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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
I don't know if I could honestly say I loved the book. For something that is so often defined, by its own blurb in the case of my antiquated copy, as "the greatest true story of escape and adventure ever written" it's patently untrue.
It's the vainglorious creation of a man writing his own myth. At every point papillon is the leader of action, the honest criminal and the most fortunate in all circumstances. But it's still an enjoyable read that lunges from harrowing to humdrum with abandon.
It's the vainglorious creation of a man writing his own myth. At every point papillon is the leader of action, the honest criminal and the most fortunate in all circumstances. But it's still an enjoyable read that lunges from harrowing to humdrum with abandon.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
medium-paced
A great adventure book with plenty of twists and turns. Despite there being so many breaks described it was easy to follow and keep track of all the characters. The insight into his determination and perseverance was inspiring and shocking at times.
medium-paced
I have read the Burmese translation of this book as a child just out of curiosity and it somehow stuck with me. Reading the English translation brought back a lot of nostalgic memories. I think it successfully illustrates that the need to change a rotten system and the need for individual struggle go hand in hand in describing the horrible French justice system of bagne and Papillon's unwavering determination for a cavale.
Incredible true story about the endurance and fight of an innocent man. Just a bit too long with slow paces in the middle
adventurous
medium-paced
A fascinating true story - reduced from 5 to 4 as Charrière is racist, homophobic, misogynistic and generally has a VERY high opinion of himself