[anandi]

Just wondering who has read Shantaram by Gregory David Robers, and what they thought.  I absolutely loved it!  My friends loved it too...  It was awesome.

[wanderer22]

It's a good read all right and soon to be a movie.  Check out Roberts web site here.. Shantaram
Johnny Depp has picked up the film rights so should be interesting. Look for a book called Maximum City by
Mehta  Suketu.  It fills in a lot of information about Bombay/Mumbai that sets the scene of the book.

    W22

[Somerset]

Great news that the film rights have been picked up. Look forward to seeing the movie. Wife loved the book, and that will be my summer reading.

[Anindya]

I too have liked the Shantaram, its a good book to break many prejudices of Mumbai.
The Maximum City is a more Mumbai-centric book with good research done, moreover its more recent.

Anindya

[choledochus]

anandi, on May 12 2006, 06:23 AM, said:

Just wondering who has read Shantaram by Gregory David Robers, and what they thought.  I absolutely loved it!  My friends loved it too...  It was awesome.

hi
I thought it was a mighty good read but there were parts I could nt quite believe... like when he satyed in the slums and opened a clinic of sorts ...and his dealings with the leprosy aptients...
Artistic license or fact..???
Still a wonderfully engrossing read
bye

[Serena]

Just finished it!!! And I love it too!
My favourite part is the first, didn't like very much all the "mafia" and "guerriglia" things.....

[Casey]

I know that I will be in the minority, but I didn't like the book for a variety of reasons.  I have read far better books that dealt with very similar subject matter.  I think, that better editing may have addressed some of the problems.  Far too many characters fall off the map whose stories added little.  I really enjoyed War and Peace and A Suitable Boy, whose authors were able to incorporate the minor characters in a way that didn't seem so choppy.  I think he should have spent more time developing the characters (other than himself) in order to understand their behaviour.  *** SPOILER AHEAD***The prostitute who ran off to Europe comes back to spend her life with the man with the damaged face.  Up until that part she was portrayed as being extemely self-centred.  What happened?  It just made for a happy ending. I appreciate that much of it appears to be well researched, and parts were engaging, but overall I was glad it was over rather than wanting it to continue.  Again, just my opinion and I am always glad to hear people enjoy reading!

Edited by Casey, 13 May 2006 - 02:52 AM.

[digital drifter]

Casey, on May 13 2006, 02:38 AM, said:

I know that I will be in the minority, but I didn't like the book for a variety of reasons.  I have read far better books that dealt with very similar subject matter.  I think, that better editing may have addressed some of the problems.  Far too many characters fall off the map whose stories added little.  I really enjoyed War and Peace and A Suitable Boy, whose authors were able to incorporate the minor characters in a way that didn't seem so choppy.  I think he should have spent more time developing the characters (other than himself) in order to understand their behaviour.  *** SPOILER AHEAD***The prostitute who ran off to Europe comes back to spend her life with the man with the damaged face.  Up until that part she was portrayed as being extemely self-centred.  What happened?  It just made for a happy ending. I appreciate that much of it appears to be well researched, and parts were engaging, but overall I was glad it was over rather than wanting it to continue.  Again, just my opinion and I am always glad to hear people enjoy reading!

It appears there's been some editorial pressure to add those bits of sex, 'reformed kid act' to make it look like a story with a moral.  A good impressive work but far too long at 1000 pages.