Der Vorleser

Before you judge a person, you should take the time to know the history of that person. This is certainly the lesson people should take home from this book. So often I hear people condemning Nazis for what they have done, while in their own life they commit injustices against other people all the time.The story Schlink is telling us is about a woman who became a guard in a concentration camp because she never learned to read or write, but was able to hide that fact all her life. But hiding it resulted in her agreeing to things she did not understand because she could not read. It is a tragic and moving story. I am lucky enough to be able to read it in the original language, but I read the English translation too and it is very good too. I did not care very much for the movie though.

In so many ways, this is an amazing book. It describes the hazard of male adolescence and the sad conditions of Nazi Germany,

This book is worth the read; if not for the story itself, then for the situation it puts the reader in: "What would I do if...?" The author has written the book in mainly the first person, like a memoir, so there is very little actual dialogue between the characters. I find this aspect rather apealling. The author takes the reader on a journey with the 15 year old Michael Berg & his 36 year old lover, Hanna. One day Hanna disappears and Michael has to wrestle with the question of "why?". He goes on to become a law student & unexpectedly discovers that Hanna is now on trial for a Nazi war crime. What happens after that is a series of unanswerable questions that Michael has to deal with and he doesn't seem to get any satisfaction one way or the other. The ending is both bittersweet and sad. The German version of this book is not extremely difficult to understand, but German students will probably want a dictionary just in case.

I saw the second part of the film "the reader" on television while doing some channel hopping and got stuck in the absorbing story. I decided to read the book in the original German, in stead of watching the beginning of the film (the part that I have missed) on the following day. I was also eager to know whether I would be able to understand the German text, as it is my third language and I have not used it for a long time. So I ordered the book from Amazon and it arrived a week or so later in perfect condition. (The outside box was, however, secured by the SA post office authorities, as it was found open and damaged. Fortunately the book was securely packaged inside the box.)I found the first part easy to read and could not put it down. I was fascinated by the boy's behaviour. I tried to understand Hannah's reasons for behaving the way she did. I enjoyed the part where they traveled by train for their holiday. It was such an impossible situation and yet the author made one believe it is perfectly normal. In the end I was sad for the way life often turns out.I also became quite interested in the philosophical undercurrent in this book - it adds to the value of the novel - not merely a simple story. (this part was more difficult to read, however.)It was a good experience to read the book. In fact, I do not think I want to see the first part of the film any more.

Superb book about love, guilt, redemption and the opacity of fellow human beings, even the ones we love most and think we know best.

I think I'll read another one of his books one day. I've really liked his writing style. I strongly recommend reading.

This book was in perfect condition and arrived very quickly. It was cheaper than the campus bookstore. My reason for purchasing it was that it was required for one of my German language college courses.

Bittersweet, likely true coming-of-age story that takes place in immediately post-WWII Germany.

Einst war ich begeisterter Leser und habe jegliche Art von Literatur in mich hineingezogen. Bis dieses Buch in der Schule durchgenommen wurde. Immer und immer wieder. Es ist leicht verständlich und intellektuell NICHT anspruchsvoll, auch wenn es einen anderen Eindruck vermitteln soll (ödes Cover). Mein Faible für Literatur wurde zerstört. Habe seit Monaten kein Buch mehr angefasst, weil ich literaturtechnisch durch dieses Buch traumatisiert worden bin. Falls das hier ein Lehrer lesen sollte - quält eure Schüler nicht mit so einem Mist, sondern nehmt etwas Vernünftiges.Definitiv keine Kaufempfehlung, man schläft beim Lesen ein.

Langweilig, nur wegen der Schule gekauft.

I saw the very good film a few years ago. I turned to the novel to improve my German. It's not difficult to read in German. The prose is uncomplicated. The story and subject matter (Germany's responsibility for, and conduct in, WWII) are compelling.

Having been set this as part of a reading list for my German course at university, I worried that this would be quite an inaccessible book that I would struggle to read. I was very wrong! The level of German is not as advanced as most books I've come across in this genre: I didn't struggle at all with getting into this novel and I could barely put it down once beginning it!I would certainly recommend Der Vorleser to others: a beautiful book, in my opinion. Certainly one of those "Books in the German Language" you absolutely must read.

This book “The Reader” is for my adolescent son to read as he’s studying German. It was delivered by the seller within the estimated timeline and in excellent condition. The story was also made into an English language movie starring Kate Winslet.