Jeannette Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 Has anybody else read "Shantaram" yet? I recently finished it and loved it. It's a huge novel based on a true story. I think I read somewhere that it's 85% true, but don't quote me on that. What made my jaw drop after reading it was the fact that the author had to write it three times. I'm not talking drafts, I mean beginning from scratch. He wrote it (in longhand!) in prison and the guards destroyed the finished manuscript twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 Dedication!! may have to read it now. Although the last book I read which was supposed to have taken years to write was At Swim Two Boys and I struggled. too many words (and I can waffle) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kernow_reader Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 No. But I've often thought about giving it a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 Its in my TBR pile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mia Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 He wrote it (in longhand!) in prison and the guards destroyed the finished manuscript twice. What?! Aarrgghhh!!! *contemplates the horror* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Added it to my TBR list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corina Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Has there been no interest in this book since the last post? I read this last year and though I have that short and long term memory problem where I could not write a review of a book I finished more than 2 days ago, I really liked this one. It is a saga. About 1000 pages and writing a little too small for my liking in the edition I had, but it is a great story. Funny, sad, wretched and as described on Amazon, a lot of "Jailhouse philosophy" which knocked my socks off at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tui Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 I started reading it a year or two ago, and am ashamed to say I gave it up pretty early on. More because life was too crazy at the time and I couldn't commit to it. It's been on my list to try again soon as I have heard only good things about it. Plus, apparently the film's coming out soon. And we all know that the books are usually better than the film adaptation!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frugal Mule Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I read this about a year ago. I'm glad I read it. I sort of liked it. I can see why lots of people like it. I'm not being very articulate, I know. The thing is, whilst I enjoyed the story (except for the Afghanistan stuff which I found really tedious) I found myself becoming more and more annoyed with the author who seemed a little too in love with himself. I wanted to bop him on his big preachy nose. A few times I've wanted to buy a copy for a friend, but something stops me from doing so. It's not just the fact that my only friend is a dog. No. Aside from that, I think I'd be slightly embarrassed to; incase they thought I was unaware of the self indulgent over-dramatized nature of it and I'd want to say "oh, uh, yeah, I thought he was a twit too. Honest". He (Gregory David Roberts) paints himself as a tortured hero that the reader is supposed to be so in awe of, but I think he comes off as a glorified, pretentious thug. I didn't like him. Anyway, I found this review on Amazon a few months ago and it made me laugh so hard I had tears rolling down my cheeks. Then again, my friend's a Spaniel so I'm easily impressed. In fact, I should have just pasted this in to begin with: R. Gray (Edinburgh) The cover blurb looked interesting. The opening pages, describing the author's arrival in Bombay, were good. I'm going to enjoy this, I thought. How wrong can you be. This is an awful book. Awful. My top four moans are: - The way ALL the characters constantly speak in sub-Wildean aphorisms. Ever heard of tone of voice? - The constant and cringeworthy GCSE-grade philosophy that we're meant to think is profound. - The embarassingly florid prose that litters every page, and especially any passages involving Karla. - The author's relentlessly inflated opinion of himself. Every other page we're meant to be in awe of the fact he learnt some of the local languages, and is therefore the most amazing Westerner to have ever visited India. Ever. (And every Indian thinks so too, of course.) As another reviewer said wearily: Everybody loves Lin. Simple villagers love him, slum dwellers love him, beautiful ex-prostitutes love him, gangsters love him, Afghani drug lords love him, taxi drivers always love him at a glance and so on and so forth. As a character, he's just unbelievable. And that's without getting into the fact he's absolutely The Best at Everything - from fighting to lovemaking, medicine to philosophy. It soon became apparent that this book is shamelessly aimed at a certain kind of buyer: the upper middle class 18 year old on their 'gap' year, who thinks that smoking a few joints in Goa qualifies as discovering the real India and you just have to read this book man, it's like the real India and like sooo deep and profound and if like everyone read it the world's problems would be solved dude... I invite all future reviewers to start contributing their own Shataram efforts. To get the ball rolling, here's mine... "That's not a review of the book, it's a book of the review," stated Karla, as the stars of Bombay's glittering sky danced in her eyes like a thousand diamonds. "You're just trying to be clever," drawled Didier, waving the Caf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corina Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Good review, Frugal Mule, and I can see where you are coming from. No offense taken here. I like the way Lin becomes a slum doctor too, with no medical training. The scene on the bus where he is questioned on his marital status is just so hilarious. I have been to India, and it is like that. I leant a lot about forging passports from this book .. The book made Australias 50 best reads list of last year, so not sure what that says about us . The fact that this semi -autobigraphy is about a convict and we love our convicts here might have something to do with it. Apparently the movie is starring Johnny Depp. I suppose I will have to drag myself along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frugal Mule Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 The book made Australias 50 best reads list of last year, so not sure what that says about us . Thanks. I don't think that's a bad thing and I'm not surprised it made the top 50. Contrary to the amazon review I quoted, I don't think it's a bad book. I enjoyed most of it and the story is interesting, and that's why I want to recommend it. There's just something about it that niggles at my conscience and warns me not to give it too much credence. I'm not comfortable with all the self congratulating I suppose. Then again, it's just a book, and no one said it was supposed to be taken seriously... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Readwine Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I started reading it a year or two ago, and am ashamed to say I gave it up pretty early on. I gave up on it too, but is still on TBR pile. At the time it appeared too long-winded and my edition also had tiny print. We'll see if it get read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 It's one that I was given for Christmas, but because of its length, haven't got round to reading yet. I will at some point though, as it does sound like the sort of stuff I usually like from the blurb on the back cover and browsing through it, I like the writers style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paperplane Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 It's on my TBR! I'll get around to it someday... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Just wondered if anyone had managed to finish this as it's on my TBR pile as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soso Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 Well at first it started off pretty good and I really enjoyed but then things begin to be really boring and just long so I guess I lost interest and so I stopped reading it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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