Shantaram
Shantaram, Book 1
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Shantaram
Narrated by:
Humphrey Bower
Buy Now for £16.99
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Narrated by:
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Humphrey Bower
About this listen
'A literary masterpiece... at once erudite and intimate, reflective and funny... it has the grit and pace of a thriller' Daily Telegraph
'A publishing phenomenon' Sunday Times
'A gigantic, jaw-dropping, grittily authentic saga' Daily Mail
'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... At once a high-kicking, eye-gouging adventure, a love saga and a savage yet tenderly lyrical fugitive vision.' Time Out©2003 Gregory David Roberts
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Critic reviews
A literary masterpiece... at once erudite and intimate, reflective and funny... it has the grit and pace of a thriller
Powerful and original... a remarkable achievement
A publishing phenomenon
Extraordinarily vivid... a gigantic, jaw-dropping, grittily authentic saga
Utterly unique, absolutely audacious and wonderfully wild, Shantaram is sure to catch even the most fantastic of imaginations off guard
[A] sprawling, intelligent novel... full of vibrant characters... the exuberance of his prose is refreshing
Vivid, entertaining... Its visceral, cinematic descriptive beauty truly impresses
Few stand out quite like Shantaram... nothing if not entertaining... Sometimes a big story is its own reward
Very good... vast of vision and breadth
It has a heartfelt, cinemascope feel... A sensational read
[A] jaw-dropping, grittily authentic saga of lives laid bare
A curious mixture of adventure story and travelogue... [a] vivid and compassionate panorama of the places and people he encounters
[An] elegantly written, page-turning blockbuster... splendidly evoking an India few outsiders know
Shantaram is a novel of the first order, a work of extraordinary art, a thing of exceptional beauty. If someone asked me what the book was about, I would have to say everything, every thing in the world. Gregory David Roberts does for Bombay what Lawrence Durrell did for Alexandria, what Melville did for the South Seas, what Thoreau did for Walden Pond: he makes it an eternal player in the literature of the world
Shantaram has provided me with the richest reading experience to date and I don't expect anybody to unseat its all-round performance for a long time. It is seductive, powerful, complex, and blessed with a perfect voice. Like a voodoo ghost snatcher, Gregory David Roberts has captured the spirits of the likes of Henri Charriere, Rohinton Mistry, Tom Wolfe, and Mario Vargas Llosa, fused them with his own unique magic, and built the most gripping monument in print... Gregory David Roberts is a suitable giant, a dazzling guru, and a genius in full
Shantaram is, quite simply, the Arabian Nights of the new century. Anyone who loves to read has been looking for this book all their reading life. Anyone who walks away from Shantaram untouched is either heartless or dead or both. I haven't had such a wonderful time in years
Shantaram is dazzling. More importantly, it offers a lesson... that those we incarcerate are human beings. They deserve to be treated with dignity. Some of them, after all, may be exceptional. Some may even possess genius
An incredible piece of art (written & narrated)
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If you could sum up Shantaram in three words, what would they be?
Brave, free, goodWho was your favorite character and why?
Having spent some time traveling in India I could relate to quite a few of the characters. Prabu is my favourite because he made me feel happy!Which scene did you most enjoy?
The book gets darker as it goes on so I really enjoyed the naive getting to know India/ Mumbai in the beginning of the book.If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
I am unfortunately no copywriter...Any additional comments?
This is a great book for all that love India. Gregory David Roberts has very much grasped how India is a very orderly mess. That's how I always felt about the place.Great for a rookie!
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fabulous!!!!
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Where does Shantaram rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This is a long book but is well balanced between the parts. If you like descriptive stories which are honest and to a greater or lesser extent true then this is a very good choice.What did you like best about this story?
This is a book told through the individual stories of the intertwining characters. The characters are very vivid and develop well as the story progresses, It is one of the few stories I have read where the story is there but the whole of the story and all of the levels are not fully explained until the final part. The way the story unravels and develops is truly intriguing.Have you listened to any of Humphrey Bower’s other performances? How does this one compare?
I haven't listened to any other performances but on the strength of this one I would definitely consider listening to more.Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
There are several key moments in this book. I will not give any plot points or spoilers but there are three or four moments that clearly stand out when I think about this book.Any additional comments?
I won't lie and say this is an easy listen in parts but it is well worth the effort.A very rich and compelling read
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Amazing book
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