Reviews - Читець | The StoryGraph

3k reviews for:

Читець

Бернгард Шлінк, Bernhard Schlink

3.65 AVERAGE

b_books07's review against another edition

2.25

challenging dark informative medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

readingreader303's review against another edition

2.75

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

robertt's review against another edition

4.0

lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Von Luca ausgeliehen. In der Aga gelesen. Selbe Erzählweise. Einfach.

mozartliver's review against another edition

4.5

dark reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

justjoel's review against another edition

1.0

The book was well-written, the translation clean, the language precise, but...

Spoiler

it begins with a 36-year-old fucking a 15-year-old, and I am angry that this never was fully addressed. I don't even care about Hanna's ultimate fate. This felt like the romanticization of a pedophile.

...definitely not for me.

1 out of 5 stars.

willowbiblio's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

"I also remember that the smallest gesture of affection would bring a lump to my throat, whether it was directed at me or at someone else. Sometimes all it took was a scene in a movie. This juxtaposition of callousness and extreme sensitivity seemed suspicious even to me."
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This was such a complex novel, not because of the plot but because of the weight of the ethical questions it explored. There was first the exploitation and grooming of a minor, then the physical and emotional abuse at Hanna's hands, then the abandonment and emotional disregulation after she left, the guilt and shame Michael grappled with during her trial and in life after, and the odd relationship that continued while she was in prison.

I didn't, and couldn't, feel sympathy for Hanna despite the clear literary push to do so. She chose to be both a sexual predator and mass murdered, and this was all explained away because she was afraid of her illiteracy. This was a struggle for me because I had to accept that Michael the character deserved his own journey, but Schlink the author sort of exploited the reader and Michael.

Content Warnings