Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

62 reviews

hitheremynameislisa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Child death, War, Violence, Suicide, Hate crime, Death, Death of parent, Blood, Antisemitism, Police brutality, Murder, Genocide, and Racism

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Grief

breeezzy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Antisemitism, Death, War, Child death, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Grief, and Genocide

theonlybaillie's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Antisemitism, Violence, War, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Bullying and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Suicide

Pretty much TW for everything and anything.

saoreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

It spoke of death and Death spoke. Usually it's a theme associated with coldness and solemnity, but there's this kind of warmth coming out of the novel, as if you yourself have become one with the experience. After a few days, I finally got to finish reading this, and I'm not exactly ecstatic knowing that it ended. It may have entered into one of my favorite comfort books by following the life of Liesel Meminger as she was taken in as a foster child on Himmel Street during the war. Rudy Steiner has got to be my ultimate favorite throughout the entire story. With his wit and brilliancy as a person, how Death (narrator) and the author itself love him—it truly can be felt with the way his character was written. Special mention to her Papa, Hans Hubermann, whose kind heart and ways ushered in so much humanity that it sparked familial bonds even though they weren't blood tied, and Max Vandenburg, who became her brother, and wrote a memorable short story for Liesel that was so touching. It was obvious how the story would flow and end, as Death was eager and blunt. You no longer need to wait for a thrill, yet it still catches you off guard by letting it spill your tears and emotions. Along the lines created by the book thief, Liesel, this one struck and stayed with me: "I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Car accident, Death, Grief, Police brutality, Slavery, Alcohol, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, War, Confinement, and Death of parent

marissasa's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Cursing, Child death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Violence, and War

kyarabereading's review against another edition

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. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Torture

Minor: Excrement and Alcohol

maeverose's review against another edition

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, War, Violence, Antisemitism, Bullying, Confinement, Physical abuse, Grief, Genocide, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Torture, and Murder

Minor: Alcohol

brownieboo's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Antisemitism, Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Death, Death of parent, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, Police brutality, Suicide, Bullying, Colonisation, Slavery, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Cursing, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse

kiabejero's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Death of parent, Violence, and Death

Minor: Physical abuse and Genocide

dean_issov's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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 never been this invested in fictional characters in my life before reading The Book Thief. All the characters just felt so real, their flaws and their own quirks; I loved all of them so much. Liesel was so dear to me when I was reading, I wanted her to be happy so much which felt so futile knowing what place and time in history she was at. It was heartbreaking nonetheless when I was nearing the end, I made sure to divide the book in tiny sections so I can savour the taste of reading it everyday. This book has been the most memorable book for me since I started to like reading in 2021, it felt like reading "The Diary of Anne Frank" all over again and also like watching the Studio Ghibli film "Grave of The Fireflies." 

Humans do haunt me too, death, they really do. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, Child death, Death of parent, and Racism

Moderate: Physical abuse