The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

By: John Boyne

Narrated by: Michael Maloney

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.

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.

A wonderful perspective

It is a wonderful book from a 9 year old German boy who seems oblivious to what is happening and questions some the the happenings that time in a very innocent perspective. It is true that not everyone knew especially kids at that time what was going on and it is a great start to knowing more about world war 2 and read more serious books later on about the subject. The narration is excellent and overall an amazing experience. Love it.

thought provoking story that stirs up emotions :"/

Love how John took on the perspective of a little German boy who tries to make sense of the world on the other side of the fence. It humanizes the historical perpertrators of the holocaust and therefore gave us the opportunity to reflect on our why and how the holocaust could have happened. Apart from Bruno, the other characters such as the maid, bruno's sister and mother also made me think about how we would respond as witnesses of atrocities and whether any of us would really get out of the way to try to right a wrong that is seems so beyond our power to change. Also loved how he concluded the story w the father.

Very much enjoyed

Honest and captivating and short and sweet. I enjoyed this book. Would only have wanted the end to be more concise.

Marvelous!

I couldn’t stop listening this book!
Fantastic narration! You feel the main characters emotions, understand their friendship and travel back to that unpleasant period of time. A must have.
Love it!

Great Book

Great book, a story about two little boys on a horrible time in history. Great noval.