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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 stars. Read for school, one of those that you never ever want to pick up again afterwards.
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
could have used more character development and stronger plot/more flushed out.
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
I enjoyed Schlinks writing style. Didn’t like the protagonist at all but it was a good read nevertheless. Spoiler: I don’t like the way the sexual assault Michael was going through is not being processed but that might be the whole point.
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
The more I think back to this book (a week after finishing it), the more I realize I detest the character of Hanna. She was cold & vicious, & her apparant change toward the end of her life did not make up for the rest of her conduct at all. She took advantage of a young boy because she could. She destroyed the lives of countless Jews because she could. She didn't do it simply because she was ordered to.
My mom is reading the book now, so maybe she will have a different take on it.
My mom is reading the book now, so maybe she will have a different take on it.
This book is separated into 3 parts, and it is 3 books. The first part I enjoyed, I read it in a day. I felt the author did an incredible job of pulling you into his relationship with Hanna, and described feelings that I have never before been able to put into words. Then the 2nd part of the book came and I was disappointed. I no longer connected with the main character - I found him apathetic and downright deplorable. I also felt this part of the book read like a transcript to a court case, and the incredible writing of the first part of the book was gone, and I wanted it back. The third part of book pulls it all together - I realized that the 2nd part was written as it was on purpose, and while I hated the reading, it was all part of the larger story. I've read so many books that I consider to be a good read, but not a good book. This is the opposite - this was a great book, but not a great read (if that makes any sense!)
This is a curious book, curious in its effect on people. The large age difference between the lovers brings to mind Lolita; it's astonishing how much the choice of the genders of the old and the young affects the reputation of the two books. People are much more likely to forgive Hanna than Humbert, although Hanna's statutory rape receives much more (straightforward) description. Although it's true that Hanna didn't kidnap her youngling. But never mind that.
The book clearly illustrates the large scale repercussions the Holocaust had on the world at large, how the future will never be able to outrun the memories of horror and waves of guilt. Michael is the embodiment of the second generation of Germans whose parents were involved in some way with WWII, whether directly acting or a conforming bystander. The children of these participants, whether willing or unwilling, are all too eager to break off and sentence their parents to a life of regret, saying how could their parents judge them while they themselves have so much to atone for? Michael discovers over the course of the novel that he can't do this, not fully and absolutely, much as he can't bring himself to pass judgment on Hanna for her crimes, or on himself for loving a criminal. He instead escapes to the past of legal history and jargon.
With all the escaping there is no real closure. It is forever a grey area, both emotionally and morally, as his troubled guilt derives from his past love, just as the German populace derives guilt from their past history.
Spoiler
, and she's a Nazi to bootThe book clearly illustrates the large scale repercussions the Holocaust had on the world at large, how the future will never be able to outrun the memories of horror and waves of guilt. Michael is the embodiment of the second generation of Germans whose parents were involved in some way with WWII, whether directly acting or a conforming bystander. The children of these participants, whether willing or unwilling, are all too eager to break off and sentence their parents to a life of regret, saying how could their parents judge them while they themselves have so much to atone for? Michael discovers over the course of the novel that he can't do this, not fully and absolutely, much as he can't bring himself to pass judgment on Hanna for her crimes, or on himself for loving a criminal. He instead escapes to the past of legal history and jargon
Spoiler
, much as Hanna escapes from her illiteracy and the life she has led because of it by having people read to herWith all the escaping there is no real closure