This is a book I've read with a student of mine because it was a compulsory read in her high school... Well, I'm not surprised teenagers are not really interested in reading if we keep on feeding them with books such as this.
I did not like this at all.
It's supposed to be for intermediate English learners, but I had trouble understanding what the heck this book was about and I'm in college. It's not because of the vocabulary. the thing is that the book is so edited and so simplified that it doesn't make sense.
Another book read in English. Very interesting and good entertainment for me. Patricia Highsmith builds an original story. I think I have more vocabulary and less difficult to read (level 4 hahaha)
I liked the idea of the story rather than actually reading it. The sentences were choppy, the characters were dull; if the story was expanded a bit more it would have been a more interesting read. 2.5
I think the problem is the book had been edited so many times that ended up making no sense. I'd like to give a chance to the original edition, because so many details where omitted that you can't understand what is going on, why the characters acted like that, when they started feeling that way? It's more disappointing than watching the movie of a great book. Even the movie would be better than this. I hope the fault was zipping 300 pages in 60.
I can’t complain. It was a smooth and well-organized short story for English learners. I’m not sure whether I’ve seen the movie or not. It seems to be a crime story, which is true, but there are also a few detective-like chapters in it. A deal to murder someone from both sides is something no one would normally think of or agree to. Although it was a short tale, I still found it creative and worth reading.
1. penguin readers 4 2. 11/18=100 3. train men murder life change scary crime 4. a)'You're ready now, aren't you, Guy?' Bruno said softly. 'Yes,' Guy said, and immediately felt better. b) Guy had been refused Bruno's terrible idea but he was tracked down by Bruno, eventully, he accepted it. I thought again if people are driven into a corner, they change their opinion even if they have strong will at first. 5. I knew just this book's title, didn't know about story. Guy was really unlucky man because his life was difinitely changed. I thought just one encounter sometimes change the life for better or worse. I want just wonderful encounter.
I read in Sep.10 2011. Wow. I realized that it was familiar. This is a simplified version so I didn't really get how Guy was attracted by Bruno in the end. I want to read the original.
(sep.10 2011) I don't really understand why Guy was not able to refuse Bruno. Bruno attracts him in some way?
Not until I finished this edition did I came to realize it is an adaptation for educational porpouses. The story is simple with a stong psycholgical aproach. Maybe because this is a such an old novel, and P. H., such an influential writer, there was no novelty in readind it.
Guy meets Bruno in a train.A total stranger.Soon he becomes an unwanted brother, someone very close to Guy ,closer than his shadow.The only thing that connects them is guilt.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.