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amanda_cc 's review for:
Narcissus and Goldmund
by Hermann Hesse
Such an unbelievably fire book whose awesomeness is confined mostly to the first fifty pages and last fifty pages, which feature the majority of interactions between Narcissus and Goldmund. I have no problem with the fact that the novel ended up almost entirely focusing on Goldmund and his development; his wanderer’s story was just fine despite feeling narratively disjointed in some areas. But wow how beautiful were the sections that featured him and Narcissus together. Their long-winded discussions glow by the flames of an unspoken and unconditional love. In conversation, they speak in serious, formal terms-- and yet, the fondness that tints each dialogue is one of an innocence and youth that lives in only the most unbreakable of bonds. Narcissus irritated me at first, but it quickly became easy to overlook his arrogance, and to focus instead on the touching admiration he clearly feels for his friend. No other novel that I’ve read has sculpted such a divine idol of friendship. For real the last two chapters had me so emotional I forgot how comparably ordinary some of the middle parts were.