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e_bibliophile 's review for:
Papillon
by Henri Charrière
Imagine being..
Imprisoned to rot for a crime you had not committed.
Framed by the law and frustrated by such injustice.
Fueled by vengeance with an undying hope of freedom.
This book puts Prison Break (the series) to shame. Prison stories are my guilty pleasure. I simply can't get enough of them. No wonder that my all-time favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo. There's something magnetic about prisons that attracts me in a heartbeat. Do you feel the same? Join the club. [b:Papillon|6882|Papillon|Henri Charrière|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327865561s/6882.jpg|1289201] by [a:Henri Charrière|957910|Henri Charrière|http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1452463852p2/957910.jpg] is one of those stories. And it's a true story (or mostly true).
The book consists of 13 notebooks documenting Henri Charrière's life in prison(s). The English translation is easy breezy and goes by smoothly like water running through fingers, so I didn't encounter any difficulty reading it. That's almost always a bonus. While the simple writing style serves for easy reading, the two-dimensional dialogue sounds robot-like and devoid of emotion sometimes.
Henri Charrière (Papillon aka Papi) looking badass AF.
I lost interest after about 20% into the book. It was shortly after Papi & Co. had made their first escape. I wondered whether the rest of the book will be about the mundane routine of freedom. But my loss of interest didn't last too long because the boys got busted again. And again. And again. Am I a sick person if I enjoy the parts when they are behind the bars more than those when they're free?
There was a WTF moment while Papi was staying with an Indian tribe. He was in a relationship with a young woman (Lali) who thought that she wasn't satisfying him enough, and she offered him Zoraima (Lali's 12-year-old sis) to have sex with, and the threesome became husband and wives. I don't care if it's traditionally okay for that tribe's children to screw around at such a young age, but Papi's consent made me despise him then.
Taking into consideration all the helpless and extraordinary fucked up circumstances he was going through, I couldn't cut him some slack in that particular issue. But it's crazy because aside from his consent to have sex with a minor, his other traits keep him charismatic enough that you can't help empathizing with his case. He's brave, witty, diplomatic, funny, upbeat, honorable, and a best friend to count on in tough times.
In general, this book doesn't feel like an autobiography. I feel that I'm not that much into biographies/autobiographies (well, except for Maya Angelou's which I ADORE!). But somehow, Henri Charrière manages to keep his story interesting because it's full of adventures. It's a timeless thriller which will make you at the edge of your seat each time Papi tries a cavale. I definitely recommend this book to action, thriller, and drama lovers.
Imprisoned to rot for a crime you had not committed.
Framed by the law and frustrated by such injustice.
Fueled by vengeance with an undying hope of freedom.
This book puts Prison Break (the series) to shame. Prison stories are my guilty pleasure. I simply can't get enough of them. No wonder that my all-time favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo. There's something magnetic about prisons that attracts me in a heartbeat. Do you feel the same? Join the club. [b:Papillon|6882|Papillon|Henri Charrière|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327865561s/6882.jpg|1289201] by [a:Henri Charrière|957910|Henri Charrière|http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1452463852p2/957910.jpg] is one of those stories. And it's a true story (or mostly true).
The book consists of 13 notebooks documenting Henri Charrière's life in prison(s). The English translation is easy breezy and goes by smoothly like water running through fingers, so I didn't encounter any difficulty reading it. That's almost always a bonus. While the simple writing style serves for easy reading, the two-dimensional dialogue sounds robot-like and devoid of emotion sometimes.
Henri Charrière (Papillon aka Papi) looking badass AF.
There was a WTF moment while Papi was staying with an Indian tribe. He was in a relationship with a young woman (Lali) who thought that she wasn't satisfying him enough, and she offered him Zoraima (Lali's 12-year-old sis) to have sex with, and the threesome became husband and wives. I don't care if it's traditionally okay for that tribe's children to screw around at such a young age, but Papi's consent made me despise him then.
Taking into consideration all the helpless and extraordinary fucked up circumstances he was going through, I couldn't cut him some slack in that particular issue. But it's crazy because aside from his consent to have sex with a minor, his other traits keep him charismatic enough that you can't help empathizing with his case. He's brave, witty, diplomatic, funny, upbeat, honorable, and a best friend to count on in tough times.
In general, this book doesn't feel like an autobiography. I feel that I'm not that much into biographies/autobiographies (well, except for Maya Angelou's which I ADORE!). But somehow, Henri Charrière manages to keep his story interesting because it's full of adventures. It's a timeless thriller which will make you at the edge of your seat each time Papi tries a cavale. I definitely recommend this book to action, thriller, and drama lovers.