Siddhartha

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Summary: Siddartha is profound literature.
Review: This book is profound. I cannot recommend it more.

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Summary: This book was so deep that it took me 7 years to understand
Review: This is one of the greatest books that I have ever read. I am a Medical Student and this book has made my life simple from the complex life of the medical world. This book made me a converter of buddhism, by showing my the way of life. This book transcends the word that describe it. Read the book slowly, and think. If you don`t then you are like the other Type-A individuals who don`t stop and absorb what around them.

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Summary: Enough with the ZEN already!
Review: I was forced to read this book quite literaly against my religon. If you're in to ZEN, if you're really really in to ZEN, you might enjoy this book, but for everyone who does things besides contamplating how paint drys, this book will provide little more entertainment than watching a comercial marathon on television.

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Summary: 14 years old reader
Review: It is the story of a son of a "brahman" who don't want to be like is father, so he went out his father's home. I wish you will read that book from Hermann Hesse, a master in the art of neo-romantism.

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Summary: This book changed my life
Review: I read this book at a time in my life when I was in religious flux. I was in a seminary where all teachings were taken at face value. Siddhartha taught me that true spiritual bliss must come from an internal search and my own conclusions, and cannot be taught by others. I found this book not only enlightening, but incredibly well written. _Siddhartha_ contains the perfect blend of philisophical and spiritual, and I recommend this book not only for those looking for self-guidance, but those simply looking for a good book.

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Summary: You don't have to miss the oportunity to read this one
Review: Siddartha is not just a big boring novel as many think. Siddartha mixes the greatness of a novel, some mystery, some suspense, some relaxing passages, philoshopy and psychology. If you're interested in search beyond what today's modern society offers, don't miss this supreme piece of abstract full-emotioned philosophy.

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Summary: Siddartha:De-mystifying the Mystical
Review: My name is Sarah Nocktonick-aka "Pocahontas" from Kansas City.The first book I read by Herman Hesse was "Steppenwolf", which led me next to "Siddartha". They are completely different books but equally satisfying. While Steppenwolf has a decidedly European flavor and Siddartha has an Eastern flavor, both books, indeed all books by Hesse, revolve around one main protagonist with an insatiable desire to comprehend his place in humanity.All his protagonists seem to be in the middle of a psychological/philosophical struggle and/or find themselves on the cusp of a spiritual turning point in their lives.I must admit that though I majored in East Asian Languages and Cultures , I was skeptical about reading a novel entitled Siddartha. I was afraid that the novel may become too pedantic, too mystical, or maybe even a bit "preachy" since I've noted that many Western writers or scholars interested in Asia tend to over-romanticize the culture and religions of the East. How pleasantly surprised I was to find that this wasn't the case- that Hesse created a youthful Siddartha that any reader from all over the world could identify with as they travel their own spiritual path through life. Hesse conveys depth in his writing without the European "heaviness" of thought that is present in most of his other books. All his books including Siddartha are enlightening, optimistic, and have substantial medicinal properties when applied to an ailing soul.

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Summary: I didn't like it at first...
Review: When I first read this book, I was in 10th grade. I didn't like it at all. Three years later, I finally realize that I was wrong. This is an amazing book, filled with insight into every important part of life.

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Summary: An Introduction, A Beginning, A Precursor to Greater Things
Review: Why do so many people have to read this book in school? Certainly it is not that the work will lead one to spiritual enlightenment--Hesse's whole career screams out the message that such a path is personal. Nor is this Hesse's best story--that honor would have to go to Narciss und Goldmund or Demian. Finally, the book falls far short of the majestic expression of Das Glasperlenspiel. In fact, the book is allegorical to a fault, exhibiting stark jumps from scene to scene and subsuming any pretext of story to the ideal of the journey. Yet this book does express the sentiment of meaningful progression in life that came to define Hesse's work in a style that is simple enough to be accesible to the first time reader. Considering the author's entire career, Siddhartha is a lesser novel. Still, if it piques the interest of a few readers and inspires a closer look at the man and his writings, then the use of Siddhartha in our schools is quite proper.

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Summary: Boring, Boring, Boring
Review: Siddhartha is one of the slowest, most boring books I have ever read. The main character takes himself much too seriously. His slow boat to enlightenment is a painless, self absorbed trip to no where. Leave this one on the shelf.