Luís's Reviews > Papillon

Henri Charrière, nicknamed Papillon because of the tattoo on his chest, is sentenced to life imprisonment for a murder he claims not to have committed. He has sent to Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, where he escaped with two other convicts. This time is where his incredible adventure begins.
This fact makes up several different facets. First, it understands moments of indescribable joy, especially during the beginnings of successful runs with her companions of fortune. These moments often take place aboard a boat or a makeshift boat.
There are also moments of doubt when he feels abandoned by this God whom he gets to know throughout history through religious characters who help him in all his journeys to keep the faith and believe that anything is possible. And yet, despite all these difficulties, he always regains hope.
In this story, Papillon encounters moments when he is facing and obliges to tap into an indispensable moral strength and extraordinary power not to go mad or commit suicide. Moreover, during his years in prison, he developed unique methods to maintain more or less correct health, especially during his two years of imprisonment. Papillon is also used to rationing since he has to impose it on himself several times in the book, whether to stay alive in dark dungeons or on a makeshift boat.
This work also features breathtaking landscapes, disturbing, warm surroundings, and moments of relief and pain.
Finally, the most beautiful in this book are all the encounters between Papi and the locals, the guards, the other convicts, and the authorities. He gives the impression of adaptability and is extremely friendly because he meets people who want to help him wherever he goes. These people are often impoverished, have also been in prison, or are very sick, but they always do their best to help Papillon go on the run or get a new life. He also meets a few suspicious people who denounce or try to kill him, but he always gets by and goes his way.
I will conclude with my opinion of this book. Papillon has made me vibrate throughout its history. At times, the suspense was breathless, and I recommend this biography to any lover of good adventure novels.
However, I was very disappointed by what I discovered while reading this book because it is an autobiography of Henri Charrière called into question. It proved that it is, in particular, a collection of stories that have happened to other convicts who have known Papillon.
Therefore, it fails to be an entirely true story that made me spend delightful moments.