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A review by sarah_tellesbo
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
5.0
Wow. Where do I even begin? I guess “WOW” is as good a place as any… This book is a masterpiece. That’s really the long and the short of it. It’s in my top ten best books of all time, no question.
Late 1970′s. An Australian man on the run from his criminal past finds his heart and soul (and some more trouble, of course) in Bombay. He wrestles with questions of good and evil, love, loss, friendship, and family. He finds, and ultimately learns to embrace, the light and the dark in humanity, and in himself. Somewhere along the way, he even finds some peace and purpose.
The most interesting part? Much of this story is suspected to be TRUE. The author of Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts, is actually a former Australian bank robber and heroin addict who escaped to Bombay where he made his way in black market dealings and illegal, mafia-esque adventures. He actually still lives and works in Bombay (now Mumbai) and this glorious piece of literature seems to be a pseudo-memoir of sorts. How cool is that?!
Aside from the awesome backstory, the book itself is remarkable. It’s long but engrossing; heavy and philosophical but not tedious; insightful and spiritual but not aggrandizing. And every line is quotable. I’m not kidding. Each page (all 900+ of them) offers another new chunk of fascinating thoughts to chew on, and every brain cell is engaged in the process of eating them up. You don’t want to miss any of it– there’s too much brilliance and truth to condemn to skimming or half-hearted reading.
Like I said, top ten. Maybe top five, even.
Read it.
Like, today.
Late 1970′s. An Australian man on the run from his criminal past finds his heart and soul (and some more trouble, of course) in Bombay. He wrestles with questions of good and evil, love, loss, friendship, and family. He finds, and ultimately learns to embrace, the light and the dark in humanity, and in himself. Somewhere along the way, he even finds some peace and purpose.
The most interesting part? Much of this story is suspected to be TRUE. The author of Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts, is actually a former Australian bank robber and heroin addict who escaped to Bombay where he made his way in black market dealings and illegal, mafia-esque adventures. He actually still lives and works in Bombay (now Mumbai) and this glorious piece of literature seems to be a pseudo-memoir of sorts. How cool is that?!
Aside from the awesome backstory, the book itself is remarkable. It’s long but engrossing; heavy and philosophical but not tedious; insightful and spiritual but not aggrandizing. And every line is quotable. I’m not kidding. Each page (all 900+ of them) offers another new chunk of fascinating thoughts to chew on, and every brain cell is engaged in the process of eating them up. You don’t want to miss any of it– there’s too much brilliance and truth to condemn to skimming or half-hearted reading.
Like I said, top ten. Maybe top five, even.
Read it.
Like, today.