Rating: 
Summary: Inspiring and impossible to put down
Review: Papillon is many things. It is an extremely engrossing book that is almost impossible to put down. It is an inspiring and courageous testament to the human spirit and perseverance in the face of the most seemingly impossible odds - a true Odyssey. It is also an earth-shattering wake-up call to those who think that prisoners do not suffer. Although conditions in prisons have obviously improved since the time portrayed in this book, here we get a rare glimpse into the penal system - straight from the mouth of a person who has been through it. This book contains many disturbing things, and goes into quite vivid detail about a lot of things which prisoners take for granted that we don't even think about - I won't spoil it for you: just read it for yourself. ... Aside from all of its overhanging social ramifications, however, this is a very entertaining and exciting book to read. One can read it simply for the action and thrills - of which there are many - while totally forgetting about its other, deeper level, and enjoy it fully on that front. There is, though, yet another aspect to the book: Papillon's unwavering sense of hope in situations that would cause almost any man to give up. No matter what happens, no matter how bad things get, he never loses hope - is always looking toward the next cavale. Charriere (who is Papillon, in case you were confused on that point), though no angel, is obviously an admirable and deeply fascinating character - it's a small wonder that many look at him as a hero and even a role model. He also opens our eyes to something that we often overlook (or choose to forget): criminals, by and large, though they may be social outcasts and lawbreakers, are very often invariably more good-hearted and honest than the often corrupt law system that locks them up. The loyalty the prisoners display towards one another, as well as the integrity and self-confidence they exude, is nothing short of astounding. Papillon's favorable comparison of the so-called "savage" peoples to his French countrymen are eye-opening as well. An immensely rewarding, eye-opening book that should be read by one and all.
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Summary: Enlightening and tough
Review: What a fantastic autobiography! When critics questioned the story and its authenticity, Henri said "They wouldn't let me take a typewriter into Hell". No doubt. Incredible look into the basically Dark Age mentality of punishment in the early to mid 20th century. How he managed to (grow) get through all the chaos and BS is mindboggling!
Read this, watch the movie (buy the movie here, of course) and read again!You shall never regret doing so. Trust me, I didn't. Many friends have thanked me so very much when I loaned it to them.
Rating: 
Summary: Quite different from the film.
Review: Quite different from the film. I found it hard to believe every story, but still a good read for those interested.
Rating:
Summary: Papillon
Review: Charriere is an engrossing storyteller. This book is about an innocent man's will to survive and escape the abhorrent conditions of the French penal institutions in Guiana. Unfortunately, there are countries in this world that similarly adopt such horrid practices. I also recommend "Banco" for those who enjoyed reading Papillon. It is about the further adventures of Charriere.
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Summary: Best Guy Book Ever???YES!!!
Review: Not to be missed!!! It has blood, sharks, lepers, flesh eating fire ants, Devil Islands, dart trowing indians, quicksand, steaming jungles, guillotines, roach eating, sexy natives, whips, chains, tatooes, and Much MORE!!!...
This book is one of my All time favorites, and I have read a lot... You can't get better adventure anywhere!!! Fact, Fiction?? I don't know, this guy either had a tough life or a vivid imagination... Obviously better than the movie....
Read it NOW!!!
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Summary: A tragic and inspiring journey into the human spirit.
Review: I have never before been so unable to put a book down. From the very beginning I couldn't wait to finish so that I could start over and relish the story again more slowly.
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Summary: Brilliant Adventure Story with a Deep Theme
Review: Henri Cherriere created a master adventure story when he wrote "Papillon" but many people overlook the true meanings of the book. It is not simply the account of an escape from the bagne in French Guiana, it is also, as Cherriere called his first notebook, "The Descent into Hell." The full enormity of what happened in the penal colony there would have shocked French society to its core. Alfred Dreyfuss put the area into the spotlight, but very few people paid it much attention after his acquittal (World War I takes part of the blame for this). Over 70,000 French convicts were sent to French Guiana. Cherriere condemned the French judicial system for what it was: a decaying, corrupt, antiquated way of ridding French society of its offenders. Fyodor Dostoevsky once said, "The civilization of a society can be judged by entering its prisons." From that scale France could have ranked even lower than the US, whose prison system is biased and absolutely dreadful. Cherriere also hit upon another point: hope when there is nothing but death and decay, hope when it seems that despair will finally extinguish the soul. Cherriere hoped and planned and was rewarded when he finally escaped in the early 1940's. I am not advocating escaping from prison but in a hellish place like the bagne, it was definitely justified. So, read "Papillon" for the adventure, if you like that, or read it for the deep, subtle 'between-the-lines' meanings if you like those. This book has served as a thesis for my outlook on criminals and the justice system ever since I first read it.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest novel I've ever read
Review: M. Cherrière managed to capture courage, hope, and the sheer determination of the human spirit in this masterpiece. If you haven't read it, you should as soon as possible!
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Summary: HENRI THE BEST
Review: I will remember Papi's experienced all of my life. When I was 14 I read this book. Papýllon is first book that I read totally. Afterwards I read it 4 or five times. And One day unexpectedly I noticed Banko (Papi's other book) I admired this french born, venezuelan died person. My hero, my prophet. I love him and her wife Rita. I remember that he write about meet her. If I could do one day I will go to Venezuela and visit his cemetery, and ýf there is, I wanna meet his relatives. Finally I am sorry for my english.
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Summary: Soujourning with the Natives
Review: This became a cult hit while I was at school - the pages dealing with Charierre's native "sojourn" (he encounters an Indian tribe which is big on free love) were especially popular among my colleagues. Charierre's manly exploits make other great adventurers of the c. 20th such as Hemingway, Flynn and Huston look like cut-lunch commandos. No prison could hold him (though the four-year solitary confinement stretch took some patience to get through), no woman could resist him (except for a particularly nasty Mother Superior) and no wad of cash was too thick for his ... money-case. To those doubters who question Henri's veracity, take a flying leap off Devil's Island!
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