The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

This book, so reads the Guardian quote adorning its front cover, relates the story of "a moment in history that can't be told enough times". Falling within the already heavily-stuffed genre of war novels; specifically Holocaust literature, that statement may not be entirely true. A lot has been said about the subject, and though it is undoubtedly one which merits the scrutiny, it takes a special kind of novel to offer a fresh perspective on the well-documented ...
...The ostensible success of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas suggests that this is one of those novels. A bestseller around the world, John Boyne's book was also turned into a film in 2008. The first edition of the novel gave away notably little of the plot in the blurb, only stating that this is a story about two boys who met on either side of a fence - suggesting that a reading relatively unmarked by preconceptions or expectations was the kind favoured ...

Puggers 08.04.2009 (06.04.2009) · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

...into, I found myself spending the Christmas period in hospital. Now, even if you have never stayed overnight in a ward, I'm sure you can imagine how incredibly boring and lonely it would be, never mind staying for an entire week! This stay was quite sudden, and I did not have a lot of time to pack my things, or even what I should be taking with me! So, I ended up twiddling my thumbs for several hours on the lumpy bed, awaiting the arrival of my visitors. ...
...is to my benefit that the one great mate who came and visited me on the day I was admitted kindly brought me a few bits and pieces to help keep me amused; this included a book which I had not heard of. *First Impressions I studied the cover, as I usually do, despite the saying 'never judge a book by its cover'. It was quite a fascinating piece of art, not giving away any of the story's secrets. It was a simple, two-colour stripe design, made of ...

Amy69 04.01.2008 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

...I take a break from the usual genres that I read and pick up a book that falls into the category that I call 'books that I think I should read'. In other words, books that have in some way been critically acclaimed or had a lot of fuss made about them, whether old or new. And so it was with The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, a book that had enough fuss made about it in order to apparently warrant a film. Always an interesting sign. The book follows ...
...of a Nazi commander during the second world war. The family live in a luxury house in Berlin where Bruno plays with his three best friends, is looked after by the family's maid, and only has to worry about dealing with his big sister, who he refers to as a 'Hopeless Case'. However, after a visit from a man that Bruno knows only as 'The Fury' (which, as he is told by his sister, he is pronouncing wrong), the family are forced to move to a bleak and ...

CrazyJamie 27.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

...old boys, of fiction and the real world. He loves the large home he lives in - with the garret window and basement, and the continuous banister slide that almost links them both; he likes scoffing at his older sister's doll collection; he regrets being a little on the short and small side, and partly counters that by absorbing and using as many adult words and phrases as he can to appear mature. However things are not perfect in his world when a ...
...again." (Theed's asterisks.) The brilliance of the book is in the fact that this quote is a summary from page 15, by page 20 we can mostly all guess exactly what his new world is and what he is yet to learn about it, and we are still reading by page 215. The reason for this mostly is how compellingly we are entered into the world of Bruno - a world so familiar to us yet so alien, a world where we recognise things a lot more readily than Bruno, but ...

theediscerning 01.09.2008 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

Despite the innocuous sounding title, this book isn't exactly bed time reading, well not to read to those little ones as they gently nod off. It's a strange book. The narrative is written in the third person from the perspective of Bruno, a nine year old boy living in Germany during WW2. And that's about as much of the plot as you're going to get from me. Och, maybe just a little so as we all know what we're talking about...that'll be a first. ...
...part of the joy of this book is the slow unfurling of what exactly is going on and the creeping realization that what, a some points, seems like a simple story about children for children, isn't quite what it seems after all. I found the writing to be very clever. On the one hand, the reader is lulled into a false sense of thinking that the book is a little too childish, but then the story is told through the thoughts of a nine year old so it would ...

proxam 04.01.2009 (01.01.2009) · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

This is one of the best books that I have read in quite a while. I first seen it in Asda but as it was still in hardback and the sleeve didn't give much away I didn't buy it. Then just a few days later it appeared in my mam's copy of The Book People magazine. As it was cheaper than Asda (by a couple of pound) and the magazine hinted slightly towards what the story was about I decided to give it a go and so I bought it. And I'm so glad I did… "The ...
...we give some clues about the book on the jacket but in this case we think that would spoil the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about" The cover of the book. (I thought it was worth putting in as the book is hard to describe) The cover then goes on to mention that if you do read the book you will go on a journey with a nine year old boy and sooner or later you will arrive at a fence. (This is not a ...

bluejules 13.06.2006 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

...by CIAO and placed in the section of children's books. Although, the story is seen through the eyes of a child, its purpose and meaning would only be of significance to adults.* It's going to prove to be quite difficult to review this book, as it's a book that is best read without first being given any clues to the actual story. It's a simple story with a simple message, that will haunt your mind for sometime after. The books cover is plain and ...
...Perhaps not modestly enough, on the books sleeve it states: "The story of the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the cover, but in this case we think it would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what its about" I have to admit it was the air of mystery, that persuaded me to purchase the book. Curiosity got the better of ...

hlmccarron 23.02.2007 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

"The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" is the story of Bruno, a nine year old whose life is turned upside down when he returns home from school one afternoon to find the family maid hurriedly packing his clothes. He learns that the family - Bruno, his mother, his "hopeless case" twelve-year old sister and his father are leaving Berlin and moving to a place he knows only as "Out-With" for what is described as "the foreseeable future". When Bruno realises ...
...nine year old remarkably similar. The boy, however, is on the other side of a fence..... I have read reviews that mention that some versions of this book are deliberately vague about the story between the covers but I bought the paperback version that shows a section of a photograph of a child wearing a pair of pyjamas made from a coarse striped cloth. If you know anything about the holocaust and the Second World War, it will be instantly recognisable ...

fizzytom 21.07.2007 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

I read 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' as a recommendation from my friend, and found out after, that lots of people I knew had read it also. This I found quite unusual, as it is essentially a children's book, albeit dealling with adult themes, issues and so forth. I read it in one sitting and would thoroughly recommend it. This is a very accessible book, tenderly written by John Boyne - who has written other acclaimed children's books (such as ...
...a children's book - as the story unfolds, it's themes resonate more with adults, as I'm not sure if a reader of nine years old could fully apprecaite the profundity of what happens. The publishers have a made a conscious decision not to reveal anything about this book - as the unknown journey has far more impact than if you knew the location, plot and themes. However, I read the paperback version, and inside the front cover are extracts of reviews, ...

MarcoG 13.04.2007 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

...from friends has been that the book tells the story better than the film. More than likely anyone who reads this review will be shouting at the PC telling me the film is the better bet!! This is the fourth novel that John Boyne has written, but the first children`s novel. But before I tell you my thoughts about the book, maybe it would be a good idea to walk so far down the story path..... In an affluent home in Berlin, 9 year old Bruno and his ...
...onwards life is never quite the same again. Bruno`s Father has been given a new title , Commandant-no less, and a smart new uniform to go with it. But Bruno`s Fathers promotion means that the family have to move to a new home in a place strangely named `Out With`. Bruno soon finds himself longing for the comfort of the friends and family that he has been forced to leave behind in Berlin. His sister is getting on with her life, but his parents ...

Sarahjh1 22.11.2008 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

...for several reasons. Firstly, the blurb of this book simply invites you to go on a journey with Bruno, a nine year old boy. The publishers make it clear that having advance knowledge of any detail of Bruno's journey 'would spoil the reading of the book'. This is the way I read the story and I have to agree with the publishers. I think that prior knowledge of the plot would have activated my critical faculties and spoilt my reading of the book. I ...
...you really want to experience the power of this tale then you should not seek to know any more details about the plot. In fact, you probably shouldn't read this review any further! Be reassured, though: read this way the tale is engaging and very likely to hook you. For those who would like to know the plot, please see the spoilers at the bottom. The whole tale of Bruno's discoveries raises a second issue that will affect different readers in different ...

brokenangelkisses 12.10.2008 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

...movie called 'The boy in the striped pyjamas'. I thought it looked interesting and a little different and made a mental note to look out for it doing the rounds. However, this week hubby arrived home from work with a paperback copy of the original book and I sat down to read it instead, unsure of quite what I would find. This book is classified as a children's book and that was evident from the start. However I do not mean that in any sort of derogatory ...
...a boy relating most of the story this seems perfectly normal. Bruno is the young German narrator who in 1942 is just nine years old. He has a comfortable family life in Berlin living in relative wealth and luxury. His Father who is a German Officer is destined for great things and he shares his home also with his mother and his twelve year old sister, plus an assortment of staff. Everyone is moved from this stability when Bruno's father is promoted ...

grafter123 22.10.2008 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

I have been fascinated with the Holocaust since my Mum introduced me to The Diary of Anne Frank when I was a teenager. I have continued to read biographies, autobiographies and historical books about the period as I have grown up and into middle age. When The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas came out as a film last year, I hoped to go to see it, but didn't get round to it. So I bought the book recently, which is currently only £3.49 at Amazon UK. It is ...
...it is suggested. The basic story focuses on a nine-year-old boy called Bruno who lives in Berlin with his parents and older sister. In many ways, he's an ordinary little boy. He likes playing with his friends, he dislikes his sister and he sometimes tires of the rules his parents impose on him. The story is told from Bruno's point of view, so we soon empathise with him. After a happy life in Berlin, the family shortly have to move to a new house ...

KarenUK 18.02.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

It was seeing adverts for the film version of this that made me want to pick up the book and read it before seeing the film - I'm a big believer in the fact that the book version of most things is usually more detailed and interesting that the film, so I tend to like to read it first. Now, picking up a copy of this book, there isn't a lot about the cover to tell you what the story is about - there are various covers, including one depicting an image ...
...and white horizontal stripes on the front cover, with the book title and the authors name. The blurb on the back is very vague too, simply letting us know that Bruno's life is to be disrupted through a move of house, and that he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences. Still pretty vague - so I figured I'd better read the book . Bruno ...

Thehonesttruth 11.10.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

...which I was thinking about the whole time. It was so difficult to put down and because it is so short I read it within an afternoon. The story revolves around a child called Bruno, who is moved to Poland from Berlin because of his father's job as a commandant at Auschwitz. Bruno doesn't realise what is going on around him and his innocence is charming yet disturbing. When he moves to his new house next to Auschwitz he hates what he has come to, not ...
...on "the other side of the fence" in what he calls stripey pyjamas. His dreams of becoming an explorer lead him to venture out one day and discover what is the other side of this fence and who the people are. This is where he meets a young Jewish prisoner of the same age with the same birthday, Schmuel, and the two become best friends and meet on opposite sides of the fence. It is moving how their relationship progresses and Bruno's innocence shields ...

escargot86 11.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne