Reviews

Narziss and Goldmund, by Hermann Hesse

bonusoceans's review against another edition

adventurous funny reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

astroneatly's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

juliahoermayer's review against another edition

4.0

I adore Hesse's writing style which always captures me from the first page on, off to a good start. His book 'Siddharta' is one of my three favourite classics of all time, I adore that book, it means so much to me, came into my life at just the right time and has such a powerful and beautifully conveyed message. Now one of my closest friends told me that she'd read 'Narcissus and Goldmund' before and thought it had a very similar style and message but loved it even more than 'Siddharta'. We conjectured that I would love it too although not quite as much as 'Siddharta' as I'd read this first and had had my big aha moment there. So I was very hopeful for this one. For me it didn't really feel the same. In hindsight I can see where my friend was coming from when she said that and I do agree, it's just that it FELT different to me for a couple of reasons: while I largely sympathise with Buddhism or at least don't have any strong feelings against it, I very much dissapprove of Christianity, so from the start I could not sympathise with any of the characters and they appeared incredibly stupid to me. Still, it was well-written and some dialogue was interesting. The book took a turn for the worse for me when

Spoiler

Goldmund left the monastery

, from there on very little captivated me, no interesting dialogue and until the end I did not understand nor approve of

Spoiler

all his seducing women. He told them he loved them when he'd seen them once cause he thought they were pretty and then he left.

Absolutely don't agree, relate or approve and don't think this is where you find the meaning of life. I think this together with the religious aspect were the two main reasons I found it very hard to sympathise with Goldmund. I started liking the book more again when

Spoiler

he came back to the monastery

and the dialogue got more interesting again. It was also then when many of the hidden messages of the book showed, which fortunately I liked, I would say all that and the ending really saved the book for me. It wasn't like 'Siddharta' for me in the sense that it didn't make me feel much but it still is a really well-done book with a good message.

jana210's review against another edition

adventurous reflective slow-paced

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

1.0

cinaedussinister's review against another edition

4.0

It's like Yzma and Kronk but if Yzma was not evil and also a monk. And if Kronk f*cked, like, a lot. This is very pure and yet also very chaotic bisexual and I enjoyed reading it. Also I kinda love how in each of his encounters with women Goldmund kinda feels like a side character or a narrator to the women's stories even though he's like, the main character. Iconic as always from Hesse.

chatongriffes's review against another edition

5.0

I read this my senior year of high school and I've always known I would come back to it. I'm so glad it's time--this book is beautiful.

melindamoor's review against another edition

5.0

Whew! What can I say of this book that may convey all that is there?!

If you want to dissect it from an analytical point of view, let's say that it was heavily influenced by Nietzsche's theory of the Apollonian versus Dionysian spirit as well as by Jung's archetypal structure (anima/animus, etc..).
The pure essence of this duality is almost tangible in this novel to the extreme and it is an intense and very exhausting reading experience.
Life and death, science and art, mind and heart, soul and body and their division, yet unity is represented so forcefully in this novel that it absorbed me completely.

isabells's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

d_delfs's review against another edition

4.0

Rührend und komplex, doch durch seine patriarchale Weltsicht gemindert.

kaladins's review against another edition

2.0

okay i HATED this book but it had really pretty quotes so i read the whole thing anyway