The Reader

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Summary: An important look at post-WWII Germany.
Review: Berhard Schlink reveals subtle truths about how individuals and whole nations of people can forgive, and move forward even after the most numbing and base experiences. Schlink also uses clear language and wonderful imagery to help us develop empathy for a situation and a person whom we might normally dismiss. It is a great, easy read with a big intellectual impact.

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Summary: every boys dream/nightmare
Review: a mrs robinson of sorts. a fast and enjoyable read , the fist part bringing back memories of boyhood dreams ,the second half bringing the tragidy of lifes realities.

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Summary: Captivating
Review: This book grabbed me from the beginning and carried me all the way to the end. The storyline is very believable, if you take into account the time and place of the events surrounding the story. Michael Berg, a 15-year-old, is a well-developed character. His actions and thought processes are explained throughout the book. Whatever he does, we can understand where Michael Berg arrives from. We also begin to learn who Hanna Scmitz, a 30-year-old at the start of the book, is, was, and will be. The story will deliver you to the time of post-war Germany and explain to youwhat it is like to be a German citizen.

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Summary: Shhhhhhhhhhhh!
Review: The Reader did what a good book is suppose to... make one forget their own world and live in the book for a few hours. I was drawn into this book like one is drawn to a scene of a horrible accident. I felt like I was reading someone's dirty secret, yet I couldn't stop reading. In the end it made me wonder what I would do in the same situation. The book is eloquently and tastefully translated. Take your time with this book to appreciate it.

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Summary: A Unique Topic - Post WWII German Youth
Review: What impressed me far more about this book than the main plot (15 year old has sensuous affair with much older woman who turns out to be former SS Guard), was a seemingly minor issue in the book. That issue was that of how the sons and daughters of the Germans who lived in Germany during WWII dealt with their "Holocaust Legacy". My parents are Holocaust Survivors, and I have read a lot about the Holocaust, but little has been written on the topic of that first generation of Germans born after the end of WWII. The author articulately and clearly describes how the sons and daughters of those Germans who lived through WWII absolutely had no respect for their parents; that the sheer force of the genocide that their parents conspired in, ignored, or did whatever, demanded that their children's feelings toward them just had to plunge far deeper than the "typical" disdain which every generation of young people have toward their parents. My only wish is that the author had delved into this topic even further; as he himself was born in Germany in 1944, he is indeed a member of that postwar generation of Germans, and therefore has a unique perspective on the subject. As for the book generally, the plot was nothing short of incredible. With that said, I thought Parts I and III (the beginning and ending of the book) were very well-written; the author does a great job describing the sensuous affair of the teenager, and a great job at the end, about his conflicting feelings towards his former lover during and after her trial, and about what ultimately happens to her. However, the middle of the book was awful; it was written in a superficial manner, with no real character development. So remember: just keep reading until the end. All in all, a fascinating portrayal, from a German, of what it means for the post-war German generation to live with tremendously complex feelings concerning the Holocaust and their parents.

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Summary: Haunting, probing -- yet lacking.
Review: Despite its acclaim and recent hype, "The Reader" fails to probe as deeply into one's moral and ethical consciousness as might be hoped or expected. The plot indeed drives home a moral question (broadly, 'what is the extent of forgiveness?'), yet its development and maturation prevent it from truly striking a resonant chord. There is simply too much that is shadowed over, too much that is not discussed, and too much that seems improbable and even impossible in the relationships that are described. Yet the tone and character of the writing earn "The Reader" high marks: its masterful use of allusion, its ability to speak volumes by what is left unsaid -- are beautiful things to see in a modern novel. This is a book worth reading, yet perhaps with slightly lower expectations in hand that what the media hype have deemed fashionable.

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Summary: Can pass it by
Review: While the book has some very eloquent language and few memorable scenes, I felt everything in between was particularly mediocre. The story is a little demented with a 15 year old boy in a sexual relationship with a 30-something woman, but soon you forget the age difference and are caught up with the passion and unlikelyhood of their sordid romance. I have yet to meet a 15 year old who behaves like our hero, Michael. Parts of the story were too absorbed in legal issues and Hanna's trial and I felt myself drifting in and out. It never really captured my full interest. The book is jumps around without any explanation of how we arrived at the next stop and I felt I never got an actual feel for any of the characters. I was disturbed by the abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion and felt the emphasis (and better writing) was wasted on the affair between Hanna and Michael. If you're searching for something to read, give this a try, but only after you've exhausted other sources.

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Summary: Like a strange dream that fades within a few hours
Review: This book drew me in right away with what it didn't reveal. The characters were a mystery from the beginning, and I kept pursuing them, hoping that they would be revealed. Unfortunately, they never develop into real, believable characters. I wouldn't mind that they weren't sympathetic, if only I could believe in them. Hanna's story requires a little too much suspension of belief. How would someone so desperate to conceal her secret (which becomes obvious early on in the book) decide to become involved in an intimate relationship with someone she had only briefly encountered once before? And how could Michael have such an unfeeling attitude towards her when he meets up with her again at the end, after his obsession with her destroys all his other relationships? And the hardest thing to believe is that Hanna would so willingly allow her secret to destroy her life (and the lives of others). Despite the unbelievability of the story, however, the book still gets two stars for the translation and the beauty of the language. Too bad the story itself doesn't match.

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Summary: THE READER
Review: Bernhard Schlink's novel, The Reader is a wonderful masterpiece. It is very heartfelt and gripping. You can't wait to see what will happen next in the character's relationship. Anyone that reads this novel will enjoy it. There are many very powerful themes throughout it.

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Summary: Almost perfect but not quite
Review: The Reader is truly a book for everyone. Fans of stories like The Triumph and the Glory or The Testament will like this book. People who liked The Poisonwood Bible or Memoirs of a Geisha will like this book. People who liked Stones From the River or The Pilot's Wife will like this book. Readers who enjoy the Oprah books will LOVE this book. It has everything one could ask for. A vast range and scope of human emotion and experience is encapsulated into The Reader, in a very eloquent manner. Don't miss this one, it is unforgettable.