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marfbody's review against another edition
5.0
"It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery." Don't let the young adult classification fool you. I can't imagine that the teens in my house would be as interested in this book and subject matter as I was. Try to explain to the tween that the narrator is Death and you may get a bit of eyeball rolling. Death adds some humor to the awful proceedings of world war two Germany. The character of leisel will stick with you after the end of the book. Not really a SPOILER , but since everyone dies eventually, you won't be surprised as Death lets you know ahead of time. I liked the tone and pacing, humor, and humanity of a terrible part of human history. Who knew that Death had a sense of humor?
arvimar's review against another edition
4.0
En general me ha gustado, aunque me esperaba una historia totalmente distinta, con mucha más acción. La manera en la que esta escrito desde el punto de vista de La Muerte ha sido un buen detalle, sobretodo viendo como lo ha caracterizado.
También me han gustado algunas metáforas y las fragmentos de libros que incluso tenian el detalle de algunas palabras del Mein Kampf que no se habian tapado del todo. Otra de mis partes favoritas es la de los 13 regalos.
Dicho esto, la verdad es que para ser 500 páginas me da la sensacion de que pasan pocas cosas, o de que las que lo hacen no tienen ninguna importancia para la trama. Al final esto se me ha hecho aburrido, porque a parte el narrador te iba haciendo spoiler de todo.
Algunas frases favoritas:
“One was a book thief
the other stole the sky”
“He was the second snowman to be melting away before her eyes, only this was different. It was a paradox. The colder he became, the more he melted”.
“Im haunted by humans”.
También me han gustado algunas metáforas y las fragmentos de libros que incluso tenian el detalle de algunas palabras del Mein Kampf que no se habian tapado del todo. Otra de mis partes favoritas es la de los 13 regalos.
Dicho esto, la verdad es que para ser 500 páginas me da la sensacion de que pasan pocas cosas, o de que las que lo hacen no tienen ninguna importancia para la trama. Al final esto se me ha hecho aburrido, porque a parte el narrador te iba haciendo spoiler de todo.
Algunas frases favoritas:
“One was a book thief
the other stole the sky”
“He was the second snowman to be melting away before her eyes, only this was different. It was a paradox. The colder he became, the more he melted”.
“Im haunted by humans”.
lisa_d9's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this up at the library and thought I'd give it a try. It is now one of my favorites(I have many favorites). It is quite an epic story. I read it within a couple of days. It reminded me of "A tree grows in Brooklyn"(another favorite of mine) for some reason. Both had female characters that stole my heart. I loved "The Book Thief" and the perspective it's told from. I have bought a copy of this book and now have it on my shelf so I can read it again some day.
elisabethfurlong's review against another edition
2.0
I had heard so much about this book that I thought it would be better. The idea of death as a narrator is an amazing concept, but to have the narrator basically interrupt the flow of the story to interject with overly descriptive scenery just did not impress me. Every time I would get interested in the action of the story I was jarred out of it to read some poetic nonsense. I was very disappointed.
karmba's review against another edition
2.0
I bought this book a few years ago and it had made three moves with me before I decided to finally read it this month. I'm going through a sort of "spring cleaning" with all the books I own but haven't read and "The Book Thief" was first on my list. To be honest I'm not entirely sure why I bought it to begin with. I think it was a combination of "I like books about books" and "I find the Holocaust interesting" and the fact that it was on a buy 2 get 1 free table at Borders.
Things I liked:
- Reading about the Holocaust from a German perspective (2 stars for that)
- Liesel
Things I didn't like:
- The narrator - Death
- The author's writing style (boring)
- The fact that despite the length of the book, the story ended before WWII did
- The "newsflash" asides
Over all this book didn't keep my attention at all. It was simply written (it is a young adult book, after all), but I labored through it. I had to force myself to finish it, I was ready to abandon it many times. It just wasn't for me - I wouldn't reccommend it to anyone - off to the Book Thing it goes!
Things I liked:
- Reading about the Holocaust from a German perspective (2 stars for that)
- Liesel
Things I didn't like:
- The narrator - Death
- The author's writing style (boring)
- The fact that despite the length of the book, the story ended before WWII did
- The "newsflash" asides
Over all this book didn't keep my attention at all. It was simply written (it is a young adult book, after all), but I labored through it. I had to force myself to finish it, I was ready to abandon it many times. It just wasn't for me - I wouldn't reccommend it to anyone - off to the Book Thing it goes!
katiedawes's review against another edition
3.0
A little too YA for me…I felt that something was missing compared to other WW2 novels I’ve read. I also want to re-read a paper copy vs digital.
stmartin's review against another edition
4.0
This book was interesting in light of the attack on the US Capital last week. I found myself comparing it to the rise of Hitler. This book takes place in Germany as the Third Reich develops. I didn't know that Mein Kamph means "My Struggle." It's interesting how fast Germany spiraled out of balance in support of Hitler, and how that progression would inevitably would lead to the destruction of Germany and leaving an indelible mark on the survivors.
tehmegan's review against another edition
4.0
I was hooked from the first chapter. I wanted to know what happened, because you kinda KNOW what is going to happen, but you don't really, which was the purpose. I wasn't ready for the end, not what happened, but for the book to actually stop having more pages to read. I wanted more!
That said, the ending came too soon for me. I wanted more about Leisel's life and how she lived after everything happened.
That said, the ending came too soon for me. I wanted more about Leisel's life and how she lived after everything happened.
vickiseglin's review against another edition
5.0
This was an amazing book and certainly not only for "young adults" as it is promoted. It is a wise exploration, written beautifully and with such creative use of language, of courage, growing up with loss, resilience in the face of unimaginable (except we CAN imagine) horrors, kindness and cruelty co-existing. The characters are complex and he writes about them in a way that reveals their natures gradually and allows us to empathize with people we might not ordinarily think that we could. Ultimately, it is a book about the complexity of humans, and what means for our lives and even survival.