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    The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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    The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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    The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
    Audiobook4 hours

    The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

    Written by John Boyne

    Narrated by Michael Maloney

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    BONUS FEATURE: Conversation between the author and the editor, David Fickling.

    Berlin 1942

    When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance.

    But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 26, 2006
    ISBN9780739337066
    Unavailable
    The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
    Author

    John Boyne

    John Boyne is the author of numerous works of fiction, including The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a young adult novel that became an international bestseller and was made into an award-winning film. His books have been translated into forty-six languages, and he is the recipient of two Irish Book Awards, the Bistro Book of the Year award, and numerous international prizes. He lives in Dublin.

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    Reviews for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      In the early 40's, Bruno is a naive nine-year-old boy that lives in Berlin. One day he comes home from school to find the maid packing his things. He discovers that his father has received a promotion and the family needs to move far away. Bruno hates his new home and longs for friends. One day he goes exploring and finds a boy . . . a boy in striped pajamas.I've never read a book on the subject of the Holocaust from this perspective. It was very interesting and well done. Actually, all the characters gave good insight into their individual worlds that helped paint the picture of the time frame. While I was listening, I did feel that Bruno was extremely naive, but after listening to the author's explanation in an interview, I fully understand now. It was a quick read, not light or easy, but one worth reading.Boyne also said in an interview with his publisher that he wrote this novel as a book - not as an adult or children's book, just a book. He believes that classifications are more for where to place a book in a store or library; however, it was published as an adult book. (4/5)Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..."
    • 3/5
      I initially was going to give this 4 stars since I enjoyed the reading, evening though the subject is obviously dark...but the more I thought about it, the more i had problems in part because it didn't even come close to showing how horrible the subject was. The first problem was a minor nag at first, but it grew to something that was grating on me. Boyne uses some word play to put the main character's naivete out on display, but it's incredibly lazy word play that jumped out at me from the start. Bruno, the young boy (I believe 8 at the start of the story) refers to the Fuhrer as "The Fury" and Auschwitz as "Out-With" respectively. There's even acknowledgement that he's mispronouncing both these words. But he's German...he wouldn't have been pronouncing these words in English (and in fact, it's acknowledged he doesn't speak English). The German words for "Fury" and "Out With" sound nothing like the words they were supposed to be. It's lazy and gimmicky. The second problem and definitely the bigger, the focus of the story was on Bruno. Readers I take it are to feel bad for him... but that takes away from the tragedy of his Jewish friend. The third problem was the limited scope of the tragedy. It's largely contained within the story of Bruno and to a lesser extent his friend Schmuel with a couple of small side characters we're made to feel bad about. With Holocaust deniers on the rise and those who lived through the horrors nearly gone, having stories that "introduce" a new generation to one of the most horrific events of modern times in such a limited scope is problematic to me. I don't think Boyne, an Irish writer, had any real commitment to getting across the horrors of the Holocaust, he just used it as an established foundation for a fictional tale. It leads me to feel he was taking a tragedy and manipulating readers for profit.
    • 4/5
      My goodness, what a heart-wrenching book this turned out to be. I was so shocked by the ending!
    • 5/5
      This was a re-read for me. I read this book many years ago, but revisited it. It appears to be an innocent story to a degree. Innocent in the sense that Bruno, a 9 year old boy, is very naive and does not understand what is going on in Germany during the Second World War. He is concerned with having friends and a nice house, he does not know what the "Fury" is planning for "Out-With". His father is the Commandant and is a very important man. The people behind the fence all wear the same striped pajamas and there are a lot of them. He makes friends with Schmuel, also a 9 year old boy and they spend hours every day talking to each other through the fence. Even though Schmuel tells him terrible things that have happened to him over the past while, he still does not seem to understand what is going on. It is really too bad that he does not know, as the future actions of his life depended on that knowledge. A sad story that was made into a move.
    • 4/5
      Sooo sad but so much meaning behind the words.
    • 3/5
      I'm sorry to say that this book did not live up to my expectations. Perhaps it was because I listened to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas so soon after The Diary of Anne Frank. I felt as if the author was trying to manipulate the reader's emotions. There are so many true accounts of the horrors of the Holocaust that this seems like unnecessary exploitation of its millions of victims. I couldn't buy into Bruno's innocence at 10 years old (when the story began). By the end of the book's time line, he would have been nearly old enough to join the Hitler Youth. Given his father's position, it would have been expected. It seems I'm not alone in my reaction to this book, since the author felt it necessary to address such criticisms in an interview that was included at the end of the audiobook.
    • 5/5
      Oh boy. I’m not sure how I hadn’t read this book yet through all my schooling, but I’m so glad I did. It is utterly gut wrenching and that end... I just kept yelling NO! Don’t do it in my head. The story of Bruno and Shmuel will stick with me for a very long time. 5 🌟 for sure.
    • 4/5
      Bruno, a rather simple minded nine year old boy, the son of a concentration camp commandant, makes friends through the fence with Shmuel and you know it won't end well.A very strange read with a very hard to believe in central character, it is still moving.
    • 5/5
      This was a great read, although a sad one. It's about a nine-year-old German boy named Bruno, who is unaware of everything going on in his country during World War II, and the Holocaust. His father gets a new job and they move to another part of Germany to a place he pronounces as Out-With, although the reader knows it as Auschwitz, the concentration camp, where millions of Jews were murdered. He sees the people in striped pajamas outside of his bedroom window, and wonders why they are there. He eventually meets a Jewish boy on the other side of the fence named Schmuel, and they become the best of friends. I know this story is a work of historical fiction, but I don't know if it is believable that a nine-year-old boy would be so naive as to not know what is going on outside of his window.
    • 5/5
      as soon as i realized what was going to happen i cried.
      all i have to say about this book, its just wonderful and tragic
    • 5/5
      Read with my son as part of our WWII/ holocaust studies - we both loved it! He also watched the movie at school too and enjoyed it. I haven't seen the movie yet so can't offer a comparison but I hope to remedy that soon.
    • 4/5
      I have had this book for years and only just got around to reading it last week. I was completely stunned by the ending. I didn't much care for the writing style but got past that. With not knowing anything about the book other than it was about a WWII prison camp, I kept on. When I finished it, I held it in my hands for the longest time just dumbfounded. Your imagination will help fill in what happens after. Brutal and will stay with you.
    • 4/5
      good book, so sad.
    • 2/5
      Firstly, I want to start out by saying I get what Boyne is trying to do: talk about complicity and complacency and ignorance and how it still happens today. I agree it's an important message and I like that he attempted it, but I don't think he was as effective as he thinks he has been.

      I was disappointed in this book. I felt that what made it unique was the confusion about the time and place. Once that was clear, the continued mispronunciations felt contrived to me.

      I do think the text is well structured and I do think it has a good message about genocide, bigotry, and repeating historical horrors over and over again. The world was clear for the most part. I did have some problems with the book, and I am more than a little irritated with the author interview at the end (I listened to the audio version of this book.)

      The boy seemed extremely dense to me. Not just naive, but really, very stupid. I would have found it much more believable if we were talking about a 6 year old. Boyne makes a good point that the atrocities were not well known when they were happening and it took a long time for people to even believe something like that could happen. (To this day many people still don't believe it!) But this story takes place in 1943 when even a child living in Berlin would have to be completely blind to not notice that a lot of people were moving away. I can see that he might be sheltered and not know what was happening to them, but to be oblivious to the fact that something was happening when many of his classmates and neighbors would have disappeared, just doesn't ring true to me. In addition, as a wealthy child, he would be well aware of class: servants aren't the same as "regular" people and yet he expects Schmuel would be welcome in his house despite being dirty and obviously very poor at this point?

      Plus, I find it hard to believe that someone as high up in the Nazi party as his father wouldn't mention Jews and brainwash his children against them. Bruno has never even heard the word before. That makes no sense to me. The fact that he can't pronounce Fuhrer or Auschwitz is a little odd, too, given his age. (Never mind that the plays on words are based on someone who is speaking English--"Out With" which would not have the same meaning in German.)

      But putting that aside, assuming he really is pretty oblivious and goes to a surprisingly segregated school, once he starts talking to Schmuel he should have had an awakening. They talk every single day for a year and yet he doesn't get that Schmuel's life is horrible. What the hell did they talk about? Bruno knows enough to be scared of the Nazi soldier and deny knowing Schmuel but he then still talks about Schmuel coming to visit some day. By 10 years old he should know a prison outfit when he sees one, just from books and movies (which as a rich person he should have seen at points).

      My 16 year old who is in special ed and who is very ignorant listened to the last disk with me and, without knowing what the story was about or what was going on ahead of time, within a short time said, "Is this about concentration camps?" and kept saying, "what a dumb-ass" when he continued to not read perfectly obvious clues.

      What irritated me the most, though, was that in his interview, Boyne said that anyone who criticizes his work because they think Bruno is too naive is being offensive to the memory of the Holocaust and the survivors. Hunh? I can't find fault with particulars of his book without denying the Holocaust? That is offensive. He's not perfect. He didn't win the nobel prize for literature for this book. That's just so obnoxious. It is also not, despite his claims, the first book written from the perspective of a child of a Nazi. I can't remember the name of it but there was a book I read as a teen that did exactly that.

      Anyway, I do think this is an okay book. It was fairly enjoyable to read if you ignore the plot holes (a chain link fence with a hole big enough for a child to get through is not noticed by either the guards or adult survivors?) and the material is different from the standard. I just think it could have been much, much better.
    • 2/5
      This book is a difficult one to review.

      On the one hand, I believe that the book is charmingly portrayed through a child's eyes, that the concept of the book and point of view is an interesting one, that the character of Bruno is (usually) an endearing one, and that the ending is powerful.

      On the other hand, this book is rather flawed. It seems to me that throughout the book, the author delicately tiptoes around the real issues of the Holocaust, preferring, instead, to coat everything in euphemism. Perhaps the reason he does this is because all of the meaning in the book is distilled through Bruno's perceptions of things. And let's face it everyone- Bruno is not a very intelligent 9 year old.

      Does Bruno develop in the course of the novel? He makes a new friend or whatever, but I must say that the ultimate answer is a resounding "no." Does he question his reality in a real way? No, no he does not. He remains mostly innocent and naive until the very end, totally clueless about the reality of things. His experience doesn't change him in any real way that I can glean, and because of that, the book falls flat for me.

      Perhaps the author intends the book to be an allegory of some sort, a "fable" as the back of the book advertises. This makes sense and perhaps on some level it succeeds as such. Ultimately, though, it doesn't work for me. I have been traumatized by too much Holocaust history and literature to be charmed by Bruno's naivete. In many ways, I think that is the only response any author of Holocaust literature can (and should?) attempt to garner from his/her audience- horror, trauma, and intense sadness and pain.

      I can understand the author skirting around the more graphic descriptions of the Holocaust in an attempt to teach children about it and not scare them, and yet, I feel there is a way to do this without whitewashing it, as the book seems to do through Bruno's simplistic perceptions and (kinda dumb) interpretations. I think The Book Thief is a good example of a book which doesn't get too graphic, yet touches upon issues of the Holocaust in a heart-wrenching, mind-bending way.

      I wouldn't say I wouldn't recommend the book per se, but it is not a book I would use to introduce my children to the history of the Holocaust.

    • 4/5
      Holocaust dramas are always gut-wrenchingly sad and John Boyne's The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas is no exception, but what makes the sadness of this novel sting long after the final page is turned is the fact that, while it still displays some of the darkest days in human history, it is shown through the wide, blue eyes of an innocent eight-year-old German boy, named Bruno. The novel follows Bruno and his family as they move from a secure and wealthy life in Berlin to the forlorn and desolate Polish countryside where his SS Officer father has been promoted to commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp. Bruno, who wants to be an explorer, is immediately curious when he sees a 'farm' out of his bedroom window. However, he is forbidden from investigating further by his mother, who is well aware of who the 'strange' children are that Bruno wishes to play with. Of course, being a precocious eight-year-old, Bruno ignores her and ventures through the woods where he comes across Schmuel, an eight-year-old Jewish boy, with whom he forms an intense friendship that is not hindered by racial prejudices and hatred, despite many attempts by Bruno's anti-Semitic tutor to convince him otherwise. The dramatic climax to this heart wrenching tale is nothing short of amazing and will leave audiences both astounded and devastated. Bruno, being eight, has a very innocent and naive perception of the world; however, throughout the novel after many short, but poignant exchanges with Schmuel and Paval, Bruno begins to understand more about the world around him and his innocent view begins to change. Bruno is lied to by many people in his life and in a way Schmuel is one of them. He has already faced some of life's harshest realities, and in some ways protects Bruno from having to confront these issues. Although, there are still many occasions where Bruno portrays his innocence and does not seem to comprehend the severity of Schmuel’s situation. As the novel is centred around Bruno’s subjective view of the world there are many events which take place that he may not observe or comprehend. In some cases this limits what can be said and what must be implied to the audience. Sometimes Bruno’s information can be wrong; it is up to the audience to work this out. This invites the audience to feel sympathy for Bruno, Schmuel, Paval and Bruno’s mother who are all, along with millions of others, victims of one of the darkest and most brutal times in human history. Bruno’s world is filled with secrets and lies; he is lied to by his parents who are lying to each other and, most of all, to themselves. Bruno’s father is forced to keep secret the real purpose of the camp and Bruno’s mother seems to be unaware, or unwilling to admit to herself, what is actually happening at the camp.The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas is a masterpiece; it is gripping, heartbreaking and teaches audiences that sometimes the things that divide us can also unite us. Do yourself a favour once you finish reading this: eat some chocolate, grab some tissues and watch the movie. It is one of the best movie adaptations I have seen in a long time with a cast that brings this marvellous, haunting novel to life.
    • 4/5
      Finished it last night. Could not stop reading the last 100 pages. It is a book that once you've read it keeps you thinking about it.

      The first thing I did this morning was visiting amazon to see what others were saying about the book.
      Very interesting. People that hated it, they forget it is a fable, not written as non fiction.
      Well I thought it was great.
    • 5/5
      Oh, my goodness. Thia book had me sobbing by the end. It's a good thing I listened to it instead of "reading" it, as otherwise I don't think I'd have been able to continue reading. It just broke my heart to see a small child try to make sense of the insanity that was Hitler's "solution". Highly recommend--though I'm afraid to see the movie. They never seem to do the book justice.
    • 4/5
      Very touching indeed, although I have to agree to a certain point with what people have said here before: the narrator's naivety is unreliable and (sorry to say that) seems calculated by the author.
      Nevertheless it doesn't take away the horror of the story...
    • 5/5
      Very gripping and emotional book. Excellent writing. I believe an important book for everyone to read.
    • 3/5
      The holocaust as seen through the innocent eyes of the young son of a commandant of Auschwitz. Although it was engaging, I must say that the movie adaptation was much better.
    • 5/5
      Lovely and sad. A good book club choice for kids who are starting to learn about the Holocaust.
    • 5/5
      An achingly tragic story, with the child's point of view adding to the poignancy of the story in a way that that of a knowing adult never could. I cannot describe the ending - and will not, for the sake of anyone reading this review who has not yet read the book.
    • 5/5
      A delightful charming account of one boys childhood. Bruno describes his family much as any boy would, a mother and father whom he loves but who enforce rules that they themselves don't seem to care for, a big sister who thinks she's more than she actually is and a job his father does that cannot actually be explained. He's not a greengrocer or a butcher or anything else Bruno knows the definition of. He's a comandant and the fury has big plans for him. What those plans are, Bruno could never possibly know and when the family is forced to move to out-with,k he suspects that his father has perhaps made the fury angry. The story is charming in it's simplicity, and horrifying in that the author never actually tells you anything. John Boyne is either really lucky or really clever in that nothing he could write in this book could be more horifying than to touch on things with childlike innocence without ever explaining them. The soldiers use words he doesn't want to repeat, one of them does something terrible to a Jewish man that he can't even begin to hint at, and they live at out-with where Bruno can see a fence from his bedroom window and beyond that everyone wears striped pajamas. The simplicity which these events are layed out is beautiful and descriptive without biasing you one way or another, but the knowledge you cannot help but have garnered by the time you're capable of reading this book is enough to chill your blood. And if there's something you don't understand, and there probably is one thing in there that you wont, then it doesn't matter because the story is told through the eyes of someone who doesn't understand it either. You don't need to know everything about the camps or the natzis, because even if you can't fill in the gaps, the conclusion rounds it off perfectly.Finally the book ends with a wish, "Of course, all this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day and age." I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is learning about the holocaust and to anyone exhibiting any signs of racism. It is a beautiful teaching tool, with a beautiful message, such as when the comandants son has his head shaved and puts on those striped pajamas and Smuel thinks that maybe the two boys are the same afterall. Deffinately one of those books that everyone must read before they die, and deffinately one that should be required reading in schools.
    • 5/5
      The topic of the Holocaust has always interested me. I've read many other books on this subject, but The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was, by far, one of the best. John Boyne is a talented writer, and definitely showed his knowledge of history through this book. Soon after I finished the book, I watched the movie. The producers of that movie did a phenomenal job (so good that I cried- who couldn't??). I remember starting this book and thinking it would probably be sad, but it's our history. I definitely think this is a must read for anyone interested in the Holocaust and doesn't mind some pretty disturbing things. Some people regret to think the Holocaust ever happened. Unfortunately, we know this isn't true.
    • 4/5
      Bruno is the 9-year-old son of a Nazi officer during WWII. His father is transferred from Berlin to Auschwitz and he takes his family with him. Bruno misses their home and his friends and can't understand why he can't play with the kids at the local "farm," which he thinks is called "out-with." He meets and befriends Shmuel, a boy who lives on the other side of the fence and wears striped pajamas. The strength of this story lies in the innocence of the narrator. Just like To Kill a Mockingbird and other similar stories, we see what Bruno experiences through his own naive eyes. At times this is a fault as well as a strength. Bruno occasionally felt intentionally dense or obtuse. His spoiled childhood made him a bit rude, even when Shmuel was flat out telling him something Bruno just ignored it and barreled on with whatever he was talking about. At times it was hard to believe that Bruno could be completely clueless to what was happening, but then again, he's a child who has lived a sheltered life. There's a chapter near the beginning called, "How Mother took credit for something she hadn't done." It was one of my favorites because it explained a lot about the relationships between the characters and how Bruno could be oblivious to what was going on. I had a hard time rating this one, because it is well written, but I just couldn't connect with Bruno. As the inevitable tragedy approached I felt less pity than frustration. It was like watching a scary movie and shouting, "Don't go in there!" at the screen. I would recommend this one, but it's not one I'll re-read.
    • 5/5
      Awesome book. An easy teen read but with profound depth while not being overwhelmingly sad. It demonstrates good values with the behaviour and reflections of the protagonist.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book because it held a unique perspective - that of a nine year old German boy. The book was simplistic, yet powerful and While it is fairly easy for the reader to put together the puzzle pieces, we have the advantage of knowing history and knowing what atrocities occured at Auschwitz.. The main character Bruno does not fully understand, until the very end. I was completely shocked and surprised by the ending, right up to the last page of reading. I would highly recommend this novel be used with gr 7, 8 or 9 students.
    • 4/5
      I would recommend reading this book for its important history lesson on the atrocity that was the Holocaust. I felt sad as well as angry reading this book and was frustrated at the naivety of Bruno, the young German boy from whose perspective this story is told.
    • 5/5
      As someone who is interested in the particular phase in history that this book highlights, I was really pleased to come across one from a different persective. Despite it being a relatively short read I was intrigued in the story straight from page one and I was not let down by the slimpicity of the narrative as it reflected Bruno's innocence and made the out come of the book even more moving and horrifying.Although I enjoyed the film and would have gone to see it without reading the book, i'm glad I did read it before I went to see the film.