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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 ... Read review
John Boyne'sThe Boy in Striped Pyjamaswill no doubt acquire many readers as a result of ... more
the subsequent film of the novel, but viewers of the latter would do themselves a favour by going back to the spare and powerfully affecting original book. Bruno is...
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John Boyne's The Boy in Striped Pyjamas will no doubt acquire many readers as a result of ... more
the subsequent film of the novel, but viewers of the latter would do themselves a favour by going back to the spare and powerfully affecting original book. Bruno ...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: Free!
John Boyne'sThe Boy in Striped Pyjamaswill no doubt acquire many readers as a result of ... more
the subsequent film of the novel, but viewers of the latter would do themselves a favour by going back to the spare and powerfully affecting original book. Bruno is...
Postage & Packaging: Check Site. Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
John Boyne'sThe Boy in Striped Pyjamaswill no doubt acquire many readers as a result of ... more
the subsequent film of the novel, but viewers of the latter would do themselves a favour by going back to the spare and powerfully affecting original book. Bruno is...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The story of "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" is very difficult to describe. Usually we ... more
give some clues about the book on the cover but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read wit...
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Nine-year-old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution or the Holocaust. He is oblivious ... more
to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a h...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: in stock
John Boyne's The Boy in Striped Pyjamas will no doubt acquire many readers as a result of ... more
the subsequent film of the novel, but viewers of the latter would do themselves a favour by going back to the spare and powerfully affecting original book. Bruno ...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: Check Site.
Nine year old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious ... more
to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no-one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who like the other people there wears a uniform of striped pyjamas. Bruno's friendship with Shmuel will take him from innocence to revelation. And in exploring what he is unwittingly a part of he will inevitably become subsumed by the terrible process.
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It is Berlin year 1942. When Bruno returns home from school one day he discovers that ... more
his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance. But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment 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.
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
Reviews of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne »
1-5 of 33 reviews of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
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Life on the Other Side
Advantages: A clever concept, well-told, absorbing characterisation. Disadvantages: Somewhat contrived in places, perhaps lacking the impact it should have.
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 ... .../>
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 ... more
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 horrors without exploiting them for emotional impact.
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 by the author. However, later editions and the release of the film have seen more of the premise laid out in advance, and I will follow that lead.
Bruno is a nine year-old boy - and, we gather, a fairly privileged one at that. He lives in a grand house in Berlin and is used to the attentions of maids and servants - as we join the story, though, all this is about to change, much to our protagonist's chagrin. In line with the 'big things' expected of his father, a high-ranking soldier, Bruno's family are being transported away from the hustle and bustle of the capital to a most peculiar place. In the middle of nowhere stands the house which Bruno will come to call home, isolated and cut off from the rest of the world.
All around the house lies a garden, and whilst one can walk as far as they want into the forests in one direction, in the other a great fence blocks the way, and extends in either direction as far as the eye can see. Bruno, bored of his new home and being an explorer at heart, takes off to find out where the fence goes. In time, he comes across a boy much like him sitting on the opposite side of the divide - this is Shmuel, and the relationship that the two boys form across a gulf that is tiny in physical terms but irrevocably vast in other, more dominant ways is the tale at the heart of this book.
Knowing that this is a book about the Second World War which starts out set in Germany, we can piece together most of the semi-buried secrets of the novel with relative ease. Where Bruno talks of his new home at 'Out-With', we soon comprehend the place he means; likewise few will struggle to make sense of "the two words Bruno must say" whenever he greets a soldier - similar devices throughout the story keep the truth partially, barely obscured. This is a curious choice by the author; hard to work out whether it is done to keep the reader guessing a little or to convey Bruno's innocence and lack of understanding of what is going on around him. It's probably closer to the latter, although the way in which the narrative (third-person, but privy to the workings of Bruno's mind) attempts to disguise what is really being discussed often feels artificial, sometimes denying the characters convincing, natural speech.
Where The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas works extremely well is in its use of the two boys to illustrate the prevailing issues of the wider conflict; Bruno and Shmuel are a microcosm of the barbaric inequality of their society, two essentially very similar children going through very different, although in some ways parallel, experiences. In keeping with the rest of the book, Boyne chooses to present the differences between the two boys solely from Bruno's perspective; they are not a German and a Jew to him, and as such, he can't understand why they are kept apart; why Shmuel, like the others on his side of the fence, wears the eponymous striped pyjamas; or why those, like his father, who are so kind to him, are so cruel to Shmuel.
Bruno's innocence and ignorance of the prevailing conditions he lives in have attracted some criticism - as have other aspects of the book - for their historical inaccuracies. There's almost certainly truth in this; a nine year-old German child, especially a son of a high-ranking official, would surely have been thoroughly indoctrinated with the ideologies of the Hitler Youth - and even if he chose not to believe in such things, it seems implausible that Bruno would not be aware of the lines drawn between his people and the Jewish. In defence of the novel, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is not at its heart a historical record - rather, it is in essence almost a parable, a simplified tale intended to emphasise certain points.
However, if we can forgive the novel for overlooking certain details and likelihoods, there are other aspects that weaken the book. The resolution of the story is a strong, effective one that pulls together all the aspects that have gone before into a dramatic conclusion, one which is a apt payoff for the readers' efforts. However, it's all just a little too neat; once the narrative reaches a certain stage, it's as if Boyne engages endgame and steams ahead, barely pausing en route. In the author's apparent keenness to reach the ending and top his novel off with a big-hitting finale, everything just seems a bit too convenient, with all the component parts falling into place in order, paving the way for the denouement to take place. Although this is a short book in any case, and the author never spends excessive lengths of time developing character and plot, this final section feels a fraction contrived. This fits well enough if we see the story as a parable and nothing else, but there's too much novel here as well for this to sit comfortably with the reader.
There is an awful lot of good in the novel, though. Bruno is a character who really finds his voice after a shaky first chapter or two, and is surrounded by a convincing, well-written family. Although occasionally frustrating, the way in which the book hints at the surrounding atrocities is an effective one, allowing the majority of the horrors to unfold in the readers' imaginations. The author himself has said that this is both an adult's book and one for children - I think younger readers may get more out of it, although it's an interesting, well-written perspective on a thoroughly-documented subject for readers of all ages - although not without its flaws, it's a worthwhile read, and merits a look alongside other comparable war novels.
Advantages: mysterious, attractive cover, some strong characters Disadvantages: takes some concentration
...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
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
Advantages: An enjoyable and original, yet hard hitting account of the Holocaust Disadvantages: It's a tad short, but ultimately doesn't suffer for it
...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
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
Advantages: Simply brilliantly realised short read Disadvantages: Yes it is short, and the film trailers are telling everyone what it's about
...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
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
Advantages: Cleverly thought out, easy reading Disadvantages: The main character could be brighter...
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)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
Advantages: Simple, wonderfully written Disadvantages: Sad
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
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Advantages: riveting, human story Disadvantages: sting in the tail
I picked this book up by accident really, knowing nothing of the story and found that I couldn't put it down. I initially thought that the naive and simplistic writing style had been adopted in order to portray the perspective of the main character, Bruno a 9 year old German boy. What I didn't realise is that the book was initially written for children and the style may also have been adopted in order to make it more accessible to this group. Whatever the reason, it works and transports you to the world of this displaced little boy.
It weaves the story of Bruno a 9 year old boy, his sister Gretel who is 12 and their parents. Bruno's father is a german officer who is posted to "out-with" for the forseeable future. they leave their comfortable life in Berlin and exchange it for life in a house on the perimeter fence of Auschwitz ...
Product Information for "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne" »
Product details
EAN
9781862305274
Type
Fiction
Genre
Children's, Modern Fiction
Title
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Author
John Boyne
Release Date
11 Sep 2008
ISBN
1862305277, 038560940X; 0385610319; 1862303495
Original Release Year
2006
Manufacturer's product description
This work was set in Berlin, 1942. When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance. But, Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than what meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, 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. See all Product Description
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