“As many reviewers have noted, it is a little difficult to accept 'Papillion' as being the True Story it's made out to be. At the very least, there's a fair amount of embellishment here, unless you believe that Charriere really was the strongest, bravest, smartest, toughest, most charming, most resourceful and most moral prisoner French Guiana ever saw. He's too perfect to be true, and the sheer number of unusual situations he gets into does make you wonder what's fact and what's fiction.

But so what? Truth or fabrication, one thing 'Papillion' establishes beyond all doubt is that Charriere is an outstanding storyteller. The narrative is well-paced and fast-moving, and the author is equally at home describing the wonders of nature, the motley crew of fellow convicts, and the brutality of the French penal system. Many professional writers can't construct narrative as exciting as this, and rather than speculate about how much Charriere made up, we should be praising the literary skill of this "amateur". The English translation does a great job of conveying Charriere's vitality, and also makes a reasonable fist of conveying the slang and language of the time and place.

After a short section dealing with his imprisonment and transportation, the first half of the book covers his initial escape from penal, which eventually spans several countries over the course of nearly a year. The second half covers the various attempts he makes to escape again, and the trials, misfortunes and punishments he suffers in doing so. It's interesting to compare how simple and effective the first break was, compared to the various detailed plans for a second break that come unstuck. Charriere is the sort of protagonist you just have to cheer for, and you'll find yourself actively willing every attempt to succeed, and sharing his devastation at failure. This emotional connection and tense anticipation means you'll make very quick work of its 500-odd pages.

Parts of the book also offer commentary on the French penal system, although not how you might expect. Instead of a long angry protest, Charriere adopts a very matter-of-fact style; beatings, confinements and even killings are discussed almost as afterthoughts. This is actually more effective than a forceful rant could have been, as it highlights the very casual attitude both the authorities and fellow prisoners have toward a convict's life and liberty. There are also more upbeat sections detailing the friendship and comaraderie between the prisoners, and even between prisoners and the authorities. Charriere seems to recognise that the warders' and governers' lives aren't much better than the prisoners, all of them being trapped in a remote tropical backwater with few comforts.

So sure, you can argue that not every word is strict literal truth. But you're kind of missing the point. 'Papillion' is an outstanding and well-written story that is entertaining while also conveying an important message or two. Highly recommended”