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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Interesting to re-read. As my grandfather was Mulisch’s neighbour in Haarlem in the WW2 in the same setting of houses as in the book, it is interesting to recognise certain traits of the characters of Peter and Anton.
Also interesting to see how Mulisch makes his male character deal with his war- and family-trauma and emotions, and how “flat” the women in his book remain. Still enjoyable to read and I will be thinking a bit more about the connection of the story to the songs that are mentioned throughout the book.
Also interesting to see how Mulisch makes his male character deal with his war- and family-trauma and emotions, and how “flat” the women in his book remain. Still enjoyable to read and I will be thinking a bit more about the connection of the story to the songs that are mentioned throughout the book.
I was curious for the books of Harry Mulish and this book got me from the start. Mulish is a great writer and he certainly knew what he was doing, writing this book.
this book explores and focuses on innocence and guiltiness as well as who to blame
had to read this for ib english literature. i couldn't even get pass page two. it was so boring and i'm just personally not interested into these kind of books (doesn't mean other people won't enjoy it though, this is one my my teacher's favorite book :)) i ended up having to find a summary and skimmed through the book to understand the plot. tbh i don't see a point in this story, so many things happened just for us to find out about some stupid lizards...
had to read this for ib english literature. i couldn't even get pass page two. it was so boring and i'm just personally not interested into these kind of books (doesn't mean other people won't enjoy it though, this is one my my teacher's favorite book :)) i ended up having to find a summary and skimmed through the book to understand the plot. tbh i don't see a point in this story, so many things happened just for us to find out about some stupid lizards...
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mijn verwachten waren niet heel hoog, vooral omdat ik niet kon voorstellen dat het ooit zo goed kon zijn als mijn lievelingsboek 'ontdekking van de hemel'. maar ik ben helemaal aangeslagen nu ik het uit heb. pfoe.
I managed to read The Assault in one sitting over the space of a couple of hours, so it's not a long or difficult novel. However, it's quite a sad novel. I was actually surprised that I was interested enough to read the whole thing at once, but I think that helped me finish it. It's one of those novels that if I had set it aside, I would likely never have picked it up again. That is because the story is not particularly exciting.
The premise of the story, is that it follows one man, Anton and how one event in the war impacts on the rest of his life. The event, is the 'assault' that the title refer to right at the start of the novel. Then every section of the novel afterwards is at set periods of his life, where we catch up and meet various people who were involved in the 'assault' and discover more about the events and motivations that drove them through the war. In this sense, it made it quite interesting to have different viewpoints unveiled at various points of his life.
The book is by a famous Dutch author, and I read the English translation for a Dutch culture class I'm taking. However, I think the topic of WWII is still very important and problematic for Dutch society because they were both an occupied nation and had collaborations with the German Nazis. Therefore, I think this book is an important part of the memory and impact the war had upon the Dutch and how they still feel about the events. And for that reason, I think Harry Mulisch portrays the events throughout this book in a very admirable fashion. He manages to be careful of feelings, by laying down the events from all sides of the story and this makes for a well-rounded novel.
After reading this, I have to say, I feel less inclined to visiting Haarlem, just because that was where it was set and now it feels like a place of horror. However, overall, I think this book is a moving, disturbing portrayal of how one war event could impact so much on the future of a family. It demonstrates how we should not forget our history, and whilst I will never read it again and would not have picked it up unless for class, I'm glad in a way I got to read it.
The premise of the story, is that it follows one man, Anton and how one event in the war impacts on the rest of his life. The event, is the 'assault' that the title refer to right at the start of the novel. Then every section of the novel afterwards is at set periods of his life, where we catch up and meet various people who were involved in the 'assault' and discover more about the events and motivations that drove them through the war. In this sense, it made it quite interesting to have different viewpoints unveiled at various points of his life.
The book is by a famous Dutch author, and I read the English translation for a Dutch culture class I'm taking. However, I think the topic of WWII is still very important and problematic for Dutch society because they were both an occupied nation and had collaborations with the German Nazis. Therefore, I think this book is an important part of the memory and impact the war had upon the Dutch and how they still feel about the events. And for that reason, I think Harry Mulisch portrays the events throughout this book in a very admirable fashion. He manages to be careful of feelings, by laying down the events from all sides of the story and this makes for a well-rounded novel.
After reading this, I have to say, I feel less inclined to visiting Haarlem, just because that was where it was set and now it feels like a place of horror. However, overall, I think this book is a moving, disturbing portrayal of how one war event could impact so much on the future of a family. It demonstrates how we should not forget our history, and whilst I will never read it again and would not have picked it up unless for class, I'm glad in a way I got to read it.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
I read the graphic novel, not the novel. The visuals are outstanding, especially the range of colors and the play is light on many panels. With the fragmented story i felt like I was living Anton's expérience, learning along with him - feeling the frustration of not understanding what's going on. And sometimes feeling the joy of the aha moments (though joy is a bit strong since we learn that history is always so complex, doing the right thing is not simple)
3.5* note : j'ai lu la version BD, pas le roman.
Les visuels était magnifique, surtout les nuances des couleurs, les jeux de lumière. Avec les fragments de l'histoire, j'avais vraiment l'impression d'être dans la tête d'Anton, de vivre son expérience et apprendre avec lui, avec la frustration de ne pas comprendre qu'est ce qui se passe. Mais aussi la joie de découvrir un peu plus (joie c'est un peu exagéré parce qu'on comprends avec Anton que l'histoire n'est jamais simple et surtout quand il s'agit de "faire le bon choix"
3.5* note : j'ai lu la version BD, pas le roman.
Les visuels était magnifique, surtout les nuances des couleurs, les jeux de lumière. Avec les fragments de l'histoire, j'avais vraiment l'impression d'être dans la tête d'Anton, de vivre son expérience et apprendre avec lui, avec la frustration de ne pas comprendre qu'est ce qui se passe. Mais aussi la joie de découvrir un peu plus (joie c'est un peu exagéré parce qu'on comprends avec Anton que l'histoire n'est jamais simple et surtout quand il s'agit de "faire le bon choix"
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book puts you in the shoes of a Dutch boy who loses his family to the Nazis in WWII. The rest of the book is him uncovering the circumstances surrounding the event and listening to the feelings and struggles of his neighbors.