Book review

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS by Nacho Barriuso “The boy in the striped pyjamas” is a novel written by John Boyne, who describes the story of a German family during the Second World War, seen from the perspective of an eight-year-old child. It is a thriller developed in a historic atmosphere which helps to enter deeper in the story. Through the pages, the author lets us enter the mind of Bruno (the child) who shows us his interpretation, from his innocence, of the strange world around him. The major part of the story is set in Poland, in a place called by Bruno “Out-With”. The plot focuses on the move of Bruno’s family from Berlin to this place due to the promotion to commandant of this father. There, Bruno discovers and tries to understand little by little the injustices of the war. The plot has an unexpected twist when Bruno meets Shmuel, an eight-year-old boy who wears a striped pyjama and lives in the other side of a strange fence. This friendship leads us to a tragic and surprising end. From my point of view, John Boyne lets us observe a historic moment everyone knows from a vision nobody has seen before. This story teaches us through this body how incomprehensible is to think some people are more worthwhile than other. Teaching that we should still apply nowadays.Let me conclude by saying that I definitely recommend that you add this book to your collection. Don’t miss this sensitive, memorable, powerful and beautifully written book.

THE GIFT- by Sofia Arroyo “The Gift” is a magical novel published in 1994 by the American writer Danielle Steel, the queen of the romantic genre. Her real name is Danielle Fernande Dominique Schülen-Steel, and she has sold over 800 books all around the world. Listen to her interview The story is set in a small town in the 1950s and tells the story of a high-school student called Maribeth Robertson, raised in a traditional Christian household. She becomes pregnant after spending the night with a guy, who later would marry his girlfriend. Her parents took her into a convent to give the baby up for adoption but a few weeks later she couldn't stand it and scaped with a one-way bus ticket. Half-way she got a job in a roadside restaurant and stayed there. And there was where she met Tommy, whose family was totally shatterred by the death of his little sister Annie. They started a relationship and when Tommy and his family found out that she was pregnant they tried to help her. They accompanied her throughout pregnancy. Maribeth was convinced to give her baby up for adoption so she chose Tommy's family for doing it. Liz, the mother, was truly excited because since Annie they had been unable to have children. Finally, after the birth, Maribeth returns home leaving the greatest gift she could give to a family, a life, a future, a hope. In my opinion, the plot is well-developed and the characters are believable, because all the situations they live are common in real life and readers can identify with them easily. I must admit that a found it boring at the beginning, because there was no connection between the story of both families. But, surprisingly, the plot has an unexpected twist making everything have more sense, turning into an enthralling novel. In conclusion, It's a well-worth reading and I would recommend it if you like these kind of romantic novels. In my case, I prefer mystery and thriller novels although I must admit that this book was so good that I couldn't put it down, so with this in mind I have to say that is a must-read.