From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
The story is cheap, flat, exploitative and manipulative. The book is awful and shameful.
This is a compelling read. I wish I hadn't seen the movie first, but even knowing what was coming up didn't ruin it for me.
spoiler alert: It wasn't until the younger of the two surviving women prisoners says to the narrator at the end of the book "That woman was truly brutal....did you get over the fact that you were only fifteen when she..." that I thought about Hanna's part in the narrator's inability to form a successful relationship with anyone else.
Favourite sentences: "So I stopped talki ...more
spoiler alert: It wasn't until the younger of the two surviving women prisoners says to the narrator at the end of the book "That woman was truly brutal....did you get over the fact that you were only fifteen when she..." that I thought about Hanna's part in the narrator's inability to form a successful relationship with anyone else.
Favourite sentences: "So I stopped talki ...more
I wish I'd known the legal background of the book. At times the writing feels a little wooden, but that may be in part because even well written legalistic prose can be difficult to translate.
The law exists in our words. In many regards, our morality also exists in our words, which makes the plight and crimes of Hanna, the concentration camp guard, all the more disturbing. The book hints around at this thought, but it seems the capacity to read and incorporate words into understanding is what m ...more
The law exists in our words. In many regards, our morality also exists in our words, which makes the plight and crimes of Hanna, the concentration camp guard, all the more disturbing. The book hints around at this thought, but it seems the capacity to read and incorporate words into understanding is what m ...more
A challenging book on many levels, largely because Schlink resists the temptation to editorialize - he simply lays out a relationship and a history and allows the reader to judge the characters on their merits. A deeply nuanced portrait of post-war Germany's struggle to reconcile with its past.
...more
"The truth of what one says lies in what one does." Some of Hanna's decisions were so appalling to me and ultimately an unfulfilled life. I can't understand why she didn't take charge earlier to overcome her secret as she was so determined to be in control of other aspects of how she carried herself. But even though I did not care for the improper relationship, it still showed so much love in addition to desire. And the writing was good and I liked the Campbell Scott's reading of this book.
...more
I remember seeing the movie and was not impressed.
So when I started the book I was a bit uneasy about it.
I have to admit that I have been nicely surprised.
I have liked the book very much. I did not feel any uninteresting lenght.
Would I recommand: yes.
So when I started the book I was a bit uneasy about it.
I have to admit that I have been nicely surprised.
I have liked the book very much. I did not feel any uninteresting lenght.
Would I recommand: yes.
Excellent story of post World War II Germany.
Feb 17, 2011
Laura
marked it as to-read
Aug 19, 2011
Davida "Davi"
marked it as to-read
Jan 01, 2012
Sara
marked it as to-read
Feb 01, 2013
Stephanie
marked it as to-read
Jan 08, 2016
Kim DeCina
marked it as to-read
Feb 26, 2017
Erica
marked it as to-read
