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oceanwriter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Given how much WWII fiction I read, I'm surprised how long I procrastinated this one. Until joining a buddy read, I wasn't aware of the more problematic themes, so I went into this with some skepticism.
There are definitely major issues with the book, most of them surrounding Bruno's obliviousness and lack of empathy. What was more infuriating was the lack of correction from his family and even Schmuel. The son of a Nazi Commandant would not be in the dark about his father's role in the Holocaust — at the minimum, the Nazis' war against Jewish people — especially living next door to Auschwitz. The Nazi mentality started young. Hitler formed Hitler's youth for a terrible reason. The fact Hilter himself shows up in the story says how involved Bruno's father was. There is no way he would be so naive at the age of nine about what was happening. Not in this setting.
What was more annoying how Bruno's refusal to accept what little correction he did receive. I'm not fluent in German, but 'Out-With' translated to German would be something along the lines of 'Aus-Mit'. 'Fury' would be 'Zorn'. They aren't fitting with the language that the characters would be speaking. It was errors like this I found distracting and frustrating.
The point of view in which the book is told is where my stars come from. Though Bruno would have realistically known more, I believe he might have had questions about the way the Jewish people were being treated. This would have made a much more powerful story. That's not to say there was no impact with the friendship Bruno and Schmuel do share. At its core, it's a story about two lonely young kids finding an unlikely best friend. There is a level of innocence here that can't be denied.
Another praise is the writing. It flowed fantastically. It's just too bad that it wasn't a little bit longer and more in-depth. There was a lot of potential for more even if it is geared toward a younger audience. I see why it's received so much praise since its publication, but it is good to keep some of the issues in mind when reading. This is not an accurate portrayal of the cruelties the Nazis were capable of despite the ultimate sadness of the book. Without previous knowledge of this time, it could leave an uninformed impression, particularly on younger readers.
There are definitely major issues with the book, most of them surrounding Bruno's obliviousness and lack of empathy. What was more infuriating was the lack of correction from his family and even Schmuel. The son of a Nazi Commandant would not be in the dark about his father's role in the Holocaust — at the minimum, the Nazis' war against Jewish people — especially living next door to Auschwitz. The Nazi mentality started young. Hitler formed Hitler's youth for a terrible reason. The fact Hilter himself shows up in the story says how involved Bruno's father was. There is no way he would be so naive at the age of nine about what was happening. Not in this setting.
What was more annoying how Bruno's refusal to accept what little correction he did receive. I'm not fluent in German, but 'Out-With' translated to German would be something along the lines of 'Aus-Mit'. 'Fury' would be 'Zorn'. They aren't fitting with the language that the characters would be speaking. It was errors like this I found distracting and frustrating.
The point of view in which the book is told is where my stars come from. Though Bruno would have realistically known more, I believe he might have had questions about the way the Jewish people were being treated. This would have made a much more powerful story. That's not to say there was no impact with the friendship Bruno and Schmuel do share. At its core, it's a story about two lonely young kids finding an unlikely best friend. There is a level of innocence here that can't be denied.
Another praise is the writing. It flowed fantastically. It's just too bad that it wasn't a little bit longer and more in-depth. There was a lot of potential for more even if it is geared toward a younger audience. I see why it's received so much praise since its publication, but it is good to keep some of the issues in mind when reading. This is not an accurate portrayal of the cruelties the Nazis were capable of despite the ultimate sadness of the book. Without previous knowledge of this time, it could leave an uninformed impression, particularly on younger readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Genocide, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Confinement
ashybear02's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Murder
mylittlebooklibrary's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Racism, and Murder
Minor: Genocide
kmudzy07's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Racism, and Murder
ccckmp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, and War
planetshelf's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
The book was honestly just stupid. It was historically unrealistic and poorly planned; it felt like the author just wrote without regard for the next event. Bruno mistook German words for English words even though he didn’t speak English(?), and he read as much younger and more stupid than he should’ve been. I am bitter about wasting my time on the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Antisemitism
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Racism, and Police brutality
ri_lei_gh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Slavery, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Violence
lorie336's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Animal death, Racial slurs, and Violence
grayscale08's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, and Antisemitism
effys's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
I’d like to start out by acknowledging this author being transphobic and that I do not support his views, I brought this book in a charity shop so I didn’t give any money to the author.
I thought this book was mediocre to be honest. I feel like Boyne actively avoided showing Nazis as bad and sort of tiptoed around having an opinion on Nazism which makes me think the worst of him. This felt like a bit of an infantilising read that treats the reader as stupid and I didn’t enjoy it, it felt like it was written to be read by a far younger audience than the topic would allow.
I wish I’d just watched the film to be honest as it would’ve taken the same amount of time.
I thought this book was mediocre to be honest. I feel like Boyne actively avoided showing Nazis as bad and sort of tiptoed around having an opinion on Nazism which makes me think the worst of him. This felt like a bit of an infantilising read that treats the reader as stupid and I didn’t enjoy it, it felt like it was written to be read by a far younger audience than the topic would allow.
I wish I’d just watched the film to be honest as it would’ve taken the same amount of time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, and Antisemitism