I opened Shantaram when the plane left the ground. I knew I was in good hands when I saw the Pat Conroy blurb, but I sometimes think he wraps a dire reality in lush language and nudges us toward the cliff. I'd already read the intro, thanks to you, but anyone can write a zinger of a first page (well, not anyone, but you know what I mean.)
So I didn't fully fall in love until the phrase "the umbilical corridor." And then the smell of Bombay, the smell of hope that's the opposite of hate, and the smell of greed that's the opposite of love. The repartee between Lin and Karla, his description of her eyes. The way he changes his way of seeing the people in the slums.
It's just gorgeous. I've thought before that men can't write romance but he's changing my mind. And I have two more hours to Tampa where I will be enraptured and rapt.
Ordered! This is going to seriously hurt my productivity. The first victim was a kabocha squash that roasted to a slight char while I was enraptured by the chapter synopses. But how could I resist? The story line, the lush language, the opening scene with the choice to forgive or hate as freedom in a universe of possibility ... what a line after my own heart.
At least I won't need to pack a library for my upcoming three-week trip. One book will do, since I don't read like a Skoolafish ;-)
Have to disagree here JS. Having been to India 20 plus times and stayed around the Queen Victoria India arch gates monument wharf and Colloba...most of what this moron writes is autobio-fiction.
His trivialization of and western arrogance to Indian people is breathtaking.
His mocking post colonialist neo artistic colonialist mentality is vacuous at best for he learns nothing from its part Aryan Indian civilization.
I read 80 pages and threw it in the bin for I could feel it was not genuine.
If a bank robber comes out of nowhere and writes a blockbuster then movie follows you gotta ask how n' why.
Well I certainly defer to your experience, G. Nevertheless, I found that Roberts portrayed the (less fortunate) humble native Indian people through Prabaker and his village family in a very positive and heart-warming light. His portrayal of the contrast between the slum dwellers and the opulence of the ritualistic World Trade Centre project was particularly poignant (I could only think of 911). Otherwise, the events and experiences throughout the book were riveting.
There are many terrific thoughtful aphorisms on a wide range of aspects of life – suffering, loyalty, honour, love et cetera.
Maybe there were some subtle/subliminal geopolitical and social messages I did not pick up.
Yes I get that his portrayal of interactions with the poor are portrayed as if he cares. But I sensed that he is merely playing the white western saviour over again. The books targeted at western feel good or the “missionary mentality”.
Like mother Theresa it was a crusade to save the native while portraying Indians as savages, uncaring and unprincipled. And that's not all incorrect, some are. Others are not. Yes life is tough in India but Indians know that from day one. That's why they aren't seen sitting around in the west sipping latte or boozing. They seized wealth if they get a chance sometimes shallowly.
Indian people are very accommodating especially the poorer. The premise that a white man from a land seeded by the most debased, degraded convict unfortunates brutalized by the City of London establishment has any place in India trying to uplift the natives is obscene.
Only Indians can help themselves in the long run if they are to break the caste poverty trap and post monarch capitalist East India company debt corporate / political enslavement and reclaim their agricultural base from Monsanto,Bayer, Brook Bonds, Lipton's etc….it may happen.
How? by decoupling from the IBS banking techno.cartel largely influenced by Rothschild who is, was Dutch then British Easy India Co. Then take back and nationalising their country and preserving their Aryan based culture.
Maybe I'm too hard on the guy and biased but who knows that's my take.
I can’t argue with anything you say here, G. I just don’t see that message coming out in Shantaram. Lin (Roberts) goes there as a broken man, not a saviour; he learns from and is uplifted by the nobility of all the people he meets – Prabaker his best friend, Abdullah his brother and Khader his father (that he never had). Lin even learns the local language as well as mannerisms just to fit in and be accepted.
Yes to everything you say especially the Rothschild tribe. I still think it is a great book and a great story, however much fictionalised or exaggerated. In over 100 characters you are going to find some stereotypes of all persuasions.
Mother Teresa – now that’s a separate topic altogether. I have seen some pretty dark reports.
I opened Shantaram when the plane left the ground. I knew I was in good hands when I saw the Pat Conroy blurb, but I sometimes think he wraps a dire reality in lush language and nudges us toward the cliff. I'd already read the intro, thanks to you, but anyone can write a zinger of a first page (well, not anyone, but you know what I mean.)
So I didn't fully fall in love until the phrase "the umbilical corridor." And then the smell of Bombay, the smell of hope that's the opposite of hate, and the smell of greed that's the opposite of love. The repartee between Lin and Karla, his description of her eyes. The way he changes his way of seeing the people in the slums.
It's just gorgeous. I've thought before that men can't write romance but he's changing my mind. And I have two more hours to Tampa where I will be enraptured and rapt.
Thanks for this recommendation!
Ordered! This is going to seriously hurt my productivity. The first victim was a kabocha squash that roasted to a slight char while I was enraptured by the chapter synopses. But how could I resist? The story line, the lush language, the opening scene with the choice to forgive or hate as freedom in a universe of possibility ... what a line after my own heart.
At least I won't need to pack a library for my upcoming three-week trip. One book will do, since I don't read like a Skoolafish ;-)
"the choice to forgive or hate ..." I was thinking of you when I selected that opening paragraph. I am so glad it resonated with you.
Three weeks!!?? It took me three years to get all the way through after putting it aside at Part Four for a while with other distractions.
Happy comfort reading.
Have to disagree here JS. Having been to India 20 plus times and stayed around the Queen Victoria India arch gates monument wharf and Colloba...most of what this moron writes is autobio-fiction.
His trivialization of and western arrogance to Indian people is breathtaking.
His mocking post colonialist neo artistic colonialist mentality is vacuous at best for he learns nothing from its part Aryan Indian civilization.
I read 80 pages and threw it in the bin for I could feel it was not genuine.
If a bank robber comes out of nowhere and writes a blockbuster then movie follows you gotta ask how n' why.
Well I certainly defer to your experience, G. Nevertheless, I found that Roberts portrayed the (less fortunate) humble native Indian people through Prabaker and his village family in a very positive and heart-warming light. His portrayal of the contrast between the slum dwellers and the opulence of the ritualistic World Trade Centre project was particularly poignant (I could only think of 911). Otherwise, the events and experiences throughout the book were riveting.
There are many terrific thoughtful aphorisms on a wide range of aspects of life – suffering, loyalty, honour, love et cetera.
Maybe there were some subtle/subliminal geopolitical and social messages I did not pick up.
Yes I get that his portrayal of interactions with the poor are portrayed as if he cares. But I sensed that he is merely playing the white western saviour over again. The books targeted at western feel good or the “missionary mentality”.
Like mother Theresa it was a crusade to save the native while portraying Indians as savages, uncaring and unprincipled. And that's not all incorrect, some are. Others are not. Yes life is tough in India but Indians know that from day one. That's why they aren't seen sitting around in the west sipping latte or boozing. They seized wealth if they get a chance sometimes shallowly.
Indian people are very accommodating especially the poorer. The premise that a white man from a land seeded by the most debased, degraded convict unfortunates brutalized by the City of London establishment has any place in India trying to uplift the natives is obscene.
Only Indians can help themselves in the long run if they are to break the caste poverty trap and post monarch capitalist East India company debt corporate / political enslavement and reclaim their agricultural base from Monsanto,Bayer, Brook Bonds, Lipton's etc….it may happen.
How? by decoupling from the IBS banking techno.cartel largely influenced by Rothschild who is, was Dutch then British Easy India Co. Then take back and nationalising their country and preserving their Aryan based culture.
Maybe I'm too hard on the guy and biased but who knows that's my take.
I can’t argue with anything you say here, G. I just don’t see that message coming out in Shantaram. Lin (Roberts) goes there as a broken man, not a saviour; he learns from and is uplifted by the nobility of all the people he meets – Prabaker his best friend, Abdullah his brother and Khader his father (that he never had). Lin even learns the local language as well as mannerisms just to fit in and be accepted.
Yes to everything you say especially the Rothschild tribe. I still think it is a great book and a great story, however much fictionalised or exaggerated. In over 100 characters you are going to find some stereotypes of all persuasions.
Mother Teresa – now that’s a separate topic altogether. I have seen some pretty dark reports.