so many complexities around that keep attracting you to be in this city. Also there are so many opportunities shown, that it seems there is something for everyone in this city.
There is always something new that is constantly thrown at the reader either in the form of a new twist in the story or by the introduction of new characters. However at certain points, you get confused whether it is a fiction or a philosophical book? Apparently, many authors have tried this approach where they want their characters to be embodiments of their philosophy. Shantaram has two flavors, one of the life of Linbaba and other of his philosophical discussions with Khader, Karla, going on parallely and this is a problem with the book since very rarely there is an intersection of these two streams. So at times, there is a sudden halt in the excitement that is built up by the story and one is presented a lengthy philosophical discussion which has no relation with the overall plot of the book. It is at this point you feel like leaving the book for good because there is so much that is still left and its sheer volume and thoughts start to look like a burden. Also, there is little logical flow to a climax in the book. Even in the last few pages, new faces are introduced at length and a reader, who is focusing on the story more than the philosophy, is left with a sour taste.
Despite the few glitches, you would not regret reading this complex and multitude interleaving of characters and events. Roberts wrote a detailed essay on this novel where he detailed his philosophy behind writing novels and explaining the deepness in Shantaram and the various layers in which it is built. (The essay can be downloaded from his site) There are also claims that Shantaram is actually a trilogy of novels and this edition was second in the list. For those who want to immerse themselves in a world of larger than life characters, Shantaram is a treat.
Shantaram is an epic piece of literature by Gregory David Roberts. It is a story that could could have sustained itself just because of its sheer vastness and diversity. That it
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includes a complex kaleidoscope of varied cultures, heterogeneous personalities and diverse emotions is more than enough to make this as one of your most memorable reads. According to Roberts, it is a book that is “written in blood and tears”. It is a semi auto biographical account of the author who was at one time ‘Australia’s most wanted man’. He had to rewrite a large part of it again after its initial draft was destroyed in prison.The book starts with the eponymous character Lindsay arriving in Bombay and immediately settling into the hum drum of this large city. Moving forward, we are told that back in Australia, he was born in a respectable society but fell into drug addiction and local mafia. To fulfill his heroin needs, he started armed robberies for which he was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment in Victoria’s highly secure state prison. That he escaped from it after 2 years, and on his way to Europe landed in Bombay is remarkable. There is a chapter in the book that contains the details of how he escaped from the prison with one of his inmate.
Lin immediately fells in love with the city and is introduced to a host of characters leading of which are ‘broad smiling’ Prabhakar, his guide in the city and with whom he spends 6 months in his village. It is there that he is named ‘Shantaram’ by Prabhakar’s mother which means ‘Man of God’. His love interest Karla is a beautiful ‘green eyed’ enigmatic women who is extremely proficient with quick retorts. He sees Khader, the local don of Bombay as his fatherly figure and is ready “to die for him”. One of the unique features of the book is the way it describes characters. Each character is associated with one particular quality like ‘broad smile’ for Prabhakar, ‘green color’ to Karla and so on. There are constant instances in the novel that keep highlighting these instances. Prabhakar, even in the worst of times, is shown with his effervescent smile and Karla is often associated with green clothes and her green eyes.
Lin works as a slum doctor for a considerable time owing to his ‘more than first aid knowledge’, weaving a magic around the people he meets through his generosity and kind heartedness. Through a series of events, he goes about working for local mafia dealing with passport forging and black market exchange currency, ends up again in a jail in India, goes with Khader to Afghanistan to deliver arms for fighting against Russians. The book is like a revolving window which is always focused on the main character Lin but keeps showing the people and extraordinary events that occur around him.
The things which stand out in this novel are his descriptions of the events and places around him. Bombay has been described as a city with ‘punishing heat’ and where smell of sweat is a constant part of life. The trauma, inhumane conditions endured by inmates at Arthur jail, where Lin was imprisoned in India, is the most horrifying and ghastly account of the tyrannous rules by which human beings can be dominated. He portrays corrupt policemen, fires, cholera outbreaks in slum yet you cannot help yourself falling in love with the city. It is ironic that despite all this, you still want to go and taste the life in this city. According to Roberts, the city has a pulse of its own and its magnificent larger than life characters keep bringing you closer to them. I think it is the bonds one make with these people even when there are so many complexities around that keep attracting you to be in this city. Also there are so many opportunities shown, that it seems there is something for everyone in this city.
There is always something new that is constantly thrown at the reader either in the form of a new twist in the story or by the introduction of new characters. However at certain points, you get confused whether it is a fiction or a philosophical book? Apparently, many authors have tried this approach where they want their characters to be embodiments of their philosophy. Shantaram has two flavors, one of the life of Linbaba and other of his philosophical discussions with Khader, Karla, going on parallely and this is a problem with the book since very rarely there is an intersection of these two streams. So at times, there is a sudden halt in the excitement that is built up by the story and one is presented a lengthy philosophical discussion which has no relation with the overall plot of the book. It is at this point you feel like leaving the book for good because there is so much that is still left and its sheer volume and thoughts start to look like a burden. Also, there is little logical flow to a climax in the book. Even in the last few pages, new faces are introduced at length and a reader, who is focusing on the story more than the philosophy, is left with a sour taste.
Despite the few glitches, you would not regret reading this complex and multitude interleaving of characters and events. Roberts wrote a detailed essay on this novel where he detailed his philosophy behind writing novels and explaining the deepness in Shantaram and the various layers in which it is built. (The essay can be downloaded from his site) There are also claims that Shantaram is actually a trilogy of novels and this edition was second in the list. For those who want to immerse themselves in a world of larger than life characters, Shantaram is a treat.
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LibraryThing member kokipy
I just finished this book and I am not sure how I feel about it. The author's descriptive passages, particularly about Bombay, which figures as the central character in the book, are skilled. His pace and plotting are sound, if a bit contrived. I thought some of the dialogue, particularly that in
Having said all that, it does work as a portrayal of a place most alien. It puts me in mind of Perdido Street Station or some of Dickens' work in which London seems to be a character.
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which the narrator figures, was clunky and not persuasive - do people really speak that way?. The author seems infatuated with the narrator - perhaps not surprising given the autobiographical nature of the book. But there is a sense of narcissism. I also felt some of the story elements were trite - the mysterious beautiful woman with whom the narrator falls in love at first sight, was not convincing. The devotion to the father figure was another problem for me. Perhaps these issues arose because of the first person narration. With a third person narrator the reader isn't spoon fed the narrator's hopes, convictions, fears and motivations the way we were in this book. It felt obvious in some ways. There was also, I felt, a curious tone deafness with respect to the criminal activities in which the narrator engages, with no self scrutiny really apparent.Having said all that, it does work as a portrayal of a place most alien. It puts me in mind of Perdido Street Station or some of Dickens' work in which London seems to be a character.
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LibraryThing member Jasper
A fascinating look at another culture and an enjoyable read though a bit long. I loved the scene in the jail where he's tied up, hung from the celing and spun while the guards beat him with bamboo staves - until they break for chai and bidi. I heard they're making a movie and Johny Depp signed to
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play the lead. Show Less
LibraryThing member smknuth1
Based on the author's life, this novel is difficult to stop thinking about and more difficult to put down. Roberts writing is sincere, intense, and profound, even when the painful events are revealed matter-of-factly. The story is interesting and entertaining, providing many life lessons during the
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journey. It's sad when it ends because the characters seem as though they should live on beyond the 1,000 pages. Show Less
LibraryThing member sharonlflynn
I had heard a lot about this book before I started reading it. I was told that I'd love it. I hated it. I could not wait to finish it. The whole story (despite being supposedly true) is completely unbelievable. I could not understand the motivations of the main character, why he got caught up in
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the things he did. I can't figure out if he was just stupid or foolhardy, but by midway through the book I didn't care what happened to him. Show Less
LibraryThing member slickdpdx
A compelling colorful and extremely wide-ranging adventure story. Could be improved by lopping off the 1/4 of the book devoted to unnecessary amateur psychology and recovery insights, but I suspect they helped make the book a big seller. After all, what use is a mere adventure story?
LibraryThing member extrajoker
Wow. At the risk of sounding hackneyed, I have to say that this is one of the most powerful novels I've ever read -- a successful combination of the beautiful, the horrifying, and the humorous. And as first lines go, it's hard to beat this one:
"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn
"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn
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what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured." Show Less
LibraryThing member ehernaez
I couldn't put it down, but dreaded the end because there would be no more. One in a million.
LibraryThing member amyfaerie
Really intriguing story set in India. I read it while IN India last summer.
LibraryThing member deb-oh
Probably one of the best books I've ever read! This book had everything and even after 900 + pages I was looking for more...if you haven't read it please do you will not be disappointed!
LibraryThing member maraim
I think this is the best book I've ever read. It was certainly thought provoking and made me see many things in a whole different light.
LibraryThing member firebird013
A first rate and extraordinary book. Roberts provides a vivid account of what must be largely autobiography of his time on the run, in Bombay. His command of language is exceptional and his ability to create a sense of place highly skilled. The book has the quality of a thriller and indeed is a
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real page turner. Yet the book also captures wonderful philosophical dialogues - whether the epigrams of key characters or the reflections of an Indian mafiosi! A book that will stay with you over the years. Show Less
LibraryThing member Clueless
I was furious when this book was done! I wanted to know what happens next.
A story is shaped by what is included and by what is excluded. I really respect and admire what Roberts choose to leave in his story and by the words he used to tell it.
A story is shaped by what is included and by what is excluded. I really respect and admire what Roberts choose to leave in his story and by the words he used to tell it.
LibraryThing member teaperson
This book provided great atmospherics of Bombay, but it could have used a good editor to trim out a couple of hundred pages. A lot of thought-provoking writing on the nature of fate and good and evil, put in the context of an Australian prison escapee finding a home amid the Bombay underworld. It
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was usually interesting - I just suffered a lot from carrying the extra pages with me on the subway. Did he really need to go off to war? I actually look forward to the movie adaptation - if done well, a judicious establishing shot could take care of several dozen pages of this book's establishing writing. Show Less
LibraryThing member MeePuak
I am glad I read other people's review of this book, as I was about one third the way through and decided I was not interested in what happened to this guy. The writing style did nothing for me and by all accounts it only gets worse - back onto the shelves and not to be revisited by me.
LibraryThing member vintage_vermin
I enjoyed this book through the beginning, but by the end I was reading on for the sake of finishing, and had long lost interest. It's well written but doesn't need to be anywhere as long as it is - Some parts are far too descriptive. I was really disappointed to find out that much of this is
I would recommend this book to some one with ALOT of time on their hands!!
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fiction; Prabaker, Karla, Sapna... I just wish authors would write books and admit they're fiction rather than disappoint the reader (who has no doubt become emotionally attached to characters). I was also confused by alot of the character's names which are quite similar!I would recommend this book to some one with ALOT of time on their hands!!
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LibraryThing member OMalleycat
This book would have been an all-time favorite with me if Roberts had stopped at the halfway mark. As it is, it seems to be three books in one, as if Roberts thought he'd never have another chance at publication. Loved the escape and slum-doctor section. Liked a lot less the Indian mobster and
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Afghanistan warrior sections. Show Less
LibraryThing member cervenka
this book sat unread for about six months because I found the number of pages too daunting. Once I started reading I could have read twice as many pages. The adventures of Shantarum, the insight into the places he went, and the relationships he formed with the people around him were fascinating.
LibraryThing member Clurb
It is almost impossible to believe that this epic adventure story happened in real life. Roberts' attempt to make a new life for himself in India involves living in slums, becoming involved with the local mafia, encountering bears and fighting in the Afganishtani wars. This is a tale of love,
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philosophy and self-discovery that never loses it's fast pace and action-packed plot. Excellent, absorbing stuff. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 2007)
Bad Sex in Fiction Award (Shortlist — 2004)
Whitcoulls Top 100 Books (49 — 2010)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2003
Physical description
944 p.; 5.04 inches
ISBN
9780349117546
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DDC/MDS
| 823.92 |