The long days, working in the slum and griding commissions from the hard, jewled eyes of tourists, unfolded one upon another through the tumble of crowded hours.

What is the prase?
What is it modifying?

I’m unsure if it is adjectival modifying ‘days’ because it sounds incorrect as an expanded version: The long days, which were working in the slum…

Just wants a second opinion on this, if that is alright. Cheers.

The sentence is incorrect.  “Working” and “grinding” are dangling modifiers, referring to a subject that is not mentioned.

Now that is what I first thought.

The sentence is from a famous author and famous book, so I thought it cannot have been such a simple error.

It’s almost like authors can do whatever they wish. Or perhaps it is an error of which they’re not aware.

Maybe, because he is talking about himself, he feels the subject is implied and obvious to the reader.

Cheers

Maybe, because he is talking about himself, he feels the subject is implied and obvious to the reader.

Or maybe it’s just a poorly written sentence. ACB is right. The sentence doesn’t hold together grammatically.

Here’s part of a review of the book:

“Shantaram is an exuberant, swashbuckling story of derring-do, told with reckless gusto and obvious affection, and if Roberts is no sort of stylist (and he isn’t), you’d have to be a snob not to admit to enjoying yourself.”

Writers make mistakes, and editors have bad days.

O.k. thanks.

Just curious, where is this review from?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3619666/Among-the-Bombay-mafia.html