Shantaram

[lightsoldier]

Shantaram is a novel based on the Authors life whose name is Gregory David Roberts, or so they say, you be the judge, either way its an amazing read, beautifully written and captivating, i couldn't put the book down. There's some very interesting characters.

Abit about the book...

Gregory David Roberts was born in Melbourne, Australia. Sentenced to 19 years in prison for a series of armed robberies, he escaped and spent 10 of his fugitive years in Bombay, wher he established a free medical clinic for slum-dwellers, and worked as a counterfeiter, a smuggler, gunrunner, and street soldier for a branch of the Bombay Mafia. Recaptured, he served out his sentence, and established a successful multimedia company upon his release. Roberts is now a full time writer and lives in Bombay.


An excerpt from the book

"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."

Definitely worth reading.

[rabana]

i loved it and passed it on to friends. is the sequel out yet?

[lightsoldier]

Hi rabana, i read it quite awhile ago, and the thought of there being a sequel didn't really cross my mind, but im going to check to see if there is one, and will post any news.

I would appreciate any books you may be able to recommend of a similiar nature.

Peace and God Bless.

[Meshulam]

I remember I read it before , I think some of the events are probably true in the book. as I remember from some of the stories I heard from people traveling or living into thirld world countries, where corruption is a comon way of living, the underground world and the mafia are a known thing. I am not sure sometimes how much of the events of the book the author actually lived.

[lightsoldier]

Hi Meshulam, first of all Welcome to IndigoSociety .

I agree with you, as in im not sure how many of those events the author lived, but hey who knows, if he did in fact live this life, that truly must have been a unforgettable experience/experiences.

[rabana]

i think it is fictionalized to some degree, novelized you might say-- everything fits together so neatly. i think its true that he escaped from prison in australia, lived in bombay, went back to prison, etc., now lives in bombay again.

check out his website tho. he's writing another fat one about his further adventures.

[lightsoldier]

Yes i agree rabana, but who knows, stranger things have happened.

Im going to check out his website now... thanx for the info.

[rabana]

Yes i agree rabana, but who knows, stranger things have happened.

Im going to check out his website now... thanx for the info.

i'm willing to believe that all that more or less did happen, but few lives weave together that neatly, everything becoming clear in one passage at the end of the book, etc. thats what i mean by 'novelized'.

[lightsoldier]

I understand what ur saying. I actually thought for along while after reading the book, and its nice to have ur point of view, ur interpretation, so thankyou.

Peace and God Bless.

[Meshulam]

Hi Meshulam, first of all Welcome to IndigoSociety .

I agree with you, as in im not sure how many of those events the author lived, but hey who knows, if he did in fact live this life, that truly must have been a unforgettable experience/experiences.

Thank you for saying Welcome , I am happy to participate here

I was ready to beat my head against a wall after the 50th time he preaches a life lesson on things only a hardened, desperate bad ass such as himself could know.

Time after time the main character finds himself in a difficult and dangerous situation yet never really seems to learn how to avoid them in the first place. I've met enough people like this in real life to realize they are the ones creating the drama for themselves and it's always distasteful to watch. The female love interest in the book seems to be less of an actual person and more of his alter ego, perpetually leading him to disaster and disappointment.

It's a colorful story but I regard everything between the binders as fiction and little else. The writer is after all a career conman.

[rabana]

there is a lot of 'philosophical' discussion that i simply skipped. i often skip non-fictional elements in fiction.

it is very romantic and flowery, which is part of the novelization. once i got used to that i just accepted it as a whopping good tale. i'm not reading to be enlightened where there obviously is none.

i live in an isolated area and don't get to read what i want, just what i come across.

[lightsoldier]

Thank you for saying Welcome , I am happy to participate here

I was ready to beat my head against a wall after the 50th time he preaches a life lesson on things only a hardened, desperate bad ass such as himself could know.

Time after time the main character finds himself in a difficult and dangerous situation yet never really seems to learn how to avoid them in the first place. I've met enough people like this in real life to realize they are the ones creating the drama for themselves and it's always distasteful to watch. The female love interest in the book seems to be less of an actual person and more of his alter ego, perpetually leading him to disaster and disappointment.

It's a colorful story but I regard everything between the binders as fiction and little else. The writer is after all a career conman.

Ur Welcome. Yeah ur right, he doesn't seem to learn, I felt that he's just addicted to danger, i know ppl like that in real life, and most of the one's i know have no regard for themselves, let alone others, its like watching a repetitive cycle of stupidity. With all that being said im not sure its all fiction, but i like the point you make on the writer being a career conman/criminal.

[lightsoldier]

there is a lot of 'philosophical' discussion that i simply skipped. i often skip non-fictional elements in fiction.

it is very romantic and flowery, which is part of the novelization. once i got used to that i just accepted it as a whopping good tale. i'm not reading to be enlightened where there obviously is none.


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i live in an isolated area and don't get to read what i want, just what i come across.

I was actually recommended the book by the owner at Black Bond Books, and all in all i found it to be a good read, and when he does eventually finish writing his other book, im definitely going to read it.