Published in the summer of 2003, Shantaram is one of my favorite novels to date because of so many reasons. Not only is it an autobiographical account of the author, it has spice, emotions and a message in each and every chapter that you read. Even to this day, this book is a bestseller and tells the real life story of the author, Gregory David Roberts, an escaped convict from an Australian prison.
The novel starts once Roberts escapes from the prison and comes to India and the experiences and events explained in the book are part of the ten years that he ends up spending in India. His future life and ultimately his destiny are shaped in the city of Mumbai where he ends up meeting people from various parts of life.
The book, Shantaram, is not like one of those boring biographical accounts that one normally comes across. Instead, such is the pace of the book that it feels as if one is watching a movie. For example, the way how the author gets the name Shantaram, meaning Man of Peace, is a wonderful little story in itself.
Lin, the author, tends to return back to his old criminal ways every now and then despite trying hard to love and honest life. He, however, realizes his mistake each time and tries to make amends for it and it's because of this reason that I really liked the book. It carries a deep, underlying message that the path of evil will always tempt us but we can return back to the righteous path if we choose to.
We are also introduced to the character of Carla, who plays Shantaram's love interest in the book. Shantaram also travel to Afghanistan and Africa in between where he gets involved in dealing of illegal arms. However, once his mentor and confidante dies, Lin realizes his mistakes and decides to live an honest life thereafter.
The book ends with the hint of a sequel when Lin travels to Sri Lanka to continue his spiritual journey. All in all, Shantaram is a wonderful book and a must read for every book lover. It is available at all leading bookstores but my suggestion would be to purchase this from online retailers as they offer some great discounts on all kinds of books including this one.
The novel starts once Roberts escapes from the prison and comes to India and the experiences and events explained in the book are part of the ten years that he ends up spending in India. His future life and ultimately his destiny are shaped in the city of Mumbai where he ends up meeting people from various parts of life.
The book, Shantaram, is not like one of those boring biographical accounts that one normally comes across. Instead, such is the pace of the book that it feels as if one is watching a movie. For example, the way how the author gets the name Shantaram, meaning Man of Peace, is a wonderful little story in itself.
Lin, the author, tends to return back to his old criminal ways every now and then despite trying hard to love and honest life. He, however, realizes his mistake each time and tries to make amends for it and it's because of this reason that I really liked the book. It carries a deep, underlying message that the path of evil will always tempt us but we can return back to the righteous path if we choose to.
We are also introduced to the character of Carla, who plays Shantaram's love interest in the book. Shantaram also travel to Afghanistan and Africa in between where he gets involved in dealing of illegal arms. However, once his mentor and confidante dies, Lin realizes his mistakes and decides to live an honest life thereafter.
The book ends with the hint of a sequel when Lin travels to Sri Lanka to continue his spiritual journey. All in all, Shantaram is a wonderful book and a must read for every book lover. It is available at all leading bookstores but my suggestion would be to purchase this from online retailers as they offer some great discounts on all kinds of books including this one.
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