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lucyatoz's review against another edition
4.0
This book has a similar feeling to The Little Prince. It is a wonderful little novella with some lovely illustrations.
kelseysreads's review against another edition
3.0
I read this for German class Spring 2011. It was haunting and makes you think a lot about taking action and the small things that people can do (or not do).
jesskosf's review against another edition
3.0
I can't believe this book was in the children's section of my library! I would never have guessed it dealt with topics as difficult as suicide. On the other hand, I do know Süskind and I'm not surprised this story doesn't end on a hopeful note. It's not my favourite book of his, but I still loved the prose, the humour and symbolism. Süskind is a clever, intentional writer and I truly admire his writing skills (and the translator's as I'm reading the French translations). It seems, however, I should have much more to say...
Süskind is fascinated by solitude, mental health issues and death. This book follows that path, but in a way I wasn't expecting at all. After reading it, I just feel sad, really. And I wish we'd known what really made Mr Sommer so desperate. But I'm sure Süskind would tell me that not knowing is the point. Also, I feel like the unnamed narrator's compassion for him made sense as he once thought death better than life. It's a truly depressing story, but yet I laughed, because these characters were so ironically comical. That's the paradoxical experience of reading Süskind, I guess. His humour's quite dark, as always. Just do us all a favour: don't read that to your children! And I'm not even sure about teenagers. It's that deep.
Süskind is fascinated by solitude, mental health issues and death. This book follows that path, but in a way I wasn't expecting at all. After reading it, I just feel sad, really. And I wish we'd known what really made Mr Sommer so desperate. But I'm sure Süskind would tell me that not knowing is the point. Also, I feel like the unnamed narrator's compassion for him made sense as he once thought death better than life. It's a truly depressing story, but yet I laughed, because these characters were so ironically comical. That's the paradoxical experience of reading Süskind, I guess. His humour's quite dark, as always. Just do us all a favour: don't read that to your children! And I'm not even sure about teenagers. It's that deep.
annakennstdunicht's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
tina94's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
ageismmanika's review against another edition
4.0
Le début est charmant mais très vite l'histoire devient belle, douce, tendre avec une touche humoristique.
C'est un livre qui se lit d'une traite, l'écriture est recherché, fluide et développé pour une lecture jeunesse.
On sent que c'est un enfant qui narre le récit mais la langue est assez soutenue.
Je pense qu'un adulte peut aussi bien se laisser emporter par cette histoire; bien que la fin soit triste, L'histoire ne l'est
pas car bien qur ça soit l'histoire de monsieur Sommer, c'est aussi les premières fois du jeune garçon, des tracas de son
âge.
J'ai beaucoup aimé les illustrations de Sempé, qui ont rajouté un plus à l'histoire.
C'est un livre qui se lit d'une traite, l'écriture est recherché, fluide et développé pour une lecture jeunesse.
On sent que c'est un enfant qui narre le récit mais la langue est assez soutenue.
Je pense qu'un adulte peut aussi bien se laisser emporter par cette histoire; bien que la fin soit triste, L'histoire ne l'est
pas car bien qur ça soit l'histoire de monsieur Sommer, c'est aussi les premières fois du jeune garçon, des tracas de son
âge.
J'ai beaucoup aimé les illustrations de Sempé, qui ont rajouté un plus à l'histoire.
willdrown's review against another edition
4.0
A coming-of-age tale with some pretty fucked up moments. It's eery how the illustrations offset the frequently depressing tone of events, making the book look like a children's tale. In reality, it's suitable for an older audience that will appreciated just how sad and relatable some of the plot points and characterization are.
This hit especially hard for many reasons, but one of the chief ones is the fact that my city has its very own Mr. Sommer and it's just heartbreaking. This felt very real and very sincere, a very good read.
This hit especially hard for many reasons, but one of the chief ones is the fact that my city has its very own Mr. Sommer and it's just heartbreaking. This felt very real and very sincere, a very good read.
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