From experience, I have come to find that most books associated with philosophy or spirituality have their own unspoken norms - they are written with an extra sprinkle of magic with an emphasis on the extraordinary. Also, there is ONE life-changing moment that leads to the formation of a definite path that's set in stone; a prescribed "this is the way." If you think that same train of thought is applied in Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha", you're wrong. It is a book that is immersed in ordinary actions and revolves around the mundane. Siddhartha seeks the meaning of life by experience and wishes to go beyond the holy teachings. This means taking his own path and crossing paths with greed, lust, ambition, deceit to finally connect with oneness. What drew me most to this book is that Siddhartha is not placed on a high pedestal. He also encountered suffering, doubt, misery, and helplessness associated with human existence. Every chapter is thought-provoking, and I needed time to absorb and understand the underlying message. Hesse doesn't shove anything definite down your throat with specific and detailed teachings leaving the text open to multiple interpretations. I know that I will be coming back to this book from time to time, and every reread will be different from the last. I highly recommend this book.

A thank you to Voracious Readers Only for giving me a free review copy of this book. This honest review is left voluntarily.