Reviews

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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liezevdl's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

3.75

Mooi oorlogsverhaal maar wel super lang… Het verhaal kon wel iets korter geschreven zijn, nu moest ik me telkens concentreren en proberen bij het verhaal te blijven.

abditoryalive's review against another edition

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emotional tense slow-paced

3.5

saritaroth's review against another edition

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5.0

The main aspect of this book and the fact that intrigued me above all else is that the book is narrated by Death. You rarely encounter such a book and, for me, it set this book apart from the others I have read and the others still to read. The book takes place in Germany during World War II, a vast playground for Death and a perfect place for Him to reside. The story centers around Liesel Meminger, a girl who travels with her brother to another city to live with a couple, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. She is abandoned by her mother, who cannot care for her or her brother anymore. On the way to the Hubermann household, however, Liesel's brother gets sick and dies. Liesel must then go live in a different city with people she's never met before, all while encountering the prejudice and cruelties brought on by the war and the reign of the Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler. She almost immediately meets a boy, Rudy Steiner, and they become best friends. She discovers a love of books, despite her inability to read and the blatant prejudice against any intellectual pursuits. She overcomes the first hurdle; her "papa", Hans, teaches her to read. She attempts to overcome the second hurdle by stealing books and hiding them away from members of the Nazi party. At some point in the book, the family take in Max Vandenburg, a runaway Jew escaping from the Nazi soldiers, at great risk to their own lives.

I thought that this book was excellent; it is obviously geared toward young adults and, in fact, the reading level is 12 years old and up. Despite the fact that I am 44 years old, I was really able to appreciate both the writing style and the heartbreaking content that such a story inevitably entails. For those of you who do not know, this book was also made into a movie starring Emily Watson as Rosa Hubermann, Geoffrey Rush as Hans Hubermann, and featuring Sophie Nelisse as Liesel Meminger. I recently watched the movie with my daughter, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. It is pretty faithful to the book with a few exceptions. First of all, in the book, I don't believe Max is sick when he first comes to live with the Hubermanns; he only gets sick later. In the movie, he gets sick twice. Furthermore, in the movie, I think Rosa protests more vociferously about Max staying with them, but Hans shoots her down, saying that he owes Max's family this and much more. In the book, I think she just goes along with it. There is one more difference, but detailing it would give too much of the ending away. Suffice it to say, I would highly recommend both the book and the movie.

fantasyreader_07's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

hattie_mc's review

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emotional 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

mrbear's review against another edition

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4.0

This is one of the most unique (Kavita gets mad about "more unique") books I have ever read. Written from the point of view of death, and featuring an odd combination of sympathy and harshness, it was certainly captivating. It particularly impressed me that I liked this book in spite of the fact that I don't like Holocaust stories almost as a matter of principle.