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morninglightmama's review against another edition
5.0
I will never fully recover from this book. Yes, I knew that the Holocaust was an indescribable horror in the history of humans, but never before have I felt this level of devastating emotions when reading a story about it. There's so much that can be said about the literary merits of this book-- the brilliance of creating this narrative perspective, the absolute beauty of the language, the development of characters who will forever live with readers-- but I am honestly just too numb to fully describe it. I have at least a dozen dog-eared pages with words that I want to revisit at some point in the future. This is a book that I feel everyone in the world needs to read. Everyone.
audballer's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a slow read. I did not love this book until the end. The end changed my mind about the entire book. Beware if you are going to read this book you are going to need a box of tissues.
morninglightmama's review against another edition
5.0
I first read this five years ago, and the second time around was just as moving, if not more. There's so much to love about this novel, from the beauty of the protagonist's adolescent development during one of the darkest periods of human history to the choice of a narrator in a unique position to observe humanity-- Death. I stand by what I said five years ago-- EVERYONE should reads this book.
blue_haired_chicken's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
nerdymas86's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
gkoskela's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastically written, poignantly told story of the horrors of Nazi Germany in WWII. Intimate, yet sweeping in scope. Brilliant idea for narrator. Highly recommend.
jen_forbus's review against another edition
5.0
The Book Thief is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young German girl living smack in the middle of World War II and Nazi Germany, as told from the point of view of Death. At the onset of the novel, Liesel is traveling with her birth mother and her brother to be turned over to a foster family. Liesel's brother, Werner, dies on the train traveling to the foster family, so Liesel is left alone with the two strangers, Hans and Rosa Hubermann.
Liesel slowly grows to be one of the Hubermann family. She forages a special bond with Hans, her "Papa" who is a painter, plays the accordian and teaches her to read. Hans committed a grave faux pas by painting over Jewish slurs on a building. He, therefore, is ostracized by "the Party." That does not deter the Hubermann family. They are compassionate people, who take in a Jewish man named Max and hide him in their basement.
With the help of her Papa, Max, Rosa, her best friend Rudy and the mayor's wife, Ilsa Hermann, Liesel learns the power of words in a world that is literally falling apart around her.
The book jacket for The Book Thief reads "'It's just a small story, really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery...'" This was far from a small story at 552 pages, but they literally flew by. Markus Zusak is extraordinary, plain and simple.
Zusak picked an appropriate, yet unique, perspective from which to tell the story of Liesel Meminger. Who could be more qualified to "see all" during this world's most horrifying era than Death?
And Zusak didn't choose to tell this story from the experience of a Jewish person but rather from the vantage point of a young German girl.
One of the most powerful strengths of this novel is the way Zusak develops relationships between Liesel and the other characters. Liesel and Rudy, her best friend, are inseparable, always taking care of each other. And of course, the relationships between Liesel and her Papa, as well as that between Liesel and Max. They guide her in her growth, but she teaches them as well.
Sadly, we all know the plot of World War II, so this story isn't about the plot. It's about the characters. It's about the relationships between the characters. And it is told in such a way that you close the book at the end having felt every emotion you know of.
Zusak's talent with language is mesmerizing. The images that are conjured up for the reader enhance the tone of death and destruction, but still bring through the life that is happening in the midst of despair. At times there is literally music emanating from the words on the pages. And at other times, it is solemn or foreboding.
While you might have to venture into the Young Adult or Children's section of the library to find this book, if you haven't done so already, I highly recommend you do. It's a must read for us all; a reminder of the power of words and how blessed we are to hold that power!
Liesel slowly grows to be one of the Hubermann family. She forages a special bond with Hans, her "Papa" who is a painter, plays the accordian and teaches her to read. Hans committed a grave faux pas by painting over Jewish slurs on a building. He, therefore, is ostracized by "the Party." That does not deter the Hubermann family. They are compassionate people, who take in a Jewish man named Max and hide him in their basement.
With the help of her Papa, Max, Rosa, her best friend Rudy and the mayor's wife, Ilsa Hermann, Liesel learns the power of words in a world that is literally falling apart around her.
The book jacket for The Book Thief reads "'It's just a small story, really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery...'" This was far from a small story at 552 pages, but they literally flew by. Markus Zusak is extraordinary, plain and simple.
Zusak picked an appropriate, yet unique, perspective from which to tell the story of Liesel Meminger. Who could be more qualified to "see all" during this world's most horrifying era than Death?
And Zusak didn't choose to tell this story from the experience of a Jewish person but rather from the vantage point of a young German girl.
One of the most powerful strengths of this novel is the way Zusak develops relationships between Liesel and the other characters. Liesel and Rudy, her best friend, are inseparable, always taking care of each other. And of course, the relationships between Liesel and her Papa, as well as that between Liesel and Max. They guide her in her growth, but she teaches them as well.
Sadly, we all know the plot of World War II, so this story isn't about the plot. It's about the characters. It's about the relationships between the characters. And it is told in such a way that you close the book at the end having felt every emotion you know of.
Zusak's talent with language is mesmerizing. The images that are conjured up for the reader enhance the tone of death and destruction, but still bring through the life that is happening in the midst of despair. At times there is literally music emanating from the words on the pages. And at other times, it is solemn or foreboding.
While you might have to venture into the Young Adult or Children's section of the library to find this book, if you haven't done so already, I highly recommend you do. It's a must read for us all; a reminder of the power of words and how blessed we are to hold that power!
emls's review against another edition
3.0
It wasn't until around page 300 that I really got into the story of The Book Thief, and then I tore through the last hundred or so pages in a Mexican airport. My eyes got moist once or twice. But before that, I was mildly irritated by the writing style. The book is narrated by Death, and this conceit can seem a little contrived, as can the asides thrown into the middle of chapters with their own headings - sometimes they tell you about a character, or define a German word, or casually mention something that is going to happen later in the narrative (like someone dying). This book seemed to find itself clever, and that irritated me. But I did keep reading, and I did get sucked into the story of an orphan girl in Nazi Germany and her foster family and the Jewish man hiding in her basement. *This is not a spoiler! I think you could get this much info off of the back cover.* Anyway, the whole cast of characters was just a little too quirky and not fleshed out enough. But ultimately, I did enjoy reading the book. Hmmm.... how does all of this translate into a number of stars?