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slothsareawsome21's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Wow what a book! This is my first time reading a book like this and it was absolutely amazing and it had me crying I would totally recommend this to anyone
seleneaguero's review against another edition
5.0
Que buen libro, no sabría que decir acerca de él porque para mi estuvo perfecto. Lo he terminado hace menos de diez minutos y todavía me deja pensando...
chonkyboi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
ludophobia's review against another edition
2.0
I think…the movie was somehow better than the book. much more impactful. If this was narrated by the the 9 year old, i’d understand the lack of gripping story telling . buts it’s not. there’s little depth to the characters, the imagery is not very strong, and it is overall one of the worst historical fiction holocaust books i’ve read
il0vepasta's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
hollypotter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kate_elle's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Antisemitism
kaitlynmcn04's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
meginsanity's review against another edition
2.0
A pretty interesting book, which I liked for its take on the Holocaust and the perspective that the author chose.
“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” was a very quick read and I think it works well on the level of a fable, but it’s not worth overthinking. There are too many plot holes and oddities to really take seriously, and some things are just laughable. All of those can be looked over, because the book’s subtitle is “A Fable,” but they did get in the way of reading sometimes. Bruno’s innocence took me out of the book and the easy access he had to the camp made me raise an eyebrow or two.
What I did like about it was the way the camp was portrayed; so much about the Holocaust is so sensationalized that it was interesting to see through a child’s eyes, and not a child who was exposed to the suffering within the camp. Also, I liked Bruno’s family’s perspective as a German, Nazi family. It’s a perspective I haven’t read very much about – they’re not sympathetic, certainly, but the fundamentally human aspect of the Nazi regime is something I am interested in.
Ultimately the book is too cutesy and avoidant to really serve a purpose in educating children or adults about the Holocaust. Too many facts are avoided in order for the “twist” to occur at the end. I do think, though, that it was worth the short read.
“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” was a very quick read and I think it works well on the level of a fable, but it’s not worth overthinking. There are too many plot holes and oddities to really take seriously, and some things are just laughable. All of those can be looked over, because the book’s subtitle is “A Fable,” but they did get in the way of reading sometimes. Bruno’s innocence took me out of the book and the easy access he had to the camp made me raise an eyebrow or two.
What I did like about it was the way the camp was portrayed; so much about the Holocaust is so sensationalized that it was interesting to see through a child’s eyes, and not a child who was exposed to the suffering within the camp. Also, I liked Bruno’s family’s perspective as a German, Nazi family. It’s a perspective I haven’t read very much about – they’re not sympathetic, certainly, but the fundamentally human aspect of the Nazi regime is something I am interested in.
Ultimately the book is too cutesy and avoidant to really serve a purpose in educating children or adults about the Holocaust. Too many facts are avoided in order for the “twist” to occur at the end. I do think, though, that it was worth the short read.
thaliavs's review against another edition
2.0
(NL-editie) This book was part of my 2024 youth re-read. I liked the story but it took too long before the head character finally got into the camp. Furthermore the story was too short and a missed opportunity in my opinion. Just OK.