Reviews with content warning for Suicide - The Book Thief

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The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

138 reviews

r3ader'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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is hauntingly beautiful. It describes the Zeitgeist of the second world war in Germany perfectly. As a German who has to often deal with the atrocities done by my ancestors, I think it was nice and interesting to read about a family who were living in Nazi Germany and were still not the "evil Nazis" we think of.
The ending was shocking, but at the same time realistic.
Death as the narrator for a story in Nazi Germany is also genius, it felt like a whole 'nother point of view.
The only critique I would have for this book is that some uses of German words are false. For example Pfiffikus never meant a person who often whistles, it is an old word for someone who is pfiffig (=smart). However this did only slightly disturb my reading, so this book is still 5☆.
I would recommend it to EVERYONE. It is truly a must-read.

Content Warnings

greek_book_wanderer's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0

have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.

It's been almost a month since I started reading this book. It's been weeks since I finished reading it. And yet, no day passes without me thinking the story of the book thief. I can't stop bringing to my mind the characters that I come to love so much. I still remember some of the quotes I underlined and which and which made me laugh, cry or think. I can't help but trace the cover whenever I feel like it and every time I do it, I feel like I'm holding a treasure whose value cannot be measured with just a price.

In other words, I am haunted by this book. But not in a negative way.

I honestly don't know how I'm going to write his review. I have so many things to say but it seems impossible to find the right words. Ironic, isn't it? The book never stops mentioning the value and power of words and here I am, trying to find the right ones in order to write a review which will do it justice.

When I heard about this book I was immediately intrigued. I like historical novels and the story seemed very interesting. But what picked my interest was its narrator: Death. And I don't mean it metaphorically or rhetorically or poetically or theoretically or any other fancy way. He's death. Straight. Up (I couldn't contain myself, I had to make this reference). As soon as I learned that, I knew that I ought to read this book as soon as I could. I put it on my tbr and last month, I decided to read it. And it's one of the best desicion I have made so far this year.

HERE IS A SMALL FACT.
You are going to die.

Very straightforward, right? Even from the very first lines, Death doesn't try to sugar-coat the fact that everyone dies. Death is inevidable. No one can escape him and no one will. Considering that, it would be logical to feel uncomfortable while I was reading the story from his point of you. But no, that never happened. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Somehow, in a peculiar way, he brought me comfort. He is not portrayed in a cruel way. He is not heartless or cruel. He is tired of himself. He feels sympathy for humans. He ache for them. He is fascinated by them. And he is haunted by them.

Markus Zusak's personification of Death is just clever and exceptional. He doesn't participate in the events of the stoy, but in a way, he is always there. Even when he seemed more distant and he didn't describe his adventures, I could feel his presence in the story. He wasn't there but at the same time, he was. Him being the narrator was a great choice. He provides the audience with a different point of view. He knows everything because he had witnesses them and he even spoils the events that are about to happen. He described the cruelty of the war in a raw way and he also tries to show that humans' perception about him is not entirely true. I always enjoyed reading the passages that focused on his thoughts and feelings. There was melancholy and beauty in his words and I found myself being drown to them. I could almost feel his tireness and sadness and I sympathised with him, even though I was aware of his non-human nature. Despite the context of the story, he was a sarcastic an dry humored, which added more depth to his emotions and made the tone of his narration more light-hearted.

The writing in this book was just exceptional. It was simple, beautiful and poetic. There were so many remarkable quotes which stuck with me and Markus Zusak contained so many emotions in his writing. Happiness, sadness, anger, love, everything were blended together in a beautiful way. Although the tone of the novel was melancholical, there were glimpses of happiness and comfort. There were many moments which made me laugh and cry throughout the novel and even though I knew that they wouldn't last, I treasured them a lot. Despite all the cruelty, the book reminded me that there was always some hope left. With the dictatorship and war above their heads, the characters didn't lose their courage and hope made them fight harder for their survival.

The book has many metamphors and symbolisms. I liked how Death would connect the colours with the dead people. His descriptions of the colours of the sky everytime he picked people's souls Colours play a major part in the narration, especially the colours of red, white and black - the colours that symbolize the Nazi flag. Marz Zusak knew how to use the words to portray the themes of the book effectively. He was the craftsman and words were his tools. His writing was moving and rich and there were many extracts which spoke right into my heart.

There is no actual plot in the book. It follows Death's narration and Liesel's life in her new home. But that wasn't a problem for me. I enjoyed the structure of the story and it reminded me of Anne of Green Gables, another book that I love so much. I really wanted to see the evolution of the story and even though some parts were already spoiled by Death, I was both afraid and curious to see how and when they would happen. Each chapter was interesting and fundamental for the story in its own way and the fact that they were pretty short mde the reading experience easier.

What I really liked was that the book focused on the Germans' point of view as well and that it follows the story of a German girl. Although they weren't hunted by the Nazis, Liesel, her family and her neighbours weren't excluded from the dangers of the war and although they were Germans, they too suffered a lot from the war. Instead of demonizing German people who supported Hitler, like Liesel's neighbours, Markus Zusak portrayed them in a humane way and although he didn't excuse their actions and beliefs, he shows that they were humans as well, who were victims of Hitler's propaganda and whose lives were ruined by the war. Additionaly, the main characters (nd other German people as well) didn't support Hitler's ideologies and they didn't hesitate to hide a Jew in their basement, despite the risk and dangers.

The characters. Oh, these characters! Page by page, chapter by chapter, I loved them more and more. From the moment Liesel was introduced, I knew that I'd grew fond of her. When she witnessed her brother's death and when she stole her first book at the beginning of the book, I knew that this character would be special for me. And I was right. As the book went on, Liesel grew more as a person. Despite her being German, she hated Hitler and she didn't hesitate to express it in some parts of the novel. At first, she was a scared and nagry girl, who had lost her biological family and who didn't even know how to read or write. However, she turned into a daring and kind girl, who discovered her love for reading and words. She loved her friends and family and she wanted to protect them however she could. Due to the times she lived, she had to mature up from a young age, but she was still a young child who was trying to comprehend the cruelty and injustice of the world.

Rudy was another character whom I loved a lot. He was energetic, daring and kind and I liked that he wouldn't hesitate to protect his friends, like he did with Tommy Müller. His friendship with Liesel was so innocent and their interactions never failed to make me smile or laugh. They teased each other and and called each other names, but the love between them was undenieable. Rudy's developing feelings for Liesel were believable and the way they were described was so beautiful. He too grow as a character and he goes under a dramatic shift (view spoiler)but no matter what, he never lost his kindness and love for his family and Liesel.

I also loved Hans, Liesel's foster father. I adored Hans' love for Liesel and he was a great father figure for her. He was the one who welcomed her into his home, he was the one who comforted her when she had one of her nightmares, he was the one who taught her how to read and write and he was the one who provided her with security. He loved her as if she was his biological daughter and he made sure to show her how much he cared about her every day. As for his wife, Rosa, she grew on me as I read more of her. Although she was harsh and cold, she cared deeply about her family and she was a kind person. She was a complicated character and considering the circumstances she lived in and how she tried to survive with her family, her behaviour made sense.

Max's friendship with Liesel was another aspect of the book that I loved. Their mutual hate for Hitler and Nazis brought them closer and they quickly developed a strong bond with each other. He was haunted by his own demons and was guilty for surviving. Liesel made him feel more hopeful and thanks to her, he was more determined to fight for his survival. He made her fall in love with words even more and together, they discovered the power of them.

The book explores the themes of death, life, friendship and love. It underlines the value of words and the power they hold. Words can be a powerful weapon and they can be used in many ways. Hitler used them for propaganda, Liesel tried to use them for good. Words can destroy you and save you. They can be beautiful and ugly. They can create strong emotions and they can make you experience so many things. And I love them for all of these reasons.

Markus Zusak made me fall more deeply in love with reading but he also made me fall in love with The Book Thief. I don't know how am I supposed to recover from this book and honestly, I don't want to. It made me feel so many emotions and I still can't proccess its beauty. As I said above, I am haunted by it and I feel so thankful for reading it. I just can't stop talking about it and if you haven't read it yet, please do it.

Content Warnings

finn_vibing's review

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative 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? Yes

5.0

One of the best books I have ever read!

Content Warnings

turtleycool's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

emma_sky's review

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dark sad medium-paced

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

2.0

Content Warnings

luveloise3's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

percys_panda_pillow_pet's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.25

I don't know how to feel about this book. It is 2023 and I have finally read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This has been a long time coming. I had heard quite a bit about the book when it became a movie, and many have touted it as a modern classic, some teachers in the U.S. teaching it to their classes alongside Fahrenheit 451 and Romeo and Juliet. It has great critical acclaims and many of my close friends love it a lot.

Still, I cannot help but think I was...not disappointed but perhaps unenlightened, might be the best word here. Forgive me if I get a tad poetic here with my writing, I just think at least in my language I can do justice to a book that has done so much for others that it could not do for me. At this time in my life, I have already read several first-hand accounts of WWII, particularly from either the US or Jewish perspectives. Night by Elie Wiesel that I read in 8th grade comes to mind, a popular reading for school. I just don't think The Book Thief was necessary for me to read now.

Don't get me wrong, the novel isn't terrible by any means, and my star rating will reflect that feeling, but I don't need it. I know there are some out there that do, and that is where the book's value lies. I didn't need it to tell me there were good people in Germany at the time, I didn't need it to tell me there are innocents on both sides, to show me the absolute tragedy war is. I already knew all that and more. Zusak's writing is beautiful, and while the story was a bit slow-paced in the first quarter of the novel, I really zoomed through the rest of it, sitting on the edge of my seat when the tension was the highest. He really is an accomplished author, knowing exactly when to make a new section and ratchet up suspense for the reader. But when all was said and done, I felt myself questioning, "What else?" Sure, it's an important story, no doubt about that. But I wanted to know about the afterward. How do you come back from all that sorrow and anguish and persecution?

WWII books love to go on and on about the Holocaust and its effects, good to learn about absolutely, but I want to know about those who survived the camps, where did they go? What about the propaganda? That doesn't disappear overnight. Neither does the hatred. I'm just sort of done with stories like this, or The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I'm done with the pain. I need hope too.

Content Warnings