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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
this book goes places i didn't expect it too. demonstrates the difficulties illiteracy makes in day to day life and how that may affect our life path.
Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge 2018
Task #13: An Oprah Book Club selection
Task #13: An Oprah Book Club selection
Seriously. I just read this book in 4 hours. I picked it up last night at Barnes and Noble just to distract myself and couldn’t put it down. As uncomfortable as it is sad, it definitely touches on how our first love, outside of our parents, changes us so greatly, that it somehow lays itself as foundation for every relationship that follows.
One of my favorite quotes:
“If something hurts me, the hurts I suffered back then come back to me and when I feel guilty, the feelings of guilt return; If I yearn for something today or feel homesick, I feel the yearnings and homesickness from back then. The tectonic layers of our lives rest so tightly one on top of the other that we always come up against earlier events in later ones, not as matter that as been fully formed and pushed aside, but absolutely present and alive.”
One of my favorite quotes:
“If something hurts me, the hurts I suffered back then come back to me and when I feel guilty, the feelings of guilt return; If I yearn for something today or feel homesick, I feel the yearnings and homesickness from back then. The tectonic layers of our lives rest so tightly one on top of the other that we always come up against earlier events in later ones, not as matter that as been fully formed and pushed aside, but absolutely present and alive.”
reflective
sad
medium-paced
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
You would think that combining Nazis and sexual deviance would make for an interesting book but honestly I just couldn't get into it. The writing was boring at the best of times; the rest of the times I struggled through empty, flat paragraphs.
The relationship between Michael and Hanna has been described as "erotic", yet the only "erotic" thing about them was the fact that they were engaging in a sexual affair. Showering, "making love", and reading aren't exactly the makings of 50 Shades of Gray. The age difference added some deviance but only in a truly Lolita sense that overall felt uncomfortable to think about.
And what horrific secret is Hanna hiding, one that she feels is more shameful than her involvement with the Third Reich? She can't read. Hanna is illiterate. That's it, that's the huge secret, that's the twist that we've all be waiting for. Hanna doesn't know how to read. I felt robbed. While the concept of Hanna's illiteracy as a sort of stand-in for German ignorance sounds good in theory, the book made it almost too specific. Hanna is ignorant in the very literal sense of the word and that's it. People died because Hanna didn't want to admit that she can't read.
The relationship between Michael and Hanna has been described as "erotic", yet the only "erotic" thing about them was the fact that they were engaging in a sexual affair. Showering, "making love", and reading aren't exactly the makings of 50 Shades of Gray. The age difference added some deviance but only in a truly Lolita sense that overall felt uncomfortable to think about.
And what horrific secret is Hanna hiding, one that she feels is more shameful than her involvement with the Third Reich? She can't read. Hanna is illiterate. That's it, that's the huge secret, that's the twist that we've all be waiting for. Hanna doesn't know how to read. I felt robbed. While the concept of Hanna's illiteracy as a sort of stand-in for German ignorance sounds good in theory, the book made it almost too specific. Hanna is ignorant in the very literal sense of the word and that's it. People died because Hanna didn't want to admit that she can't read.
What can I say? A clear cut story of ambiguity? A read.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
tense
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes