A review by john_nygma
Papillon by Henri Charrière

5.0

What an amazing adventure. I don't even care that probably only half of that stuff actually happened, because that's not the point. As the 2018 film says, "It's the story of many men" and that's a nice idea to keep in mind while reading. Even though there are so many details and "mundane" day-to-day things being described it somehow never gets boring. Knowing that the penal colony was real and Papillon did definitely live through *something* keeps you going. Despite the length of this novel I was never bored, and even the fact that I had already seen both films before finishing the book did not diminish my interest in Papillon's story. So if you're interested in fascinating adventures and/or stories like only real life could tell them, then you will definitely love this book.