Schindler's List

By: Thomas Keneally

Narrated by: Ben Kingsley

Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

During the Holocaust at the German concentration camp near Plaszow, thousands of Jews lost their lives at the hands of the Nazis. More than a thousand others were spared thanks to a womanizing, heavy-drinking, German-Catholic industrialist and Nazi Party member named Oskar Schindler. One of the most remarkable narratives of the Holocaust, Schindler's List masterfully recreates the daring exploits of Schindler, who used his enormous fortune to build a factory near the concentration camp and his influence to save the lives of more than 1,300 Jews. It is an absorbing, suspenseful, and moving account of Schindler's legacy of life.

©1993 Serpentine Publishing Co. PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved (P)1993 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved

Critic Reviews

• 1982 Man Booker Prize Winner

Abridged books just don't cut it!

Have met Schindler survivors and visited his grave, so was looking forward to listening to the book, but I should have known that I wouldn't get involved in an abridged book. Too much was left out. Will have to wait for an complete version of Schindler's Ark or have the time to read the book.

Abridged too far

What disappointed you about Schindler's List?

Having read the actual book, the abridged version seems to have left out a considerable amount of story lines that were needed in my opinion to be left in.

Would you be willing to try another book from Thomas Keneally? Why or why not?

Yes, as long as it was not an abridged reading

Which character – as performed by Ben Kingsley – was your favorite?

None really stand out above any other

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It was Schindler's List which is a fantastic story in itself.

Any additional comments?

This would have been a great listen unabridged

Would be perfect...

... if unabridged! Kingsly blew this out of the water! Goose bumps, tears, pounding heart- he made me feel it.

The Unabridged Doesnt Cut It!

The shortened book doesn't flesh out this amazing story. It's a shadow of the entire book.

A True Hero

When confronted with danger, most people will shy away but Schindler did not and not only did he not shy away but he risked everything to save as many people as he could during the Holocaust and no matter how many times I hear this story I can't help but get goosebumps and chills. He was such a great hero and his deeds will forever be remembered by the entire families for every one of the thousands of people he saved. Making this book that much better, Kingsley does a great job as the narrator. It's hard to say this, but this book could actually be better than the classic movie starring Liam Neeson, who was nominated for an Oscar for his outstanding portrayal of the late great Oskar Schindler. Also, I really enjoyed the ending of this book and how Schindler made out following WW!!.Found that to be very interesting and something that I definitely did not know beforehand.

Two thumbs up and highly recommended!!

Astounding

I've not seen the movie so this was my first exposure to the story of Oscar Schindler and the Jews of Krakow. The story's slow buildup is what sticks in my mind. No one in Krakow new, of course, what was going to happen. Each new regulation (Jews can't have more than xxx marks in their bank account) was greeted with a kind of resignation -- maybe this one will be the last. The tale is told with a neutral tone that only increases the feelings in the reader of foreboding, shock, and sadness. This book, more than any other, reveals the beurocratic nature of the holocaust, and how it used the existing government and industrial system, of ordinay people, to follow an agenda of madness.

We are all capable of cruelty and compassion

Thomas Keneally always has a message and a challenge for his readers. The challenge here is to acknowledge that all of us are capable of cruelty and compassion. The challenge for all of us is to find that middle road so that at our death they may say of us "he was a good man".

Schindler's List

This is one of my favorite movies of all times. I'm too old and my eyesight is too bad to read the book now so I was very happy to find this audiobook. The story is great. Schindler was a wonderful man.

A bit lost

This was a awesome story. however there were so many names I could not follow the story as well as I wished I could have.

The movie did not do this story justice...

The movie may have brought this man back to the attention of the world, but falls far short of everything he risked and did. This book tells the whole truth and Ben Kingsley excels as narrator.