Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts is based on the author's own rather odd and broad experiences, but is not intended as an autobiography. It is the first of a projected 4 book series and is rather daunting at close to 1,000 pages.
Started: 1/1/2017
Completed: 3/12/2018
Recommendation: Mild Recommendation
Recommended By: Nobody
Words for which I sought help:
ambit -- the scope, extent, or bounds of something.
infrangible -- unbreakable; inviolable
melliferous -- yielding or producing honey
prised -- the British variant of prize. The context, however suggests that it is intended as some tense of "pry" as the top of a water bottle is being opened. Perhaps it is a form of pun.
ambit -- the scope, extent, or bounds of something.
infrangible -- unbreakable; inviolable
melliferous -- yielding or producing honey
prised -- the British variant of prize. The context, however suggests that it is intended as some tense of "pry" as the top of a water bottle is being opened. Perhaps it is a form of pun.
Review:
This is an odd book. The narrator is an anti-hero--not as strongly as Thomas Covenant--but still someone for whom it was hard to have compassion. I think that the initial take on the narrator is that he is struggling under a burden he should not have to bear, but as the book goes on, it is easy to believe that he should not only bear this cross, but that it rubs too lightly on his shoulders. He sees himself as a man of honor and he has a certain degree of honor, but he is not honorable. Enough said without giving away the main plot too much.
I enjoyed the reading. The descriptions were fun, the word play excellent, and there are plenty of quotations to be had. Having said that, the story itself was unsatisfactory. The main character seems to have wrapped things up in many ways, yet remains both dangerous and vulnerable at the same time. He is beloved by so many and, yet, it feels like it is only a matter of time before he betrays these people who love him. So, the book is one that should probably be read. It is a tour-de-force but it is not a pleasure read.
There is a lot of cosmology and most of it is right, but there is a tiny piece that is incorrect and it kind of ruins the whole picture. It is OK that this piece is incorrect as it is not reasonable to expect that the character who puts it all together would get it all right, but it is mildly disturbing as it feels like the author is trying to create a recruit for his perception of the world through this character. If so, it is a chilling reality.
I plan to read the next book which is now on the end of the shelf.
This is an odd book. The narrator is an anti-hero--not as strongly as Thomas Covenant--but still someone for whom it was hard to have compassion. I think that the initial take on the narrator is that he is struggling under a burden he should not have to bear, but as the book goes on, it is easy to believe that he should not only bear this cross, but that it rubs too lightly on his shoulders. He sees himself as a man of honor and he has a certain degree of honor, but he is not honorable. Enough said without giving away the main plot too much.
I enjoyed the reading. The descriptions were fun, the word play excellent, and there are plenty of quotations to be had. Having said that, the story itself was unsatisfactory. The main character seems to have wrapped things up in many ways, yet remains both dangerous and vulnerable at the same time. He is beloved by so many and, yet, it feels like it is only a matter of time before he betrays these people who love him. So, the book is one that should probably be read. It is a tour-de-force but it is not a pleasure read.
There is a lot of cosmology and most of it is right, but there is a tiny piece that is incorrect and it kind of ruins the whole picture. It is OK that this piece is incorrect as it is not reasonable to expect that the character who puts it all together would get it all right, but it is mildly disturbing as it feels like the author is trying to create a recruit for his perception of the world through this character. If so, it is a chilling reality.
I plan to read the next book which is now on the end of the shelf.
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