# Shantaram

by Gregory David Roberts (2003)

**Verdict:** Great ride, no destination — All pleasure, nothing at the end. The exact inverse of the shelf above.

**Who I'd hand it to:** People who love culture

_ebook · finished 2026-07-31_

## Fingerprint

Positions between two named poles. Neither pole is the good end.

- Place: far toward "the place is the book"
- Moral weight: far toward "just a story"
- Cleverness: toward "told straight"
- Lift: far toward "left me lighter"
- Friction: toward "reads itself"
- Economy: toward "stretched"
- Clarity: far toward "easy to hold"

## How it read

How much I wanted to keep reading, at each stage.

- Beginning: couldn’t stop
- Middle: couldn’t stop
- End: couldn’t stop
- Afterwards: soured (got worse)

## Review

I loved the descriptions of India, and the people. It was a beautiful settings. I finished the book and found myself looking for the purpose of the book and the deeper i dug, the more I discovered, it is just a story. Nothing more. Just a story.

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https://paulhasread.com/books/shantaram · Paul Has Read