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Lisa's Reviews > Der Vorleser
Der Vorleser
by
by
Lisa's review
bookshelves: 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die
Jun 25, 2014
bookshelves: 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die
Read 2 times. Last read October 11, 2018.
This novel breaks so many taboos, it is hard to know where to start reflecting on it. And yet, its plot is not unrealistic or uncommon.
It is about a sexual relationship between a young man and an older woman.
It is about illiteracy and shame.
It is about crimes against humanity, committed out of helplessness and an egocentric wish to hide one's own weakness.
It is about the Holocaust weighing on the shoulders of post-1945 Germany's population.
It is about the past being reshaped in memory when further knowledge about a person adds a new layer to a relationship.
It is about the coexistence of complete indifference towards the lives of many human beings and compassion for one specific individual.
It is surprisingly not much about hatred, despite the topic.
It is about overcoming a disability.
It is about facing justice - or not.
It is painful to read. And yet hope hides in a corner.
If you can't read it yourself, find someone who is willing to read it to you. Or record it on tape. Literacy is a massive achievement and immensely important for human communication.
Read it!
It is about a sexual relationship between a young man and an older woman.
It is about illiteracy and shame.
It is about crimes against humanity, committed out of helplessness and an egocentric wish to hide one's own weakness.
It is about the Holocaust weighing on the shoulders of post-1945 Germany's population.
It is about the past being reshaped in memory when further knowledge about a person adds a new layer to a relationship.
It is about the coexistence of complete indifference towards the lives of many human beings and compassion for one specific individual.
It is surprisingly not much about hatred, despite the topic.
It is about overcoming a disability.
It is about facing justice - or not.
It is painful to read. And yet hope hides in a corner.
If you can't read it yourself, find someone who is willing to read it to you. Or record it on tape. Literacy is a massive achievement and immensely important for human communication.
Read it!
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Der Vorleser.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
June 25, 2014
– Shelved
August 9, 2014
– Shelved as:
1001-books-to-read-before-you-die
Started Reading
October 11, 2018
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-14 of 14 (14 new)
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message 1:
by
Matt
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added it
Oct 11, 2018 10:06AM
Darf man fragen, ob Du das Buch auf Deutsch gelesen hast, und, falls ja, warum dann eine Englische Ausgabe hier für den Review, bzw., falls nein, warum nicht?
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Matt wrote: "Darf man fragen, ob Du das Buch auf Deutsch gelesen hast, und, falls ja, warum dann eine Englische Ausgabe hier für den Review, bzw., falls nein, warum nicht?"Darf man absolut! Also, ich habees auf Deutsch gelesen (natürlich!), und auch die deutsche Ausgabe angegeben, aber neuerdings ändert GR öfter mal meine Ausgaben in die gängigsten englischen Ausgaben, ohne mich zu fragen. Das ärgert mich besonders, wenn ich mir die Mühe gegeben habe, eine spezielle Ausgabe eines Klassikers zu markieren. Aber jetzt habe ich wieder die Diogenes-Ausgabe eingestellt. Mal sehen, wie lange sie bleibt.
Lisa wrote: "neuerdings ändert GR öfter mal meine Ausgaben in die gängigsten englischen Ausgaben, ohne mich zu fragen."Das ist ja ein fieser Fehler (einer von vielen bei GR in letzter Zeit). Ist mir zum Glück noch nicht passiert, oder ich habe es nicht bemerkt. Vielleicht möchtest Du den Fehler in der Gruppe "Goodread Feedback" melden; möglicherweise korrigieren sie ihn sogar:
/group/show/...
Matt wrote: "Lisa wrote: "neuerdings ändert GR öfter mal meine Ausgaben in die gängigsten englischen Ausgaben, ohne mich zu fragen."Das ist ja ein fieser Fehler (einer von vielen bei GR in letzter Zeit). Ist ..."
Ja, es häufen sich mal wieder die Eigenartigkeiten. Und nicht nur bei Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. Wäre es nicht super, wenn man so eine Fehlermeldefunktion mit Rückkopplung auch bei der Arbeit hätte? Ohne ärgerliche Nebenwirkungen, versteht sich ;-)
Lisa wrote: "Wäre es nicht super, wenn man so eine Fehlermeldefunktion mit Rückkopplung auch bei der Arbeit hätte? "Nicht nur bei der Arbeit sondern generell. Hat Gott einen Bugtracker im Einsatz hat? Z.B. (bzw. in diesem Fall Godzilla). Ich hätte einige Fehler zu melden und jede Menge Verbesserungsvorschläge für die Welt.
Uns werde die Details fählen, als/wann Lisa ihre gelehrte Reviews Deutschsprachicher Bücher nur auf Deutsch schreiben sollte.We would miss the finer points of Lisa's erudite reviews of German-language books if she only wrote them in German.
Apologies for the poor grammar.
Dimitri wrote: "We would miss the finer points of Lisa's erudite reviews of German-language books if she only wrote them in German."That's not what I proposed at all. I hope you didn't think that. I was merely curious why there was an English edition being reviewed while the original publication was in German.
Your usage of German grammar was just fine :)
Matt wrote: "Dimitri wrote: "We would miss the finer points of Lisa's erudite reviews of German-language books if she only wrote them in German."That's not what I proposed at all. I hope you didn't think that..."
Yes, that's the way I understood it. I interpreted the question in a very Mattian way - there were some incongruent features (why would I read Schlink in English?) and as a result, I saw what had happened (again!), and changed it back. I made the decision to review all books in English as a kind of lingua franca, mainly because I love the discussions and the sharing. But the comment field is dedicated to the Babylonian diversity (not a curse, but a blessing!). I am always pleased to find comment threads in many different languages.
Dimitri wrote: "Uns werde die Details fählen, als/wann Lisa ihre gelehrte Reviews Deutschsprachicher Bücher nur auf Deutsch schreiben sollte.We would miss the finer points of Lisa's erudite reviews of German-lan..."
Danke dir, Dimitri, für deine netten Worte. Dein Deutsch ist sehr gut!
A book about everything? It almost seems so, but those items that you mention, Lisa, make it worth while reading for sure. Did you watch the movie as well? I liked it and am curious how close to the book it is.
Peter wrote: "A book about everything? It almost seems so, but those items that you mention, Lisa, make it worth while reading for sure. Did you watch the movie as well? I liked it and am curious how close to th..."Well, ot certainly is a book with a lot of food for thought, Peter! I am sure you will like it. And no - I am terrible at catching up with movies, so I can't compare :-(
A lucky find from today on BBC with interview with Bernhard Schlink on this book, if anybody should be interested:
Peter wrote: "A lucky find from today on BBC with interview with Bernhard Schlink on this book, if anybody should be interested:BBC interview with Bernhard Schlink on "The Reader""
Thank you so much, Peter! This will be my evening treat!
