A film and a book about Germany
The Reader
My book/film group went to see this - I will admit to not being particularly enthusiastic about the choice, but found it absorbing - at least until the last half hour when my mind began to wander. It could have done with some editing and the removal of pointless family scenes.
Ralph Fiennes did have very twinkly eyes but Kate Winslet's old lady make-up was truly awful and made it impossible for me to believe in her at that point. I was also annoyed by the accents - half the cast had German accents and yet all the books were in English. Reading aloud - in German - is the central theme of the story and yet that aspect was removed from the film. We know they are meant to be German - putting on an accent just makes it sound as though they are trying too hard.
The story itself was quite thought provoking, especially about how a nation faces up to its past, but I would have like to have seen more of Hanna's own thoughts about her past. She never explains her actions and I think that was an omission.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This was my gift in the book group Secret Santa. I'd been meaning to read it for a while and zipped through it at a fairly brisk pace.
I think it is classed as a book for Young Adults - I think it's too heavy going for younger children, but I found it absorbing and beautifully written. I liked having Death as a narrator - there is a detachment from the human characters that allow them to be observed with honesty and compassion and Death's understated comments on the sheer numbers of dead during the Second World War bring home how horrific it was.
The imagery is lovely and the characterisation is excellent - I really enjoyed it and I think it's going to stay with me for a while.