Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

74 reviews

epohlig's review against another edition

dark emotional informative 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

This book was amazing! I loved how it was told from Death’s point of view, because when you think about WWII, you think about tons of people dying, but not so much death itself (as a person or otherwise).

Also, WWII material rarely has you feeling sorry for the Germans, because they’re all lumped into a Hitler-supporting mass, so I appreciated the different perspective here - not backing the bad people, but showing that not every German was like that then either. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Grief, Religious bigotry, and War

Minor: Child death and Suicide

emeraldxprincess's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

Really difficult to read but truly amazing, 14+ made me cry

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Sexual harassment

musicalchikaan's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

w0rmonastring's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

0.75

this self-important train wreck is undeserving of the esteemed critical acclaim it has earned. it fails to tell an important story while trying to approach one of the most sensitive subjects in human history with an immature sense of snark. there is very little narrative flow, and what good episodes the author is able to construct are shoved in your face repeatedly as the author spoils his own story, and makes bolded and centered announcements proclaiming his "point" (as if you haven't already read it). don't waste your time re-reading this like I did.

the best quote of the entire novel comes when the perspective is shifted away from the pathetic image of "Death" that zusak puts forth:
"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: Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, and War

a_d_maillet's review

dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, War, and Classism

erinlovestoread's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and War

achay91's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Death, Genocide, Racism, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War

Moderate: Suicide and Police brutality

bookmark3brodi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Deportation

percys_panda_pillow_pet's review against another edition

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

malley's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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, Hate crime, Slavery, Torture, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Cursing, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, and Death of parent