Seventeen-year-old Phil has felt like an outsider as long as he can remember. All Phil has ever known about his father is that he was Number Three ...
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Mar 17, 2009
Amy
rated it: 
I was hooked to this story from the first page. The writing style is bold, yet detailed. It's extremely deep too.
This story is about 17-year-old Phil, who is a misfit in his own town due to his mother's bad reputation. Right at the beginning of the book we are pulled into a strange and mysterious world, full of the ghosts of Phil's past. His only friend is Kat, who shares her boy troubles with him while he mopes about his non-existent ones. Phil's family has never been close; his mother, More...
This story is about 17-year-old Phil, who is a misfit in his own town due to his mother's bad reputation. Right at the beginning of the book we are pulled into a strange and mysterious world, full of the ghosts of Phil's past. His only friend is Kat, who shares her boy troubles with him while he mopes about his non-existent ones. Phil's family has never been close; his mother, More...
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Jul 20, 2009
Tamer
rated it:
You know what? I didn't love it. I didn't even like it. I hated the constant flashbacks, I hated waiting in fear for what was going to happen in the REAL story, and then having the whole premise of "before the flashback" completely forgotten. But at the same time, this book HAS to be read. There is something so ... true. So undervalued and true about this book. This is real. This is life. The author just reflects a life in progress in a way that completely and perfectly details everyon
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Sep 25, 2010
Inga
rated it: 
Der 17-jährige Phil lebt mit seiner Mutter Glass und seiner Zwillingsschwester Dianne in einem verwunschenen alten Haus namens "Visible" und wäre allein dadurch schon anders genug, um sich von den anderen Menschen der Kleinstadt zu unterscheiden und mit Misstrauen betrachtet zu werden. Außerdem ist er noch schwul, das macht die Sache nicht einfacher.
Beeindruckend erzählt er von seinen Gedanken und Gefühlen und der Reise, die das Erwachsenwerden und die Entdeckung der Liebe in all More...
Beeindruckend erzählt er von seinen Gedanken und Gefühlen und der Reise, die das Erwachsenwerden und die Entdeckung der Liebe in all More...
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Jun 27, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
In many ways, The Center of the World reads more like and adult book than a young adult one. The maturity level of the writing, the insight Steinhfel brings to Phil's character, drives the novel more than the plot. Through slightly confusing flashbacks, we follow Phil as he struggles with his sexuality, his family relationships and his outcast status in the small German town where he lives. If you only read the back of the book (as I did) without learning anything else about the novel, you'd ima
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Jan 28, 2008
If you never had a chance to dive into a story of surreal family structures - here you go...
Andreas Steinhöfel's The Center of the World tells the story of seventeen-year-old Phil, who lives with his twin sister, Dianne, and mother, Glass, in an old castle in a small German town. The father he has never met and knows little to nothing about remains in America. Glass' promiscuous sexual behavior makes the children targets of the neighborhood bullies' taunts and jeers and relegates the More...
Andreas Steinhöfel's The Center of the World tells the story of seventeen-year-old Phil, who lives with his twin sister, Dianne, and mother, Glass, in an old castle in a small German town. The father he has never met and knows little to nothing about remains in America. Glass' promiscuous sexual behavior makes the children targets of the neighborhood bullies' taunts and jeers and relegates the More...
Apr 14, 2011
Gestaltbarkeit
rated it:
Das Buch ist für mich eines der bezaubernsten Bücher überhaupt. Andreas Steinhöfel erzählt die Geschichte von Phil so wunderbar, dass ich jede Seite verschlungen habe....und das bereits zum wiederholten Male ;)
Jan 15, 2012
flöckchen
rated it:
ich kann mich nicht erinnern, bei welchem buch ich das letzte mal so von den charaktären , der sprache, der geschichte gefangen genommen wurde. großartig. ich liebe es.
Apr 13, 2011
Sammy
rated it: 
a kind of life i could never have imagined unless i read about it. very different and mind opening to what is going on in other peoples private lives.
Jul 30, 2011
such a great read - happened upon it on a one dollar table. I highly recommend it - even translated from German, wonderful writing comes through.
Aug 11, 2011
Ratfrett
rated it:
super geschichte, gut geschrieben. die mutter ist der wahnsinn, bis sie im letzten drittel leider langweilig und normal wird
Jan 15, 2011
Eva
rated it:
I think I read this five times. It was my absolutely favourite book as a teenager.
Aug 05, 2011
Vera
rated it:
Hat mir wahnsinnig gut gefallen, so soll (deutsche) Jugendliteratur aussehen. Liest sich ganz leicht so weg, ist aber eben nicht seicht und brav. Phils Homosexualität wird nicht unnötig aufgebauscht, ist aber trotzdem einer der Hauptbestandteile des Konflikts. Und der Rest der Charaktere wirkt unglaublich echt. Die Dialoge auch. Vor allem Phils Kindheitserinnerungen sind brilliant geschrieben - chapeau, Herr Steinhöfel. Einer der besten Jugendromane, der mir je über den Weg gelaufen ist - absolu
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Jun 04, 2008
Lori
rated it:
Hmmm... I'm really at a loss for words. This book was strange and way too mature to be a YA novel. I think. This book deals with a family that is ostracized in their small German town because the mom is the town floosy and the son is gay and the daughter is a little Wednesday Adams-ish. I liked it though. It is tragic and strange, and comforting all at the same time. As a disclaimer, there is a little adult language and actions going on. So, skip this book if you are trying to avoid that.
Oct 19, 2008
Christina
rated it:
beautifully written book, with complex (and nicely odd) characters. somehow, though, it felt kind of flat to me. the whole time I was reading it, I never felt especially compelled to pick it up and start reading again. I just didn't care that much about the characters or the story. I wanted to like it more than I did, and maybe it was just bad timing...but I can't say I'd highly recommend this one...
Jan 09, 2011
Amiethuy
rated it:
Must-read. Must-feel. Must-love (j/k).
If someone does not know German, the book is worth learning German :)) There is an english version of the book, I once bought to give it to a friend, but it was unbearable. So~
If someone does not know German, the book is worth learning German :)) There is an english version of the book, I once bought to give it to a friend, but it was unbearable. So~
Jun 01, 2010
Claire
rated it:
A YA gem that explores a controversial topic. Each time one reads it, a little more of the plot and symbols are discovered. Beautiful.
Dec 17, 2009
Goldie
rated it:
The Center of the World is an emotionally complex book. It is hard to recognize the difficulties going in within the surreal family. I as a reader absolutley hate one of the specific characters who causes a mass amount of heartache, and the end of book you end up cheering for the main character and all of his success.
Dec 17, 2009
Cynthia
rated it:
My aunt translated this book into Polish I think, and gave me a copy. I thought it was amazing; one of the few German books I recommend.
Nov 01, 2011
Barbara
rated it:
love the writing although it's in German, good story/stories, will definitely re-read.
Jun 27, 2011
Soso
rated it:
Amazing book! One of my favorite books! translated from German but still incredible!
Jun 27, 2011
Caroline
rated it:
So far, it's not your average LGBT young adult novel, which I'm glad of.
Jan 20, 2012
Antje
rated it:
This is a truly wonderful book, in fact, one of the best books I've ever read.
Oct 09, 2009
Tianna
rated it:
Story Prograssion/Development: 4
Characterization: 5
Conflict: 4
Conclusion: 5
Additional Thoughts:
Loved how the story flowed together between past and present and how the flashbacks held relevance. The foreshadowing was effective in drawing in attention. Not the mainstream "coming out of the closet" sort of book.
Quotes:
Characterization: 5
Conflict: 4
Conclusion: 5
Additional Thoughts:
Loved how the story flowed together between past and present and how the flashbacks held relevance. The foreshadowing was effective in drawing in attention. Not the mainstream "coming out of the closet" sort of book.
Quotes:
Feb 11, 2012
Feb 11, 2012
Feb 09, 2012
