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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
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
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
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
informative
reflective
slow-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
reflective
medium-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
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Acho que nunca me vou esquecer da Hanna. Que personagem!
Art is meant to make you feel things, and this bad boy made me feel like learning to read was a mistake. Were there interesting messages in here? Sure. Did I want to read it explored in the way it was explored here? Absolutely not. This book was so boringly written I almost forgot it was talking about Vergangenheitsbewältigung and inherited guilt. How does a book manage to be so boring that I forget THAT? Oh, right. Because it went about it in a stupid way.
Hanna's a piece of lard. Don't run from your past. Whore.
Also like. For that time, I don't think not knowing how to read was thaaat much of a shameful secret. To the extent of accepting guilt to something you didn't do and going to jail for life. Mr Schlink wanted me to take that shit at face value, but I call bull. It was so fucking dumb. Hanna would rather be seen as a murderer who could read than an innocent person who couldn't? Sure, Janet. This whole "protecting her shameful secret" hinges on her wanting to be seen as a valuable member of society, and I tHINK that Not Being A Murderer trumps Knowing How To Read any day of the week.
But I'm glad she did what she did. I wanted shawty to rot in jail. Not entirely for the complicity in the Nazi regime, because there's a lot of layers to that which I don't think I can comment on some 80 years later, but at the very least for being a predator. I thought that was the stupidest part of the book. The whole question is "Oeueue is Hanna guilty. Is Michael guilty? Uwu." Like. Hanna is a predator. She was 30+ sleeping with a 15 year old. She is a guilty person and we can leave it at that. And as for Michael, he is NOT GUILTY. TF?? He didn't know Hanna was a worker at a camp until like 20 years after they'd last spoken. How on earth does that make him guilty of anything?
The second half of the book annoyed me so ffin much cause Hanna was doing anything to keep her honor, and the best way that she thought to do that was by pretending she let 50 people burn to death so that people wouldn't find out she never learned how to read? Stupid cunt. And Michael wanted to be guilty SO BAD. He was a boring fuck who was going nowhere in life and the only way he could think to give himself personality was to spend hours salivating over the thought that unknowingly sleeping with a Nazi 20 years ago might make him guilty too. Homie went to cemeteries and camps just to think too hard about how he felt no remorse. My guy, at the end of the day you didn't know the victims personally. As long as you don't play the tragedy down or try to re-create it, it's not abnormal to not find the tears. Stop acting like your dumb ass had even the slightest inkling that Hanna had a dark past.
Homie saw "inherited guilt" and thought it meant the Nachkriegsgeneration inherited BEING guilty. Dude. No. They weren't even alive then, how are they meant to be guilty of anything? It's the guilt iTSELf that's inherited; the need to make reparations, the responsibility to accept your cultural guilt by highlighting the past. It's not a question of whether the Nachkriegsgeneration are Nazis, it's about the extent to which they should shoulder the guilt of the older generation. Michael didn't need to abuse meaningful places to count how many tears he could shed, he needed to chill tf out, read a couple of books, and work on becoming the type of person that doesn't repeat his country's mistakes.
So before any Chad in size 48 boots tries to come for me for being too stupid to understand the iNtRicAciEs of this mAstErPieCe, answer me this: If Michael is guilty, what is he guilty of?
Hanna's a piece of lard. Don't run from your past. Whore.
Also like. For that time, I don't think not knowing how to read was thaaat much of a shameful secret. To the extent of accepting guilt to something you didn't do and going to jail for life. Mr Schlink wanted me to take that shit at face value, but I call bull. It was so fucking dumb. Hanna would rather be seen as a murderer who could read than an innocent person who couldn't? Sure, Janet. This whole "protecting her shameful secret" hinges on her wanting to be seen as a valuable member of society, and I tHINK that Not Being A Murderer trumps Knowing How To Read any day of the week.
But I'm glad she did what she did. I wanted shawty to rot in jail. Not entirely for the complicity in the Nazi regime, because there's a lot of layers to that which I don't think I can comment on some 80 years later, but at the very least for being a predator. I thought that was the stupidest part of the book. The whole question is "Oeueue is Hanna guilty. Is Michael guilty? Uwu." Like. Hanna is a predator. She was 30+ sleeping with a 15 year old. She is a guilty person and we can leave it at that. And as for Michael, he is NOT GUILTY. TF?? He didn't know Hanna was a worker at a camp until like 20 years after they'd last spoken. How on earth does that make him guilty of anything?
The second half of the book annoyed me so ffin much cause Hanna was doing anything to keep her honor, and the best way that she thought to do that was by pretending she let 50 people burn to death so that people wouldn't find out she never learned how to read? Stupid cunt. And Michael wanted to be guilty SO BAD. He was a boring fuck who was going nowhere in life and the only way he could think to give himself personality was to spend hours salivating over the thought that unknowingly sleeping with a Nazi 20 years ago might make him guilty too. Homie went to cemeteries and camps just to think too hard about how he felt no remorse. My guy, at the end of the day you didn't know the victims personally. As long as you don't play the tragedy down or try to re-create it, it's not abnormal to not find the tears. Stop acting like your dumb ass had even the slightest inkling that Hanna had a dark past.
Homie saw "inherited guilt" and thought it meant the Nachkriegsgeneration inherited BEING guilty. Dude. No. They weren't even alive then, how are they meant to be guilty of anything? It's the guilt iTSELf that's inherited; the need to make reparations, the responsibility to accept your cultural guilt by highlighting the past. It's not a question of whether the Nachkriegsgeneration are Nazis, it's about the extent to which they should shoulder the guilt of the older generation. Michael didn't need to abuse meaningful places to count how many tears he could shed, he needed to chill tf out, read a couple of books, and work on becoming the type of person that doesn't repeat his country's mistakes.
So before any Chad in size 48 boots tries to come for me for being too stupid to understand the iNtRicAciEs of this mAstErPieCe, answer me this: If Michael is guilty, what is he guilty of?
This was NOT what I was expecting from the title. My assumption would be a discussion of literature, etc. Once again, I did not read any descriptions or reviews prior to starting the book. Someone had indicated this was their favorite book … EVER … High praise. When I consulted by spreadsheet of TBR books, I found this book had already been recommended to me twice. So it became the next up. As I progressed through the first 1/3 of the book, I thought why is this called 'The Reader' since I could have found any number of more suitable names. Then the shoe drop figuratively speaking and I understood the all too perfect title.
I don't want to give away the story. But I am reminded of a resent book I read that talked about shame. A very powerful emotion that control our actions beyond reason. The book is set in a post WW II German. I have read many books regarding events of this time period. But nothing like this … I won't say this is a must read. Quite frankly there is more to learn than some people are willing to absorb. But it is a good book and worth the time.
I don't want to give away the story. But I am reminded of a resent book I read that talked about shame. A very powerful emotion that control our actions beyond reason. The book is set in a post WW II German. I have read many books regarding events of this time period. But nothing like this … I won't say this is a must read. Quite frankly there is more to learn than some people are willing to absorb. But it is a good book and worth the time.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
NOT for the faint of heart. Those who gave a negative review might need to revisit the subject matter in a different headspace. At first, I almost couldn't get past the first section. I am so glad that I kept reading.
The plot of the first section is nauseating. The character development and the writing made the entire thing worth it. I think this is a beautiful book about deep trauma and second-generation guilt after the Holocaust. Incredible writing, too!
The plot of the first section is nauseating. The character development and the writing made the entire thing worth it. I think this is a beautiful book about deep trauma and second-generation guilt after the Holocaust. Incredible writing, too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry