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Hit 7 - Shantaram
![Shantaram]()
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List Price: $130.00
Our Price: $94.90
Your Save: $ 35.10 ( 27% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audio Inc.
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.92
EAN: 9780786168828
ISBN: 078616882X
Label: Blackstone Audio Inc.
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audio Inc.
Number Of Items: 18
Publication Date: 2006-05-15
Publisher: Blackstone Audio Inc.
Studio: Blackstone Audio Inc.
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Editorial Reviews:
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This mesmerizing first novel tells the epic journey of Lin, an escaped convict who flees maximum security prison in Australia to disappear into the underworld of contemporary Bombay, a hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, actors and exiles. Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, 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 keys to unlock the mysteries that bind Lin are held by two people: his mentor Khader Khan, mafia godfather and criminal-philosopher, and the beautiful, elusive Karla, whose passions are driven by dangerous secrets. Based on the life of the author, this extraordinary debut has the world of human experience in its reach.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Overstuffed mess
Comment: Shantaram is an ambitious novel. Unfortunately, Gregory David Roberts' 900+ pages of ambition suffers from a lack of competent editing, or perhaps from no editing at all. To be sure, there are sections of the book that are engaging and fascinating, such as those that describe Lin's (the protagonist) experiences as a Bombay slum doctor or his visits to the Standing Babas and his friend Prubaker's village. But there are an equal number of dull, repetitive and poorly written passages. Roberts' tendency to describe what every female character is wearing in every scene is mind-numbing, as is his tendency to write about the femme fatale's black hair and green eyes ad nauseam. ("Tall plants as green as Karla's eyes whirled and shuddered in the wind all around us.") The dialogue is often forced and unnatural; supposedly meaningful conversations between Lin and Karla are plain laughable. Long stretches that explain a major character's philosophy are excruciating and rehashed several times. Numerous and implausible fight scenes starring Lin (the author?) left me exasperated. Unnecessary background information is presented and soon forgotten as it is becomes impossible to keep track of the many shallowly developed secondary and tertiary characters (although even most of the main characters display a lack of depth). In short, at half the length this could have been a real page turner. As it stands it's a rather frustrating, overstuffed mess.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Literary Masterpiece
Comment: Best prose I've ever seen from an ex prisoner. Raises the big questions in philosophy in the context of a gripping story layered with literary flourishes. I couldn't put it down and read all 936 pages in less than 2 weeks.
Shaun Attwood
Customer Rating:
Summary: Life in Mumbai, India
Comment: I was a little hesitant when I first picked up this book because of its thickness, but I'm glad I did. Gregory David Roberts has this amazing way of describing things through words. He made me fall in love with Mumbai, India; which is where this book was set.
This book is about his life in India. Most of it is based on actual events, however some of it was fabricated for entertainment purposes. The story is about his life in India, and his life in the organised crime business.
The most intriguing part of this book for me was the love story that developed between him and a particular woman. Roberts has a lot of quirky remarks about life, love, and relationships that I loved.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The only book
Comment: I have never been so moved to laugh out loud and shed tears by a book. EVER...this is an amazing book. I couldn't put it down until it was done and read.
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Summary: Great story, shame about the writing
Comment: I'm halfway through Shantaram and I am enjoying it - it helps that I'm actually travelling through India while reading it. However, every so often, I have to put it down to digest prose that is so purple, I'm caught between nausea and the giggles.
It's a shame, as the story itself is so compelling and exciting (even though occasionally it seems to be just a series of vignettes); it could have benefited from sparse, stark writing. So an average of three stars from me - for a five star read on India, I'd suggest the White Tiger.
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