Reviews

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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whitecat5000's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

1.0

DNF. This is so slow going and I'm bored. Liesel seems to have no personality and the book seems to be more character focused instead of plot.

jekaluleka's review against another edition

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4.0

Any book that can make me cry is a winner! (But really, prepare to be sad)

charlietuna92's review against another edition

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5.0

I don’t know why it took me so long to get around to reading this book, but I wish I had read it sooner. This is a gorgeous story, told in such a beautiful unique way. The characters are so real, the pacing is so masterful, and having Death as the narrator was really impactful. The end of this book left me in tears. It’s not often that a book does that for me. All I can say is wow

wakingaube's review against another edition

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5.0

Maybe the most heartbreaking book that I have ever read.

marliehallett's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative 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? Yes

4.0

hhamlet's review against another edition

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5.0

I'm inwardly scolding myself for not choosing to read this book earlier; it sat collecting dust on my bookshelf for months and months on end. I'd first purchased The Book Thief after hearing nothing but rave reviews about it, but found that I continually postponed actually reading it due to thinking that it wouldn't particularly interest me. Have you ever stumbled across a book and initially thought: "It just doesn't LOOK like me"? Unfortunately, I did this with The Book Thief--a grave mistake, I can assure you. As an English major, I should know better than most anyone that judging a book by its cover (literally)is often enough how many people miss out on an excellent read. It very nearly did the same to me. Overall, though, I'm more than grateful I decided to give The Book Thief a chance--it's been one of the greatest literary decisions of my entire life.

I like to think that The Book Thief will go down in history as a "must read". Given that it's been a bestseller for years and years, I can see that being a very real possibility. Not only was the plot gripping and surreal on a level that I can't even begin to express, but the characters were both lovable and amiable; quirky and original. There is a certain sense of purity that surrounds Liesel Meminger's story, which I find highly fascinating, given the war and destruction she finds her story set in.

From Liesel to Rudy to Hans to Max to Rosa and everyone else, The Book Thief did not disappoint. On the contrary, it seems to evoke a sense of empathy and human compassion from its readers that both confirms and reminds us of our humanity. As someone who rarely (or never) cries while reading books, I found myself blubbering like a baby by the end of The Book Thief. The last hundred pages or so were absolutely brutal, I'll give you that much. Brutal, but well worth the cost of tears.

An excellent read, I'll make sure to recommend The Book Thief to anyone I may come across.