Shantaram-A Perfect Book And A Must Read. Review on Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

What Made Me Read This Book:

I came across the name of this book on net, on a forum and it's review was quite intriguing. I must admit that the title isn't exactly catchy. But, like they say "Don't judge a book by it's cover", I'll say, "Don't judge a book by it's title" because Shantaram is a masterpiece. If you are missing this book, you missing something really important. This book is much more than a story.

The Book:

Shantaram is like an autobiography (Again, many people have this misconception that autobiographies are boring. Infact I had it myself, but it is not true at all. And this book will prove it.) though it is not. It is actually a novel. The events that take place in the story are true but the all the characters are not. Gregory David Roberts is known as Lin throughout the book. (I won't disclose the reason why his name is Lin.)

A Broad Outline Of The Story:

Greg Roberts is a drug addict (though he beats the dope) and an escaped prisoner from Australia. He ends up in India, in our very own Bombay. The book is all about the adventures (I'll 'have' to say adventures) he has in Mumbai. He lives in the slums, he opens a free health clinic for the people there moreover he considers them as his family. He learns Hindi and Marathi, falls in love and makes new friends in India. He even fights with the mujahdeen in Afghanistan. The main part is that he works in the Bombay underworld, the Mafia. You must read this book because apart from enjoying the story immensely, you'll also learn a lot. The book provides a lesson. And it'll also make you feel like a proud Indian. But I won't spoil the fun of reading the book by telling you more.

The Writing Style:

It's hard to imagine that a person gone through so much can write so beautifully. I love the way he describes the scene, the characters- you actually get a picture of it. It's a must read, if not for the story and the lesson it gives, read it for the style. GDR's writing is wonderful. Every sentence he has written in those 900-odd pages of the book have a beauty of their own.

My Views:

READ THIS BOOK. I loved it. It's amazing. It's awesome, thrilling, beautiful. After reading it, you'll be elated to know that a movie is being made based on the book. I'm not going to miss that either.

Some Quotes From The Book That I Love:

There is no heart like the Indian heart. It's the heart that keeps us all together.

I can go on and on and on. There are so many memorable and interesting sentences in the book that you just can't get enough of them. The beauty of these lies in their universality. Alright, here's the last one:

Some things are so sad that only your soul can do the crying for them.

Beautiful, isn't it???? I'm sure they'll compel you to read the book.