A review by grereads
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

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.
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