Shantaram

The first time that I came across Shantaram in a bookstore I was put off by its length. It is over 900 pages long and it is heavy. However I had heard good things about it and decided to give it a go. I am so glad that I did, because this is one of the best books that I have ever read. Even though it's long, it is gripping and easy to read. It was one of those books that you carry round with you so that you can read a page here and a page there and you never want to put it down.

The story is based on the real life adventures of the author, Gregory David Roberts. As the book begins, he has escaped from prison in Australia and made his way to India. Later on we find out more about how he broke out from prison but it's testament to how enthralling the story is that this is not the most eventful part of the book. When he arrives in Mumbai (Bombay) he quickly immerses himself into the city, befriending the locals, learning the languages and even living in a slum. He also befriends a local mafioso and is drawn into the Indian crime world. The story twists and turns and would be unbelievable if it wasn't based so much on fact. Gun runners in Afghanistan, high class prostitutes, Bollywood movie sets and grim Indian prisons all make their appearances. It's a fascinating, suspenseful and exciting book.

Roberts has a gift for writing. He really captures the flavour of India - the smells, the sounds, the colours. After reading this book I felt like jumping on a plane to Mumbai and heading straight to Leopold's for a drink. Instead I settled for recommending it to all my friends, and despite the very different genres that they usually read, they have all loved it also. It's that kind of book. Don't miss it.

I was there, THEN! (0/0 people found this helpful)

What I absolutely love about SHANTARAM that it is about a particular part of Bombay (Colaba/Cuffe Parade)generally South Bombay, in 1983, which is where I lived too at the exact same time! This is not likely to happen to me again in any other book I may read and it is a TREAT. When he describes a bar like Leopolds on Colaba Causeway, I can feel the heat and the humidity and even hear the noise made by the defective bearings in the overhead fans!

I just love this book and I havent finished reading it yet!

Far too long but a good read (2/2 people found this helpful)

This book is a frustrating read. Parts of it are incredible - for example the chapters where Lin lives in the slum, is treated horrifically Arthur Road prison, the visit to the leper camp and the scenes in Madame Zhou's spooky brothel. Other parts of it made me want to throw the book out the window.

His endless "philosophical" ramblings, his inexplicable love for Karla, the coldest woman on earth (and yes, after the many cringe-worthy descriptions of her hair, eyes and lips, we GET it, she's beautiful) and his constant reminders to us that he was a savage street-fighter from a rough Australian city. Big deal.

The book could have benefitted from heavy editing. It may have been fascinating for Lin, stoned out of his mind on Kashmiri hash, to listen to the sessions in Khader's den etc but for us, the reader, it simply slows the story to a frustrating halt. I found myself turning clumps of pages at a time to get to the next exciting installment. On the other hand, his depictions of Bombay as a city, the shocking poverty in the slum and the wonderful friends he made there (who were way more likeable than Abdullah, Ulla, Karla, Didier and all the other spoiled, self-obsessed non-slum people he hung out with) were great reads. I especially loved Prabaker, he was a wonderful character with some laugh-out-loud phrases.

This is a good book to read while on holiday, if you have time to while away on a beach somewhere. But don't expect it to change your life. Too self-indulgent, too much belief by the author that he's some kind of philosopher and too many wasted pages.

Middle school similes almost ruin a great story (0/2 people found this helpful)

While the story is engaging and quite interesting, those of you who believe the reviews and expecting "great literature" might be dissapointed. Similes like
"his eyes glowed like temples on fire" etc etc etc are used quite heavily as stated in the previous review and they can get annoing. Alot like a middle school kid who gets told he's a good writer and ghets a little carried away with the flowery prose...
I blame the editors more than the writer myself 'cause the story is quite fun. Good for a long airplane ride or as a beach read...wouldn't put it among the classics just yet though...

The next Shawshank Redemption? (1/1 people found this helpful)

This is an amazing book. There isn't a moment that doesn't seem straight from the heart. As you read you begin to feel the city and life just like a Bombayite does and by the end you're immersed.

I walked through streets I haven't seen in years and heard language relayed in a way so familiar that it was like hanging out with my friends again. The writing is beautiful, and the book hurtles along - a life so eventful it beggars belief. And yet you know it has to be a close rendition of what really happened simply because of the insights, detail and way it is told, that is stunningly individual and thoroughly Indian at the same time. The size of the book may put you off, but it shouldn't because it flows fast and compellingly... for a reader its like whitewater rafting through rapids made of words. I'm not generally into heavy books, or stories about people's lives, but this is one is lovingly and soul-baringly told.

There wasn't a big launch for this book and little fuss was made when it was released, but I reckon it will be the next 'Shawshank Redemption'. A cult phenomenon thats spreads through word of mouth. Phenomenal. I want to go back home.

Gregory David Roberts

Reader Reviews:

Read this book! It's wonderful (0/0 people found this helpful)

I was there, THEN! (0/0 people found this helpful)

Far too long but a good read (2/2 people found this helpful)

Middle school similes almost ruin a great story (0/2 people found this helpful)

The next Shawshank Redemption? (1/1 people found this helpful)

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