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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne


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I finally got to read this book, and I wish I'd done so earlier. I really think it has to be read as a parable, as previously mentioned, rather than an historical account. The innocence and naivety of the boys, and the way the tale is told, makes the underlying story very powerful.

 

I could see where the ending was going, but I wasn't sure if it would actually happen.. there was an increasing horror as I approached it, which left me in tears.

 

I've discussions about whether this is a child's book, or an adult one. According to amazon, the earlier version has the following as part of it's synopsis..

 

I agree - part of me wanted to hand this book to Bethany, who's 9, but I then decided not to. I have told her the bare basics.. partly because of the scene in Dr Who (Turn Left), and partly because I chatting to my husband about the book. However, at her age, I don't really want her knowing much more.

 

To me, it works fine as an adult book.. I didn't feel that I was reading a child's book, but rather that the child-like telling of the story was a clever way to put across a horror that's hard to describe.

 

To those of you who read the earlier version, without knowing much about it, do you think it added to the experience that you didn't know what to expect? How quickly did you realise what it was about?

 

I would say because of the subject matter in the book I think the book should be an adult book as it would traumatise a child.

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I don't think it would traumatise a child. I don't think it's really right to limit what a child reads (yeah, I know, but I read all kinds of things and I'm not traumatised...) if they want to. It was quite sketchy on the details and seeing as Bruno's ignorance of the situation is how the book is narrated, it would be quite similar for a child if they didn't already know the details of the Holocaust, etc.

 

This might be due to how I was brought up though. My parents always taught us to question things and they always gave us straight answers, no matter how complex the answers were. We didn't always understand everything, but we certainly understood the basics. And when we didn't understand everything we asked more questions. My mother often gave us books to help her explanations :)

 

I'd like to see the film to see how they did get the childlike nature of the book across though...

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I was really lucky to read this book last year when I knew nothing about it - I could still forsee the ending but it was a very powerful read. The childs view of adult horror was well written and a powerful way of showing how such historic monstrosities were some peoples everyday life and unremarkable to them. I gave my copy to my 13yr old neice and she was gripped by the story and it did help her realise that these things happened to real people of all ages not just text book people.

 

I'd be happy for my children to read it once they can handle it as a self-read but they're 6 & 4 right now so obviously it's not time. They do know about the holocaust though and the basic outline of what happened to the jewish population. It has been discussed when we talk about bullying and racism and what can happen at the very very worst extent. Granted my elderly mum was a bit stunned when her 4 yr old grand-daughter started to tell her about 'the bad man Mr Hitler' :)

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  • 4 weeks later...

ha ha! couldn`t find the edit button and it was very late last night when i wrote the above post. :roll:

 

anyway, I read the deliberate hook on the back page, bought it and took it home without peeking.

 

I really liked this book, very moving and thought provoking but with wee bits of humour to lighten a really dark theme.

 

I`ve passed it on to a couple of my friends since.

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ha ha! couldn`t find the edit button and it was very late last night when i wrote the above post. :roll:

You can only edit after you have made 10 posts (which you have nowdone).

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I think the book is an excellent portrayal of a nine year old's view. I "bought" the POV of the boy throughout the whole book. Quite artfully done, actually without coming across obvious. Little things like the mother having an affair with the young German soldier, and the way the boy saw everyone equally - were completely realistic for his station in life. His father was a government hot shot after all.Maybe it's too much to believe a father and mother in their position never talked rough about the Jews -- that the kids didn't overhear...but all in all, I loved the POV and the end was sooo amazingly horrifically twisted!

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  • 4 months later...

i read the book few years ago for the first time and after that i have read it couple times more. I think it truly is a great book.

 

Have you guys seen the movie? It came out last year and got some good reviews. Do you think its any good?

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Have you guys seen the movie? It came out last year and got some good reviews. Do you think its any good?

 

I missed the film when it came out but I see it has now come out on DVD so will probably rent or buy it. After reading it, I'm interested to see how it was filmed.

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I've seen the film, and I thought it was pretty good, it follows the book pretty closely, with only a few minor differences. They changed the end slightly in the film though, and I have to say I did prefer the film ending. For anyone who's enjoyed the book, it's worth a watch :yes:

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  • 4 weeks later...

I've been trying to get hold of this book for like...a whole year now til I finally got it a few weeks ago. It really moved me! The ending was so sad, I cried :irked:

 

I haven't seen the movie yet though. I shall rent it from blockbuster or something. Hopefully, it won't be a let down.

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I would say because of the subject matter in the book I think the book should be an adult book as it would traumatise a child.

 

I don't think it's that easy to traumatise a child. I have not read this yet but I did read Anne Frank's "Diary of a Girl", "When Hitler Stole the Pink Rabbit" and other Holocaust-related books when I was about 10 and they did not traumatise me - which is to say, they affected me greatly and made me cry, but they did not scar me in any inappropriate way. I was moved by them in the same way I was moved by sad works of children's 100% fiction, that is to say that they made me vow never to let growing up twisted enough that I would want to hurt people.

 

Besides, at least where I come from children as young as nine or ten study the Holocaust at school (Anne Frank's book I read as a primary school assignment), so they might as well learn about it through books that explain it through the eyes of someone their age rather than concentrating on history tomes full of graphic massacres. Those, if any, were the books that scarred me.

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Yes I agree, what actually happens isn't spelt out so you would probably have to already know what happened in the holocaust to know what happened, I'm not saying it isn't sad for children but not disturbing I don't think

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Yes I agree, what actually happens isn't spelt out so you would probably have to already know what happened in the holocaust to know what happened, I'm not saying it isn't sad for children but not disturbing I don't think

 

 

I completley agree. The implications in the book are very subtle and i dont think young children would pick up on them unless they knew about the halocoust. Read this book a while back,I was really moved by it and defnitly enjoyed it.

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