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timitsut's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bemjanim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jensbrede's review against another edition
5.0
The edition (9783499101700) I read contained the play "Draußen vor der Tür" and several short stories (STIMMEN SIND DA IN DER LUFT - IN DER NACHT, AN DIESEM DIENSTAG, MEIN BLEICHER BRUDER, NACHTS SCHLAFEN DIE RATTEN DOCH, DIE LANGE LANGE STRASSE LANG, LESEBUCHGESCHICHTEN, DIE HUNDEBLUME, SCHISCHYPHUSCH ODER DER KELLNER MEINES ONKELS, DIE KÜCHENUHR, DAS BROT, DIE DREI DUNKLEN KÖNIGE, GENERATION OHNE ABSCHIED, DANN GIBT ES NUR EINS!,and DAS IST UNSER MANIFEST). The collection itself is primarily aimed at students coming out of high school / going into college and are about the same age as Borchert was when he wrote the stories. I gives a very powerful and compelling account of post WWII Germany and the destructiveness and desolation caused by war and is as such a read that should not be passed by. I personally was always very dissatisfied with discussions and book selections of my time in high school on this topic and, on the one hand, I'm glad that I did not have to read this one (as it is brilliant work and I like none of the books now that I was forced to read in school), on the other hand I can't help but wonder if I were to have read literature like this in school whether I would have been a less negative about it.
In any case, reading a bit or all of the author's biography, gives you a very good idea of what to expect from this collection. It is every bit as powerful, raw, and compelling. That being said, I thought that the play "Draussen vor der Tür" was brilliant, especially since I don't really like plays at all. Certainly some of it's appeal is due to the fact that I live in Hamburg and the charm of it's setting, language/slang, and characters is particularly effective on me but also the message of the play is extremely powerful, in particularly the conversation about responsibility with the major nails it. Of course the general theme of the time and it's despair, desolation, but also hope is captured powerfully in all the works in this collection. The short stories were quite mixed for me, some such as "die Hundeblume", "Generation ohne Abschied", "das ist unser Manifest", and especially "Brot" I really enjoyed and in particular the last one highlights like no other story what Borchert could have given the world if he had the chance to write a little longer than he could. It's brilliant.
All in all, this is a collection that should be a must read for everyone who has or has not been involved in war and/or experienced its consequences and although it is not the best literature out there and I did not like all the stories the ideas, feelings, and thoughts transpired and transmitted throughout the book are too important to not be kept alive and therefore it is a 5 star collection to me.
yann1s9's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mephistopheles's review against another edition
2.0
_berndsen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
debora98's review against another edition
3.0