Reviews with content warning for Genocide - The Book Thief

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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raspberryjelly's review

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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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fblair's review

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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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smolone13's review against another edition

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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.

Content Warnings

bookishchristiana's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
&
“Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness.”
&
“It kills me sometimes, how people die.” - Markus Zusak, The Book Thief.

To begin with, there are so many more quotes I could have put at the start of this post. This book is beautifully written, perhaps the most beautiful I've ever read. I know I'm extremely late to the party, but I absolutely loved The Book Thief. The premise, a story about Nazi Germany told from the perspective of death and a young girl, is so original and it is executed immaculately. It portrays the beauty but also evil of humanity so so well; how we were all pure young children once but we grow to love and hate so much. The horrors of Nazi Germany are not shied away from, they are front and centre. Despite this, I think the book is truly about a child's capacity to love those around them, despite the horrors. The main cast of characters are so loveable and human in the best way. That doesn't negate the terrible things happening around them, they continue throughout and are awful to read. Conversely to our main cast, we are also shown the true horrors humans inflict on one another. The hatred instilled in such a large population was and is terrifying, demonstrating how characters and real people are also human in the worst way. I think, considering the things occurring in our world today (the Palestinian genocide to name perhaps the most prominent one on our minds at the moment), this book continues to be painfully relevant. The lessons learned and the things considered in The Book Thief cannot and should not be forgotten. This literary masterpiece is so so important, I'm only sad I didn't read it sooner. To describe this book in a single sentence, I would say that this book is about humanity at its best and worst. I adored it and it devastated me (I cried so much at the end). This review may have been a bit of a ramble but I hope I got my main points across. If you haven't read this yet, please do, and if you have, read it again! - C x

Content Warnings

lottiemort's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful 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

4.5

Content Warnings

te_ss_i's review against another edition

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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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