The Reader

By: Bernhard Schlink, Carol Janeway - translator

Narrated by: Campbell Scott

Hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the listener, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar Germany.

When he falls ill on his way home from school, 15-year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. In time she becomes his lover--then she inexplicably disappears. When Michael next sees her, he is a young law student, and she is on trial for a hideous crime. As he watches her refuse to defend her innocence, Michael gradually realizes that Hanna may be guarding a secret she considers more shameful than murder.

©2008 Bernhard Schlink (P)2008 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"A formally beautiful, disturbing and finally morally devastating novel." ( Los Angeles Times)
"Moving, suggestive and ultimately hopeful. . . . [ The Reader] leaps national boundaries and speaks straight to the heart." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"Arresting, philosophically elegant, morally complex. . . . Mr. Schlink tells his story with marvelous directness and simplicity." ( The New York Times)
"Haunting. . . . What Schlink does best, what makes this novel most memorable, are the small moments of highly charged eroticism." ( Francine Prose, Elle)

Couldn't Stop Listening

This was a great listen. I couldn't stop. I was turning the pages in my head and drawing the scenes with every word. It was great!!!

Great book

I loved this book. The way it’s written you get to understand all sides of the story.

good story, depressing

story was good and original. sad portrayal of human spirit. no redeeming characters. leaves you depressed.

The Reader

I read the book years ago and then I saw the movie but listening to the story being read was the best yet.

Heard it all in once :)

So great to know there is also an audio book. But I found the voice a bit too matter - of-factly. Maybe it was intended.

Not for everyone

The Yahoo group for Audible users highly praised this book, and since it was short and inexpensive, I bought it and listened to it right away. I was not as impressed as some. It's a tenderly told coming-of-age story about some very damaged individuals in Germany, in the decades following WW2. Campbell Scott reads beautifully, without resorting to any dialects, which is refreshing, and the narrative is plaintive but fulfilling. In many ways an autopsy of a society, the novel excuses no one and gives a rare glimpse into the souls of a hapless persons in circumstances beyond their control and understanding.

wonderful experience.

this book deals with one of the most difficult on subjects. very thought-provoking. I find myself still thinking about this book weeks after we finished reading it

I liked it!

I like the book better than the movie! I read it within 3 days. I would definitely recommend it!

a nice twist

I liked this book very much. I listened to it, at first with a bit of distance, then it drew me into the story. By the end I was twisted and conflicted just as the author wanted me to be.

Read it twice

I never read books twice. but I read this twice. it's a simple story for people who enjoy literary fiction and the rawness of real life. also I enjoy the historical context