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What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

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Original poster

Ok not adult fiction but has anyone read Boy in the Striped Pjamas?

44 replies

RachieW · 17/04/2009 19:06

Was hoping someone has as I don't know of any friends who've read it and need to know if anyone else was completely surprised by the ending?

I just finished it last night and until the last few chapters thought it was an ok book but the ending blew me away and now I think it's brilliant. I was just so shocked by the end in both a, wow I never expected that, way and also by the whole chill factor. I've been thinking about it all day.

OP posts:

duchesse · 17/04/2009 19:15

I have, and all my children have too. I must admit I had a feeling of dread throughout but didn't really see the ending coming. I thought he might swap with his friend. I do think it raises some very interesting issues though- we become really emotionally involved with Bruno, without really stopping to think that every single person killed during the holocaust was a Bruno to someone. Really fab book.

SouthernMeerkat · 17/04/2009 19:59

I have read it - I didn't think it was that good a novel - very little depth to the characters and I found it rather difficult to believe that the children didn't think their circumstances were more odd than they were (IYSWIM - very tired, can't elucidate clearly!).
And, I did see the ending coming, which was obviously tragic, and probably rescued it from being a rather nondescript book (for me).

psychomum5 · 17/04/2009 20:02

I read the book. was a very easy read (probably to do with it not having very 'deep' characters meerkat), but the ending was a shock, and in fact made me cry!!

I am not wanting to watch the film now I have to say, but then I do find film are very spolied once you have read the book.

DD1 watched the film, she said it was hard watching.

Original poster

RachieW · 17/04/2009 20:03

I didn't have a clue at all, to be honest I thought that the ending would be that Bruno would find out what 'Out-with' really was and would hate his Father. That was until he and Schumel got caught in the march and then I thought 'no this won't happen'.

You're right though, as a reader you do become emotionally involved with Bruno so it's so shocking when he is gased. But then that's also what chilled me today, that I was so horrified about what happened to him but like you say everyone in the holocaust was a Bruno. That's not to say I'm not horrified by the holocaust, I just think it's so cleverly written that it makes you challenge yourself as well by the saddness you feel for Bruno. I really like the way it's 'out-with' and 'the Fury', such a childlike innocence.

It's just one of those books the more I think about it the more I realise how clever and well written it is.

OP posts:

Original poster

RachieW · 17/04/2009 20:07

I know what you mean Meerkat, I was thinking it was just ok as I read it and like I just posted thought the ending would just be that he found out the truth so pretty bland. But then the end rescued it for me.

I don't think I want to watch the film for the same reasons as Psycho and am really glad that having a new ds stopped me from going to watch it and gave me the chance to read the book first.

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roisin · 17/04/2009 20:10

I didn't like it at all. I think the writing is poor and the plot is impossible. It lacks the necessary historical accuracy that comes from adequate research appropriate to a book in this setting, as a result it doesn't have the approval of the holocaust society.

I liked the film even less.

isittooearlyforgin · 17/04/2009 20:10

i couldn't put it down and my jaw literally dropped at the ending - couldn't see it coming at all. think that the easy to readness of it fooled the reader (mor at least me)into a false sense of security plus i thought it was the child's perspective which is why it wasn't very deep. will stay with me for a long time

singersgirl · 17/04/2009 20:12

I agree with Roisin. Not only was the plot impossible, the lack of understanding demonstrated by Bruno seems implausible, given his age and the circumstances.

thisisyesterday · 17/04/2009 20:18

I thought it was crap tbh
even for a child

the plot was ridiculously implausible. if you have no prior knowledge of the war and the concentration camps then this certainly wouldn't expand on that, and as such I'm at a loss as to why anyone would bother giving it to a child to read

thisisyesterday · 17/04/2009 20:19

i can't believe anyone thought it was good enough to make it into a film

Original poster

RachieW · 17/04/2009 20:32

Yes I'd agree it's not historically accurate, although I don't profess to be an expert on the holocaust or WW2. I'd also agree that it would never have happened and that Bruno did seem very naive for a 9 yr old. However I'll stand by what I said, the shock ending is what blew me away.

I know what you mean about being a child's book though yesterday. I was wondering last night what age it would be for? A friend who is a yr 5 teacher is starting to teach WW 2 and had asked me if I had good idea for a class novel to read (Goodnight Mr Tom was my suggestion). However I did wonder about this book but having read it I don't think it would be appropriate as like you say it requires prior knowledge of the war. Maybe it's more for children who have read books like 'The Diary of Anne Frank' and having studied WW2 have taken an interest?

OP posts:

psychomum5 · 17/04/2009 20:39

I don;t think it was crap.

it wasn;t deep no, but it was readable, and TBH, soemthing readable that gets someones attention, and then leads them to read something deeper, is actually good.

SouthernMeerkat · 17/04/2009 20:45

Roisin and Singersgirl said what I was so ineloquently trying to say - that I didn't find Bruno plausible enough to feel emotionally involved, and that I didn't think it was well researched and therefore accurate.

noonki · 17/04/2009 20:51

I bought it for dss and it gave him nightmares. I then read it and thought that the simplicity was part of it's strength.

The film was much tougher viewing.

But I think you also have to remember that it is only recently that people think that children should have anything explained to them. My mum was a child in Poland during the war and grew up with parents who were active in Solidarnosc. they were told nothing about the difficulties for fear that they would speak out of turn.

She had a huge picture of stalin above her bed for 3 years that she kissed goodnight, her parents didnt take it down in case she mentionned it to her teachers. (And my great uncle was killed by Stalin's army)

anyway my point is it that it was written as a child sees things, which in a time with little radio and no tv was predominately what they were told by their parents.

psychomum5 · 17/04/2009 20:57

you know what, I know you are all saying it is historically incorrect, but surely that is only from our point of view as english women (in the main......at least, we are looking at it from leanring about it from an english point of view).

we truly have no idea, nor ever will have, at seeing it all from a 9yr old boy (german boy at that) point of view.

thisisyesterday · 17/04/2009 20:58

but it is aimed at children or young teens isn't it?

and with no prior knowledge of the war then the book makes NO sense. the references to "the Fury" and "outwith" are meaningless unless you already know what they mean.

thisisyesterday · 17/04/2009 20:59

no, the biggest inaccuracy in it IMO is that anyone would have been able to get up to the fence like that to talk to prisoners.

it just didn't happen. there weren't bits of it that just happened to be unguarded.
people couldn't just lift bits of fence up... if they could they'd have got out.

psychomum5 · 17/04/2009 21:02

is it tho??

I saw it in the adults best seller list and bought it, then saw it in the teens/childrens section.

I do agree that the terms 'the fury' and 'out with' would make no sense unless you have sme prior knowledge, but then, I am not sure that any child would be able to have the abilty to read it unless they had read (or learnt at school) something about it anyway.

but, if they did happen upon it bfore learning the real terms, I would like to think they would then go ask their parents, and so open a discussion about it and then learning in the process.

Pollyanna · 17/04/2009 21:02

I thought it was crap too. I bought it for ds and read it first, and then didn't let him read it as I thought it would be too upsetting for him. I haven't seen the film.

psychomum5 · 17/04/2009 21:05

how do we know that tho (about the fence thing??).

they might have been so damn scared that they would never have tried.

the ones that might have tried would have been caught and killed.

we really and truly will never ever ever know the full story of the houlocaust as it is so fucking dreadful some cannot speak about it to this day, and of the ones that could tell us the real deal, died!

thisisyesterday · 17/04/2009 21:12

because survivors have told us, and because people saw it when it was liberated, and because a lot of it is still standing
the whole of auschwitz wasn't obliterated or anything.

we know a LOT of fact about it. and this just wouldn't have been able to happen

thisisyesterday · 17/04/2009 21:14

i'd recommend "if this is a man" by Primo Levi to anyone interested in Auschwitz btw.
fantastic book

isittooearlyforgin · 17/04/2009 21:18

i agree with psychomum. i thought it reminded me of The dog in the night quite a lot (which i also liked)

psychomum5 · 17/04/2009 21:19

ah, but as a book to get people interested, and as an easy read by someone whose head is too full of allergies and immune deficiancies, I found it easy and pretty entertaining (until the last few pages!).

and what IS written about it all is still not the full story IMVHO.

stories like that are 50% one side, 50% the other side, and then the absolute truth, which can never be established by anyone as we all see things differently.

I agree that it is an unlikely story, but it was never marketed as fact anyway.

and for a really good look at the war from a childs point of view (albeit a jewish childs point of view), I found 'hidden children' to be very very good.

noonki · 17/04/2009 21:22

the primo levi books should be read by everyone.

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