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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
No wonder this book is titled as such. It becomes very clear at the outset that the 'mountain' is its very successful predecessor [b:Shantaram|33600|Shantaram|Gregory David Roberts|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333482282s/33600.jpg|3174890], a fact that has made it difficult for Roberts to follow up with something on the same scale. At over 850 pages (Shantaram was a little over 900), it comes close in a numbers perspective but most definitely not in content.
I don't want to go into too much detail of plot, mostly because I read this over 6 months and some of the detail escapes me now. Lin's merry of crew of friends and bandits return and at first it is great because you are reunited with all of those characters who were so much fun in the first book. However, it quickly becomes clear something is not quite right. The familiar scenes that in 'Shantaram' were a breeze to read, in this book feel forced, his characters reduced to caricatures at points.
I really wanted to like this more than I did but despite all of Roberts insistence behind the scenes that he has put a lot of work into 'the architecture of the novel', The Mountain Shadow was a clunky read, at least in terms of plot. His poetic prose was still impressive but at points it toed that fine line between sweetness and saccharin, sometimes falling into that latter category. Much was the same with the love of the protagonist for another character, Roberts dwelling on the point way too much for my liking. At this point I can't help but imagine the main character's eyes turning into love hearts every time his lover walks in the room, but somehow the writing made it all feel quite cartoonish in this way.
I don't want to be too negative because there genuinely were some great parts of this book, and as a standalone it would be quite impressive. But again, I am reminded of that great mountain of a book that so many people here have read and loved, and one cannot help but compare these two books.
All this said, I do recommend this book if you loved Shantaram. I wouldn't go into it with expectations it will be as great as the first book but it was nice to be reunited with the characters and see them continue their journey. And if I'm correct, there will be a third book in this trilogy, so maybe it will be worth continuing and reading a hopefully more accomplished final book.
I don't want to go into too much detail of plot, mostly because I read this over 6 months and some of the detail escapes me now. Lin's merry of crew of friends and bandits return and at first it is great because you are reunited with all of those characters who were so much fun in the first book. However, it quickly becomes clear something is not quite right. The familiar scenes that in 'Shantaram' were a breeze to read, in this book feel forced, his characters reduced to caricatures at points.
I really wanted to like this more than I did but despite all of Roberts insistence behind the scenes that he has put a lot of work into 'the architecture of the novel', The Mountain Shadow was a clunky read, at least in terms of plot. His poetic prose was still impressive but at points it toed that fine line between sweetness and saccharin, sometimes falling into that latter category. Much was the same with the love of the protagonist for another character, Roberts dwelling on the point way too much for my liking. At this point I can't help but imagine the main character's eyes turning into love hearts every time his lover walks in the room, but somehow the writing made it all feel quite cartoonish in this way.
I don't want to be too negative because there genuinely were some great parts of this book, and as a standalone it would be quite impressive. But again, I am reminded of that great mountain of a book that so many people here have read and loved, and one cannot help but compare these two books.
All this said, I do recommend this book if you loved Shantaram. I wouldn't go into it with expectations it will be as great as the first book but it was nice to be reunited with the characters and see them continue their journey. And if I'm correct, there will be a third book in this trilogy, so maybe it will be worth continuing and reading a hopefully more accomplished final book.
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Regret is a nicer self that we send into the past from time to time, even though we know it's too late to change what we said, or did.
I loved the descriptions of Bombay and its people. I fell in love with characters already known to me like Didier, but also a whole cast of new ones like Naveen and Oleg. Unfortunately there are also many things I did not like about this book. The main character Lin is one-dimensional, just too good to be true. The whole guru/self-help/new-agey element felt forced, and not connected to the rest of the story. Lastly, the writing sometimes felt prententious. If you have not read Shantaram I highly recommend it, it's an amazing read with some of the most unforgettable characters I've ever "met", but I think you can safely skip this 2nd book in the series.
The Story: As flamboyant as is the life of this novel’s hero, the author’s experience has been even more so. Sentenced to 19 years in prison in Australia for armed robbery in 1978, Roberts escaped in broad daylight two years later and hid in India for a decade. Six more years in prison followed, during which he wrote Shantaram (2003). It was an instant best seller; the film rights were sold for $2 million. In this second installment of Aussie criminal-on-the-run Lin’s action-packed life, he’s in Bombay, forging documents for a new Mafia family while mourning the loss of his mentor and his beloved, who married a tycoon.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-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
Utterly disappointing, with forced writing and none of the depth and glory of Shantaram. After 600 pages, a bit of a plot finally appears, only to be rushed as the novel concludes. I only continued reading to see what happened to Lin and Karla. Completely skippable.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a sequel to Shantaram. The author is now fully asserted himself in to Mumbai and he is one of us Indians. Most of the book is conversation format. While not as magnificent and appealing as Shantaram, I am very excited and happy he wrote a follow up. This means GDR has not given up on his fans and writing. I look forward to more books by him because when I connect with him, he is second best to none. Another word to describe the book? Karla.
Another spectacular offering from Gregory David Roberts that feels like another love letter to India and makes you want to hop on the first plane there.
I read this book after a difficult month where i hadn’t read at all and I just couldn’t focus on any book. As that period passed I knew I need something that would sweep me away in its pages and provide some escape.... and just like Shantaram I was soon wrapped up in streets of Bombay/Mumbai and the wonderful cast of characters provided by Roberts.
While you still feel the autobiographical nature of the book that continues from Shantaram, I felt there was more fiction around those bones in this book.
This is not a negative comment on the book, far from it, it gives it ever such a slightly different feel to Shantaram.
The characters are still fleshed out so much you feel you know them, the love for the people and the place conveyed so elegantly you fall in love with it all yourself. You also feel the change that is happening in the city, and how that change impacts both himself and the people around him, sometimes painfully, sometimes sadly and you feel every part of it with him.
Like Shantaram, The Mountain Shadow will have a permanent place on my book shelf and will be books I return to again and again. I may never visit India and Mumbai...but these books will take you there.
I read this book after a difficult month where i hadn’t read at all and I just couldn’t focus on any book. As that period passed I knew I need something that would sweep me away in its pages and provide some escape.... and just like Shantaram I was soon wrapped up in streets of Bombay/Mumbai and the wonderful cast of characters provided by Roberts.
While you still feel the autobiographical nature of the book that continues from Shantaram, I felt there was more fiction around those bones in this book.
This is not a negative comment on the book, far from it, it gives it ever such a slightly different feel to Shantaram.
The characters are still fleshed out so much you feel you know them, the love for the people and the place conveyed so elegantly you fall in love with it all yourself. You also feel the change that is happening in the city, and how that change impacts both himself and the people around him, sometimes painfully, sometimes sadly and you feel every part of it with him.
Like Shantaram, The Mountain Shadow will have a permanent place on my book shelf and will be books I return to again and again. I may never visit India and Mumbai...but these books will take you there.
While he retains much of the same style of writing as Shantaram and some of the most beloved characters make a come back, there are parts of the book you just wish you could skip over. Some of the new characters are extremely endearing and memorable but all in all, the book left me fatigued. I wanted it over and done with.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes