Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

Blush_01

I really enjoyed it, thought it was very entertaining.

Diairist

I also thought it was brilliant. But would Gay Byrne have had a pleasant interview on late late show with him if he genuinely was a convicted murderer, chased by Interpol? Linsay (character) was but...

btw:

http://www.shantaram.com/

Quality

I am currently reading this book. (for the last few weeks!! Its a big read.) I am enjoying it, but find some of the philosophy in it a bit drawn out...

It does state that the book is based on his experiences... So I would presume from that, that it is 10% truth and 90% fiction.

I think he is a bit of a chancer!

theCzar

I'm fairly certain he's Australian. After that, its hazy.

Its a good book, fiction or otherwise and he wouldn't be the first writer to lie and call it the truth.

Papillion is pretty much 100% bull**** too but enjoyable for all that. The cheekiest was the "Based on a true Story" at the start of the Coen's "Fargo" when it was anything but. Do I need to talk about Dan Brown's grasp of reality?

Dades

theCzar wrote: »

Papillion is pretty much 100% bull**** too

What?!

theCzar

Well actually it depends who you believe. I take the cyncial "too amazing to be true" side of things. He was sent to French Guyana Its fairly certain that though that he never went to devils island and his escapes are pretty fanciful. There's nobody to refute or confirm a lot of escapades.

Great character nevertheless.

Reginald P. DuM

I enjoyed this read too. I knew going into it that it was all bull**** but it doesn't take from the pleasure of reading it. Some bits were stretched too far, the page count could have been a lot less, but I wouldn't have a problem recommending it.

IvyTheTerrible

Absolutely HATED this book. I could see a good story hidden somewhere but the author's massive ego ("Every single person in India LOVES me") and the adolescent philosophical rubbish just got in the way.

I think if a good editor had chopped this down by half it might have been a good yarn. And comparisons with Papillon are not warranted...even if half of Papillon wasn't true, it was well told, and it even managed to change French policy on prisons.

meditraitor

I rate this as the most enjoyable read of last year, its a great book to get lost in and I recommend it very highly ....
I can understand why some people dont like it but just like Hitchikers guide to the galaxy, 1984, catch 22 or even the de vinci code.... more people will like it than not;)

Valmont

meditraitor wrote: »

Hitchikers guide to the galaxy, 1984, catch 22 or even the de vinci code....

Spot the odd one out in this post.

dogbert27

Just picked up this thread and thought I was missing out on some fantastic book but looking at the comments I feel like I'd be reading "a million little pieces" again by James Frey.

minusorange

mountainyman wrote: »

Roberts is clearly a pathetic junkie who was given a cushy number in australia and absconded from work release.

The whole thing is crap. if you like this book you are stupid.


NONE OF IT HAPPENED

Roberts is a junkie fanasist

MM

What a horrible attitude.

Travel is good

I read both James Frey's books and Shantaram. I loved Shantaram, read it while travelling around Vietnam over 2 years ago. If you take it as a work of fiction, it is excellent. I know there was controversy over the James Frey books being factually inaccurate. However, I've read a lot of bad books in my time, & I would still recommend Shantaram, really good. I read the James Frey books when I visited the States a few years ago, and hadn't heard much about them here until about a year ago, through reports from the Oprah Winfrey show. They are still worth a read.

I would have to say that Shantaram is one of my favourite books of all time!

sexdwarf

I did enjoy this book for the most part but I felt that it was far far too drawn out and the last third really let it down. It was an interesting enough story but his arrogance and long drawn out philisophical conversations with Khaderbhai got really dull after a while.

Also his assertion through the whole book that he was now as much a local as the locals and how everyone in the slum adored him was a bit irritating.

There was one exchange with a taxi driver who thinks he's a tourist where he rabbits on about being a 'real' Indian that actually made me cringe.

ToxicPaddy

I found it an enjoyable read and as long as you dont start reading this book expecting too much from it you will probably find the same.

Definitely not the best book I've read and yes the writer does have a major ego and seriously talks himself up so I took it all with a pinch of salt, I think a lot of it is pure fiction but it was entertaining.

Its a long read but I enjoyed it.

Vim Fuego

Sorry for digging up an old post but here's my thoughts on it.

I really wish I hadn't bothered with Shantaram. The first half was tolerable enough but after 900 pages of pseudo-philosophy and very little in the way of an overarching plot, it really became a chore.

Maybe I'm just a bit too cynical for it, as plenty of people seem to absolutely love it and take a lot from reading it. Some of the writing is cringe-worthy as well, it reads like the author's hippy love letter to himself, given the fact that every single person he meets absolutely loves him at first glance.

I highlighted this bit on kindle because it just struck me as particularly woeful:

"I smoked in those days because, like everyone else in the world who smokes, I wanted to die at least as much as I wanted to live".

Puh-lease! The only enjoyment I got from this book was a lovely sense of Bombay, which I lived in as a child.