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Summary: An exceptional document of life in the ghetto and in hiding
Review: "The Pianist" is a brilliant account of the experience of WWII through the eyes of the pianist and composer, Wladyslaw Szpilman. Szpilman, who played piano on Polish radio, was in his 20s when the Nazis invaded Poland, and he tells first of his life in the Warsaw ghetto and then of his experience in hiding. The book ends with the liberation of Warsaw. It was written relatively soon thereafter.Szpilman's sensibility is precise, observant and occasionally grimly witty while recounting the realities of the ghetto life -the typhus epidemic, the starvation, the brutal, random and casual murders by the occupying troops, and the systematic "resettlements" to concentration camps. His careful reporting ultimately provides a catalogue of the possible responses to such a catastrophe: joining the underground, war profiteering, going mad, clinging to loved ones even if only to share their death, defiant gestures, collaboration, psychological escape like his father's playing of the violin all day. One is struck by his scrupulous concern for accuracy and his lack of indulgence in either rage or personal grief. For those who have seen the film: I strongly preferred the book. The film adaptation spends a disproportionate amount of time on his experiences in hiding while most of the book takes place before. The portrait of life in the ghetto was, on the whole, more interesting. In addition, the visualization of the story does not make up for the loss of Szpilman's voice in the narration, which is one of the major assets of the book.
Rating:
Summary: A great movie pales compared to this
Review: I rarely read a book after I have seen the movie it was based on because it seems almost akin to reading the final pages of the book first. Why start reading a book when you already know how it ends? When the movie already gives you a mental picture of what the characters are like? When it would be impossible to read the description of a scene, a conversation, an expression, or a mood without thinking first of the director's and screenwriter's interpretation of those things? I stand by that view, but I also suggest throwing it out the window when it comes to The Pianist. I was so moved by the film that when I saw this book in a store, I could not help but pick it up. Once in my hands, I could not help but read the first few lines. Once I read them, I could not help but buy the book. And once I bought it, the next day and a half of my life was dominated by the chilling, horrible, graphic and compelling story. I won't go into an overview of the plot, since my fellow reviewers have covered that territory very accurately. But I will say that this is a rare case where the value of a book is not compromised by the movie -- the story is so well told and the details (most of which the movie screenwriter was forced to leave out) are so evocative and potent that they flow over and around any preconceived notions. The film is well done, and by all means it should be seen. But don't let seeing the movie deprive you of the pleasure of this powerful book, which illustrates once again what we have known all along -- that great literature succeeds where other art forms fall short.
Rating:
Summary: A Member of the Holocaust Pantheon
Review: This book deserves to be in the Pantheon of books about the Holocaust. "The Pianist" deserves as much recognition as "Night" by Elie Weisel, "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom and Anne Frank's "Diary of a Young Girl."
I had never heard of this book until I read a review of the movie and learned it was an adaptation. I instantly read this moving account of a young man's quest to stay alive in Nazi Poland. Playing the piano on the radio, knowingly leaving his family as they get ready to leave on transport, hiding in a destroyed building - I couldn't imagine ever having to deal with that myself and knowing that someone did has changed my view of the world.
This book is moving, disturbing and timeless in its thoughts and portrayals. Szpilman knew how to capture the feeling of his time without judgement or anger against his inprisonment. That makes him relatable. I only hope I can read more things like this in years to come.
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Summary: Fear and Indifference
Review: Through graphic depiction and sincere emotion, Szpilman recounts the period of his life filled with pain, death, and destruction during the Holocaust in Warsaw. Szpilman recalls the ghastly remorseless actions of German soldiers and Jewish police officers in his attempts to escape execution. Through his travels from dark attics and abandoned flats, Szpilman encounters the ultimate tragic flaw in the human psyche, indifference. After fleeing from one place of hiding to another, Szpilman learns of the radical change in the German war effort, their defeat. Through Szpilman's descriptions and emotional portrayals of family, friends, and the inhabitants of Warsaw, he teaches the reader the true beauty of existence and art.
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Summary: Pain in Beauty
Review: Szpilman's book depicts the graphic horrors of the Holocaust in the Warsaw ghetto from 1939 until 1945. As the Germans enforce their strict laws and obscene regulations on the inhabitants of the ghetto, the Jews become desensitized to such demands. Many refuse opportunities to leave for safety in an attempt to courageously preserve the things they cherish: life, family, and tradition. Szpilman, after witnessing the abduction of his parents, survives the constant raids of the Germans through an 'animal fear' of meeting the same fate as his family. Surviving for months on crusts of moldy bread and dirty water, Wladyslaw Szpilman miraculously saves his own life. Szpilman's graphic recollection of horrific Holocaust memories depicts the growth and shaping of a young man through the pain, death and terrible destruction of war.
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Summary: The Pianist ¿ A horrifyingly true story
Review: Wladyslow Szpilman, a Polish Jew, narrowly survives the terrifying years of 1939-1945 in Warsaw. Szpilman's family and friends disappear from his life while he survives the war with a little luck. The bravery of a man who found himself most often with nowhere to go proves vital to his survival. The Holocaust was the darkest time of our recent history and its terrible truths are portrayed well by Szpilman. The emotions of the period find a home in the pages of the novel. A true passion for life comes from the experience of a man whose penchant for survival found success. Go ahead, read the book!
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Summary: The Pianist
Review: This incredible story accounts the life of a Pianist named Wladyslow Szpilman, during the Second World War. The memoir, graphic yet factual, accounts Wladyslow Szpilman's feelings and living conditions in the Warsaw ghetto. The strength of his motivation to survive the horrors of the holocaust are gripping and inspiring. The book The Pianist remains one of the best books I have ever read. I highly recommend this book as a moving and exciting tribute to those who didn't survive the horrors of the holocaust.
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Summary: Thought provoking, honest account
Review: I highly recommend this book. It reveals so many facets of human nature in one of the most horrific events in human history. The film version of the book is very faithful as well--I recommend both.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful in a very sad way
Review: This was one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read. It made me truly sad. However, the spirit of triumph, courage, and the unbreakable spirit of this man, while in the midst of tragedy after tragedy, was an inspiration to me. I think this is a must read type of book.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful Story of Survival
Review: Initially I had seen the film by Roman Polanski. Being so moved by the film itself, I decided to read the memoirs to see just how different the two were. Surprisingly, I was impressed that the film did stay so true to Szpilman's memoirs -- very rare in film these days.
The memoirs tell the story of a Polish Jewish pianist named Wladyslaw Szpilman. He and his family suffer under the German control and are forced to live in the Warsaw ghetto. When the time comes to be put onto the cattle car trains headed off to Treblinka (unbeknownst to them), Szpilman gets "saved" by one of the Jewish police. From there on, the memoirs talk about the struggle to survive within the ghetto, while working for the Germans, as well as in hiding.
Szpilman wrote these memoirs very shortly after the war was over and his sense of stating things simply as they were is absolutely remarkable. The memoirs do not exude a sense of blame, guilt, or hatred toward anyone; they merely state what was.
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