Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - The Reader

Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

22 reviews

enoemo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

Comes with a solid amount of trigger warnings - please be aware of the pedophilia and grooming that happens in this book. I found it interesting and well written, but not much more than that. The thought process of the narrator is understandable and makes sense in light of the gaslighting and grooming he faced, but it lacked something for me personally. It raises some interesting points about the processing of the holocaust post-war, but then again, I do feel like there's other works of literature that do this in a more profound way with a more lasting impact.

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lesliewilleford's review

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emotional reflective 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

3.5

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utracjuszka's review

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challenging dark reflective sad 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

3.25

I still don't agree with the ideas presented in the book but it did offer me a new perspective on the latest events in German history.
The story was well-crafted, too. The best parts of the book are probably the author's reflections on the nature of law.

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ireneac's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

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

4.0

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sourcherryyy's review

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dark sad tense 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? Yes

3.0

the concept was good but the execution is just okay. i wish it was longer and less jumpy but it is realistic to how michael recalled the events since he blocked a lot of his memories of hanna out

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pulcotinette's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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? It's complicated

2.5

My German is not as good as I thought, so I didn't understand the majority of part two (out of three). But other than that, I disliked the power disbalance between the two characters, and really loved the descriptions of feelings, longing, and landscapes. Mixed feelings, since I found that relationship deeply uncomfortable, but it is somehow beautifully written.
Funny story: at first, I thought it was "the life of others" so I was not prepared for the plot. Der Vorleser also talks about WWII, but in a very different way.

I have a theory about them actually. Because der Jüngchen only goes on her grave once, it makes me think that he doesn't want to acknowledge her existence. He doesn't want her to exist. To him, she exists only in secret (their relationship in the first part) or at night, like a dream (part two, sending Kassette to her). Or maybe, he invented their relationship in his head, and therefore since it does not exist on the outside. When the prison guard asks how they came to know each other, he doesn't answer, maybe signifying that they don't know each other, that he only invented this relationship. Anybody has another theory on this ?

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the_modernreader's review

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

4.0

Coming into this book, I thought the story was going to be about the relationship between a much younger Micheal and an older Hanna. I thought the book would lead me to understand why and witness the influence of this relationship on Micheal’s agency as an adult. But the book sets out to do more than just that. When we get to the second part of the book, it feels completely brand new. I didn’t think eroticism could be used to hold a conversation about the pains of the Holocaust. We taken through a moment in the genocide and there’s talk on the interplay of guilt and shame. It’s almost as if I got 2 books when I was expecting just 1. It took me 2 weeks to get through it once we moved subject matter: from paedophilia to genocide. In the end I am still trying to understand why Hanna and Micheal had to happen…

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unchargedbook's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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librarymouse's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

The Reader is a book that pulls you in. Schlink's narrative style, clipped sentences, and the reflective nature of the content creates a tangible window into Michael's world and the dilemmas faced by the generation of Germans born right after the Holocaust. I did not particularly like Michael or Hanna. Both are intrinsically flawed individuals, but their characters and the way they interact are written in a relatable way. You can understand them even as you hate what they are justifying. I've read this book repeatedly and with every re-read I am older and

more disturbed by the content and the characters' continued justification of pedophilia and Michael's active sympathize for Hanna despite knowing she was a Nazi who sent Jews to their deaths, all to avoid her illiteracy being made common knowledge. I like that she was offered no absolution by the last living member of the group of women she guarded, and I think the unsatisfactory ending fits well with the realities of life after reconciling with the unforgivably actions of a loved one. Part of me wishes there was more direct acknowledgement of the way Hanna's sexual and emotional abuse impacted Michael. The other part of me knows that Michael's continued devotion to her in sending the cassettes, keeping her letters, and his inability to form and maintain close interpersonal relationships is indirectly addressing that impact, and that directly addressing it would have taken away from the reflective, almost voyeuristic nature of the novel.

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annase's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-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

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