Shantaram

Shantaram, Book 1

By: Gregory David Roberts

Narrated by: Humphrey Bower

Length: 43 hrs

Publisher's summary

A novel of high adventure, great storytelling and moral purpose, based on an extraordinary true story of eight years in the Bombay underworld.

In the early 80s, Gregory David Roberts, an armed robber and heroin addict, escaped from an Australian prison to India, where he lived in a Bombay slum. There, he established a free health clinic and also joined the mafia, working as a money launderer, forger and street soldier. He found time to learn Hindi and Marathi, fall in love, and spend time being worked over in an Indian jail. Then, in case anyone thought he was slacking, he acted in Bollywood and fought with the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan...

Amazingly, Roberts wrote Shantaram three times after prison guards trashed the first two versions. It's a profound tribute to his willpower...

©2003 Gregory David Roberts (P)2006 Black Stone Audio Inc

Critic reviews

"Extraordinary vivid...a gigantic, jaw-dropping, grittily authentic saga." ( Daily Mail)

"Powerful and original...a remarkable achievement." ( Sunday Telegraph)

"Vivid and compassionate...impressive." ( Guardian)

"A publishing phenomenon." ( Sunday Times)

This book will make you dream about India

Outstandingly beautiful story, brilliantly produced in every aspect. A must read for anyone even remotly interested in India.

Best book I have ever read

loved the way Gregory writes. I have physically read the book also. thank you Gregory💋

Super

Just a drop too long. But stick with it, an unforgettable story that happens to be true!

Absolutely fantastic and much more

so rich, so diverse, deep and philosophical ... and exciting too. The amount of details about Bombay’s life, culture and society, would hardly come from someone’s imagination, but only from a eye witness with a generous open heart. I am going to miss those characters' portraited in such depth, with their struggles, dreams, aspirations, and unique points of view. And a absolute ovation for the audio production. The voices, accents, tone. I can’t recommend enough

The best book I read in years

This book has been with me for a few year and is one of the best stories I ever read and really touched my heart. Thank u

One of the best books ever written!

I immensly enjoyed listening to Shantaram. The story is very well written, intersting and the narrator does a great job. I really feel like visiting India now after reading this book.

Beautifully written macho tale

I read this book when I was a teenager and remember being completely taken by the wild narrative and deep sense of knowing that this book imparts. But now reading it as a grown woman, I am struck by how much of a man’s tale it is. And in my imagined memory, there was some kind of deep resolution to this book which I just did not find reading it again this time around. The narrator does a beautiful job of bringing it to life, and it’s still way better than the film TV version, but it has lost some of its aura over time, especially with the whole aspect of it being so focused on violence. The perspective is very refreshing to hear from a man’s point of view who has full awareness of the impact of his existence. And it’s a great read for first time. I was just a little bit disappointed with my second time. And I do hope that the bear got away.

Gripping story beautifully told yet literary weak

Would you try another book from Gregory David Roberts and/or Humphrey Bower?

Most likely not. In my opinion think Roberts literary qualities are too weak and if he didn't have such a fascination story to tell I would not have gone through the ever returning choice of words meaningless descriptions of what people are wearing and the never ending lamentation of supposedly spiritual meaning.

What did you like best about this story?

the description of places and people in Bombay was exceptional, fascination and authentic. The way Roberts always seemed to keep something in his sleeve which one could be sure would soon enough be revealed.

What does Humphrey Bower bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The accents of the natives especially Prabu. The differences and authenticity in the Australian, Indian and New York accents.On the other hand the German and Swiss accents and the female voices he tried to imitate had an irritating ad probably unintentional note of persiflage which made the main female character even more repugnant in the audio than if I would have read the book.

Do you think Shantaram needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

The author gave all he had in the first half of the book, after that it slipped into trivia and drab description. Especially the descriptions of the woman where weak and unbelievable.

Any additional comments?

There is no way I would have read the book past the first half. Having it told to me while working was somehow tolerable but all in all it should have been much shorter.Too much trivia about gangster honor, beautiful woman with sea green eyes long tanned legs and gory descriptions of wounds and war horrors.His female characters remained flat and lifeless stereotypes all of them dumb, naive and corrupted while there was great enthusiastic investment in (so called) brotherly love, honor, gangster and weapon romantic and all that homoerotic denial repertoire.

Psychology babble and mediocre writing

The narrator was good, excellent with his Indian accents and different voices. The story itself, well, not a likeable main character and a load of psychological babble that I could have done without. But I learned a fair amount about the subculture of Bombay, so that part was all right. The lovemaking descriptions are beyond bad.

Classic

Everyone should read this story. It will stay with me forever and I can't wait to read the follow-up.