Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

69 reviews

fuzzygazelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Such a beautiful and timely book. I knew it was going to make me cry once I started getting attached to the characters but I didn't think i would ugly sob. But everyone is so lovable, the character progression of the Huberman family, Liesel and Rudy's growths, Liesel's relationship with everyone. It's funny at times and it's light-hearted when we are just seeing their lives and it makes it real. The narration is also really nice and unique and Death's propensity to spoil things just makes it even more tense. It's so beautifully tragic and sad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Gore, Mental illness, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol

raspberryjelly's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Really great book, a few of the characters didn't have much to too them literally and figuratively.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Blood

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Suicide, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Deportation

te_ss_i's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

inkdrinker2007's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and War

cc_shelflove's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I have a lot of mixed emotions surrounding this book. First things first: I wish I could have protected Papa at all costs! 🥺 The relationships between Zusak’s characters felt strong and true. Papa and Liesel’s bond was so strong he entrusted the 10-year-old girl with his largest secret: he was hiding and helping a Jewish man, Max, in his basement. Oh, and the gift Max made Liesel for her birthday… 😭 Yet another strong connection featured in this book!

Where I struggled with this bestseller was its third-person point of view. Personally (and please don’t come at me for this), I wasn’t a fan of Death being the narrator, but I commend the author for his originality. Death’s recollection of events lacked emotion at times, and I wished I could see certain happenings through Liesel’s or Max’s eyes instead. Death also often referred to events that hadn’t happened yet, which was a bit confusing for this reader. I would much rather have read Liesel’s ‘dusty black book.’

A central theme in The Book Thief was the power of words. I enjoyed watching Liesel use a tome to bring neighbors together in a bomb shelter, in a time of uncertainty and fear. The author did a nice job of bringing this theme to a close in the epilogue as well. Overall, it’s possible I might have enjoyed this more if I hadn’t read The Little Liar so recently; that novel will reign superior in my mind. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, and Classism

pandemonicbaby's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. I just bawled my eyes out with the last few chapters.
I should've known. The subject of death always makes me cry.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol

friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

5.0

This is a work of art. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicide, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

sporemiette's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Antisemitism, and War

Moderate: Confinement and Death of parent

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Abandonment

danielluisnieves's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Abandonment, and War

bea2001's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Suicide and Car accident