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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

By: John Boyne
Narrated by: Michael Maloney
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Nine-year-old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution or the Holocaust. He is oblivious 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.

 20th Century Action & Adventure Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Heartfelt Inspiring Tear-jerking
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All the Broken Places cover art
All the Broken Places By: John Boyne

Critic reviews

A small wonder of a book... A particular historical moment, one that cannot be told too often
The Holocaust as a subject insists on respect, precludes criticism, prefers silence.One thing is clear: this book will not go gently into any good night
An extraordinary tale of friendship and the horrors of war...Raw literary talent at its best
A book that lingers in the mind for quite some time...A subtle, calculatedly simple and ultimately moving story
Simply written and highly memorable.There are no monstrosities on the page but the true horror is all the more potent for being implicit
Stays ahead of its readers before delivering its killer-punch final pages
Full of shocking juxtapositions and leads to a horrifying denouement ... this is a deeply affecting novel.
A very human and profoundly moving introduction to one of the darkest moments in history.
All stars
Most relevant
When I read some of the rather angry reactions to this book that have appeared on sites like Goodreads coupled with the effusive praise that the majority of readers documented for it I thought I saw the signs of intriguing literature in The Boy With Striped Pyjamas. Even though it's billed as a Young Adult book I thought that to have provoked so much strong reaction there must be a lot of interest even to us (ahem!) older sorts too.

So that's how I found myself being carried along inside the mind of nine year old Bruno who did seem to come across as younger to me. A bit too innocent and naive maybe. Then again the book is described as a fable and that's exactly what it turns out to be. It's a moving story of childish curiosity and innocence being thrown hard up against the wall of the worst sort of evil that mankind has produced.

It really does take liberties with the history though and as the author and publisher explain in a fascinating interview at the end this was deliberate and why they billed it as a fable. There are obvious question marks over the approach and whether it weakens the historical message of the holocaust and these nagged at me all the way through. However, in that final interview Boyne very eloquently talks through his reasoning and gives a largely compelling case for his approach though it won't satisfy everyone.

If you accept the nature of a fable for this story though it's a moving, almost heartbreaking tale with a very dramatic ending that juxtaposes justice and injustice into a single tragic event. If you accept this for what it is you will be rewarded with an emotional and thought-provoking story.

I'm Now The Man With Striped Feelings!

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one of the most addictive and wonderful stories I've read. told in true innocence of a child. fabulous story.

amazing

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Well written and will narrated. Incredibly sad story 💔. Read/listened with my teenage son - moved.

Must Read

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very easy to follow and captivating. lovely story for different generations. strongly recommended it !

Couldn't stop listen to it!!!

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This book can be enjoyed by both adults and children alike. It acts a good starting point for children learning about the war and the unchecked capabilities of humanity. For adults it humanises and individualises what is often talked about as an event involving groups of people who's individual perspectives are not discussed. The book is very short, but loses nothing in magnitude!

Excellent story & enlightening interview with author

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