Gregory David Roberts - Shantaram

Pros: Riveting from start to finish,emotional,personal ,passionate, sweeping in scope
Cons: A tale of gross stupidity, a vicious thug with a philosophical bent ?

Very few books move me to the point Shantaram has done , it may well be destined to become a classic, so get it “first off the press”, and if you can a signed copy by the author it is due for release in the US on October 19th and it may ...

Pros:

Interesting, thought-provoking, informative, and hilarious at times.

Cons:

Lengthy, can be very graphic and greusome.

I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone with an adventurous spirit or who loves to travel. In the book, Roberts tells of his escape from prison in Australia, and his adventures in India, which include having all of his money stolen and having ...

Pros: often riveting; a great adventure, full of soul and heartfelt observations
Cons: writing is a bit overblown; female characters are poorly drawn; idealizes the mafia

Lin is a wanted man, the most wanted criminal in Australia when he steps off the plane in Bombay, in search of a new life...During the next few years, with no cash or real ID, he remakes himself as Shantaram ("man of peace"), learns Indian dialects, ...

Pros: detailed ,descriptive,fast-paced truly engrossing
Cons: quite hypocritical considering he's glamourising crime

I decided to buy this book because there was a lot of hype surrounding it before its launch here in India with almost every TV channel having interviews with the author Gregory David Roberts .Here was an ex-con who had escaped from prison in his home ...

Pros: An amazing opus that defies description
Cons: Will take repeated sittings to finish reading - but it's well worth it

OK, my tag line may be a bit much, just like the length of the book (900+ pages), but it is by far one of the most profound and amazing works I have ever read. Both the life story of the author (and the fictionalized account of his life in Shantaram) ...

Pros: interesting view of Bombay life
Cons: Mickey Spillane did it a lot better

This book IS an absorbing read.  Its weaknesses show up in attentive reading. The first section, Lin discovering Bombay, making heart connections, is excellent. The love story is sketchy at best.. twice at least he gets very close to his ...

Pros: gripping and a page turner.
Cons: the ending drags a bit.

An absolute must read. Gripping and thrilling insights on the workings of things never seen otherwise. You end up wanting to see each of the places that are described in the book.