You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.46 AVERAGE
4.46 AVERAGE
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
This book really takes you into how it would feel to live in Germany during World War 2. You feel for all the characters, as you watch them struggle, and overcome their struggles. I would suggest that history teachers read or have their students read this book. Coming from the point of view of death, however it is a child that we are learning about, students will really connect to the young girl. I would recommend this book to not only students but anyone and everyone. Well done.
i thought it was one of the most amazingly written books i've ever read.
I loved how it was all narrated by death and I loved how Markus Zusak had written every detail in the most beautiful way.
simply loved the relationship between Leisel and Max as well as Leisel and Rudy <3 my favorite character *_*
it made me cry.
I loved how it was all narrated by death and I loved how Markus Zusak had written every detail in the most beautiful way.
simply loved the relationship between Leisel and Max as well as Leisel and Rudy <3 my favorite character *_*
it made me cry.
One of my favorite books of all time! Such a good story. I’ve read this multiple times and watched (and loved) the movie. So good.
This book is narrated by Death. Why? I’ve got no clue.
Death becomes obsessed by a Germany girl who happens to steal a few books. He calls her the Book thief and watches her life in Nazi Germany. You’d think Death as a narrator in WWII Europe would be interesting, and it could be. But it wasn’t. All Death does is rant about Liesl and the books she steals. Death’s position as the narrator is so under-used that you forget it during the book, until he makes some remark, and you get confused because who is talking? Ah! Death. Right.
This book would have been more interesting if either Death showed the horror of the war or if we saw Nazi Germany through the eyes of a German child. Liesl with a little more personality and backstory? Would have been great. It would also have explained the lack of information, because of course a child would not know what was going on. But Death would. He’s the one shepherding all the souls. But he doesn’t explain a thing. They go from Jewish stores being closed down to Jews marching the streets on their way to concentration camps. Not a mention of those either (where Death would certainly be). This lack of information would have been justified if it were Liesl narrating. But it wasn’t.
Death is also obsessed with colours. He names the colours he sees when he picks up souls. It is never explained why, and it didn’t make the story better. He also stops doing this towards the ending. Why? No clue.
Liesl’s family hides a Jew, Max. Suddenly Max has to leave. Max survives the war, they reunite. And that’s it. You’d think hiding a Jew would have a much bigger impact on a family, but no. Max is in the basement, Max leaves, that’s about it. It’s clear that this family was anti-Nazi, but it wasn’t shown except for Max in their basement. This should have been an event of much bigger impact. But if you’d leave it out of the story, there wouldn’t be a hole.
Then there’s the timeline. These random jumps in time, where Death spoils the ones who will die, are confusing. Would have very much appreciated if it were chronological and without the spoilers of who dies. The only thing done right in this case are the deaths of Rosa and Hans. For sure did not see these coming, but since Death was so consistent in telling us who died, it felt like a mistake. Like the writer forgot to spoil those two.
I gave this book three stars, because it wasn’t bad. I did enjoy most of it an I adored Hans and the relationship between him and Liesl. It’s just that the book could have been better. It would have stood stronger if we had seen the story through the eyes of a child. This book left me torn.
Death becomes obsessed by a Germany girl who happens to steal a few books. He calls her the Book thief and watches her life in Nazi Germany. You’d think Death as a narrator in WWII Europe would be interesting, and it could be. But it wasn’t. All Death does is rant about Liesl and the books she steals. Death’s position as the narrator is so under-used that you forget it during the book, until he makes some remark, and you get confused because who is talking? Ah! Death. Right.
This book would have been more interesting if either Death showed the horror of the war or if we saw Nazi Germany through the eyes of a German child. Liesl with a little more personality and backstory? Would have been great. It would also have explained the lack of information, because of course a child would not know what was going on. But Death would. He’s the one shepherding all the souls. But he doesn’t explain a thing. They go from Jewish stores being closed down to Jews marching the streets on their way to concentration camps. Not a mention of those either (where Death would certainly be). This lack of information would have been justified if it were Liesl narrating. But it wasn’t.
Death is also obsessed with colours. He names the colours he sees when he picks up souls. It is never explained why, and it didn’t make the story better. He also stops doing this towards the ending. Why? No clue.
Liesl’s family hides a Jew, Max. Suddenly Max has to leave. Max survives the war, they reunite. And that’s it. You’d think hiding a Jew would have a much bigger impact on a family, but no. Max is in the basement, Max leaves, that’s about it. It’s clear that this family was anti-Nazi, but it wasn’t shown except for Max in their basement. This should have been an event of much bigger impact. But if you’d leave it out of the story, there wouldn’t be a hole.
Then there’s the timeline. These random jumps in time, where Death spoils the ones who will die, are confusing. Would have very much appreciated if it were chronological and without the spoilers of who dies. The only thing done right in this case are the deaths of Rosa and Hans. For sure did not see these coming, but since Death was so consistent in telling us who died, it felt like a mistake. Like the writer forgot to spoil those two.
I gave this book three stars, because it wasn’t bad. I did enjoy most of it an I adored Hans and the relationship between him and Liesl. It’s just that the book could have been better. It would have stood stronger if we had seen the story through the eyes of a child. This book left me torn.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i love this book. i love the way it's narrated, i love the characters, and i love how emotional it is. it made me ugly cry multiple times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Antisemitism, War
Minor: Vomit
Books like these are honestly why I keep reading. Zusak is a master storyteller, and that shows in the structure of this book. Beautiful, moving, and strikingly unique throughout.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
It is a good book, but I only started really liking it after halfway. Didn't love the first person parts or the random bold sentences, so I think it put me off.