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Shantaram: A Novel | 
| Author: Gregory David Roberts
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  269 reviews
Sales Rank: 1000
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 944
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.4 x 1.7
ISBN: 0312330537
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.92
EAN: 9780312330538
ASIN: 0312330537
Publication Date: October 1, 2005
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Amazon.com Review
Crime and punishment, passion and loyalty, betrayal and redemption are only a few of the ingredients in Shantaram, a massive, over-the-top, mostly autobiographical novel. Shantaram is the name given Mr. Lindsay, or Linbaba, the larger-than-life hero. It means "man of God's peace," which is what the Indian people know of Lin. What they do not know is that prior to his arrival in Bombay he escaped from an Australian prison where he had begun serving a 19-year sentence. He served two years and leaped over the wall. He was imprisoned for a string of armed robberies peformed to support his heroin addiction, which started when his marriage fell apart and he lost custody of his daughter. All of that is enough for several lifetimes, but for Greg Roberts, that's only the beginning. He arrives in Bombay with little money, an assumed name, false papers, an untellable past, and no plans for the future. Fortunately, he meets Prabaker right away, a sweet, smiling man who is a street guide. He takes to Lin immediately, eventually introducing him to his home village, where they end up living for six months. When they return to Bombay, they take up residence in a sprawling illegal slum of 25,000 people and Linbaba becomes the resident "doctor." With a prison knowledge of first aid and whatever medicines he can cadge from doing trades with the local Mafia, he sets up a practice and is regarded as heaven-sent by these poor people who have nothing but illness, rat bites, dysentery, and anemia. He also meets Karla, an enigmatic Swiss-American woman, with whom he falls in love. Theirs is a complicated relationship, and Karlas connections are murky from the outset. Roberts is not reluctant to wax poetic; in fact, some of his prose is downright embarrassing. Throughought the novel, however, all 944 pages of it, every single sentence rings true. He is a tough guy with a tender heart, one capable of what is judged criminal behavior, but a basically decent, intelligent man who would never intentionally hurt anyone, especially anyone he knew. He is a magnet for trouble, a soldier of fortune, a picaresque hero: the rascal who lives by his wits in a corrupt society. His story is irresistible. Stay tuned for the prequel and the sequel. --Valerie Ryan
Product Description
"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 this epic, mesmerizing first novel set in the underworld of contemporary Bombay. Shantaram is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear.
Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter Bombay'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. Based on the life of the author, it is by any measure the debut of an extraordinary voice in literature.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 264 more reviews...
 The Deep Green Lagoons of Karla's Haunted Eyes October 9, 2008
I was ambivalent about rating this book, because I actually enjoyed it very much. On the storytelling alone I would give it 4 stars. David Gregory Roberts' autobiographical novel kept me up late many nights - he certainly has led an unconventional and exciting life on the run in India. My favorite parts of the book were the relationships he had with the slum dwellers, Prabaker in particular. He captured the cadences of their speech perfectly, with humor and deep compassion. On this alone I would give the book 5 stars. However, I had a problem with Karla. I grew tired of the myriad descriptions of her green eyes - the prose was flowery and hard to swallow. And the descriptions of their lovemaking would have been funny were he not so earnest in his quest to be poetic. Just a few too many metaphors and adjectives for me. Karla herself evoked very little sympathy from me, even when the Great Mysterious Secret about her was revealed. To me she was selfish and shallow and not worth the adoration of Lin, the main character. I did not find her so-called clever turns of phrase to be so wise; rather I found them to be the cynical observations of a ruined and bitter woman. There were no ugly women in this book, or even plain women. I guess it is a credit to the author that he finds drop-dead beauty in every woman he meets!
Having gotten that out of the way, let me say the author has done a remarkable job of bringing Bombay to the lay person. He tells of a lush, vibrant city that teems with fascinating characters (Karla aside) and the lessons it has taught him. I am planning a trip there soon; the book has enriched my enduring fascination with India. It is also a story of redemption, and you will have to read it yourself to discover what I mean. There is so much more I could say but I don't want to bore anyone. This is not high literature. But who cares? It is a grand read if you can get past the deep green, dusk-lit lagoons in the swirling maelstrom of Karla's bodacious haunted eyes...
 Very engaging - gives food for thought October 9, 2008
This book is well written, using words that make the characters and locations come alive. The insight into the Indian people and their heart is engaging. The spiritual insight and philosophy that is demonstrated and spoken about by the characters gives one pause to think about in relationship to one's daily life.
At times, I thought that the author's experiences as he related them appeared to be far fetched if true. They do make the tale more interesting.
With regards to the audio CD, I enjoy the reader. The different voices with their appropriate accents enhances the "reading" (listening) experience.
 A great book October 7, 2008
I read Shantaram about a year ago and hands down it is the best book I read all year, maybe in the past five years. It is really memorable. The prison scenes, life in Mumbai, the characters, stay alive long after I stopped reading. The book is long, but I never wanted it to end. A year later, I miss it.
Shantaram- a novel by Gregory David Roberts October 3, 2008
This book was recommended by a friend who was reading it. It is absolutely a must read book. I felt as though I learned more about life in India in the first fifty pages than I knew in my life so far (I don't get out much.)It felt as if I was reading an autobiography, and after reading about the authors life, that feeling may not be far from the truth. The characters are well developed,the plot lines are numerous without getting tangled. The revelations about Australian and Indian prisons and the Indian mob are complex in their textures. I don't want to give anything away, for though there are a lot of pages, I looked forward to each one.
 The frustrating tale of an anti-hero who does not learn September 25, 2008
The first third of Shantaram was - despite some lengths - compelling. I developed sympathy for the protagonist and due to severeal hints I expected him to become a better man in the course of all those 1000+ pages. But then, after around 400 pages the story takes a strange turn and develops into some senseless, violence ridden tale. Lin starts to spend his time with characters you could not care less about and puts himself himself deeper and deeper into senseless, violent, dumb and ultimately boring situations. Actually the story's dramatic demise begins with Lin's involvement with the Mafia. I just read on because I could not believe that he would not learn and get out of this crap, but become more and more detached from his own emotions. Instead of facing his own demons he runs away from them by either taking heroin or putting himself in life threatening situations. One after the other after the other. YAWN. The protagonist develops into an annoying jerk and one seriously starts to question his intelligence. No personal development to the better. None at all. Honestly, the second half of the book is a total waste of time. I wish Roberts had simply written his autobiography.
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