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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
This book was so difficult to get through. The author's ego was unbearable, and the way he treats women is repulsive.
Why do I not find reviews talking about how disturbing it is that he... sleeps with and impregnates TWO sisters, aged 12 and 15 when he's like, 25?
He also goes back to these moments in his head quite often throughout the book so it's not like it's a small, missable part.
Give it a miss.
Why do I not find reviews talking about how disturbing it is that he...
He also goes back to these moments in his head quite often throughout the book so it's not like it's a small, missable part.
Give it a miss.
A true tale of courage, perseverance and an unbreakable spirit!
Henri Charrière, born in France in 1906, was not a gentleman. In 1931, following a shadowy career in the Paris underworld spent in the company of safecrackers, thieves and prostitutes, he was convicted for a murder he always maintained he did not commit and sentenced to transportation and life imprisonment in the notorious penal camps located in French Guiana.
Charrière, determined to preserve his health, his sanity, his spirit and, indeed, even his capacity for enjoyment of life, under unimaginably deplorable conditions and suffering inhuman punishment and abuse, always maintained that he was only visiting the prison. He definitely had no intention of hanging around for long. Labelled as "dangerous" by the prison authorities, he was an incorrigible "escaper".
After serving a scant six weeks in French Guiana, Papillon (Charrière's nickname earned in the navy due to a magnificent butterfly tattoo on his chest) escaped for the first time completing an astonishing sea-faring voyage worthy of Sir Ernest Shackleton. Without benefit of either maps or compass, Papillon navigated a thousand miles through shark-infested waters in an open boat to Colombia. With the assistance of a leper colony, he ultimately found his way to a native village tribe where he "married" not one but two young native girls who positively adored him and bore his children.
But life was not yet finished with Papillon. Recaptured, he was cruelly sentenced to two years of solitary confinement and a starvation diet which was intended to break both his body and his spirit. It's difficult to believe but, when Papillon was released to the general prison population, he remained all the more determined to escape once again.
Papillon tells the story of seven more daring but unsuccessful attempts. His ninth and final attempt on a raft of coconuts enclosed in a jute bag is described in breathless detail and has to count as one of the most exciting stories of adventure and endurance that I've ever been privileged to read.
How much of Charrière's autobiography Papillon is hyperbole and how much is fact is certainly not clear. Some have accused Charrière of stealing the adventures of his fellow inmates and representing them as his own. But, to the breathless reader, none of this will matter. Incorporating themes reminiscent of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Shawshank Redemption, Papillon has to count as one of the most exciting stories of adventure and survival that I've ever read.
Be warned! Don't crack the binding on Papillon unless you've got the time to finish it. Setting it down until Papillon successfully reaches the safety of the shores of Venezuala will not be an option.
Papillon was a sensation when it was first published in 1969 and it remains sensational to this day. Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
Henri Charrière, born in France in 1906, was not a gentleman. In 1931, following a shadowy career in the Paris underworld spent in the company of safecrackers, thieves and prostitutes, he was convicted for a murder he always maintained he did not commit and sentenced to transportation and life imprisonment in the notorious penal camps located in French Guiana.
Charrière, determined to preserve his health, his sanity, his spirit and, indeed, even his capacity for enjoyment of life, under unimaginably deplorable conditions and suffering inhuman punishment and abuse, always maintained that he was only visiting the prison. He definitely had no intention of hanging around for long. Labelled as "dangerous" by the prison authorities, he was an incorrigible "escaper".
After serving a scant six weeks in French Guiana, Papillon (Charrière's nickname earned in the navy due to a magnificent butterfly tattoo on his chest) escaped for the first time completing an astonishing sea-faring voyage worthy of Sir Ernest Shackleton. Without benefit of either maps or compass, Papillon navigated a thousand miles through shark-infested waters in an open boat to Colombia. With the assistance of a leper colony, he ultimately found his way to a native village tribe where he "married" not one but two young native girls who positively adored him and bore his children.
But life was not yet finished with Papillon. Recaptured, he was cruelly sentenced to two years of solitary confinement and a starvation diet which was intended to break both his body and his spirit. It's difficult to believe but, when Papillon was released to the general prison population, he remained all the more determined to escape once again.
Papillon tells the story of seven more daring but unsuccessful attempts. His ninth and final attempt on a raft of coconuts enclosed in a jute bag is described in breathless detail and has to count as one of the most exciting stories of adventure and endurance that I've ever been privileged to read.
How much of Charrière's autobiography Papillon is hyperbole and how much is fact is certainly not clear. Some have accused Charrière of stealing the adventures of his fellow inmates and representing them as his own. But, to the breathless reader, none of this will matter. Incorporating themes reminiscent of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Shawshank Redemption, Papillon has to count as one of the most exciting stories of adventure and survival that I've ever read.
Be warned! Don't crack the binding on Papillon unless you've got the time to finish it. Setting it down until Papillon successfully reaches the safety of the shores of Venezuala will not be an option.
Papillon was a sensation when it was first published in 1969 and it remains sensational to this day. Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
slow-paced
I feel harsh rating this book so low, considering it was based on real events and accounts.
I read this some years ago and it was one of the first non fiction books that I read and I loved it. The book is filled with adventure and was hard to put it down. One of my favourite books and I would recommend it to anyone.
Ted Bundy pissing people off,even from the grave
I bought this book thanks to a recommendation by Ted Bundy in the dramumentary based on his life. I have a compulsion to finish books I start so I was forced to complete the 500 odd pages of minutiae about the time this man spent on jail. It's hard to believe this Papillon is the most honest direct well loved person in every jail he comes across. People simply accede to his wishes with little resistance. Aside from the odd trope about freedom and rehabilitation, I would not recommend this book.
I bought this book thanks to a recommendation by Ted Bundy in the dramumentary based on his life. I have a compulsion to finish books I start so I was forced to complete the 500 odd pages of minutiae about the time this man spent on jail. It's hard to believe this Papillon is the most honest direct well loved person in every jail he comes across. People simply accede to his wishes with little resistance. Aside from the odd trope about freedom and rehabilitation, I would not recommend this book.
adventurous
slow-paced