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daja57's review against another edition
5.0
The book is set during world war 2, in a coastal town in Germany, among schoolboys. The narrator hero-worships his friend and fellow Roman Catholic Joachim Mahlke; the great Mahlke, he calls him. When Mahlke learns to swim he joins the schoolfriends on the partly sunken barge, he dives, staying under longer than anyone else, bringing up treasures from the wreck. Mahlke, slightly older than the others, and significantly better-endowed, is a proper hero, always a step ahead the rest of them in mischief, seemingly unvulnerable due to the protection of the Virgin Mary whom he adores. And when he goes to war ...?
The mouse is Mahlke's prominent Adam's apple; it seems to symbolise his masculinity. The cat attacks it at the start of the book. And perhaps the metaphor is that little mice always get caught by the big cats in the end.
The style is discursive. Sometimes Mahlke is referred to in the third-person, and sometimes in the second person (or is that only when the narrator is addressing the mouse?). The narrative has a more or less straightforward chronology, although there are flash-forwards and repeated hints of what is about to happen (repeatedly baited hooks). There are fascinating descriptions, such as "the screwdriver did dance steps over his quaking collarbones." (Ch 1) Here is a longer extract from towards the end, to illustrate the style:
So then I rowed back. But before rowing back, I threw the can opener in the direction of the dredger, but didn't hit it.
So then I threw away the can opener and rowed back, returned old man Kreft's boat, had to pay an extra thirty pfennigs, and said: 'Maybe I'll be back again this evening. Maybe I'll want the boat again.'
So then I threw away, rowed back, returned, paid extra, said I'd be, sat down in the train and rode, as they say, home.
The mouse is Mahlke's prominent Adam's apple; it seems to symbolise his masculinity. The cat attacks it at the start of the book. And perhaps the metaphor is that little mice always get caught by the big cats in the end.
The style is discursive. Sometimes Mahlke is referred to in the third-person, and sometimes in the second person (or is that only when the narrator is addressing the mouse?). The narrative has a more or less straightforward chronology, although there are flash-forwards and repeated hints of what is about to happen (repeatedly baited hooks). There are fascinating descriptions, such as "the screwdriver did dance steps over his quaking collarbones." (Ch 1) Here is a longer extract from towards the end, to illustrate the style:
So then I rowed back. But before rowing back, I threw the can opener in the direction of the dredger, but didn't hit it.
So then I threw away the can opener and rowed back, returned old man Kreft's boat, had to pay an extra thirty pfennigs, and said: 'Maybe I'll be back again this evening. Maybe I'll want the boat again.'
So then I threw away, rowed back, returned, paid extra, said I'd be, sat down in the train and rode, as they say, home.
elkyo's review
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jess_mango's review
3.0
This is the first book that I've read by Günter Grass. The central character in this book is Joachim Mahlke, who we first meet as a teenager. He stands out from his peers due to an overly prominent Adam's Apple. (the mouse) His peers and society in general (the cat) are constantly "chasing" him...teasing, etc. The novel is narrated by one of Mahlke's peers Pilenz who tells the story from his memory so things are often told in a foggy-sort of way. As such, he's an unreliable narrator.
The novel brings us up through the time of WWII. At it's heart, this novel is about the impact of the war and the looming threat of it over society and young men coming of age knowing they will most likely be sent to the front lines.
I rate this somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars.
The novel brings us up through the time of WWII. At it's heart, this novel is about the impact of the war and the looming threat of it over society and young men coming of age knowing they will most likely be sent to the front lines.
I rate this somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars.
chris_tyson's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
thymussilvestris's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
pilgrimbookstore89's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
mia_1312's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
dwsampson's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jjaeyuks's review against another edition
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mschrock8's review
Men and boys tell stories much differently than women, using different language and focusing on different things. Male friendship like the one between two confuse me.