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Summary: Very detailed writing by an excellent German author
Review: The Reader is a marvellous book by Bernhard Schlink who brings his personal experiences into this very comprehensive piece of writing. As a German writer, he brings a new aspect and view of writing into German Literature.
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Summary: Interesting perspective . An unusual love story
Review: I found this to be a quick read. It was not a book I would have chosen, had I not just joined a book club that was reading it. I enjoyed the questions it raised. But, felt too many thoughts were left unanswered. I'm very glad that I read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good
Review: I liked the beginning and end. The middle didn't keep me very interested
Rating: 
Summary: Thought-provoking
Review: I read the Reader before all the hype started and yet still feel it is one of the most thought-provoking books I've read. The shock in part two was un-anticipated. The sympathy you feel for someone everyone else abhors is cleverly created. The cold style makes you shiver and feel the desolation even more. I couldn't put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but still misses the mark
Review: This book was interesting but I just did not feel it was really worth my time. Not that my time is better than anyone else's but i just do not have a lot of it. My main complaint with this book is that it just seems so unrealistic. Dont get me wrong I know that it is horrible not to be able to read. I sure your self esteem would be rock bottom. However, I just can not imagine anyone going to prison for almost twenty years just because they would not admit they could not read. I also can not imagine letting someone I knew was innocent and someone I loved or at least loved beyond comparison at one time , go to prison. This book read like a soap opera. By the way just because Opera recommends does not make it worthy, Although I think very highly of Opera.
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Summary: Startling drama and great dialogue
Review: TIn my humble opinion this is the best book set during the World War Two era that has come out in recent years. Only After Dunkirk and The Triumph and Glory compare for suspense and passionate appeals to preserve the essence of human decency born into each of us that is being frayed by the demands of modern existence.
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Summary: I'd rather watch grass grow
Review: I started out with good expectations of this book. As I read more and more I lost all hope and wanted to throw it away. The story moved so SLOW and the big secret was not worth the terrible punishment. I recognized more with the culture gap here then the whole story plot? Maybe I'm just not getting it?
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Summary: I don't get it
Review: Last month a book club I belong to read this book along with Anne Michaels "Fugitive Pieces," both on the theme of the Holocaust. The discussion was lively and provocative; however, most members felt that "Fugitive Pieces" was the superior book. The problem with "The Reader" was its cold intellectuality which reduced engagement by the audience. Most members had difficulty in caring about Michael Berg or Hanna. To a German sensibility the book might seem poignant and highly emotional, but to an American audience it seemed too minimalist, too sparing, as if it were missing an essential ingredient. When I say I don't get it, I mean that it failed to move me. "Fugitive Pieces" on the otherhand, although flawed in structure and sometimes in language (although most of it was highly poetic and beautiful), was touching and engaging from the very beginning.Our group had a good discussion about guilt--a couple of our members grew up in Austria during the war and "The Reader" really demonstrated to them the conflict between patriotism and guilt that the story represents on its symbolic level. We all appreciated the book's moral ambiguity which shows the difficulty of determining guilt or innocence and how love can be complicated by guilt. I guess these complex understandings on the part of the author come from his experience as a judge.
Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: This book was exceptional I thought. The author descibes things that I thought were fairly undescribable in such a vivid way. The book keeps you on your toes from start to finish, and has a few twists and turns that will leave you wondering. It's a superb love story, w/ a great begining, middle, and end. =)
Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: I found myself completely inebriated by this book. An astonishingly smooth read, considering the awkwardness of the subject, this story brings about an interesting controversy: forgiveness. I felt compassion and pity for Hanna... It felt like she was reaching out for our mercy, with her cold eyes and bold manner... If you can read German, I would much recommend the original version.
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