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What are readers saying about The Reader (Vintage International)?
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-11-21 01:21:17.
(Language: English)
 
This is one of my favorite books ever! Mr. Schlink proves that a book doesn't need to be verbose to express a compelling, haunting story. Beautifully told.
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Millisent posted a review at 2011-03-21 08:33:15.
(Language: English)
I was not a fan of the writing style. I also did not like how judgmental and bitter the main character was. I was upset that he let his past dictate his future so much.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-12 10:08:31.
(Language: English)
Picked this up at the airport to read on a long flight from NYC to Portland, OR and it was worth the read. Almost feels like two distinct and different novels but rolled into one and it all makes perfect sense with the subject matter. Well told and leaves you pondering what really happened?Well-written. First half, definitely erotic. Second, half such a different feel and story even though it is one and the same. Looking forward to seeing what they did with the movie.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-31 09:49:12.
(Language: English)
I really enjoyed this read. I can see how people may think that this book is condoning acts commited by the Nazis and also the affair of an adult woman with a 15 year old boy. However, I do not think that the book condones any of these behaviors but instead presents these things as reality. However, it is important to note the consequenes that occur due to these acts in the book. This book really directs the thought processes of the reader to make their own judgments regarding these issues. Personally, I find these acts morally reprehensible. Reading the book and all of the psychological trauma, not to mention the torturing of people, that occur to the characters really only confirms my own opinions. I think this is a great read, its disturbing but in a way that really challenges your thinking.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-04 08:35:49.
(Language: English)
I tried to hold my tears but when Michael Berg finally admitted and said this, it hit me... "Sometimes I was in a rage at her and at what she had done to me. Until finally the rage faded and the questions ceased to matter. Whatever I had done or not done, whatever she had done or not to me- it was the path my life had taken." Hanna challenged his perspecitve and thoughts morally and emotionally, but Michael had completely accepted Hanna as herself and did not bother to question any more. Though the ending was unbearable at some part, I was content to see how Michael had finally reached peace within himself. This powerful and heart-wrenching novel will remain as one of my favorite books. Now I can't wait 'till I see the film version of this book!!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-28 11:21:05.
(Language: English)
I saw commercials for the movie and had to go get the book to find out the big "secret", which I found a little bit anticlimactic. Nevertheless, the narrative is unique, provoking, and haunting. Schlink modestly depicts the conflict between generations and their struggles to come to terms with the Holocaust, morality, and guilt. The book questions and there are many provoking pages that dog-eared. It's a quick read and one I recommend.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-11-04 01:11:02.
(Language: English)
I'm normally not a person to say this, but this was MUCH better than the movie. The movie left me really unsatisfied because, while it made a statement about literacy, it didn't answer the question (I thought) of what to do/think about people who do unspeakable evils (like the Holocaust) unapologetically. This was, however, present in the book. And as this all mainly happened in Michael's head, I can see why it wasn't in the movie...But I'm just saying...
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-02 12:55:43.
(Language: English)
Compelling story, but rather disturbing. A young boy is seduced by a much older woman. It damages him and takes his innocence. When I hear of female teachers getting a slap on the wrist for having sex with their teenage students, I come back to this novel and think this is what must happen to these poor boys. Well worth a read, if you can stomach it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-04-09 01:20:32.
(Language: English)
One of my all-time favorite books about how children see the world as little ones. Then, as time goes one, realize that entering it involves taking risks. The illustrates the world of people with giant cavement, animals and dangling vines. The aesthetics may mean how the world looks in a childs eye. Children then see that your stuck with what you have and learn to survive in their habitat.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-11-22 05:40:46.
(Language: English)
I liked this. It didn't try to wrap up the ending like the movie. He just describes this experience, how it affected him, and then... life goes on. It was a little tough to get through at one point since I'd seen the movie and knew what would happen... but I still enjoyed it.
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Lara posted a review at 2010-03-22 08:51:45.
(Language: English)
I dunno. This was not nearly as meaningful and amazing as I had thought it would be. It's a very good book but the "revelation" that occurs, when it happens, goes by without so much as a blimp on my radar. Only later did I realise that this was a big reveal. I guess I couldn't see how someone would make such a choice. Still, a worthwhile read but hardly earth-shattering.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-01 03:32:48.
(Language: English)
This is a quick read. What I loved about this story was the main character's infatuation with this woman and how he describes her body, her smell, her face. The reader can feel the magnetizing force that pulls this young man to her. The cliche saying came to mind when I finished this book - "You may not know it but there is someone out there that you mean the world to." This book is worth the time. In fact, it would be the perfect book to read aloud to someone. :)
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-11-01 01:55:13.
(Language: English)
Ovo je mala velika knjiga. Brojem stranica mala, a onim što ispunjava te stranice velika. I teška. I bolna. I sjetna. Prosto je nevjerovatno kako s malo riječi otvara bezbroj pitanja, onih suštnskih, na koja ne možemo dati jedan uobličen univerzalan odgovor. U tome je njena velični – tjera nas da se preispitujemo, da stavljamo na vagu, da tragamo, da opravdamo to što imamo i mozak i srce. Gledala sam film prije nego sam pročitala knjigu. Bila sam oduševljenja glumom Kate Winslet, a sada sam to još više jer sam se uvjerila, čitajući knjigu, kako nam je vjerno dočarala lik Hane.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-30 08:47:34.
(Language: English)
I'm still thinking about this one. I've read a lot of reviews and criticisms of the book, the central problem being the alleged sympathy we're supposed to have for Hanna (and thus making us sympathise with a Nazi and mitigate her behaviour.) I didn't find her a sympathetic character at all - apart from her role in a concentration camp (which is unspeakably heinous) afterwards she has sex with a 15 year old (a child), is willfully ignorant, and rather than being a "symbol of the moral illiteracy of Germans before and during WW2) she seems to be a figure who fights to stay in the dark, acts in morally reprehensible ways, refuses to acknowlege it and continues to fight to stay in darkness. She doesn't appear to be someone who is there because she has no choice (and, thus, should be pitied. She's abhorrent, not pitiable!) If we're not meant to sympathize with her, then the book becomes a condemnation of moral corruption hidden behind a huge excuse. I'm wondering why people jump to the conclusion that we will want to defend Hanna (and thus mitigate her crimes) - she's clear abhorrent. Having said that, it makes the narrator of the book monstrous, but he has been abused by her - and he does not recover. OVerall, I don't know how I feel about this book - it's good to read complex reactions to the aftermath of the war, and I'm still thinking about it, so I guess that's positive.
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Nellie posted a review at 2011-02-28 04:15:26.
(Language: English)
Not exactly a beach read although the first part of 15 year old Michael falling for the older woman is sort of soppy as they either make love or he reads her stories. They are not part of each others lives in any other way (the first few weeks they don't even know each others names!). Even then there are under currents and you realise there is more going on with this story. Inevitably Hanna leaves him with a broken heart. The second part is set several years later. He is present for every session of the Nazi trail and finds out she was a concentration camp guard. She is handed a life sentence. Michael realises she couldn't have done what she is accused of since she is illiterate (hence all the reading to her!). Although he could save her he chooses not to - is he respecting her wishes, should she pay for her crimes or is he punishing her for leaving him? He convinces himself he is doing it for her and her dignity. In the last part we learn he has not had much success in his relationships since other women aren't Hanna. After 8 years of no contact he starts reading aloud to a tape recorder and sending her just the tapes - no letters. After some years she has learnt to write and short observations and opinions are sent to him - nothing personal. After 10 more years and lots of tapes her appeal for clemency is granted. Michael learns from the prison governor he is Hanna's only link to the outside world. Will he help her start over? After much soul searching he sets out to help her and agrees to meet her. She has grown into an old grey woman and he feels no connection just a sense of duty. On the day he is due to pick her up from prison she commits suicide - is she preserving her dignity?! Upon her death he finds out the tapes taught Hanna to read as she read along with them. Yet she never acknowledged this to him in any of her notes. There is no farewell message for him just instructions to carry out her last wishes to help atone for her sins to the last survivor of the concentration camp. A very tragic love story...
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-04-11 10:09:21.
(Language: English)
An interesting character study of a woman who spends her life abruptly leaving one life for another, undertaking some difficult and ethically awful jobs to get by, keeping her secret as long as possible. Through concentration camps, bike rides in the country, and the eyes of a young lovelorn boy, the story rolls and struggles to understand an introverted and proud woman. I listened to the audiobook, and look forward to having future books read to me by the elegant, mellifluous voice of Campbell Scott.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-25 07:00:32.
(Language: English)
I decided to read this book after thinking that the movie was wonderful and moving. I absolutely loved this book. The writing is simple. There are no grandiose analogies or a plethora of figurative language. On the contrary, the simplicity of the story is what allows the raw emotion of a coming of age to be conveyed. This is a coming of age story of a boy turned man who lives each day with the memory of a summer of romance with a woman twice his age. The pain of a love lost keeps the primary character from ever really settling down into a loving relationship and leads him to concealing the truth that could set his lover free. The woman, Hanna, hides a secret that could have prevented her ultimate fate. This story is passionate and moving and well worth the read. I highly recommend it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-02-04 05:00:32.
(Language: English)
Sometimes it takes a while before one realizes that you have, indeed, come across this before. I picked this book up for one reason only; and that was to discover the shame Hanna desired to conceal. It was only in the middle of the book that I realized that I had come across Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes in their respective performances. When I eventually read that the shame was not one of immorality or guilt (as one is wont to assume) but one of a very simple, almost nondescript matter- the manner of it shocked me. Besides the rich language and style, The Reader provides a study into some of the assumed perspectives in our lives. Indeed much of human judgement is based on the deeds of others; but The Reader challenges much of those controversial elements. Can prison be a safer alternative for the mind? Can an individual decide that to let go and retreat into the deepest of dignified independence is a good decision? Is such a nondescript matter such a shame? Or can such a relationship frowned upon? There is much to retrospect on in The Reader. Apt as it is titled too, for The Reader is not merely about words and phrases but one of the heart and the soul. It is a read into the dignity of the self. And in this aspect, there is much philosophical thought. To say that behavior, at times, has no dependence on thinking or decision-making is, upon reflection, true. Yet despite its cold-hearted analysis of emotion and self, there remains nothing but an incredible feeling of sadness and regret towards the end of the book- and perhaps, this is why The Reader will likely be a read into yourself as well.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-19 07:16:58.
(Language: English)
it helped that kate winslet starred in the movie adaptation(she won an an oscar for this movie, i'm not sure), but beyond the aesthetics of the paperback cover this book is one of the most profound i've read. the storytelling is very straightforward yet along the way the story hits you right on the spot. for a day or two *since i don't usually finish a book right away even if it's compelling as this* i was swept away by it's unusual conflicts and characters. the novel is so affecting reading it left me breathless.the ending was quite unexpected,emotional and poignant i felt it was the perfect way to end the novel.highly recommended!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-09-24 11:24:45.
(Language: English)
There is so much to be said for this book and so little at the same time. This book is about the first lesson of love that you ever learn and how it can affect the rest of your life. While it begins with sex and only sex, it proceeds into a different arena where we find love in the strangest of places. We grow and learn with Michael. How many of us can say that the first person who taught us to love is the only way we subconsciously love throughout our life? It is substantially so with a boy who starts to love at fifteen to a woman who dominated the relationship. At the beginning I would have given it three stars, but when the end started to come it became something more. Something that we all can think about.
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Kelsey posted a review at 2009-10-26 08:34:29.
(Language: English)
The Reader stands as a novel of quiet symbolism-- the message of the book is placed unobstrusively between lines, letting gentle phrasing and wording as well as a lovely plot powder the punch behind the words. At a first glance, it is simply a story of a teenage boy finding his first taste of sexuality, but as the story continues, it becomes a tale of what is right and what is wrong, and whether what is wrong can be excused if the person was unsure of whether they were in the wrong... it's really fascinating material. The most thought-provoking and deep ideas are summarized in neat, concise sentences that could be easily glossed over, but with a closer look, the true beauty and meaning shine forth-- much like this novel as a whole. There are times when Schlink pens one of these sentences that just put you so solidly in the novel-- he can capture an emotion, or a feeling so well on paper that you immediately relate. This is one of the most interesting views of the Holocaust I've ever read, and it most certainly is deserving of any praise that comes its way.
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MaryAnn posted a review at 2010-08-18 11:19:25.
(Language: English)
This book is giving me a lot to think about. There are so many levels: Michael and Hanna's relationship (as the mother of a teenage son, I do NOT approve), WWII and the Nazis, and philosophical thoughts on human nature. Originally written in German, I found some parts awkwardly worded and wonder if it's a translation problem. Short book, read it in 2 days.
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Denise posted a review at 2009-08-20 02:52:57.
(Language: English)
5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting -- beautiful -- memorable., August 19, 2009 The editorial reviews about this book do a great disservice to the novel. (Sometimes I wonder if the reviewers actually read the book. I don't consider this in any way a YA novel -- the themes are way too adult and the introspection and examination of conscience of the adult writer aren't reflective of that younger adult point of view.) That said, this is a fantastic novel. I was glued to the pages, examining my own reactions to what was happening and trying to summon the outrage one should feel when a 15 year old boy is having a sexual affair with a 30 something woman. He should be viewed as a victim. I couldn't summon that assessment. This is a beautiful and haunting story of a 15 year old boy named Michael, whom she called "Kid", who has an intense love affair with a 30 something woman named Hanna -- a streetcar conductor. He knows nothing of her past, and their relationship is mostly physical. She disappears suddenly once day and Michael next sees her when he's a law student in 1965 Germany as the war trials of the Nazi criminals are getting underway. He is both stunned and repulsed when seeing his former paramour as an SS guard criminal. He can't reconcile his love of her to what she had done during the war. Michael is in a state of suspended ambiguity. Should he feel guilty for having loved her -- a reviled and heinous war criminal with the worst of reputations? A quote at the end of Chapter one in Part 2 sums up how Michael faces the truth of his lover and how he responds to it: "I adopted a posture of arrogant superiority...this juxtaposition of callousness and extreme sensitivity seemed suspicious even to me." The book is divided into 3 parts and deals mostly with Micheal's feelings about his relationship with Hanna, his reaction to her trial, and the final chapter as he comes to terms with all that has happened. This is a novel that is not to be missed. One that can be discussed at length in book groups everywhere or just between friends. I can't get it out of my mind. The reason for the title becomes clear midway through the novel. Highly recommended.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-11-05 07:51:13.
(Language: English)
An awesome read. A book to make you think about atonement, forgiveness. In certain circumstances is it possible. Was Hanna ultimately responsible for her crimes during the war? Was she a child molester? Did she know that her actions would tie this young man to her for life? Is there that much shame in being unable to read and write that she would go to prison to hide it? Wow -- such heavy material for such a slim book. I'm still sorting out the answers to all my questions. It should make for good book club discussion.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-09 04:08:10.
(Language: English)
I just couldn't connect with this book, no matter how much I tried. I found some actions of Hanna too gross and Mike's infatuation and initial actions too sick for thought. This story really sets you thinking on several levels, like is Hanna to blame for Mike's confusion in life, what caused Hanna to make her last decision, why was Mike so embarassed with her later once she no longer looked as beautiful as she initially was, and many others. It was too sad, admittedly. I so wished things turned out different. I wouldn't say this book is bad. I do see the questions and the consequences of Hanna's and Mike's actions, but it just did not work out for me.
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