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daisychainscott's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first half was perfection and then it got really weird.
timnorman's review against another edition
3.0
I was interested in reading this book because it was the source material for Jojo Rabbit which was my favourite movie of 2019. What surprised me was that the movie was only based on the first half of the book - actually, there is a very hard break right in the middle of the book which breaks it in to two very different stories.
The first half of the story is great (the Jojo Rabbit half) although it is a lot darker than the movie and isn't really satirical at all. While in the movie Johannes is a little boy of about 10 who's caught up in all the Nazi propaganda and honestly doesn't know any better, in the book he's a teenager and it's harder to imagine that he'd grow out of his Nazi beliefs. In the movie he learns to see Jews as people after actually meeting one and that's the crack that eventually breaks down the rest of his beliefs in Nazism. This isn't the case in the book and instead of growing he instead changes from a child obsessed with Nazis, to a young man who's obsessed with the girl his family has hidden upstairs.
He never sees Jews as people, he isn't angry that German propaganda lied to him, and he doesn't think less of Hitler even after he commits suicide after losing the war. He just doesn't mention it once the war is over and focuses exclusively on convincing Elsa, the girl upstairs, that he loves her in the most psychopathic way possible. The whole second half of the book is about how they live together, needing each other for different purposes while hating each other and their life but trying to convince themselves that this passes for love.
The whole story is written from his point of view as he's recounting his life. Early in the book he talks about his childhood in a coherent and logical manner making references to specific memories, but by the end (right up to when he starts to tell his story) it becomes the rantings of a madman and I honestly wasn't sure what I was reading sometimes. I honestly thought that he was an unreliable narrator who was imaging his life with Elsa because of how unhinged his actions were and how improbable the story became (there is a scene where other people acknowledge her existence, so I guess everything did happen as he said it did.)
Maybe I was looking too hard for metaphors or symbolism by the end and it was really just intended to show his decent into madness. This, combined with how unsympathetic and unrelatable both Johannes and Elsa become took some of the enjoyment out of the story. It was an alright book, but I would honestly recommend the movie to anyone over the book.
The first half of the story is great (the Jojo Rabbit half) although it is a lot darker than the movie and isn't really satirical at all. While in the movie Johannes is a little boy of about 10 who's caught up in all the Nazi propaganda and honestly doesn't know any better, in the book he's a teenager and it's harder to imagine that he'd grow out of his Nazi beliefs. In the movie he learns to see Jews as people after actually meeting one and that's the crack that eventually breaks down the rest of his beliefs in Nazism. This isn't the case in the book and instead of growing he instead changes from a child obsessed with Nazis, to a young man who's obsessed with the girl his family has hidden upstairs.
He never sees Jews as people, he isn't angry that German propaganda lied to him, and he doesn't think less of Hitler even after he commits suicide after losing the war. He just doesn't mention it once the war is over and focuses exclusively on convincing Elsa, the girl upstairs, that he loves her in the most psychopathic way possible. The whole second half of the book is about how they live together, needing each other for different purposes while hating each other and their life but trying to convince themselves that this passes for love.
The whole story is written from his point of view as he's recounting his life. Early in the book he talks about his childhood in a coherent and logical manner making references to specific memories, but by the end (right up to when he starts to tell his story) it becomes the rantings of a madman and I honestly wasn't sure what I was reading sometimes. I honestly thought that he was an unreliable narrator who was imaging his life with Elsa because of how unhinged his actions were and how improbable the story became (there is a scene where other people acknowledge her existence, so I guess everything did happen as he said it did.)
Maybe I was looking too hard for metaphors or symbolism by the end and it was really just intended to show his decent into madness. This, combined with how unsympathetic and unrelatable both Johannes and Elsa become took some of the enjoyment out of the story. It was an alright book, but I would honestly recommend the movie to anyone over the book.
aninoag's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn't finish the book. the selfishness and lust of the main character made the story unenjoyable.
georginamay22's review
dark
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I thought the beginning was amazing. The little boy having the complete opposite views of his family because of how he was taught at school. It really made me believe how Hitler was able to gain power. Then I book got a bit samey and the characters became unlikable. I never felt sympathy for Elsa, which I think is a major flaw.
vari's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
axstardust's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Een zeldzaamheid dat de film beter is dan het boek.
In het begin las het snel en vond ik het fijn. Hoe verder het verhaal zich ontplooide, hoe langzamer het was om te lezen. Een hoofdpersonage die verschrikkelijk is en niet verbetert, het was heel vermoeiend om in zijn hoofd te blijven zitten. Anticlimactisch einde.
Als ik de film niet has gezien vond ik het misschien beter.
In het begin las het snel en vond ik het fijn. Hoe verder het verhaal zich ontplooide, hoe langzamer het was om te lezen. Een hoofdpersonage die verschrikkelijk is en niet verbetert, het was heel vermoeiend om in zijn hoofd te blijven zitten. Anticlimactisch einde.
Als ik de film niet has gezien vond ik het misschien beter.
junipontunicorn's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Honestly, I think it’s generally an okay book, but I cannot stand the main character and don’t agree with him at all!
amymarsh's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
tinkerspence's review against another edition
4.0
This book was adapted by Taika Waititi into the award winning film JoJo Rabbit.
Now I am going to say something controversial... I liked the movie better than the book. This I feel was due to Taika’s decision to make the main character younger and thus much more innocent and sympathetic than his book counterpart. The movie also only covered the first half of the book, which was a good choice as some of the things Johannes does in the second half made me despise him.
Putting the movie aside... this book was good to read for context during these trying times. Being isolated to your house is a luxury compared to the inner lining of a wall/under the floor boards for years at a time like the Jews had to do to avoid death. By the end of the book Johannes ends up losing everything as he is disabled in the war so he cannot get a job, you go through periods of hating the way he treats Elsa (especially lying to her for years that the Germans won the war so he can keep her to himself) to feeling pity for what he has to suffer through due to his country looking down on his disability.
This is a brilliant book, especially worth the read if you need some perspective right now. My rating
Now I am going to say something controversial... I liked the movie better than the book. This I feel was due to Taika’s decision to make the main character younger and thus much more innocent and sympathetic than his book counterpart. The movie also only covered the first half of the book, which was a good choice as some of the things Johannes does in the second half made me despise him.
Putting the movie aside... this book was good to read for context during these trying times. Being isolated to your house is a luxury compared to the inner lining of a wall/under the floor boards for years at a time like the Jews had to do to avoid death. By the end of the book Johannes ends up losing everything as he is disabled in the war so he cannot get a job, you go through periods of hating the way he treats Elsa (especially lying to her for years that the Germans won the war so he can keep her to himself) to feeling pity for what he has to suffer through due to his country looking down on his disability.
This is a brilliant book, especially worth the read if you need some perspective right now. My rating