Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by dee9401
The Weekend by Bernhard Schlink
2.0
I searched for this book for so long, hoping to score a nice used copy. All I could ever find was his book The Reader. Finally, I found it in Portland, at Powell's Books. Maybe I should have left it there.
Nevertheless, it is an addition to my collection of stories about the radicalized left in Germany in the post-war years. This novel had an interesting premise but the characters were never fleshed out and the plot was more a theme or feeling, rather than something that moved from start to finish.
If you aren't familiar with the left in Germany in the 1960s and 70s, you might feel a little confused at points when the greater world breaks through into the weekend. With a background on that era, the book does take on a little more depth but the exploration is purely where the reader's mind goes, with little to no direction from the author. The book never deeply explores the proposition of what happens and why during a newly-released terrorist's first weekend with his family, friends and potential exploiters.
On a positive note, the translation by Shaun Whiteside flowed cleanly and quickly.
Nevertheless, it is an addition to my collection of stories about the radicalized left in Germany in the post-war years. This novel had an interesting premise but the characters were never fleshed out and the plot was more a theme or feeling, rather than something that moved from start to finish.
If you aren't familiar with the left in Germany in the 1960s and 70s, you might feel a little confused at points when the greater world breaks through into the weekend. With a background on that era, the book does take on a little more depth but the exploration is purely where the reader's mind goes, with little to no direction from the author. The book never deeply explores the proposition of what happens and why during a newly-released terrorist's first weekend with his family, friends and potential exploiters.
On a positive note, the translation by Shaun Whiteside flowed cleanly and quickly.