The Reader in Pick-a-Shelf

Mar 31, 2014 Nancy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: literature, historical-fiction, ww2, germany, still-owned

I did really enjoy this book. It was deceptively simple, but the philosophical and moral questions it raised were incredibly complex. I really liked how it brought to light just how the next generation of Germans after the war had to come to terms with what happened in Germany and the apparent culpability of their parents. The character of Hanna was really interesting - was she a monster? Or was she doing her job? Did she deserve the length of sentence she received? And why did she do what she d ...more

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Jun 25, 2010 Sunflower rated it really liked it

Shelves: library, fiction-read-2010, historical-fiction

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

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Oct 27, 2009 Sam rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: proper-books, historical-fiction

A short novel/novella that follows the life and loves of Michael, as at the age of 15 he falls for 36 year old Hanna after she helped him when he became ill one day after school. The story starts with the lustful romance that grows between them until Hanna leaves suddenly, leaving Michael to question himself throughout his studies. Upon attending a trial years later during his time in law school, he is once again face to face with Hanna, as she is tried for war crimes. Here the novel tries to ad ...more

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Jun 30, 2009 Lindsay rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 1001, z2009

An interesting story which wasn't quite what I was expecting. It did raise some moral dilemmas about personal responsibility as well as how secrets can be hidden by people. ...more

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May 05, 2009 Abbyb1 rated it liked it

I read this so long ago, I may not remember if I truly enjoyed this more than my 3-star rating suggests. I will say that I did find the novel dragged on at parts. I was compelled to finish it largely because I didn't want to not read it and I was looking forward to seeing the film which I understood to be amazing. Ironically, it's been more than 2 years since I finished the book and I have yet to see the film.

Nevertheless, the story itself is incredible. ...more

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