‘The Reader (2008)’, a film directed by Stephen Daldry

It’s a rainy day in post WW2 Berlin when a quirk of fate brings 15 year old Michael Berg (actor, David Kross) into very intimate contact with a woman in her thirties. The woman Hanna Schmitz is played by Kate Winslet so the reader will be unsurprised that Herr Berg was very pleased with himself over his first explosive experiences of sex. The fun/erotic/sexy part of the film doesn’t last too long. After a couple of months sexy Schmitz evacuates her flat in a hurry leaving young Micky bereft, confused and unhappy. It turns out that Hanna is harbouring a secret past as a SS guard in the Nazi concentration camps.

A decade later, Micky (still b, c and u), now a student lawyer, is observing a trial of former SS guards including you know who. Here he learns of Hanna’s murky past. Needless to say she finishes up with a long prison sentence and in the next decades he, now played by Ralph Feinnes, agonises over the past whilst maintaining a long distance, almost anonymous, contact with her. Was she unwillingly locked into her War crimes or had she no alternative? All issues which many Germans are still in anguish over. Repercussions of WW2 still resonate down the generations. Oh, and why is the title ‘The Reader’? The act of reading and of being read to is of crucial significance in the film.

The film is based on the book by the major German author Bernhard Schlink. The english translation by Carol Brown Janeway is currently selling well.

Is it best to read the book before seeing the film, or visa versa? Or is it best to just see the film or just read the book or, indeed do neither? I was a statistician in my day job so I hope the reader will forgive me for naming all the possibilities here.

By the way, I enjoyed the film and plan to read the book and it's by chance it's happened that way round; so perhaps I didn't name all the possibilities in the last paragraph. Oh well, here’s a quote from the book:
‘Why does what was beautiful suddenly shatter in hindsight because it concealed dark truths?’

The acting was excellent, but after her recent performance at the golden balls (or whatever) ceremony I reckon that Kate Winslet should stick to the day job.

Jane Eyre and Brontë country

My reading of this book crept up on me almost by accident.


I became interested in the Brontë sisters during a visit to Haworth, the West Yorkshire village where the three sisters grew up. Haworth milks the Brontë connection to the full but in reasonably good taste. Contrast the Beatles Russian dolls (and so on and so on) in Liverpool.


I and my wife, Anne, recently spent a great weekend based in Haworth. There are a couple of good restaurants in the village and excellent walking possibilities in the area now known as Brontë Country (even the signposts are labelled in Japanese). The Haworth village web site is well worth a browse. We stayed at a spot-on and spotless B&B, called The Thyme House, run by a very welcoming young couple, Angela Cartwright and Steve Moffatt.

We had a 10 mile or so walk in the Brontë country in sharp frosty weather. We wandered about the Haworth main/only street and walked past the Brontë Parsonage Museum. Anne read up a bit on the Brontë sisters. We realised that neither of us had ever read a Brontë book. I’m already getting sick of the word Brontë and have taken the drastic decision not to use it again in this blog. I decided to read Jane Eyre by Charlotte B. I have now read the book and next offer you a few snippets of what I thought of it.

The story unfolds through the words of the main character Jane Eyre. The book was first published in 1847 so it is unsurprising that the style of writing is quite different to that of contemporary literature. Landscapes, houses, objects and the look and the character of people are presented in meticulous detail. Jane has a hard life. Both her parents are dead and she is neglected in the care of an aunt and her three children. The hard aunt and her overindulged children make Jane feel like an outcast and an unwanted nuisance. Nevertheless, Jane has an amazingly strong inner will and character. On the first two pages, when she has been rejected by the other three spoilt brats over a trivial, harmless incident, Jane inquires of her aunt: ‘What does Bessie say I have done?’ The old sour puss replies: ‘Jane, I don’t like cavillers or questioners: besides there is something truly forbidding in a child taking up her elders in that manner. Be seated somewhere, and until you can speak pleasantly, remain silent.’

My point is that, at the outset, Jane demonstrates that she has balls (a contemporary term for strong will, courage). She can stand up for herself. After some years in this horrible environment she gets sent to a cheapo boarding school where she is half starved and further intimidated by the staff. I don’t say bullied because inwardly she is never broken and there always comes a point when she stands up for herself. Fortunately, one of the teachers is warm-hearted and leads Jane to a quite decent education. From the age of about 15 to 17 she becomes a teacher at the school and is gradually gaining some self-worth, although she always makes clear that she is a slight, pale creature and not at all beautiful. I wonder if the term ‘plain Jane’ stems from Jane Eyre? She then, with great courage, strides out into the real world and takes a job as governess of a young French girl and, soon after, the infamous Mr Rochester enters the arena. Later still, another male suitor/influence on her life emerges and the rest of the book very expertly unfolds the complicated tale to a logical, convincing and clear conclusion. When you read the book you will find out if this is happy, neutral or disastrous for Miss J.

I urge you to read Jane Eyre. When you get used to the style of the novel you will find that every word counts and you will get to understand the nature of all the characters involved. So, when Jane is once again facing a predicament or sticky situation you will try to work out for yourself what course of action she will take. The author Sarah Waters describes Jane Eyre as:

‘One of the most perfectly structured novels of all time’

See if you agree with the illustrious Ms Waters.