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teeclecticreads's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I did a listen-a-thon to this on the Audrey app it was the perfect way to set the tone for my September. Siddhartha is a deeply introspective novel about the search for enlightenment and inner peace.
I love that there was the inclusion of a period where Siddhartha loses his way on his spiritual journey and gets involved in the world of capitalism, materialism and lust. It just reminded me that he was just as human with human desires as the rest of us, but he also eventually found his way.
Then the latter half I think was the most profound section of the novel. Him meeting the ferryman and gaining such great lessons about life and dealing with change. This is a book I’d recommend to everyone to read.
I love that there was the inclusion of a period where Siddhartha loses his way on his spiritual journey and gets involved in the world of capitalism, materialism and lust. It just reminded me that he was just as human with human desires as the rest of us, but he also eventually found his way.
Then the latter half I think was the most profound section of the novel. Him meeting the ferryman and gaining such great lessons about life and dealing with change. This is a book I’d recommend to everyone to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
misty_kb's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
grereads's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was my first time reading something for German class unabridged, so this was definitely a challenging read. At first I struggled a bit, but then I understood that I should only translate the essential words among those I didn't know, I got the hang of it and it became really enjoyable. Although I study philosophy, we don't learn much about Eastern philosophy, so this was a really insightful read. Of course the philosophical contents were sometimes a bit overwhelming and challenging (in fact there's a lot to unpack and to think about while reading this), but the language was so simple that I understood all of their explanations. The chapters and the book itself are really short, which I love. The storyline was also pretty interesting, I particularly enjoyed the account of Siddhartha's life with Vasudeva. I underlined a lot, which is something I don't do often, because the book is filled with meaningful and beautiful quotes. Lastly, I'm really happy I was able to read a famous classic the way it's meant to: in the original language and unabridged.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content, Slavery, Pregnancy, Animal death, Alcoholism, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Death
urlordlorin's review against another edition
reflective
medium-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
1.5
Öncelikle, "yoğun" temalar işlemesine rağmen kitap akıyor. Biraz yavaş akıyor ama tökezlemiyor. Yormuyor. Ama hiçbir zaman bu temada bir kitaptan etkilenecek kadar spiritüel olmadım.
Şimdi asıl problemim, Siddhartha karakterinin kendisi. En baştan itibaren, hayatını yaşayan insanları, hayattan keyif almayı ayıplayan bir tavır takınıyor.Fakirlik ve yokluğu güzelliyor ama bulduğu ilk fırsatta paranın tutsağı oluyor. Bu kısım beni o kadar sinir ediyor ki. Zenginlikten gelen bir insan, neden yokluğu över? İnsanların berbat ve zor, açlık ve sefalet içinde geçen hayatının sana çekici gelen ve övülmeye değer görülen tarafı ne? Sanki hayattan zevk almak kötü bir şeymiş gibi davranıyor 168 sayfa boyunca. Bir kadınla yıllar geçiriyor, onu övüyor, birlikte oluyor ve belki de seviyor ama hâlâ "yosma" diye küçümsemeye devam ediyor. Kendi küçük dünyasında kendini aydınlanmış biri zannediyor, bu tavrıyla bence tam tersi etki yaratıyor.
Şimdi başka bir konuya, kitaptaki kadın karakterlere geliyorum.En baştaki ufak "anne" bahsinden sonra kitapta 2 kadın görüyoruz yalnızca. Kamala ve Siddhartha'nın Kamala ile karşılaşmadan önce görüp reddettiği kadın. İkincisinin zaten bir önemi yok. "Asıl" kadına ulaşmak için bir yol ve işaret yalnızca onu reddedişi. Kamala ise başta okuyucuya önemli gibi hissettirilen, sonra en basit şekilde kullanılıp atılan bir kadın. Bence bu kitaptaki en bilge ve ilgi çekici kişi ama sadece ana karakter üzerinden vicdan mastürbasyonu ve acıma pornosu yazılması için bir köprü olarak harcanmış. Karakterin yalvar yakar birlikte olmaya ikna ettiği kadın, sonradan yosma oluyor, yalnızca bir çocuk taşıyıcısı konumuna düşüyor, hiç sevilmediği oraya çıkıyor ve hayat tarzı küçümseniyor. Yazık.
Bunların dışında, kitaptaki olayların tümü bence biraz kopuk ve yalnızca bir fikri karşıya geçirmek için birbirine yapıştırılmış parçalar gibi...Vasudeva ile tanışma ve ona geri dönüş hariç. Bu kısım, bence çok güzelce düşünülmüştü. İlk Siddhartha'yı ırmağın karşısına geçirdiğinde alacağından bahsettiği karşılığın yalnızca maddî olmayışı, tek taraflı değil, iki taraflı fayda sağlaması çok hoştu. Fakat Vasudeva sanki yine fakirlik güzellemesi için yaratılmış bir karakter gibiydi. Hiçbir şeyi yok, hiçbir şey bilmiyor, yalnızca bu ırmak ve kayık, ama bak ne kadar da bilge!
Tamamen alakasız, çeviride "çoğunlukla" yerine her seferinde "çokluk" kelimesini kullanmak kimin fikriydi? Çok kötü fikir.
Şimdi asıl problemim, Siddhartha karakterinin kendisi. En baştan itibaren, hayatını yaşayan insanları, hayattan keyif almayı ayıplayan bir tavır takınıyor.
Şimdi başka bir konuya, kitaptaki kadın karakterlere geliyorum.
Bunların dışında, kitaptaki olayların tümü bence biraz kopuk ve yalnızca bir fikri karşıya geçirmek için birbirine yapıştırılmış parçalar gibi...
Tamamen alakasız, çeviride "çoğunlukla" yerine her seferinde "çokluk" kelimesini kullanmak kimin fikriydi? Çok kötü fikir.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Pregnancy
poirot's review against another edition
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Classism and Misogyny
Minor: Grief
dlrosebyh's review against another edition
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
4.0
This is the tale of a rich Indian Brahmin who gives up his privileged lifestyle in search of enlightenment. Hesse combines several philosophical perspectives—including Eastern faiths, Jungian archetypes, and Western individualism—into a singular interpretation of life as it is revealed through the pursuit of genuine meaning by one man.
This is such a fantastic tale of a man learning the true meaning of serenity after passing through several stages, in my opinion. I wasn't sure whether I would like it because I don't read philosophy books very often, and they tend to be hit or miss for most people, but this one is certainly a hit because Siddharta is somewhat similar to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death
maess's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Death of parent
franzi_'s review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death
maricasement's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
3.5
First Read (2011): 4 stars
Re-read (2021): 3.5 stars
This book is about Hesse taking you on a journey to what he envisions of enlightenment*. It is a book made of cycles and of learning and relearning what the world is all about. In it, we follow Siddhartha on his own journey, and through it Hesse tries to help us holistically understand how the world is made up of cycles and how it is a big interconnected whole.
This is an interesting and reflective book. You become frustrated by Siddhartha (I call him Sidd) and the people around him, you follow his thoughts and learn from them too. Ten years ago, when I first read it, I felt so light when I finished it, like I belonged to the whole world and it belonged to me. I felt calm and accepting of everything going on around me.
Now, my view of the world has changed and the world itself has. I am much more worried about how to change our world for the better, to not accept the devastating effects we all have on the climate. A part of accepting our unity with the world and its cycles is grounded on the idea that these cycles will never end or truly change, but if we keep doing what we've always done and just let our planet get worse, these cycles will not survive its devastation.
Hesse's view of enlightenment* is beautiful and I do think that it is important to reflect upon many things that he does in this book. But I feel that his view also encourages complacency, and that is not something we can afford right now.
*I am aware that Hesse knew a lot about Hinduism and Buddhism and that this book is based on the religions' beliefs. I don't think he reached enlightenment himself, though, and I have no idea how faithful he is to what is taught by those who have reached it. Even if he is close to actual Buddhist teachings, I would rather not assume that his view of enlightenment and ones path to it are anything but that - his view. He does try to show in the book that people's ways of expressing what enlightenment is are different, so I don't think he'd mind me saying that what he writes is merely how he sees it, and not a universal truth. Please do correct me if I'm wrong.
Re-read (2021): 3.5 stars
This book is about Hesse taking you on a journey to what he envisions of enlightenment*. It is a book made of cycles and of learning and relearning what the world is all about. In it, we follow Siddhartha on his own journey, and through it Hesse tries to help us holistically understand how the world is made up of cycles and how it is a big interconnected whole.
This is an interesting and reflective book. You become frustrated by Siddhartha (I call him Sidd) and the people around him, you follow his thoughts and learn from them too. Ten years ago, when I first read it, I felt so light when I finished it, like I belonged to the whole world and it belonged to me. I felt calm and accepting of everything going on around me.
Now, my view of the world has changed and the world itself has. I am much more worried about how to change our world for the better, to not accept the devastating effects we all have on the climate. A part of accepting our unity with the world and its cycles is grounded on the idea that these cycles will never end or truly change, but if we keep doing what we've always done and just let our planet get worse, these cycles will not survive its devastation.
Hesse's view of enlightenment* is beautiful and I do think that it is important to reflect upon many things that he does in this book. But I feel that his view also encourages complacency, and that is not something we can afford right now.
*I am aware that Hesse knew a lot about Hinduism and Buddhism and that this book is based on the religions' beliefs. I don't think he reached enlightenment himself, though, and I have no idea how faithful he is to what is taught by those who have reached it. Even if he is close to actual Buddhist teachings, I would rather not assume that his view of enlightenment and ones path to it are anything but that - his view. He does try to show in the book that people's ways of expressing what enlightenment is are different, so I don't think he'd mind me saying that what he writes is merely how he sees it, and not a universal truth. Please do correct me if I'm wrong.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
kyfrain's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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? No
5.0
I went into this book with high expectations and wow did they exceed them. i wanted to get a new way to look at life out of this and i got that doubled. i fell in love with the philosophy that siddhartha spoke of in the final few pages of the novel. i will absolutely be rereading this and annotating it, and possibly even claiming it as my favorite novel to date.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death