The Reader (edit title)

• Rated 0 stars

“Hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar Germany.”

• Rated 5 stars

“one off the best books ever written”

• Rated 5 stars

“i loved it!!”

• Rated 3 stars

“Much better than the movie, especially in the sense that the book fills in some blanks that are left hanging in the movie.

The English translation of the book made it a very easy read, as did the short chapters. Michael's voice is interesting. He not only narrates his history with Hannah, but he draws in on his own narrative, stopping at times to think of philosophical questions concerning his own past and thoughts. It's as if Michael's narrative is really a story he's telling his audience, not a book he's writing.

Schlink's descriptions are fascinating, especially with Hannah. She becomes such a beautiful woman, even more than what I saw of Kate Winslet on the screen.

The story itself was bland to me. It was Schlink's voice, narrative, and description that made anything in this book fun to read.”

• Rated 3 stars

“Hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar Germany.

When he falls ill on his way home from school, fifteen-year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. In time she becomes his lover—then she inexplicably disappears. When Michael next sees her, he is a young law student, and she is on trial for a hideous crime. As he watches her refuse to defend her innocence, Michael gradually realizes that Hanna may be guarding a secret she considers more shameful than murder.”

• Rated 3 stars

“The Reader is the last book I chose for the War Through the Generations - WWII challenge.That means that I have completed this challenge, and just in time too seeing how there are only two weeks left! This is another one where I heard about the movie first, and then discovered that it was based on a book, so quite naturally I had to read it.

This book is set in post WWII Germany and told by Michael Berg. It starts when he was 15 years old and Hanna Schmitz came into his life. Although Hanna was twice his age, Michael was seduced and immediately fell in love with her. For a period of time they were lovers, and one of the things that Hanna liked was when Michael read to her, until one day Hanna disappeared and left no way for Michael to contact her. Years later when he is a law student, Michael is assigned to a trial and there he unexpectedly sees Hanna again. This time things have changed, she is being trialled as a guard in one of the concentration camps and there is so much about Hanna that Michael doesn't know. As he sits through the trial he tries to understand her motive, until he discovers the secret which is keeping Hanna from defending herself.

I found this to be a very easy and a quick read, and although it is a short novel, the topics it deals with give you a lot to think about. I liked the two main characters in this book, yet I thought that Hanna was much stronger and at first I was a little disappointed when Michael discovered her secret. My initial reaction was that it was impossible for someone to behave that way, but thinking about it made me realize how much it must have meant for Hanna if she was willing to get a harsher sentence to conceal her secret. In the end I was eager to see what happened to Michael and Hanna, but again was disappointed by what she did. I may have been hoping for a happy ending though, and the fact that it did not happen could have something to do with why I was unhappy with Hanna.

I think I expected more from this book, probably because of all the hype surrounding the movie that was released in 2008, which I haven't seen yet because as always I like to read the book first. All in all however it was still worth reading and I think it would make a great book for discussion, it is surely good food for thought. ”

• Rated 5 stars

“I can't imagine how a book could leave me feeling more confused and enlightened. This was a very realistic love story, which is my favorite kind, and which doesn't always end in ideal circumstances but which always has a lot of potential for maturation of spirit. I loved the twists and complexities here, they floored me. It was very touching. ”

• Rated 2 stars

“I stopped reading it about 75% of the way through. The end seemed too predictable and I didn't want to finish it.”

• Rated 4 stars

“It was complex and tense book.”

• Rated 5 stars

“The Reader is an unexpected gem, a touching coming of age novel that reads like a memoir. Reminiscient of McEwan's Atonement in its themes of shame and intense raw humanity, Schlink constantly begs the question from his characters and his readers: "What would you have done?" The humility of illiteracy, ignorance, and confinement brought tears to my eyes.”