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librarystan4lyfe's review against another edition
5.0
I read this because my son is reading it in school. This is a haunting story, beautifully told. The last lines will stay with me: “of course, this all happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day and age.”
ladyomni's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know if I 'enjoyed' this book, but I was touched by it. History is so easy to look back on and think, "how could they do that" "why were people so naive" "I wouldn't have been like that", but we see the bigger picture. Bruno didn't have the bigger picture, he was a kid and nobody told him anything. He knew his dad was in the military and was looked up to, how was he supposed to know that wasn't a good thing. How can you expect a boy to understand anything when he isn't taught by another person, that is all you had in those days unless you could land your hands on books that weren't Treasure Island. Bruno meets Schmuel, who is on the other side of the fence. I don't think Schmuel was naive however he did not seem to want to put Bruno in his place about what is going on, he just wanted a friend.
I don't think Boyne meant for this book to be 100% accurate, I mean it is fiction. Adults know these circumstances would have never happen, but for kids to read and start to realize the different perspectives people can have during an event is important because then we can relate it to today and try to keep things from escalating like that ever again.
I don't think Boyne meant for this book to be 100% accurate, I mean it is fiction. Adults know these circumstances would have never happen, but for kids to read and start to realize the different perspectives people can have during an event is important because then we can relate it to today and try to keep things from escalating like that ever again.
sqencer0's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
edentiefling's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Violence, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail
embi's review against another edition
3.0
I've been wanting to read this since it came out, but never quite got round to it. Then, last year, I was standing in the bookshop at Dachau looking at all the copies with "10th anniversary edition" on the front and thinking "surely it's not been that long?!" I managed to talk myself out of buying it at the time, on the grounds that going all the way to Germany to buy a book I could buy in my lunch hour was more than a bit ridiculous. Still took me a few months to get round to the lunchtime buying!
I think what is most impressive is that in all of the last 12 years I've managed to avoid learning anything about the story beyond what's obvious from the cover. Whatever I thought the ending would be, it wasn't that.
Still reflecting on the rating, so 3* is a bit of a placeholder. The book's aimed at children, so I wouldn't expect it to be too explicit about the horrors on the other side of the fence. I don't know if enough of a sense of it would come across to a child reader though, given Bruno's obliviousness. I'd mind less if it wasn't such an important, and topical, subject.
I think what is most impressive is that in all of the last 12 years I've managed to avoid learning anything about the story beyond what's obvious from the cover. Whatever I thought the ending would be, it wasn't that.
Still reflecting on the rating, so 3* is a bit of a placeholder. The book's aimed at children, so I wouldn't expect it to be too explicit about the horrors on the other side of the fence. I don't know if enough of a sense of it would come across to a child reader though, given Bruno's obliviousness. I'd mind less if it wasn't such an important, and topical, subject.
aa2q7's review against another edition
3.0
I knew I was going to have a slight issue with this book when author John Boyne referenced an imperial unit (i.e., "a mile") in a story set in World War II Germany, and later, Poland. Maybe it was just a word (and I'm just a copy editor at heart), but several slight imperfections in this story kept it from reaching its full potential.
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" (2006) tells the unlikely story of a boy named Bruno who comes to live just outside Auschwitz concentration camp when his father, a high-ranking SS officer, is assigned to duty there. Nine-year-old Bruno, originally from Berlin, is completely oblivious (presumably owing to his youth) of the horrors at Auschwitz, which he calls Out-With despite seeing the name written on a bench and being corrected by his 13-year-old sister, and spends most of his time missing home and wondering why all the thin people behind the fence beyond the backyard wear striped pajamas.
Nobody fills Bruno in but he begins to learn more after meeting a boy his exact age on the other side of the fence during a childish exploration through the woods. As Bruno meets the young prisoner, named Shmuel, almost daily, they forge an unusual and naive friendship and provide a simple reflection of how different life can be depending on circumstances outside of one's control.
I admire Boyne's attempt to capture this plain truth — but the story felt rushed and at times, unbelievable. For example, aside from the pronunciation of Out-With, Bruno refers to the Führer as the "Fury," again, despite the title being referenced often. Bruno speaks German in the book, but I'm not sure why he can't grasp the pronunciations at his age. Boyne seems to be trying too hard to make Bruno seem naive and childish — Bruno, narrating, also repeats phrases and descriptions in a child-like manner — but the attempts don't convey Bruno's character.
Boyne writes in his author's note, "..I believed that the only respectful way for me to deal with this subject was through the eyes of a child, and particularly through the eyes of a rather naive child who couldn't possibly understand the terrible things that were taking place around him." However, the naive child in question lacks emotional depth and a compelling story. There's only one dimension: oblivion. I lean toward prior criticism of the book asserting even a nine-year-old wouldn't have been so utterly unaware of his surroundings.
Simply put: The story, while interesting, just didn't feel real.
And I was left wondering when I finished, why, with such a painfully well-documented and abominable genocide, do we need to write fiction stories when the real stories are awful enough? I'm not saying fiction writers shouldn't write about the Holocaust, but John Boyne's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" doesn't make the cut for me.
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" (2006) tells the unlikely story of a boy named Bruno who comes to live just outside Auschwitz concentration camp when his father, a high-ranking SS officer, is assigned to duty there. Nine-year-old Bruno, originally from Berlin, is completely oblivious (presumably owing to his youth) of the horrors at Auschwitz, which he calls Out-With despite seeing the name written on a bench and being corrected by his 13-year-old sister, and spends most of his time missing home and wondering why all the thin people behind the fence beyond the backyard wear striped pajamas.
Nobody fills Bruno in but he begins to learn more after meeting a boy his exact age on the other side of the fence during a childish exploration through the woods. As Bruno meets the young prisoner, named Shmuel, almost daily, they forge an unusual and naive friendship and provide a simple reflection of how different life can be depending on circumstances outside of one's control.
I admire Boyne's attempt to capture this plain truth — but the story felt rushed and at times, unbelievable. For example, aside from the pronunciation of Out-With, Bruno refers to the Führer as the "Fury," again, despite the title being referenced often. Bruno speaks German in the book, but I'm not sure why he can't grasp the pronunciations at his age. Boyne seems to be trying too hard to make Bruno seem naive and childish — Bruno, narrating, also repeats phrases and descriptions in a child-like manner — but the attempts don't convey Bruno's character.
Boyne writes in his author's note, "..I believed that the only respectful way for me to deal with this subject was through the eyes of a child, and particularly through the eyes of a rather naive child who couldn't possibly understand the terrible things that were taking place around him." However, the naive child in question lacks emotional depth and a compelling story. There's only one dimension: oblivion. I lean toward prior criticism of the book asserting even a nine-year-old wouldn't have been so utterly unaware of his surroundings.
Simply put: The story, while interesting, just didn't feel real.
And I was left wondering when I finished, why, with such a painfully well-documented and abominable genocide, do we need to write fiction stories when the real stories are awful enough? I'm not saying fiction writers shouldn't write about the Holocaust, but John Boyne's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" doesn't make the cut for me.
jwtindall's review against another edition
4.0
I understand why people don’t like this book. If you’re looking for a story to illuminate you on the horrors of the Holocaust, this isn’t it. This is a fable about the tragedies of war and persecution, and how close to home they can truly be, and how naivety, innocence, and childhood are irreversibly impacted by them. It’s interesting, and has its merits, but it’s not perfect.
dianeacosta2024's review against another edition
4.0
Thought provoking and unique perspective on the genocide and nightmare of the holocaust. The juxtaposition of horror and innocence through 9 year old boys was a very pleasing point of view.