Customer Reviews
Shantaram - By: O. Burrows, 01 Sep 2008 
ive never experienced with any other book ive read the nowed cliched phrase "unput-downable" but with shantaram it redefines this term. you actuallly cant stop reading it or waiting until the next time you open the pages again.
i dont understand how other reviewers have callled this book "tripe", were they reading a different book to me? becasue i found it nothing of the sort, & would recommend, as i have already, this book to anyone who wants to have a proper good read.
I perservered - By: Lorretta, 31 Aug 2008 
There were many occasions when I just wanted to give up on this tripe but I perservered in the hope that this book would get better but alas it didn't & I feel that I wasted my time.
The prose is so sickly I was nearly reaching for the sick bucket. How any man could love Karla is beyond me, a cold, calculating & manipulative woman. Indeed the only character who was remotely likeable was Prabaker.
I am also surprised that the author, who constantly reminds us of just how intellectual he is, could be taken in by the despicable Khader Khan. This man was depicted as a great philosopher when in fact he was a criminal with no moral integrity whatsoever.
As for the author, well perhaps he should take some lessons in the art of modesty. I just couldn't warm to him & found myself not reallly caring what happened to him in the end.
All in alll a very disapointing read.
Trying to impress - By: Ms. E. Silvester, 03 Aug 2008 
An amazing epic journey that had me wanting to read on. But what a horrible, vile man, a bit too up himself & trying a bit too hard to impress with his descriptions - think he's after an award. If I read one more time about someone's eyes being the colour of sand held in your hand as the sun sets over the desert or some such, I think I'd scream. And what is 'sorrowing' & 'hungering'? Get over yourself, man! Maybe children in school should have to read this as part of an anti-drugs programme - don't do heroin or you'll turn into an eejit like this.
The people & the places & the adventures are amazing & worth reading for that but I don't think it'll do much for the Indian tourist industry. All in alll, read it but borrow someone else's copy.
Read this one - By: A. Palmer, 26 Jul 2008 Not only is this story fascinating, fast paced & emotional, but the quality of the writing is second to none. To be honest I was expecting the 'escaped con' to recollect numerous anecdotes demonstrating how rough, tough & street-wise he is; what I didn't expect was what I actuallly read - a genuine passion for the people of India & a compelling love story, mixed with the violence, loyalty & betrayal of organised crime. I was impressed by the author's humility & compassion, & also by his honesty about the drug trade & criminal network within which he became established. His characters are alive, complex & unique, & he could have written this book with a dozen different endings. It's easy to forget that this is a true story (perhaps not of alll of it is), but is an incredible read & his memories of India & Afghanistan will stay with me for a long long time.
A great yarn but......... - By: Wren, 24 Jul 2008 
I have mixed views on this book. It is a great read, I loved the descriptions of India & it's people. I found the character descriptions very touching especiallly those of the people who lived in the rural villages & in the slums.
However, half way through I kept saying 'this can't have happened...., he couldn't have survived that' Some of the story seemed so fantastic & hard to believe, the near death experiences, the fight scenes, the survival in the mountains of Afghanistan. Like other readers mentioned, the author does not know the meaning of the word 'modest'. I ended up disliking him which reallly took from my enjoyment of the book. He reallly painted himself as a heroic, self-righteous, man of the people. I think he would have endeared himself to the reader if he had been more humble.
