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rhondawhite97's review against another edition
5.0
This book is perfect in every way. Well-rounded characters with much character development (even the narrator), interesting setting, intriguing storyline, beautiful writing style, a touching message, and a few plot twists that left me speechless. Definitely my most favorite book!
kaity2's review against another edition
2.0
I had a difficult time getting through this book. Although I found it interesting at times and the overall concept interesting there just wan't enough flow for me to stick to it. It took me a long time to read this one and I don't think I would read it again.
kaulhilo's review against another edition
5.0
"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right."
- The Book Thief; last line.
I don't know how to start this review, but I guess beginning from one of my favorite lines in the book is a good way to start. The most beautiful thing about Book Thief, is perhaps, the beauty of it. The love and hate and owning and writing to burning and destroying words; words are so powerful. You could use millions of weapons, but you couldn't inflict the kind of damage a good placed word would. Words saved Liesel's life but word's also destroyed it; words made Max who he was, but words also condemned him for believing in something. Words, words, words. We're all surrounded and damned by words- everyday, everywhere.
Another beautiful concept was of Death being "haunted by humans". What an epic way to end a book, in all honesty. We think we're all surrounded by death, doomed to die anyday and everyday- who would have imagined the Book Thief Death was haunted by us?
Ah, so many things to say. The Book Thief overall, is one of the best books I have ever read in my entire life. It's beautiful. It starts from Liesel witnessing her brother dying and Death taking him, and it ends with Liesel dying in the end herself, peacefully. Truly a book of a lifetime.
Liesel moves in with these foster parents aftee her brother's death, Hans and Rosa from an infamous Himmel Street. I thought all along that Death used to stalk Liesel or something, because he was curious. It never crossed my mind that he was reading her words.
Fuck.
I'm trying SO hard to write a proper review, but fucOHMYGOD HCFUI I WANT TO DIE. I CAN'T BELIEVE EVERYONE DIED I CAN'T BELIEVE HANS DIED OR ROSA DIED OR RUDY DIED I CAN'T BELIEVE ANYTHING WHY WHYWHYWHYWHY WHY DO THESE THINGS HAPPEN TO ME WHY CANT I HAVE HAPPY ENDINGS I HATE EVERYONE I LOVE MAX SO MUCH I WANT TO DIE GOODBYE.
- The Book Thief; last line.
I don't know how to start this review, but I guess beginning from one of my favorite lines in the book is a good way to start. The most beautiful thing about Book Thief, is perhaps, the beauty of it. The love and hate and owning and writing to burning and destroying words; words are so powerful. You could use millions of weapons, but you couldn't inflict the kind of damage a good placed word would. Words saved Liesel's life but word's also destroyed it; words made Max who he was, but words also condemned him for believing in something. Words, words, words. We're all surrounded and damned by words- everyday, everywhere.
Another beautiful concept was of Death being "haunted by humans". What an epic way to end a book, in all honesty. We think we're all surrounded by death, doomed to die anyday and everyday- who would have imagined the Book Thief Death was haunted by us?
Ah, so many things to say. The Book Thief overall, is one of the best books I have ever read in my entire life. It's beautiful. It starts from Liesel witnessing her brother dying and Death taking him, and it ends with Liesel dying in the end herself, peacefully. Truly a book of a lifetime.
Liesel moves in with these foster parents aftee her brother's death, Hans and Rosa from an infamous Himmel Street. I thought all along that Death used to stalk Liesel or something, because he was curious. It never crossed my mind that he was reading her words.
Fuck.
I'm trying SO hard to write a proper review, but fucOHMYGOD HCFUI I WANT TO DIE. I CAN'T BELIEVE EVERYONE DIED I CAN'T BELIEVE HANS DIED OR ROSA DIED OR RUDY DIED I CAN'T BELIEVE ANYTHING WHY WHYWHYWHYWHY WHY DO THESE THINGS HAPPEN TO ME WHY CANT I HAVE HAPPY ENDINGS I HATE EVERYONE I LOVE MAX SO MUCH I WANT TO DIE GOODBYE.
lululem's review against another edition
4.0
”i have hated words and i have loved them, and i hope i have made them right.”
this book is so different from any other book i’ve read. it’s a stand out book. and it’s one that sneaks up on you as you read on.
the love i have for this book is different from the love i have for other books. it’s not a fiery, ‘shout it from the rooftops,’ glowing type of love. but it’s a soft love. it’s not as loud as my love of other books, but it’ll always be there like a dim light amongst the books i love when i think back on it. and i cannot wait to pick it back up. it'll always stay with me.
”i am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race — that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. i wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.”
i love books that can make me sad, but even more than that i love books that can make me appreciate humanity, love and connection. this was a book about human connection amongst so much sadness and despair. it helped me see that there are always hardships and there will always be hardships to come, but there are moments of happiness, and of love that happen in between all of that that’s important to cherish and to experience. this is just one of the many things i’m taking from it. the way that there is good sandwiched between all the bad and i need to recognize that and appreciate it for what it is. this is what we carry in our hearts amongst all the heartbreak. what a perplexing little life of ours.”it kills me sometimes, how people die.”
i guess it’s the point of a book told from death’s perspective. but i’ve never seen death portrayed so delicately. it really made me see death in a new light. in a way, all the death made me sad, but i also felt very content by the end. the fact that it was told in death’s pov, gave me a sense of peace as we get some closure from each character.”A DEFINITION NOT FOUND
IN THE DICTIONARY
not leaving: an act of trust and love,
often deciphered by children.”
i’ll forever cherish this family. liesel, hans, max, rosa and rudy hold a special place in my heart. ♡
thesimplereader's review against another edition
3.0
The Book Thief was incredibly heart wrenching. While it was a fantastic story line, it was a bit hard to work through and was by no means a cliff hanger. I enjoyed it, but wouldn't say it's an all time favorite. Great book, but I was slightly disappointed after all of the hype I heard about it.
nansap's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
tabatha_shipley's review against another edition
5.0
This amazing book written for young adults is narrated by Death himself. It is a masterpiece of storytelling that I highly recommend. The story follows Liesel, who (like many of us) has her entire life changed by a book. Everyone has a story to tell and this is the story I didn't know I needed from Nazi Germany.
Note for Parents/Teachers: This one has some challenging words, although it was written for young adults. This would be a good one to read with your child because of the new words that may come up. There is also a great book to spark conversations about hatred, death, government, and restrictions/rules.
Note for Parents/Teachers: This one has some challenging words, although it was written for young adults. This would be a good one to read with your child because of the new words that may come up. There is also a great book to spark conversations about hatred, death, government, and restrictions/rules.
rachell710's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
5.0
The concept behind this novel is brilliant. Narrated by Death who continuously spoils the ending of the novel before it actually happens it tells the story of Liesel Memminger, a young girl living in foster care in Germany during the Second World War. In truth, it is less a story about the war in the sense of fighting or rebelling, but more a story about the life of those who were, for the most part, mere bystanders to the happenings of the war. The characters in the novel are neither Nazis nor do they really fight them, their acts of resilience are mostly small and accidental. Zusak manages to humanise those whose suffering is often overlooked because they had slight ties to the aggressor whilst accepting their flaws and mistakes. I grew very fond of Max and Liesel’s foster parents in particular.
Surprisingly, the writing style also grew on me. At first, I found it rather clunky and all of Death’s insertions seemed more distracting than helpful to the story, but with time I came to appreciate the unique voice and atmosphere. Synaesthesia also turned out to be a fun rhetorical device (although I can believe it must annoy people who cannot relate to it at all and it is slightly over-used by the author).
The only thing that annoyed me personally was how very occasionally, it became evident that the author had not done quite enough research into the German language. (It would have to be “Gelbe Straße”, not “Gelb Straße” and no street in Nazi Germany would have ever been called “Grande Straße” because “Grande” is simply not a German word.)
All in all, The Book Thief lands somewhere between 4 and 5 stars for me, but I am giving it the benefit of the doubt because of the ending. I also appreciate the way Zusak handles such a complex topic and makes it appropriate for YA readers.
Surprisingly, the writing style also grew on me. At first, I found it rather clunky and all of Death’s insertions seemed more distracting than helpful to the story, but with time I came to appreciate the unique voice and atmosphere. Synaesthesia also turned out to be a fun rhetorical device (although I can believe it must annoy people who cannot relate to it at all and it is slightly over-used by the author).
The only thing that annoyed me personally was how very occasionally, it became evident that the author had not done quite enough research into the German language. (It would have to be “Gelbe Straße”, not “Gelb Straße” and no street in Nazi Germany would have ever been called “Grande Straße” because “Grande” is simply not a German word.)
All in all, The Book Thief lands somewhere between 4 and 5 stars for me, but I am giving it the benefit of the doubt because of the ending. I also appreciate the way Zusak handles such a complex topic and makes it appropriate for YA readers.
nisa_yildiz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0