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Title: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse ISBN: 0-553-20884-5 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 December, 1981 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.41 (309 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Gentle Message of Epic Proportions.
Comment: Being a little boy at the time, I surmise that the work of
Hermann Hesse was possibly one of the cornerstones of
the counter-culture found in the 1960's. His Siddhartha
is a gentle tale about a very learned boy who goes
through the various stages of life's illusions and the
subsequent disillusionment. As always, Hesse
paints a colorful and warm picture of the searching
spirit in transition, the need to be an individual,
as well the impact of friendship and attainable goals.
Such a short book, such a fine story.
Rating: 3
Summary: Meditation
Comment: The book was a mandatory read for English II honors. The book was slow paced, a different view with Buddasim. I can't say the book was exciting, and it was hard to finish. The book did have good points to it. The end was good.
Rating: 2
Summary: happiness
Comment: I admit I did not like this book. I finished it unsatisfied, like I'd missed something. Usually I read books for the characters, and this book was not character driven in any kind of intimate way. The language is sparse, and it failed to draw me in with its heavily didactic tone. It really isn't so much of a novel as it is a parable designed to outline the author's basic philosophy. And it's message is a rather simple one: "Wisdom cannot be taught."
One reviewer wrote that the book is "definitely for those new to spiritual self-examination," and I'd have to agree with that statement. It is an interesting view of Buddhism, but it's very European and can't be taken too authentically as it is an outsider's view looking in on Buddhist/Indian culture.
For me, the book was almost painful in the way that Siddhartha could not deal with happiness. Any time he acheived a modicum of happiness with his life, he became unhappy because he was happy. I could not deal with his ungrateful attitude. It quite literally left me with a frustrated feeling. Since the book was meant to be a parable (or a recitation of a belief), the reader never really gets to know Siddhartha, so he ends up coming across as a self-centered [man]. He liked to listen to himself talk; he used people and was never grateful for their affection for him. He was a seeker, and he simply could not stop seeking no matter what it meant for anyone. He didn't care about people; he cared about his search.
I will admit, however, that there were bits and pieces of the book that I did appreciate. I liked Siddhartha's appreciation of the river, and I enjoyed reading the part where he and the ferryman talked about listening to the river. This is exactly the sort of thing that I was hoping to find in this book. But it was a brief passage and gave way to the cliched doctrine that filled the rest of the book.
The book seemed to be about being true to one's self above all others, that this is the path of wisdom. This message did not speak to me in any way.
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Title: The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream by Paulo Coelho ISBN: 0062502182 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 10 May, 1995 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Steppenwolf: A Novel by Hermann Hesse, Basil Creighton ISBN: 0312278675 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 01 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse ISBN: 0553275860 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 February, 1984 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Magus by John Fowles ISBN: 0440351626 Publisher: Dell Publishing Pub. Date: 01 April, 1985 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Demian by Hermann Hesse ISBN: 0060931914 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 July, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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