The Reader.

☆☆☆☆☆

The Reader.

Bernhard Schlink..

 Publisher : Patheon.

Publication Date:June 26,1997.

Genre:Contemporary Romance|Historical.

Format|Pages:Paperback|218

 Source: Goodreads| Borrowed.

 


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. 

 
A must read. Have you ever come across a novel that stayed with you, long after you finished it? The Reader is that book. I finished it not that long ago and yet I find myself thinking about it, about the story and everything that happened. I can see why it’s considered a classic, one of the best books. An Unforgettable story. I wasn’t even aware of it actually; my mom was the one that told me about it, told me that I should read it. She told me that I was going to love it and she was right. It sucked me into story from the first sentence to the last. It’s unlike any book that I read, it was unique, heartbreaking and I loved every minute of it. The Reader is a book that everyone should read, or at least give a chance. Once you pick it up, you find yourself hooked to Michael’s story. It’s worth every page. 


Michael & Hanna: Their relationship was unlike others, maybe because she was twice his age, or maybe if I wasn’t sure if it was love, or just physical. I had feeling that Hanna didn’t love him, just had a feeling that there was something not right between their relationship. Maybe it was way that she talked to him, was with him. It made me wonder: Did she actually love him, or was she using him? I knew that Michael loved her, especially when book progressed, and how he reacted at trial, how he recorded all those books for her, sent it to her while she was in jail. He loved her. I know that he realized that she didn’t, at least not a way that he loved her. I knew it hurt him. I would be hurt in his situation too. Even after all this year, knowing what she done, that she used him, he still loved her. It was unlike any other love stories I read. 


The Reader had a very strong voice, and it was pretty easy for me to imagine what was going on. It was vivid, descriptive. It was one of things that hooked me to the story. I even could imagine the trial while it was going on. I did wonder what Hanna was actually thinking during all that time, especially during trial. What went through her mind before she killed herself, did she feel guilty of what happened? One of most overwhelming novels that I read, filled with so much emotion. Most Original.