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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (Definitions) | 
| Author: John Boyne
Publisher: Definitions
Category: Book
List Price: £6.99
Buy New: £3.49
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Avg. Customer Rating:  191 reviews
Sales Rank: 20
Media: Paperback
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.6
ISBN: 1862305277
EAN: 9781862305274
ASIN: 1862305277
Publication Date: September 11, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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Amazon.co.uk Review
John Boyne's The Boy in Striped Pyjamas will no doubt acquire many readers as a result of the subsequent film of the novel, but viewers of the latter would do themselves a favour by going back to the spare and powerfully affecting original book. Bruno is nine years old, and the Nazis’ horrific Final Solution to the âJewish Problem’ means nothing to him. He's completely unaware of the barbarity of Germany under Hitler, and is more concerned by his move from his well-appointed house in Berlin to a far less salubrious area where he finds himself with nothing to do. Then he meets a boy called Shmuel who lives a very different life from him -- a life on the opposite side of a wire fence. And Shmuel is the eponymous boy in the striped pyjamas, as are all the other people on the other side of the fence. The friendship between the two boys begins to grow, but for Bruno it is a journey from blissful ignorance to a painful knowledge. And he will find that this learning process carries, for him, a daunting price. A legion of books have attempted to evoke the horrors of the Second World War, but in this concise and perfectly honed novel, all of the effects that John Boyne creates are allowed to make a maximum impact in a relatively understated fashion (given the enormity of the situation here). The Boy in Striped Pyjamas is also that rare thing: a novel which can affect both children and adults equally; a worthy successor, in fact, to such masterpieces as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in the Rye -- both, of course, books, dealing (as does this one) with the loss of innocence. --Barry Forshaw
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| Customer Reviews: Read 186 more reviews...
 Some wry irony but a little lightweight for the subject November 17, 2008
This is a very simply written short novel describing Auschwitz from the perspective of a nine year old boy. The writing is clear and very easy to read, divided into short chapters, some wry irony throughout. However, I personally felt that the naivety of the boy was somewhat overplayed: would a nine year old really be so unaware? Some of the boy's language and mispronounciation producing puns that only work in English, such as 'Fury' and 'Out with', I found a bit contrived and the constant repetition began to grate. I'm not sure I could really believe the storyline, although the ironic impact of the ending was strong. It provided a much lighter treatment of the subject than offered by Primo Levi and Ken Keneally for example, but because of this the book is somewhat lightweight and lacking impact. However, it is still an easy and thoughtful read.
 Just read it November 15, 2008
I'm going to keep this review simple: just read this book. Do yourself a favour, and grab it before the story is ruined by any movie trailers/previews etc...
I too finished the book in 2 days, and will risk spoiling a lot by mentioning anything other than it's about the holocaust, and a friendship between two young boys. AMAZING STUFF.
The Boy In Striped Pyjammas November 15, 2008
I was reccomended this book by a friend who's really in to books set during wartimes. We don't often find that we like the same stories as i'm more in to thrillers and fantasy. However, I gave the book a shot and I'm glad I did. It was a very easy read but i think that made the story all that more effective. The narrotor, you see, is a young boy and the great saddness of his story and his time is intensified when seen through his naive eyes.
This book is one which leaves the reader stunned, thinking for a long while after, moved and leaking tears.
I reccomend that you read it and, if you like it, read 'The Book Thief'. Another book I was advised to read, by my Grandad this time, and found it so unbelievably detailed, passionately written, effective, and movcing that i was blubbering for days.
Laura Gray, 15.
Absorbing yet inplausible November 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I found it hard to believe that a child of Bruno's age could be so unaware of what was taking place in Nazi Germany. He seemed to have never noticed Jews wearing the Stars of David on the streets, nor even to have heard the word Jew until he hears it from Shmuel. He meets Adolf Hitler and is underwhelmed by him. Given that his father is a high-ranking official in the Nazi regime this seems unlikely and it somewhat undermined the book's credibility for me.
Also the fact that he befriends Shmuel for over a year is a farce. Any one who has studied the Holocaust knows that Jewish children were killed as soon as they entered the concentration camps.
Nevertheless, it is an absorbing book to read. The ending brutal. Throughout the book you know that this story cannot end happily and you are steeling yourself for various outcomes. Having said that, I didn't see the one that came... and it hit me hard!!
This is a quick and easy book to read, but I don't think I will forget it easily.
Boy in the striped Pyjamas November 13, 2008
Unfortunatley, I have not been gifted with the best imagination and therefore often lose interest in many books I read. Not in this case I could not put it down. I loved it from page one. It was written so brilliantly through the eyes of this innocent young boy and yet leaving you under no illusions as to what exactly is going on. I have already passed it on to 3 of my friends who have all loved it as much as I have. Definately the best book I have read. Best read without finding out any information on the book or storyline allowing you to take this journey with Bruno with no preconceptions. The Film based on the book recently released comes nowhere close to the greatness of this book, do not see it first!
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