Definitely an interesting narrative, but I'm not sure I quite "get" the book.  Supposedly this book was a big reason why Hesse won the Nobel prize for literature, but maybe I'm just a Philistine because I can't see why.  The writing style is very repetitive and academic, but for someone who doesn't know that Hesse is imitating an academic style on purpose, this might be a turnoff.

I'd definitely give it a read, but it's a book that requires commitment and some thought to get the most out of it.