_booksandnetflix's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I think if I had read this when I was 9 instead of 19 it would've been more impactful than it was. I did enjoy it and there was an interview between John Boyne and his publisher at the end of the audiobook, which was interesting to listen to!
saluki's review against another edition
3.0
A holocaust story told from the perspective of Bruno who is a sheltered, innocent, naive nine-year old German boy who befriends Shmuel, the boy in the striped pajamas, at the wire fence that separates them. It is difficult to say anything about this book without giving away spoilers and that is reflected in the back cover blurb...
Boyne doesn't go into graphic detail about the horrors and vile actions taking place in 'Out-with' but brutality and inhumane treatments are implied from events that Bruno witnesses and perceives to be bad.
Certainly a story that will haunt my thoughts in future.
jchimpius's review against another edition
5.0
It starts out like every other slumber party but then things take a turn for the worst. Majority of the bad events happen after the boy is given chocolate thus symbolizing the negative effects of chocolate on our society. It's disappointing to see most people miss the point of the book.
wishingstar63's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mhkennadixon's review against another edition
2.0
I've thought long and hard about how to rate this book, and ultimately I decided I disliked it more than I liked it.
Firstly, it's a very easy and fast read! I flew through it so quickly. However, part of that was me skimming through what I thought was a lot of unnecessary detail in whole paragraphs. This story could have been much shorter, especially because a lot of the details I disliked were annoyingly repeated over and over again, and were also the thoughts of a 9-year-old narrator.
Secondly, as you can probably conclude already, the overall writing/narration style was awful. As mentioned, it's told from the point of view of a 9-year-old, one who has the thought processes of someone much younger (no empathy, not very intelligent). Was this book intended for a younger audience? The whole story felt...childish, which is (in my opinion) a strange direction for such a heavy subject.
Furthermore, I felt that there were a lot of unrealistic occurrences that really took away from the story for me. I found myself thinking a bit, "Right, what a coincidence that this just so happened to be the case.."
Finally, I've read a LOT of WWII historical fiction on the Holocaust, and while I by no means consider myself an expert on the subject, I do know enough to see that this book is INCREDIBLY inaccurate from a historical perspective. For me, that's what detracted from the story the most. Between that and the childish point of view, the whole book felt almost disrespectful.
Overall, it's an interesting story, it really is, but it does not speak seriously enough to the fact that the Holocaust was one of the most terrible times in humanity's history.
Firstly, it's a very easy and fast read! I flew through it so quickly. However, part of that was me skimming through what I thought was a lot of unnecessary detail in whole paragraphs. This story could have been much shorter, especially because a lot of the details I disliked were annoyingly repeated over and over again, and were also the thoughts of a 9-year-old narrator.
Secondly, as you can probably conclude already, the overall writing/narration style was awful. As mentioned, it's told from the point of view of a 9-year-old, one who has the thought processes of someone much younger (no empathy, not very intelligent). Was this book intended for a younger audience? The whole story felt...childish, which is (in my opinion) a strange direction for such a heavy subject.
Furthermore, I felt that there were a lot of unrealistic occurrences that really took away from the story for me. I found myself thinking a bit, "Right, what a coincidence that this just so happened to be the case.."
Finally, I've read a LOT of WWII historical fiction on the Holocaust, and while I by no means consider myself an expert on the subject, I do know enough to see that this book is INCREDIBLY inaccurate from a historical perspective. For me, that's what detracted from the story the most. Between that and the childish point of view, the whole book felt almost disrespectful.
Overall, it's an interesting story, it really is, but it does not speak seriously enough to the fact that the Holocaust was one of the most terrible times in humanity's history.
jokapy's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
aoster13's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
omgitswinnie's review against another edition
3.0
Bruno is a 9-year-old boy that tells the story of why he and his family have to move house and the explorations and adventures he undertakes in his new home.
It is a very sad book that depicts the horrors of the Holocaust from a young boy's perspective on the outside looking in. The book ends in tragedy for Bruno and his family.
I really enjoyed reading from a child's perspective with the innocence they have. Definitely enjoyed the book and found myself fully absorbed.
It is a very sad book that depicts the horrors of the Holocaust from a young boy's perspective on the outside looking in. The book ends in tragedy for Bruno and his family.
I really enjoyed reading from a child's perspective with the innocence they have. Definitely enjoyed the book and found myself fully absorbed.