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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
A good story, well-written and easy to read without being on a Dan Brown level. I really enjoyed this book - I liked that it dealt with the aftermath of the war and Holocaust, which is an area often missed in literature which tends to focus on the war period itself. I also appreciated the ambiguities surrounding the female character that leaves the reader in the same position as The Reader.
Ethics and shame are two big topics in this short but very thought provoking book. I started it knowing nothing about it, and was surprised about the sexual scenes in the first chapters.
The novel presents a very realistic young narrator who tries to explain his recurring relationship with a woman from his neighborhood. Each of his three different connections with her, spread over a few decades, is different than what came before. Each explores interesting questions, but also builds on the previous relationships... providing insight to what came earlier.
I don't know if I would have chosen to read it given a sketch of the events of the novel, but the details within those events made me very glad to have read it.
The novel presents a very realistic young narrator who tries to explain his recurring relationship with a woman from his neighborhood. Each of his three different connections with her, spread over a few decades, is different than what came before. Each explores interesting questions, but also builds on the previous relationships... providing insight to what came earlier.
I don't know if I would have chosen to read it given a sketch of the events of the novel, but the details within those events made me very glad to have read it.
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This story of an unlikely romance empathizes with those whose lives were impacted by a relationship as well as those who struggle with the dissonance they experience in the people they love. This is not a book for you if you prefer plot-driven work nor if you read for a lighthearted respite.
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
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
I am really torn about this book. It invokes so many feelings and questions, and I guess that makes it a great book! I had a really hard time with Part 1 in which we read all about the love affair between a 15 year old boy and a 36 year old woman. Honestly, that just made me angry and sick. I was ready to put it down and give up on it, but then Part 2 started. Part 2 was amazing as we really got a sense of post WWII-Germany and what it was like for the different generations of Germans who were all facing the guilt of WWII. This part of the book was more beautifully written and descriptive of the world around the characters, not just the characters themselves. Part 3 neatly tied everything together.
So many moral questions are brought up. I'm still processing much of what I read, and I'm not going to make much sense of it on my own (meaning if anyone reads this, can we PLEASE discuss it???). I am intrigued by the story and the actions of the characters. I felt that the story started off really dry and I have to wonder about translations sometimes. Can we get a truly beautifully story and have it translated into a beautifully written story? I'm not saying it was a bad translation... it wasn't. But I just wonder what I'm missing by not knowing German and being able to read it in German. Anyway, as the story moves on, I felt like the language changed and the writing just got better and better. It evolved and changed and matured along with the main character, Michael. Interesting.
So many moral questions are brought up. I'm still processing much of what I read, and I'm not going to make much sense of it on my own (meaning if anyone reads this, can we PLEASE discuss it???). I am intrigued by the story and the actions of the characters. I felt that the story started off really dry and I have to wonder about translations sometimes. Can we get a truly beautifully story and have it translated into a beautifully written story? I'm not saying it was a bad translation... it wasn't. But I just wonder what I'm missing by not knowing German and being able to read it in German. Anyway, as the story moves on, I felt like the language changed and the writing just got better and better. It evolved and changed and matured along with the main character, Michael. Interesting.
reflective
sad
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
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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
dark
fast-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