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pikusonali's review against another edition
4.0
Gautam Buddha's life story has always fascinated me since childhood so I obviously picked this one with a lot of expectations.
It is a kind of book you will read more than once in your lifetime, simply because it can mean so many different things at various stages of life. Siddhartha is a story of one man's search for enlightenment and he does so by experiencing different philosophical lifestyles, whether it be through asceticism, hedonism, nihilism, fatherhood, or by being a novitiate.
There is a lot of inner dialogue in the book and it of course is very spiritual and philosophical. So, I cannot call it everyone's cup of tea. But if you are at a difficult time in your life, this book will be able to soothe you to a great extent.
It is a kind of book you will read more than once in your lifetime, simply because it can mean so many different things at various stages of life. Siddhartha is a story of one man's search for enlightenment and he does so by experiencing different philosophical lifestyles, whether it be through asceticism, hedonism, nihilism, fatherhood, or by being a novitiate.
There is a lot of inner dialogue in the book and it of course is very spiritual and philosophical. So, I cannot call it everyone's cup of tea. But if you are at a difficult time in your life, this book will be able to soothe you to a great extent.
snipsnap's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
zbmorgan's review against another edition
4.0
Really 3.5 stars, as it took a while to get to the point, but the point is a good one.
At first this story was a bit of a turn off : man ditches life to go looking for enlightenment, thereby leaving family, friends, family again..... and it was written by a guy with equally questionable priorities. (Enlightenment and commitment are not always good bedfellows, and this book demonstrates that admirably). But watching Siddhartha (not the Buddha Siddhartha, just the same name, let's be clear on that, as I cracked this open thinking it WAS the story of Buddha) flail about to find meaning inevitably induces pity and self-examination in your own life.
The writing wasn't exactly beautiful, but it was pleasing, and his eventual enlightenment is somewhat satisfying, although it's lack of effect on his child may frustrate the average 21st century control freak.
At first this story was a bit of a turn off : man ditches life to go looking for enlightenment, thereby leaving family, friends, family again..... and it was written by a guy with equally questionable priorities. (Enlightenment and commitment are not always good bedfellows, and this book demonstrates that admirably). But watching Siddhartha (not the Buddha Siddhartha, just the same name, let's be clear on that, as I cracked this open thinking it WAS the story of Buddha) flail about to find meaning inevitably induces pity and self-examination in your own life.
The writing wasn't exactly beautiful, but it was pleasing, and his eventual enlightenment is somewhat satisfying, although it's lack of effect on his child may frustrate the average 21st century control freak.
mattyd2468's review against another edition
5.0
Genuinely fantastic. To start I was a bit ‘meh’ towards the book. All of a sudden I was halfway through and completely engrossed.
Really made me pause to think about all that happened. Particularly around the ferryman and river chapter.
Definitely need to reread in the future as my personal circumstances change but at this current time this was a moving book.
Really made me pause to think about all that happened. Particularly around the ferryman and river chapter.
Definitely need to reread in the future as my personal circumstances change but at this current time this was a moving book.
remjunior's review against another edition
3.0
I may not have read this at the right time and appreciate that this kind of novel (albeit short novel) requires some more focus than maybe other literature.
That being said, it still felt like a compromise to what Buddhism truly is and this is coming from someone with a cursory knowledge of Buddhism. It's a little weird having a white German write a book about an Indian Buddhist in the early 1900s at the height (or collapse depending on where you were) of British Colonialism. It feels a little....superficial.
There are some golden nuggets of wisdom here though, especially the idea that we "do" and believe a lot of things because that is the path life has taken us done, but how can you truly believe something if you have not lived it?
Interesting book, but definitely not my favorite in terms of philosophy.
That being said, it still felt like a compromise to what Buddhism truly is and this is coming from someone with a cursory knowledge of Buddhism. It's a little weird having a white German write a book about an Indian Buddhist in the early 1900s at the height (or collapse depending on where you were) of British Colonialism. It feels a little....superficial.
There are some golden nuggets of wisdom here though, especially the idea that we "do" and believe a lot of things because that is the path life has taken us done, but how can you truly believe something if you have not lived it?
Interesting book, but definitely not my favorite in terms of philosophy.
fowadijaz's review against another edition
4.5
Siddhartha, a contemporary of the Buddha, embarks on his own quest for enlightenment, along the way falling in love, falling from grace, falling out with his son, but ultimately attaining that perfect enlightenment he so craved .
Reread it, finishing it around Aug 2023, and was a bit less wowed by it this time. Yes the story is all the same, and I still feel like I want to embark on the same quest, but I guess finding out that the author was a German, and having tried to read some of his other books made me feel less sympathetic towards him and the book. Still a good book though
Reread it, finishing it around Aug 2023, and was a bit less wowed by it this time. Yes the story is all the same, and I still feel like I want to embark on the same quest, but I guess finding out that the author was a German, and having tried to read some of his other books made me feel less sympathetic towards him and the book. Still a good book though
amyschmelzer's review against another edition
3.0
Siddhartha is one of those books that I vaguely remember reading in high school english class. It wasn’t as bad as I recall it being. I liked Siddhartha and Govinda’s friendship.
smoltruth's review against another edition
3.0
"الحكمة لا تقبل التوصيل، والحكمة التي يحاول الرجل العظيم توصيلها للآخرين، تبدو دائمًا حمقاء".
يخبرنا هيسه، وهو، للمفارقة، يحاول توصيل الحكمة، بطريقةٍ ما، إلينا.
أعادتني الذاكرة، مرارًا، إلى الكلمات المتخيّلة للإله الهندوسي شيفا، مأخوذة من كتاب جوزيف كامبل (البطل بمئة وجه): "إن الأشكال التي تظهر وتختفي -التي يعدُّ الجسد واحدًا منها- ما هي إلا لمحات لأطرافي المتراقصة. اعرفني فيها جميعًا، وما الذي ستخشاه؟"
يخبرنا هيسه، وهو، للمفارقة، يحاول توصيل الحكمة، بطريقةٍ ما، إلينا.
أعادتني الذاكرة، مرارًا، إلى الكلمات المتخيّلة للإله الهندوسي شيفا، مأخوذة من كتاب جوزيف كامبل (البطل بمئة وجه): "إن الأشكال التي تظهر وتختفي -التي يعدُّ الجسد واحدًا منها- ما هي إلا لمحات لأطرافي المتراقصة. اعرفني فيها جميعًا، وما الذي ستخشاه؟"