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2.95 AVERAGE
2.95 AVERAGE
Was curious to read the book after seeing Jojo Rabbit. I struggled to finish it. The main character is so unlikeable and selfish. He has basically zero character growth and is the embodiment of toxic masculinity. Probably one of the few instances where I believe the movie is better than the book.
I read this after seeing the film JOJO RABBIT, and found it interesting that the film reflects the satirical, push-the-boundaries voice of the book. Like some of the others who reviewed this, I enjoyed it (well, if 'enjoyed' is the correct word) it up until the second half -- and then, I couldn't finish it.
I found the long period during which Jojo deceives Elsa into thinking the war isn't over to be far too painful to read. While his previous self-deceptions were a nasty and readable commentary on how we can fool ourselves into justifying the unjustifiable, the idea of keeping Else ini captivity for years after she was actually free was too cruel for me to be able to get through. It's not surprising that the filmmakers decided to deal with it differently, having Jojo's deception last only a few days (or hours; I don't remember how long he actually keeps it up, but it isn't long). It makes his character more bearable, and lets us accept him as having finally won a victory against his Nazi upbringing.
I found the long period during which Jojo deceives Elsa into thinking the war isn't over to be far too painful to read. While his previous self-deceptions were a nasty and readable commentary on how we can fool ourselves into justifying the unjustifiable, the idea of keeping Else ini captivity for years after she was actually free was too cruel for me to be able to get through. It's not surprising that the filmmakers decided to deal with it differently, having Jojo's deception last only a few days (or hours; I don't remember how long he actually keeps it up, but it isn't long). It makes his character more bearable, and lets us accept him as having finally won a victory against his Nazi upbringing.
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found Johannes to be very unlikeable in some areas, and I wasn't a huge fan if the ending. However it was still a great read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Death of parent
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I can't say I enjoyed it. Enjoyed would be the wrong word. Definitely thought provoking. A life can be destroyed without being lost.
Starts out so strong; the history it includes and lessons I think it contains within the story were definitely worthwhile. Grandma is my hero; excellent character.
Writing style was hard to follow. Tough subject and protagonist (or antagonist??). I appreciate something was written from this point of view, though, I’m left fairly disturbed.
Disturbing, unnerving and quite honestly depressing.
Wow. Reminds me a lot of Lolita; it’s so truly captivating to read a book told through the eyes of someone who is deranged. So much of this book was excellence in storytelling - by leaving just enough implied for readers to understand (with some ambiguity), the author lets us fill in the gaps and feel horror on behalf of the characters. Also, I don’t remember JoJo Rabbit being THIS dark.
Obviously I picked this up because of Jojo Rabbit. I was told ahead of time that it was nothing like the movie, so it wasn’t a disappointment. The first half was great, super interesting with lots of intrigue. The second half was clearly the narrators descent into madness, but despite that I found it slow and slightly difficult to follow. Still, I felt the characters, even the peripheral ones, were well developed and believable.
I picked up Caging Skies because of how much I loved the film Jojo Rabbit. I was blown away by the balance between the dark situations in Jojo's life and the humor with which it was told. I knew going into this read that there would really be no humor to speak of and that the dark would come through more as a result. Even having prepared myself for that I was in no way ready for this experience. This is a bleak tale at no mistake. With the point of view lying solely with Johannes Betzler I was reminded of being stuck in the head or the of Jorg Ancrath from Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns. I found it increasingly difficult to empathize with Johannes as the narrative progressed. I understand that this was because of the propaganda he was brought up with and the war torn landscape surrounding him. I also understand the point this makes about the harsh reality of World War II and the fall out for many people at that time, or even the connection to today or other parts of human history. However, that did not make this read any more enjoyable for me. I appreciate the skill with which this book was told and how well it was able to convey that message to me. I just would have preferred if you put in some more redeeming qualities to string me along before you make me all sad and depressed.
In the end this is a difference of personal preference and tone. I am a big fan of the tone of Jojo Rabbit and how it made me laugh and empathize with the characters and then tore my heart out a few times after I was invested. The tone of Caging Skies started out cold and got progressively worse from there. It slowly tore my heart out over time and left me with a massive hole in my chest with no hope of filling it. By the end I disliked all the characters and wanted nothing more to do with them.
In the end this is a difference of personal preference and tone. I am a big fan of the tone of Jojo Rabbit and how it made me laugh and empathize with the characters and then tore my heart out a few times after I was invested. The tone of Caging Skies started out cold and got progressively worse from there. It slowly tore my heart out over time and left me with a massive hole in my chest with no hope of filling it. By the end I disliked all the characters and wanted nothing more to do with them.