I was not sure if I was going to read this book. The first time I saw this book on stall was in New York(3 years ago in 2008) while I was waiting for my flight. I read the prelude and wanted to buy the book, but it was a hard cover and the price was sky high.
2010 I bought my new kindle and ever since I was looking for this book in kindle format. 1 year later I finally download this book and start reading. The book is just a shy short of 950 pages, but it is a wonderful read. The way the story moves on, it makes you feel every that you are "Shantaram" and you laugh and smile all along the way. You feel the pain, you feel the love that any man woman goes through in his life when he is in love. The thrill of joining and working with Dons and mafia heightens your senses when ShantaRam alias Lin Baba alias Gregory(author) is about to get into fights.
It is amazing to know what some people go through in a single life time and look back, rest ponder and smile at their experiences. Then get up refreshed and ready to for the next unexpected thing. It certainly was long read, and felt like I was going through a engrossing movie. The characters like Prabhaker, kavita, Vikram, Khader, Abdullah all seem so real that you feel pinch when they are lost in the mist of death.
During the middle of the book, I felt like putting th book away because it had dull spell for about 20-30 pages where author goes on about life’s philosophy that it gets so depressing that you forget for a moment that it is just a book. The pace of the book is very good otherwise.
I suggest that it is must read.