Rating: 
Summary: Undoubtable Genius
Review: To anyone who has read this book it can come as no shock to learn that Keneally not only picked up the Los Angeles Times Award for Fiction but also the Booker Prize. Keneally confronts the Holocaust head on in cold factual style, with this account of the life of Oskar Schindler and the lives he saved.
The story, based heavily upon fact is so powerful and emotive that legendary Hollywood producer Steven Speilberg set about adapting it for film. This however, far surpases the film in terms of it's effectiveness in outlining the true horrors of the Holocaust. A tale that will disgust you, and a tale which will warm your heart. Two extremes of humanity meet each other - unparalled evil and raw, human compassion. This will always remain as one of the 20th Century's most influential books, it's implicit message will hopefully serve as a stark warning to future generations. The man, Oskar Schindler has been immortalised through this - hopefully he'll serve as inspiration for others in his position.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful narrative of a startling story
Review: This is one of those books that really came off better in the movie than the actual book it was based on. Nonetheless, Keneally has clearly researched this issue with passion and a desire to tell the real story as a result of his interviews with the people involved. He brings out the agonizing ambiguity of the man, Oscar Schindler, a man who can play his dangerous game of saving "his" Jews from the horrors that hang over their heads.
The book is told by using several vignette's of the legend of Schindler. As a researcher, Keneally is honest in admitting in part where some of the stories may be overblown or even not true, but that they carry with them the essence of this remarkable man, a man who was so devoted to the Schindlerjuden at the expense of his relationship with is wife.
Writing in such a way is interesting in bringing all the disparate parts together. Unfortunately, it also seems disjointed and hard to follow at times. Even so, reading it is not easy. Finding out the truth of the Holocaust is paramount to understanding the evil that men can do, but also the lengths to which some can go to fight that evil.
Read and Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: More powerful and disturbing than the film
Review: Most people who haven't read this book undoubtedly have seen the film. Like nearly any film, it is better or more fulfilling to read the novel. This is somewhat different in that the movie is by any standard excellent. But you still lose crucial character development and details. The book is very well written and insightful, and even more moving than the film, which says a lot. Bottom line is, if you liked the film and the subject matter and are anxious to learn more in detail about the holocaust, this is an excellent resource and a hard book to put down.
Rating:
Summary: a great book!
Review: This was a very good story! Schindler's List was very informative and compelling and suspenseful and overall, a great story to read. This book provides an accurate and detailed account of Schindler and the lives of the people he saved during the war. The author also informs the reader of what happened after the war, to both Schindler and the people he saved. A great book!
Rating:
Summary: One of the most important novels I have ever read
Review: Like many, I didn't even know about Oskar Schindler's amazing story until I saw the movie. I am also a voracious reader and when I find a novel of a movie I enjoyed I usually grab it and compare the differences. While Spielberg is to be commended on his incredible talent at filmmaking, there was much of this story that wasn't brought to the screen, and maybe couldn't have been, I'm not sure. This was such a powerful story that it needed to be told. Normally when we think of how truly evil our world has been, we have to travel much farther back than just the 2nd World War, but not in this case. Oskar Schindler, risking his life and the lives of those he loved, made what he felt was the morally right choice by saving a few Jews while the Nazi's used his business to further the War effort for Germany. Rarely can we find someone who so selflessly risked their life in such a way to save a number of people his own government had marked for extinction. Oskar recognized what the Nazi's refused to acknowledge, that ALL human life is precious, regardless of race or color of skin. How much farther would we all be if everyone held fast to what Oskar risked his life to hold true?
Rating:
Summary: Essential twentieth century work
Review: Mr. Keneally's wonderfully written book - as the film which followed - is a powerful reminder that even in history's most bloody and barbaric century decency and morality did yet exist, even if on too small a scale. I suggest the hardcover edition, as this is not a story to be read once and discarded, but periodically re-read and passed on. One of the great classics of this era.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping - excellent compliment to the movie
Review: This was a gripping book - disturbing, but not as grotesque as some Holocaust histories can be. Keaneally's portraits of Schindler and his adversary are exquisite. It's easy to see how the actors in the movie got their inspiration. If you liked the movie, this is an excellent accompaniment, as it explores the man, his life, and the history around him in much more detail than is possible even in the very long movie. Even though I've read a lot about WWII, the Nazis, and the Holocaust (Hitler's Willing Executioners seems to have been an important influence for the writer), it was hard at first to follow the detail in the book, particularly the German terminology and SS ranks. Ultimately, I didn't worry about that too much, and it didn't affect comprehension. Keneally's main sources are personal interviews with "schindlerjuden" and the testimonies of same given to fact-finding courts in Israel right after the War. This is the only story I know of that explores the fascinating idea of bribing, seducing, and schmoozing with the enemy to save lives.
Rating:
Summary: Why I loved Schindler's List.
Review: There are a lot of reasons why I loved Schindler's List. I mainly liked it because it was written so well. It took a few pages before I got into it, but after that it was hard to put down. Some parts were a little bit hard to understand. That was mostly because of all the German words and names. They were easy to skip over and didn't take away from the book at all. Thomas Keneally did an excellent job researching the book. I liked the fact that there was so much detail. It made you feel like you really were there. I also liked that there were so many different characters. Sometimes you would meet a character in one chapter for only a few paragraphs, then you wouldn't find out what happened to them until way later in the book. Even though that made it hard to keep all the characters straight, I still liked it because it keep the book from getting boring. You were always wondering what was going to happen to somebody or if someone would get out of jail or be killed. The reason that this was such a good holocaust book is that it shows the war from so many different views, and how for two opposite people the war could mean two compleatly different things. This is a very good book that has action, mystery ,and drama all in one. I recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Schindler's list
Review: I think that Schindler's list was hard to follow and understand. There were two many German words and too many different characters just there for one chapter and you didn't know who they were or what they were like. The names I couldn't pronounce but the least they could do is change the unimportant characters' names to how it would be pronounced. I think the overall story was too realistic for example it was using all the stuff that you would not even have heard of today only my grandmother would still use them that if she was from Germany (Which she isn't).
Rating:
Summary: The reasons I liked this book!
Review: Schindler's List was a very good. The first couple pages where very hard to get in to then it got better as it went. I liked the part when the soldier saw this lady he knew so he tells her to hide and then he tells the rest of the soldier that there was no one there. I think that young soldier that remakeable courage for doing that. I also liked how Schindler risked his own life to save about 1,300 Jews from the gas chamblers. I didn't like that Schindler had like 2 to 3 lovers not counting his wife. The end of the book was the best. It was very sad. I felt sorry for Schindler in the end when he was like broke in the end from helping all the Jews. I think Schindler was a remakeable man not counting the lovers part. I really respect Schindler for what he did. I think more of our Nation should be like Schindler and help peolpe. I would highly recommend this book to all of you. I think you will enjoy this book to the very end.
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