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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-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
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
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
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Porque una historia te da matices de alegrÃa o tristeza solo cuando la ves desde lejos; sin embargo, si la contemplas y profundizas, es cuando quitas estas etiquetas y la ves como historia, y esta es real.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wtf
I tried to read this book about 8 years ago or so and just couldn't get through it. In my memory I got about half way through before I gave up, but after reading it again (this time all the way through) I realize that I couldn't have gotten that far. That first time I never even got to part 2.
I liked the book....on some level. I still see why I had a hard time getting through it, and I think if I had reached part 2 the first time I might have stuck with it. Why only 3 stars if I liked it? Well, as I read it I kept wondering if it lost something in the translation from German to English, and maybe it did. But I think it was more than that. There's something underlying in this story that I really did like. Perhaps it's just the basic premise of the story. But what bothered me seems to be a problem in either language. There are parts of the book where Bernhard Schlink (writing in the first person as Berg) says things that seem so random that I had to wonder if they were somehow symbollic and I just didn't see how yet. I thought maybe it would become clear later. But it never became clear. These were truly random thoughts.
So yeah, I liked it but I have no clear idea of why...which almost makes me not like it.
I liked the book....on some level. I still see why I had a hard time getting through it, and I think if I had reached part 2 the first time I might have stuck with it. Why only 3 stars if I liked it? Well, as I read it I kept wondering if it lost something in the translation from German to English, and maybe it did. But I think it was more than that. There's something underlying in this story that I really did like. Perhaps it's just the basic premise of the story. But what bothered me seems to be a problem in either language. There are parts of the book where Bernhard Schlink (writing in the first person as Berg) says things that seem so random that I had to wonder if they were somehow symbollic and I just didn't see how yet. I thought maybe it would become clear later. But it never became clear. These were truly random thoughts.
So yeah, I liked it but I have no clear idea of why...which almost makes me not like it.
A quick read about a boy in Germany who has a relationship with an older woman. Wasn't what I was expecting.
What hopes I had for this book!
Deemed a classic and top-seller, The Reader definitely is a book that most enjoy. My review is not to discredit the author, but just to say that I did not enjoy it myself.
I picked up this book and could not wait to start. As many already know, it is about a 15 year-old boy who is cared for one day by a 34(ish) year-old women. This initial meeting begins an affair that impacts the two in ways they would have never imagined. Then, Hanna disappears hiding a deep secret.
Wow. What an idea! That concept coupled with the rave reviews on the back cover had me hooked before I began. Ex:
"Speaks straight to the heart"
"Coiled Eroticism"
"Mesmerizing"
"Passionate"
"Masterly"
So yes, obviously I was expecting a solid story. The biggest letdown for me is how the affair begins. Right off the bat I had nothing invested in the characters or their "Passsion". As the back of the novel states "In time [Hanna] becomes his lover." That would be true if "In time," hinted at one day. It's so hard to care about a relationship between a 34 y/o woman and a 15 y/o boy when the first time they actually spend time together, she tricks him into bathing and takes her clothes off. Is that really "Mesmerizing"? It seemed a bit scary to me, and I wouldn't consider myself easily creeped out.
Also, the book has almost zero dialogue. This is a preference thing. I like dialogue because voice means a lot to my developement of characterization. Apart from that, Hanna is cold, bossy, immature, boring, and though the relationship lasts for quite a while, it is over before it starts for me. The descriptions are superficial and distant.
The rest of the novel has a couple twists, one being very obvious, and the court segment. Hanna is eventually allowed to leave jail after her horrendous war crimes, but before she leaves, she kills herself. (Sad no matter how much I liked or disliked her.) The Reader struck me as a sad novel, and though I enjoyed reading it, being invested in the characters is number 1 for me. Two stars.
Deemed a classic and top-seller, The Reader definitely is a book that most enjoy. My review is not to discredit the author, but just to say that I did not enjoy it myself.
I picked up this book and could not wait to start. As many already know, it is about a 15 year-old boy who is cared for one day by a 34(ish) year-old women. This initial meeting begins an affair that impacts the two in ways they would have never imagined. Then, Hanna disappears hiding a deep secret.
Wow. What an idea! That concept coupled with the rave reviews on the back cover had me hooked before I began. Ex:
"Speaks straight to the heart"
"Coiled Eroticism"
"Mesmerizing"
"Passionate"
"Masterly"
So yes, obviously I was expecting a solid story. The biggest letdown for me is how the affair begins. Right off the bat I had nothing invested in the characters or their "Passsion". As the back of the novel states "In time [Hanna] becomes his lover." That would be true if "In time," hinted at one day. It's so hard to care about a relationship between a 34 y/o woman and a 15 y/o boy when the first time they actually spend time together, she tricks him into bathing and takes her clothes off. Is that really "Mesmerizing"? It seemed a bit scary to me, and I wouldn't consider myself easily creeped out.
Also, the book has almost zero dialogue. This is a preference thing. I like dialogue because voice means a lot to my developement of characterization. Apart from that, Hanna is cold, bossy, immature, boring, and though the relationship lasts for quite a while, it is over before it starts for me. The descriptions are superficial and distant.
The rest of the novel has a couple twists, one being very obvious, and the court segment. Hanna is eventually allowed to leave jail after her horrendous war crimes, but before she leaves, she kills herself. (Sad no matter how much I liked or disliked her.) The Reader struck me as a sad novel, and though I enjoyed reading it, being invested in the characters is number 1 for me. Two stars.
dark
medium-paced