Reviews with content warning for Genocide - Der Vorleser

I realized halfway through this book that I’d seen scathing reviews for the movie, and I remembered exactly why I didn’t watch the movie. The centralization of the plight of a literal Nazi SS officer over the Holocaust survivors is just awful. Poor woman became SS because she’s illiterate. Then sent Jews to be murdered for five years. I hate it. I do not feel bad for this woman. She also groomed a FIFTEEN YEAR OLD. Literally what is good about this book. I was sick to my stomach during the entire “love affair” section and just pissed beyond belief during the trial section, and then I didn’t give a damn when she killed herself. Because she’s a Nazi. And then AGAIN the narrator speaks to the actual holocaust survivor and she is cast as such a background character. It’s sickening. I hated this book sorry.

Content Warnings

poirot's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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hunkydory's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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clarisseep's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

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ninjasunknown's review against another edition

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dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

thereaderfriend's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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tina94's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad slow-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

3.5

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ashley_elizabeth's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I actually saw the film years ago and hadn't really been that motivated to read the book until my book club set a topic of "literary fiction", and here we are! I actually enjoyed the book about the same as the film (from what I remember of it). It reminded me, in some ways, of Ian McEwan's "Atonement" in that it ends with a bit of a "twist" or little surprise to the story that gives it a different taste that it would have otherwise. I also have never really read anything set in Germany just after WWII and found the secondary storyline of young people coming to grips with how their parents/community/country behaved during the Third Reich particularly interesting.

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