Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Boktjuven

Just from the synopsis I knew this book would be sad and not have a happy ending - there is death and pain in every story around the Holocaust and Nazi Germany. The concept that made me want to read this despite knowing I would not have a fun time was the idea of Death as a narrator, and hearing a young girl's story from the POV of a sympathetic but non-human entity. The portrayal of Death and all the writing from them directed towards the reader that broke the 4th wall was done in a very interesting and thoughtful way, and was the most enjoyable part of the book to read. I found the relationship between Liesel and Max the most touching and loved the sketches and short stories he wrote for her, and thought they were perfectly portrayed in the book with handwritten text and the pictures shown on the pages. Unfortunately the rest of the book, other than the brutal and tear-jerking ending, felt slow and sometimes boring to me. I thought a lot of the side characters could've easily been cut out and were easily forgettable, and the book would've been better with maybe 100 pages less if those unimportant characters weren't given so much focus.

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kyarabereading's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is one of my favorite books of all time. No book has brought a tear to my eye quite like this one, even after having read it multiple times. The first few times I read it, I didn't have as full an understanding as I do now. I think it made this book hurt so much more this time around. The Book Thief tells a beautiful story that is as painful, tragic, and honest as it is heartwarming, inspiring, and at times, even funny.

I love the attention to detail Zusak clearly put into this book. This is a book that seems like it took a lot of Zusak's time and research - and all that hard work truly paid off. Everything is so, so real. The characters, the location, the historical events - they all create a story that is so incredibly real. So, so honest. It makes you fall in love with the characters. It makes you feel their pain. It makes it hurt that much more when they're hurt, especially when you realize this story was a reality for many people in 1940s Germany. This book does not sugarcoat the effects of the Holocaust or everyone's participation in it - everyone from the Hitler fanatic to the complaisant supporter. It does not sugarcoat how WWII hurt so many people. It's tragic to see how all this built up, to see what people did because of fear and hatred. What they did for survival.

I also love the creative choices Zusak makes in this book. For one, having Death as a narrator was a choice that really strengthened the book as a whole. Death as a narrator along with Zusak's way with words (along with his writing style and structure and loveable characters and etc., etc., etc.) is a combination that formed some of the most beautiful writing I have seen. Zusak also showed us how all the stories, all the moments in this book are intertwined with each other. I like how some stories remind us of things we have already seen or provide us with foreshadowing for what is coming up. It makes this book entertaining to read every single time.

I think what I love the most about this book is what it teaches us. It is a study of humanity and human nature from a distant point of view. Death is amazed by, terrified by, interested in humans. To quote the book directly, Death is "haunted" by us. It makes me think about my own humanity and that of the people around me. But it does not just make me think about the bad side of humanity, it makes me think about all the good too. The book reminds me of all the beautiful parts of other human beings - people's selflessness, kindness, trust, love, etc., etc., etc. The book also teaches the importance of words. They can be influential. They can be harmful. They can be helpful. They can be life-changing. They can be used as a weapon, but they can also be used for good.

Markus Zusak wrote a book that is so beautifully written and impactful. May I never forget how it made me feel. May I never forget his words.

Content Warnings