Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

6 reviews

loquaciousleon's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a book that changed my life.

This is a book I was buying for people before I finished.

AND, this book is heavy. (A lot of trigger warnings.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

tmidge22's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Sexual harassment

gralicia's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, and War

fuguballoon's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

I finished this book, but I wouldn't recommend it.

It is technically a novel, but it's actually a thinly veiled memoir. (Family members of one of the "fictional" characters have spoken publicly about this.) The book's plot is bloated with unnecessary material that, I would imagine, felt essential to the author because it happened in real life. Unfortunately, it makes for both boring reading and a main character who is completely blind to his flaws (again, because he is the author). The prose does not redeem the book. There are passages so bad, especially the author's descriptions of women, that it's hard to believe an editor actually read them.

The biggest issue I had, beyond the bad writing in what really feels like a narcissistic ode to self, was the white savior-ness of it all. The author congratulates the main character over and over for living in a ~slum~ while simultaneously looking down on the people and way of life there, all while literally "saving" them as the local doctor. It makes for rough reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Classism

yaelm's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail

thespinystacks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Wow. I’ll be thinking of Lin, Prabaker, Jonny Cigar and more for the rest of my life.

This was a beautiful story of a man that was on the run from his crimes. Usually that wouldn’t excite me or make me want to read a novel - but Lin is a man who seemed to be constantly learning about the world, and his place in the world.

This was a HUGE undertaking. It’s a commitment that at times I didn’t know if I would complete, but I am glad that I did. I was lost for words through much of this book. This review won’t ever do it justice. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Blood

Moderate: Murder