Rating: 
Summary: Pleasant read but incoherent worldview
Review: If you want a short story and a light read that's a little entertaining, this is the book for you. There's just something about the writing style (and this is a good translation) that just makes this book a pleasure to read. As far as depth of character, plot, and all that, the book is rather shallow and flat, but telling a good story doesn't appear to have been the author's intent. The intent seems to be to explain the author's worldview. I have several problems with the author's worldview, but that did not prevent me from enjoying this book.
Without going into too much detail, I wanted to mention something about the author's worldview that I have a problem with. It seems that the author's idea of wisdom consists in denying the obvious. All of these things are dismissed as illusions: contradictions, time, distinctions between this world and eternity, suffering and bliss, good and evil. His denial of the law of non-contradiction is especially troubling. He says, "in every truth the opposite is equally true" (p. 115).
Francis Schaeffer once said that no matter what a person believes, they still have to live in the real world, and for some people that causes tension. You can see the tension in the author's view of time. Time is supposedly an illusion. But the author has to live with time just like the rest of us, so how does he escape reality? Though meditation. He writes, "During deep meditation it is possible to dispel time, to see simultaneously all the past, present and future, and then everything is good, everything is perfect, everything is Brahmin" (p. 116). If you have to meditate in order to pretend like your worldview is true, then you just don't have a very good worldview.
Why not embrace a worldview that affirms the obvious? If two claims contradict, they can't both be true. Time is real. There is a difference between suffering and bliss, and also between good and evil. And for goodness sake, a rock is not a person!
Rating: 
Summary: Ying and Yang
Review: Life
I liked this book a lot. It's a big part of my philosophy on life
Rating:
Summary: One of the most beautiful novels I have ever read
Review: Siddhartha is an excellent novel for the post 9/11 world. No, I'm not prescribing a "Buddhist" religion to Muslims or Christians; this is because the novel Siddhartha does not prescribe any religion or doctrine. Neither does it really tell you how to be happy or spiritually enlightened; the novel simply deals with the fact that enlightenment is subjective from person to person. What made Siddhartha enlightened in the novel, did not make Gotama, the other Buddha enlightened. But the saintly thing about the character Siddhartha, is he did not judge Gotama for his spiritual differences or try to convert others to any doctrine.
The prose in the novel is simple, yet lush, descriptive and profound, making it a short satisfying read, which should be taken in slowly, rather than rushing through where you might miss important words.
In Siddhartha, a young Brahmins son, leaves a comfortable life when early in the novel he joins the Samanas, a group of wandering ascetics, practicing self denial. In Siddartha's journey he begins to distrust doctrines because they brought knowllege, but no wisdom, no peace or enlightenment. He leaves the Samanas and began a life which many would call "sinful" until he changes his lifestyle again.
But the way Siddhartha by Herman Hesse is different than other religious books, is that the character Siddhartha has "to sin in order to live again." The fact is that everyone is a sinner. There is no way to not be a sinner, and Siddhartha has to have the "experience" of what is sin, to know what is moral and right. Many religious books simply tell you how to live, this novel doesn't. Please do not read it as an introduction to Buddhism, or something you can read and immediately achieve salvation, it's simply a work of art that shows spiritual freedom in the path one takes.
The message I received from the novel was that life is too complex to prescribe a way of salvation that works for everyone. As Hesse says, "Wisdom is not communicable" and the book doesn't communicate wisdom universally, because no one can. In this fanatical world, religions might not clash so much if they took this into consideration.
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Summary: All Is Connected
Review: Siddhartha is that most unusual of all stories -- one that follows a character throughout most of his life . . . and describes that life in terms of a spiritual journey. For those who are ready to think about what their spiritual journey can be, Siddhartha will be a revelation. For those who are not yet looking for "enlightenment," the book will seem pecular, odd, and out-of-joint. That's because Hesse was presenting a mystery story, also, for each reader to solve for herself or himself. The mystery is simply to unravel the meaning of life. As the son of a Brahmin, Siddhartha would naturally have enjoyed access to all of the finest lessons and things of life. Knowing of his natural superiority in many ways, he becomes disenchanted with teachers and his companions. In a burst of independence, he insists on being allowed to leave home to become a wandering Shramana (or Samana, depending on which translation you read). After three years or so, he tires of this as well. Near the end of that part of his life, Siddharta meets Gotama, the Buddha, and admires him greatly. But Siddharta continues to feel that teachers cannot convey the wisdom of what they know. Words are too fragile a vessel for that purpose. He sees a beautiful courtesan and asks her to teach him about love. Thus, Siddhartha begins his third quest for meaning by embracing the ordinary life that most people experience. Eventually, disgusted by this (and he does behave disgustingly), he tires of life. Then, he suddenly reconnects with the Universe, and decides to become a ferryman and learn from the river. In this fourth stage of his life, he comes to develop the wisdom to match the knowledge that direct experiences of the "good" and the "sensual" life have provided to him. Few will find Siddhartha to be an attractive character until near the end of the book. Hesse is trying to portray his path towards balance and understanding by emphasizing Siddhartha's weaknesses and errors. But, these are mostly errors that all people fall into. Hesse wants us to see that we make too much of any given moment or event. The "all" in a timeless sense is what we should seek for. There is a wonderful description of what a rock is near the end of the book that is well worth reading, even if you get nothing out of the rest of the story. The "mystery" of what Gotima experiences when he kisses Siddhartha's forehead will provide many interesting questions for each reader to consider. I recommend that you both listen to this book on tape and read it. Hesse's approach to learning is for us to observe and feel. You will do more of that while listening than by simply reading. I was able to find an unabridged audio tape in our library for my listening. I encourage you to go with an unabridged tape as well. You will get more out of Siddhartha that way. I read the Hilda Rosner translation, and liked it very much. After you finish listening to and reading the book, I suggest that you think about what you have not yet experienced that would help you get a better sense of life. If you have tried to be a secular person, you could try being a spiritual one. If you have focused on being a parent, you could focus on being a sibling. If you have focused on making money, you could pay attention to giving away your time. And so on. But in each case, give yourself more opportunities to experience and learn from nature. That is Hesse's real message here. Ommmm
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Summary: Eastern Religion Intake
Review: The book journeys through a man's life, Siddhartha, to showcase the different cultural values that are present in the Eastern religions of Hinduism, Janism, and Buddhism. The historical may not be accurate on the case of Siddhartha (Buddha) in the book, but I don't believe that is the intentions of the book. I read the book as a prelude to discussions about Hinduism, Janism, and Buddhism in my World Religions class this semester, and it has helped give me a further understanding of those religions from a personal standpoint through this novel.
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Summary: A Jewish view of Siddartha
Review: This is a beautiful novel. The story of a spiritual quest in which the young privileged hero goes out to the world , and tries to meet and know every different kind of experience. He goes through different stages of life , including one in which he tastes the sensual pleasures of life to the full. He meets old age, sickness and death. He comes to a kind of humble understanding of the nature of life and his spiritual quest is one in which he comes to a kind of peace.
The story is told with simplicity and skill, and it flows wonderfully.
My own problem with the book is that the wretch ' concentred all in self' . There is no deeper understanding of how the ordinary connections of family and community , and the giving to them provide life with meaning and dimension beyond the self. There is too no feeling that one can by one's own effort add to the goodness of the world, make a change for the better however small.
This is not to deny the truth of Siddartha's quest or understanding, but only to indicate that it is one road and not the only road or in my opinion the ideal road the person can take in this life.
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Summary: RE-READ THIS BOOK!
Review: this is a book that not only everyone should read, but if it is a long time since they read it, it is worth every moment to read again! not many books truly fall into that category. siddhartha is one of those classic tales that grow more meaningfull as you grow older. it is a tale of eastern religion and thought, one man's path to enlightenment, that is written in such a simple and elequent manner as to be thoroughly absorbing to western minds. it is the perfect antidote to a society obsessed with " the material world ." we follow siddhartha through the three main stages of his life, in his quest for enlightenment. at times he rebels from the conventional wisdom of his day, at times he loses his moral and spititual compass, seemingly completely, but yet he always finds his way back. this is a brilliant tale that can help each of us focus on how we conduct ourselves in a very complicated society.
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Summary: Mmmmm....mind food
Review: This novel by Hermann Hesse is great. I borrowed from a friend and was sucked in by its philosophical discussion. The story follow Siddhartha, an Indian in search of enlightenment. He tries a few routes, lives life as a wealthy merchant, loses hope, and... well, you can find out. It is short, not many big events, but the dialogue more than makes up for it. Anyone who enjoys novels carried by philosophical dialogue/monlogue will love this.
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Summary: For those who have once stopped to think about life
Review: Why are we are?. What is happiness?. What's love? These classical philosophical questions are addressed in this novel that leaves you thinking.
The story takes place in India, where a man, Siddhartha, tries to experience everything during his life in order to be able to answer these vital questions.
This book deserves to be read more than once so you can grasp the deep thoughts that Herman Hesse tries to transmit.
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