The Reader (Oprah's Book Club)

Maybe something was lost when it was translated. Her illiteracy is a theme throughout the book, it's something that defines her life. From her choice in jobs, how she fell into being a Nazi, moving, needing Michael and others to read to her, learning how to read etc. It ties all the parts of the book together. Michael was a kid in an adult relationship. Trying to make sense of an adult...more

Maybe something was lost when it was translated. Her illiteracy is a theme throughout the book, it's something that defines her life. From her choice in jobs, how she fell into being a Nazi, moving, needing Michael and others to read to her, learning how to read etc. It ties all the parts of the book together. Michael was a kid in an adult relationship. Trying to make sense of an adult relationship, a relationship that was not always healthy with the mind of a child on the verge of adult hood. Let alone that at that time he needed her as much as she needed him. It shaped his life. I really enjoyed this book and have read it many times. It made me think.   hide

Depressing but captivating story! but qite honestly by the end of the book,there were times when I just wanted to shake the man and say dude just get over it!!! I've heard that the movie has a beautiful woman depicting the character in the book, that is not being true to the real story of the book!

"The Reader" is simultaneously about love, domination, memory, forgiveness, treachery, and humanity. It is a story about the relationship between one generation of German citizens and the next. The tension between the soldiers, doctors, and adults of WW2 Germany and their alienated children. It is a novel about the Holocaust and its aftermath. Yes, there is quite a bit of sex between a 15...more

"The Reader" is simultaneously about love, domination, memory, forgiveness, treachery, and humanity. It is a story about the relationship between one generation of German citizens and the next. The tension between the soldiers, doctors, and adults of WW2 Germany and their alienated children. It is a novel about the Holocaust and its aftermath. Yes, there is quite a bit of sex between a 15 year-old and a 30 year-old, but this novel is not a celebration of pederasty. Just a strange, sidelong look at a generational struggle-- and the massive, convoluted crime called the Holocaust.   hide

this is a great story...very touching and inspiring...

~And the connection is?~ First of all, I never found any connection between the part of the book where Hanna and Michael are having a deeply sexual relationship and the part where she is on trial. I know that Michael ties it together with illiteracy, but to me that seems weak. I also didn't understand Michael's having an obsession with Hanna, which was not always sexual, for all those years. At...more

~And the connection is?~ First of all, I never found any connection between the part of the book where Hanna and Michael are having a deeply sexual relationship and the part where she is on trial. I know that Michael ties it together with illiteracy, but to me that seems weak. I also didn't understand Michael's having an obsession with Hanna, which was not always sexual, for all those years. At the end something did seem to be showing a deeper message but I don't understand it still. The language kind of confused me, but it's really not that difficult. I don't know, see if you can understand this book or just enjoy it. (08/21/02)   hide

In its brevity “The Reader” packs a wallop. Following the story of a young boy and his obsession over a German street car worker, we learn a tale of past indiscretions that question our very foundation of love and morality. The ending was both unfortunate and almost anticipated. It definitely leaves you wondering where the character Michael Berg will go after this. Reading to Hanna was all...more

In its brevity “The Reader” packs a wallop. Following the story of a young boy and his obsession over a German street car worker, we learn a tale of past indiscretions that question our very foundation of love and morality. The ending was both unfortunate and almost anticipated. It definitely leaves you wondering where the character Michael Berg will go after this. Reading to Hanna was all that he knew…. Very touching.   hide

This one makes it on to my top ten list of most important books of the last Century. People complain of its simplicity; that so more could have been done with the story, but I think that is its most endearing quality. Schlink writes about the angst of young Germans post-WW2 in dealing with their collective guilt about the actions of their parents and forebears. The books deals with an issue of...more

This one makes it on to my top ten list of most important books of the last Century. People complain of its simplicity; that so more could have been done with the story, but I think that is its most endearing quality. Schlink writes about the angst of young Germans post-WW2 in dealing with their collective guilt about the actions of their parents and forebears. The books deals with an issue of such sensitivity that only 60 years after the event have fiction writers been able to tackle it. Whilst thousands of Holocaust books have been written, and in various forms, this is probably the frst that deals with the issues faced by Germans and their children following the fall of the Third Reich. I think that is why its simplicity is so clever. It deals with the issues in such a way that it leaves you thinking about it for long after you have read the last words. The issues are just too painful for some people today, to have them spelt out in detail. Ity is a story that needed to be written with extreme sensitivity and care.   hide

Raw. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up...

This book is about pride and longing. It revolves around lovers who discovered each other in the midst of the arcane which is deeply rooted in the human heart. However, secrets are eventually revealed which was spoken through metaphors after many years of their separation from each other. It explores the reasons behind the pride and secrets. What I loved about it was the fact that the lover has...more

This book is about pride and longing. It revolves around lovers who discovered each other in the midst of the arcane which is deeply rooted in the human heart. However, secrets are eventually revealed which was spoken through metaphors after many years of their separation from each other. It explores the reasons behind the pride and secrets. What I loved about it was the fact that the lover has to protect his former lover's secret but then this secret, if revealed to the public, could save her life. The man is now trapped into a dilemma and has to find a way to save the woman and at the same time protect her secret.   hide