Reviews with content warning for Religious bigotry - The Book Thief

I have never cried while reading a book before, but this got me. I cried and this book will forever be in my heart. I, myself, am "Jewish Blood" and it breaks my heart reading this story about Liesel. I definitely recommend to anyone.

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raspberryjelly's review against another edition

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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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bookishchristiana's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
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“Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness.”
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“It kills me sometimes, how people die.” - Markus Zusak, The Book Thief.

To begin with, there are so many more quotes I could have put at the start of this post. This book is beautifully written, perhaps the most beautiful I've ever read. I know I'm extremely late to the party, but I absolutely loved The Book Thief. The premise, a story about Nazi Germany told from the perspective of death and a young girl, is so original and it is executed immaculately. It portrays the beauty but also evil of humanity so so well; how we were all pure young children once but we grow to love and hate so much. The horrors of Nazi Germany are not shied away from, they are front and centre. Despite this, I think the book is truly about a child's capacity to love those around them, despite the horrors. The main cast of characters are so loveable and human in the best way. That doesn't negate the terrible things happening around them, they continue throughout and are awful to read. Conversely to our main cast, we are also shown the true horrors humans inflict on one another. The hatred instilled in such a large population was and is terrifying, demonstrating how characters and real people are also human in the worst way. I think, considering the things occurring in our world today (the Palestinian genocide to name perhaps the most prominent one on our minds at the moment), this book continues to be painfully relevant. The lessons learned and the things considered in The Book Thief cannot and should not be forgotten. This literary masterpiece is so so important, I'm only sad I didn't read it sooner. To describe this book in a single sentence, I would say that this book is about humanity at its best and worst. I adored it and it devastated me (I cried so much at the end). This review may have been a bit of a ramble but I hope I got my main points across. If you haven't read this yet, please do, and if you have, read it again! - C x

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