Rating: 
Summary: Not for everyone
Review: One of the things that I admire most about Oprah and her Book Club selections is that she is exposing followers to such a wide range of literary styles. This is not a book for everyone. The characters are hard to sympathize with and the writing has a staccato, abrupt feel. Frankly, I didn't enjoy it. However, I did find it extremely well-written, exploring some intriguing themes about relationships; about the mesmerizing effects a first sexual partner can imprint on you for a lifetime; about pride, pragmatism and their sometimes horrifying consequences; and about post-WWII Germans growing up in the aftermath of their country's shame. It's a quick read--you may not fall in love with it, but it's worth a try, because you might enjoy the insights the author provides.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm touched by the skillful writings of a Nobel Man
Review: Oprah once again made her good choice onto Bernard's "The Reader" a tale of lofe, a tale of hope and the defending illiteracy. The Reader opens with a delightful touch into 15 years old Michael Bergz falling in love with Hanna subsequently spun into a masterful written erotism literature, the second parts see into Hanna's pride, the ego in her that devastaded her life, then only Michael was able to understand that she was illeterate...I couldn't stopped with much exciting the plot goes to the greatest extense of life, I felt compel to tell others that the book has brought meaning of love of patience and of trust, The Reader symbolized the trueself as one. I've been touched most with the solemn ending, though it was really enjoyable, I felt an urge to claim Bernard as one of the writers that stepped ahead introducing erotism to literature.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful, thoughtful and haunting novel.
Review: This book is beautifully rendered, poetic and philosophical. It provides a unusual perspective on Nazi Germany -- about the roles and impacts on ordinary people that makes you stop and think about the nature of evil. This is a book that helps go beyond cliched thinking. Good and evil are not black and white here. I read a lot of novels and this is one of the few this year I am recommending to everyone. I continue to be haunted by this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A dissapointment
Review: I was able to get into the first couple chapters but after that I thought the book was very boring. One night I read ten pages and had no idea what I had just read. I have no idea how this book made the Oprah list, because every book I have read from the book club has been great.
Rating:
Summary: Boring, easy to guess the "secret", don't bother
Review: It was boring. It was easy to guess the secret. It wasn't gripping. I only finished it because it was our bookclub choice. 6 out of 6 of us thought it was awful. I read Sesame Street stories to my 3 year old son that have a better plot.
Rating:
Summary: I found this a painful read! In the end, a waste of time.
Review: I read the book mostly because so many people were saying things about how offensive the affair between the 15 yr. old and the 36 yr. old were. I thought there had to be something of more merit than just a meaningless sexual encounter. But, in the end, I felt that this was graphic and meaningless. The characters were lifeless and seemed to have no value systems. They had no connection to each other or the world around them. It was rather sad and pathetic. I finished it, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Lacking depth, but still OK
Review: There are some books in which the characters are extremely loveable. They are intriguing, interesting, and I enjoy reading about them. This did not prove to be the case, and the book did not live up to my original expectations. I read the reviews, saw the little "Oprah" symbol, and excitedly bought the book. But I was extremely disappointed. This book was missing something. I'm not exactly sure if I know what. Even still, the overall plot was excellent, and I think the story COULD have been absolutely fabulous. I guess it was worthwhile to read this, though I know I have read much, much better books in my lifetime.
Rating:
Summary: Complex, beautiful, startling, important
Review: I was alternatively gripped, shocked, bored and then deeply troubled by the ethical tensions throughout. I felt the ending was most unsettling. Can a war criminal be made sympathetic without for one moment lessening the crime. Yes? Can the fact that we confront evil in others make our own actions less subject to judgement. No? Does this make a powerful novel. Yes? Will timid readers be offended by the story line? Yes. Is it worth reading the READER. It is what reading is all about.
Rating:
Summary: Another "best seller" that isn't any good. Alas...
Review: Reviews summarizing The Reader made it sound like a good book, but I had to stop less than half way through because it was so uninteresting. Nothing in the development of the characters made me want to find out anything more about them. The "story" has great potential but needs a writer who can make it happen. Another "best seller" that isn't any good.
Rating:
Summary: I don't watch Jerry Springer and I don't like this book
Review: I am a thoughtful, avid and intelligent reader who does not watch daytime talk shows. I found this book boring, offensive and pointless. Don't be bullied into thinking that you are not intelligent if you do not like this book.
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