The Reader -- Bernhard Schlink, Paperback

Hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar Germany.

When he falls ill on his way home from school, fifteen-year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. In time she becomes his lover--then she inexplicably disappears. When Michael next sees her, he is a young law student, and she is on trial for a hideous crime. As he watches her refuse to defend her innocence, Michael gradually realizes that Hanna may be guarding a secret she considers more shameful than murder.

Author: Bernhard Schlink
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 03/07/1999
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.10w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780375707971

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 6.7
Point Value: 7
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 28486 / Reader

Award: International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award - Nominee
Award: Boston Book Review - Winner

Review Citation(s):
Newsweek 12/08/2008 pg. 58

About the Author
Bernhard Schlink was born in Germany in 1944. A professor of law at the University of Berlin and a practicing judge, he is also the author of several prize-winning crime novels. He lives in Bonn and Berlin.