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The Reader

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The Reader Bernhard Schlink PB list price $11.00 Vintage Books (March 1999) ISBN: 0375707972 218 pages average review: Reviews: This gets: a from eryka: A complex morality play that was, again, an Oprah selection-and surprisingly so. This was less plot driven than an exercise in questioning choices people make in times of great strife and danger: what would you have done if you had something to hide and lived in Nazi Germany? is the question the book asks. I sometimes found it difficult to connect with the characters due to the writing style, but that could also be the translation. Recommended. From the back cover: 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. She enthralls him with her passion, but puzzles him with her odd silences. Then she inexplicably disappears. When Michael next sees her, he is a young law student, and she is on trial for a hideous crime. But as he watches her refuse to defend herself, Michael gradually realizes that his former lover may be guarding a secret she considers more shameful than murder. eryka.com scale: So good you just can't stand it. Almost that good. Sort of good. Generally a waste of time. Destined for the recycler. If you'd like to review this book, or another, click here Similar books by category: german fiction Go home | Go to reviews home © 2002 eryka.com. All rights reserved.