#gregory roberts

[cupofmeat]

"Lovegrass III", Gregory Roberts, 2005. Sculpted honeycomb ceramics, dye, glaze, multiple firings.

[mikeysprinzez]

Sometimes you break your heart in the right way, if you know what I mean.

Gregory David Roberts, from Shantaram

[allnightdiscoparty]

[teenageread]

Review: Shantaram

Initial Thoughts:

What a crazy novel. Gregory Roberts fictionalizes his life into this massive novel, of how he escapes prison in Australia, travels to Mumbai, India, changes his name to Lin and begins to discover a new life he never thought he could have. This novel is a beast, and where Lin does a fantastic job at moving the plot, while also explaining the depth of the culture he is experiencing. As someone who has never been to Mumbai, Lin takes you there with the amount of details he gives to the way people act, the food, social vibes, and the creation of long lasting friendships. Honestly the hardest part of this novel is the sheer length, as where Lin does take you on several journeys with highs and lows, the initial start of this novel takes a bit to get into. However, once invested into Lin’s life and his friends, this novel takes hold of you and does not let you go until the very end.  

Characters: 

Now I believe Robert has fictionalized portions of this novel, and where the baseline might be true, I feel that Lin, the main character in this novel, is a work of fiction, and shall be treated as one. Lin, has his flaws, a drug addict, escape convict, questionable morals, Lin is a character that you can some way relate to - in the sense of his survival. Lin spends this novel surviving, and truly making the best of what he can, from being friendly to the locals when he arrives in Mumbai, to making life decent in the slums. Now not everyone you meet is loveable, or likable, as the entire storyline of Lin and Khader Khan made me hate this novel, as I felt like it was a downward turn in Lin’s character development. Yet Lin's interactions with Karla, golden throughout the novel, and even the whole gang of Karla’s and Lin’s friends. My all time favorite character, hands out, is Prabaker, who I loved from the first time Lin met him, as he truly was a shining sun in this story. 

Plot and Writing:

Again, I am treating this book as fiction, and not just Robert’s autobiography. Like I said this novel is a journey, and it takes a while, almost two hundred pages, to really get invested into the story. Yet once you're in, and you find specific plotlines in Lin’s life to care about, this novel will take hold, and where it is still a steady journey, it is one you can enjoy. Where there are several plot points, I wish this novel had a bit more action, or at least sped up the boring parts in order to cut the page count down. Where there is so much richness of Indian culture in this novel, Roberts is also not, nor should be, the expert on the culture, and should have prefaced this novel several times, that it is his experience as a traveler in India, and narrow down the cultural aspects. 

Conclusion: 

This novel has a lot of love and hate, and honestly from the size of it I can see why. Lin (or Gregory) is a flawed character with a problematic past, trying to make a go at a new life in Mumbai. Making new friends, experiencing love, heartache, and crime again, this novel is truly a journey as it takes readers through the years of Lin’s life, from when he arrives in India, falls in loves with him, to where he is able to call this newfound country home.

[nakeddeparture]

Shineka Gray, 15. Gregory Roberts was found guilty of murder.

https://youtu.be/8whrDlbFx1g

He claimed the killing was a ‘sacrifice’, a sacrifice that included him calling a friend to help with the rape. It was a tragic day for Shineka. A tragic day. Naked!!

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[stinks-nice-blog]

What characterises the human race more - cruelty or the capacity to feel shame for it? - I thought the question acutely clever then, when I first heard it, but I'm lonelier and wiser now, and I know it isn't cruelty or shame that characterises the human race. It's forgiveness that makes us what we are. Without forgiveness, our species would have annihilated itself in endless retributions. Without forgiveness, there would be no history. Without that hope, there would be no art, for every work of art is in some way an act of forgiveness. Without that dream, there would be no love, for every act of love is in some way a promise to forgive. We live on because we can love, and because we love we can forgive.

Gregory Roberts, Shantaram

[beryl-azure-blog]

at first, when we truly love someone, our greatest fear is that the loved one will stop loving us. what we should fear and dread, of course, is that we won't stop loving them, even after they're dead or gone. for i still love you with the whole of my heart...i still love you. and sometimes...the love that i have, and can't give to you, crushes the breath from my chest. sometimes, even now, my heart is drowning in a sorrow that has no stars without you, and no laughter, and no sleep.

Gregory Roberts