Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

316 reviews

sierraclimbs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This story was completely enchanting from the moment I pressed play on the audiobook. It somehow takes such a widely known event (the Holocaust) & tells a beautiful and tragic story from a unique perspective, Death. Because the story is narrated by Death, it gives a somewhat neutral perspective on the horrific events which I felt really let the reader experience the time for what it was, rather than a bias narrator. (Not that I think there is any gray area around the right & wrong of the holocaust. More so that it allows you to get in the headspace of just being a human living through that time. Rather than it being a historical retelling where you know what is the right & wrong choice) 
It was a truly raw & human experience reading this book. 
Highly recommend the audiobook. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War

Moderate: Suicide, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Antisemitism

I find none of the content was excessive or exaggerated for shock value. If anything, it felt very thought out & deliberate to depict a reality of a horrific time period.

puffins's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Child death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicide

patchedspines's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War

niki258devil_angel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War

queensplay's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• 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, Hate crime, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Child death and Domestic abuse

fuzzygazelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

Such a beautiful and timely book. I knew it was going to make me cry once I started getting attached to the characters but I didn't think i would ugly sob. But everyone is so lovable, the character progression of the Huberman family, Liesel and Rudy's growths, Liesel's relationship with everyone. It's funny at times and it's light-hearted when we are just seeing their lives and it makes it real. The narration is also really nice and unique and Death's propensity to spoil things just makes it even more tense. It's so beautifully tragic and sad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Gore, Mental illness, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol

raspberryjelly's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Really great book, a few of the characters didn't have much to too them literally and figuratively.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Blood

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Suicide, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Deportation

fblair's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, and War

Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

smolone13's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad 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? No

4.5

 

Ratings:

Goodreads: 4/5

Storygraph: 4/5

My Rating: 4.5/5

Synopsis:

The narrator, Death, follows a young girl, Liesel, on her journey where she becomes a book thief set in World War II.

My Review:

Starting off with the first character we are introduced, Death. Death is an interesting choice for a narrator. You would think Death as cruel but Zusak writes Death as a being that is sympathetic when it comes to people’s times. Death is intrigued by humans and is haunted by humans. Death finds Liesel to be an interesting human and can’t help breaking away from her and follows her around as she becomes a book thief. Liesel is a young girl who witnesses her six-year-old brother’s death, her mother leaving her at a foster home, and even at the end witnesses her crush and foster parents die. Liesel first steals a gravedigger’s book, and although she can’t read she becomes fascinated with the thought of reading. Her adopted father helps her learn how to read and although her adopted mother seems harsh at first, she is actually a huge softy towards Liesel. Once Liesel learns how to read, she is not only given books but also steals books, until she is given a book by a Jew. A book that he created himself. Later she wrote her own book titled the book thief.

The book is set in World War II, Germany. The setting shows how it was for Jews, Germans, and even the poor Germans who were witnessing the genocide that was happening in their front yard. The entire story of their family dynamic is depressing. They are a poor German family who end up losing a majority of their business not only because of the war but because they don’t immediately join the Nazi party. In which case they end up suffering even more and work off of scraps. When the Jews are being taken away, more of their money is gone. The family witnesses people being committed for something that makes no sense. Off of just who they are and their religion. People being sent to war and a number of their friends and neighbors dying.

The plot is Liesel discovering herself. Even though she steals a few books, it is really her learning about what makes a family a family. What makes books so special and the significance words hold. What making connections can do. She begins to learn what happiness is. She learns about community. The entire book is her discovering herself. However, it is also her realizing how cruel the world can be as she starts to lose everyone in just a short period of time. Through the bad, some good did come out of it. She discovers her true self, finds a home with a father who lost his entire family in one night, is reunited with the Jew that lived in her basement, and moves away to start her own family.

This entire book was a roller coaster. It wasn’t even a turn of events, it was just all emotion. It started off depressing for Liesel just to pick her up and have her believe that her life was good to crash down in a single night. I think it not only shows what was going on in World War II in Germany, but also what is currently happening to some families in other countries. What could happen in just a short amount of time and how we should appreciate every experience. I love World War II books, and although this wasn’t my favorite, it was something I truly enjoyed reading and would probably pick up again.

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Genocide, Suicide, Police brutality, Death of parent, and War

te_ss_i's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism