The Reader

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 Stars! A compelling, eloquent, & worthwhile read.
Review: You'll read it in a day & wish it was longer. It has so many different layers (love, tragedy, WWII, the fight of the generation that followed, soul searching, how one's choices shapes one's life-for better or worse, how life is something that happens while you're making other plans) the end result is rich and impacting. Hard to believe it's a novel & not an autobiography. Schlink says things we all feel better than most can express them: "This is what must happen to old married couples, I thought: the young man is preserved in the old one for her, the beauty and grace of the young woman stay fresh in the old one for him. Why had I not seen this...?" For me, it just doesn't get much better than this!

Rating:
Summary: the writing nor the plot were inspiring
Review: The book started out with such potential with the backdrop of the holocaust behind an adolescent's first love/sexual experience. However, the character's were unsympathetic, bland and vanilla. This was especially discouraging since the book was about sexual passion and the most emotionally laden period of our history, the holocaust. Neither Hannah nor Michael were characters I wanted to know better which made for a very disappointing read.

Rating:
Summary: An allegorical tale of post WW2 Germany
Review: The Reader is a mesmerizing allegorical tale of post World War II Germany's attempts to reconcile the horrors of the Holocaust with the remainder of German life and people as they knew it both before and after the War. When Hanna, a former SS Guard, takes the innocence of 15-year-old Michael Berg, she takes his soul as well, and he is left only with numbness that permits his daily existence. There is no absolution; what is lost can never be regained either for Michael or the second post-war generation. An intensely psychological book that asks many more questions than it answers.

Rating:
Summary: A great book--don't be misled
Review: I read this long before it was chosen by Oprah, both in German and in English, and was astonished when Oprah added it to her list. I write to encourage thoughtful readers--readers who do not watch talkshows on TV--not to be misled by the reviews that Oprah followers are submitting. This book is subtle, engaging, full of food for thought. It is an excellent choice for a bookclub, because of its ability to provoke discussion and reflection. It is a Bildungsroman with layers of meaning, an easy, flowing read, and an inquiry into the human condition in all its frailty. I recommend reading it without consulting reviews that may disclose the plot--just jump in and see what you find.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: Beautifully written and disturbing at the same time. I couldn't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: A powerful metaphor of the rise of Naziism
Review: The Reader is a powerful metaphor of the seduction of German youth by the Nazis. In this book, Hanna symbolizes the temptation of the Nazis, offering "the answer" to society's problems, in this case Michael's teenage angst. When Michael matures and realizes what Hanna (Naziism) is all about, he is fascinated and tortured by what he had succumbed to in his naive youth.

Rating:
Summary: This book is not worth buying.
Review: I saw this book on Oprah's show and decided to buy it because of Oprah's glowing remarks. I do not recommend this book for many reasons. The primary reason is that the character development is weak. I didn't feel anything for any of the characters, whether it be hatred or love. The plot was not very interesting either, and although I did finish it within several hours, it was not a page turner. Obviously, being a page-turner is not a primary reason to read a book. However, it offered very little literary value, and it was not a book that challenged your mind. The only reason that I continued to read it was because I had hoped that it would get better. It didn't. You will be very sorry that you wasted your time with this book.

Rating:
Summary: I didn't like it......at all
Review: At first I thought it's going to be a good story but I really got tired of it after a while. I wonder why this book is on the top of the best-seller chart. I really thought it was a waste of my time.

Rating:
Summary: A very personal story.
Review: It's a story that will touch various readers differently, depending on how history has touched them. For some, the story might be insignificant yet for others it might be even personal. For me, it was a new avenue of questions which has opened up ever since. It was not about the war or the atrocities about it. It was about something totally different, ie. the generation which was not involved directly and yet affected by it greatly. Something, not many of us have considered or given much thought of. The book is a good read about it.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting story
Review: I thought this was an interesting story, but after reading the book just consider it an average read. It's not long and easy to read...two of its best features.