Audiobook – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
>> Friday, February 13, 2009
Genre: Fiction
Publication Date: 2007
Read by: Michael Maloney
I’ve had this on my TBR list for several months now, but when I heard from Amy at The Sleepy Reader that the audio version included a worthwhile interview with the author, I decided to get the book on CD from the library.
I’m glad I was convinced to get the audio version – I liked the reader and the interview addressed some concerns I had with the book.
It’s the story of Bruno, a 9 year old German boy who has clearly lived a pretty sheltered and privileged life. When Bruno’s family suddenly moves to a place he’s never heard of due to his father’s job, Bruno is quite unhappy to be leaving Berlin and his friends. At their new home he remains unhappy until he goes exploring and meets a boy who wears striped pajamas at a fence. They strike up a friendship and discover their similarities as well as their differences.
It wasn’t hard to figure out what was going to happen, but it was interesting to hear the story from a perspective I hadn’t before.
The character of Bruno is overly naïve and childish for a 9 year old and the repetition of his phrases and misunderstandings can get grating, but these things are there for a reason and ultimately kind of work for the story. I did enjoy the interview with the author at the end of the CD version and was glad I’d opted for this version.
Publication Date: 2007
Read by: Michael Maloney
I’ve had this on my TBR list for several months now, but when I heard from Amy at The Sleepy Reader that the audio version included a worthwhile interview with the author, I decided to get the book on CD from the library.
I’m glad I was convinced to get the audio version – I liked the reader and the interview addressed some concerns I had with the book.
It’s the story of Bruno, a 9 year old German boy who has clearly lived a pretty sheltered and privileged life. When Bruno’s family suddenly moves to a place he’s never heard of due to his father’s job, Bruno is quite unhappy to be leaving Berlin and his friends. At their new home he remains unhappy until he goes exploring and meets a boy who wears striped pajamas at a fence. They strike up a friendship and discover their similarities as well as their differences.
It wasn’t hard to figure out what was going to happen, but it was interesting to hear the story from a perspective I hadn’t before.
The character of Bruno is overly naïve and childish for a 9 year old and the repetition of his phrases and misunderstandings can get grating, but these things are there for a reason and ultimately kind of work for the story. I did enjoy the interview with the author at the end of the CD version and was glad I’d opted for this version.
No stars – I couldn’t even finish it
1 star – I didn’t like it but I managed to finish it.
2 stars – It was OK. Not good, but seriously just OK.
3 stars - I liked it. I didn’t think it was great, but I thought it was good entertainment.
4 stars – I really liked it. I really think you might like it too.
5 stars – It was amazing. I’d recommend this to just about anyone.
9 comments:
I plan to read the book, but maybe I'll pick up the audio so I can listen to the interview afterwards. Or, maybe there's a YouTube clip somewhere. Or an author interview on the website. One way or another, I'll give it a listen.
Do you plan to see the movie?
I listened to this also. I enjoyed the interview with the author, too. I've heard the movie is good. Thanks for the review. B.
I still really need to read this book! I have been planning to since it came out!
Les: The audio version was good - it's short (only 4 cds even with the interview). I don't plan on seeing the movie. I visited Dachau when I was in college. It was quite an emotional experience.
B: I haven't really paid much attention to the movie because I don't plan on seeing it.
Kailana: I do recommend the author interview - Like Les said, it might be available online somewhere. It helped me with some of the things that annoyed me about the book to understand what his intentions were.
I'm always up for a short audio book. I might have to consider that version for this book.
Would it be okay to link to your review on the book reviews page at War Through the Generations?
--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
Anna: sometimes the shorter books lend themselves well to audio. Oh, and of course you can link the review. Thanks for asking.
Thanks! I posted the link here.
--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
If I have a choice of audio or paper, I go with audio. It's because I NEVER run out of paper books...lol!
Anna: thanks!!
J.Kaye: me too - sometimes I can get to the audio versions before the books.
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