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A review by rachelreads1994
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This story is told by death, it’s a story about a young girl who faces loss, finds new family and friends, and steals books.
Liesel is a young girl living in Germany during World War 2. After witnessing her 6 year old brother dying on the train to their new home she is left in the care of a married couple who she takes to quickly and soon refers to as Mama and Papa. The story follows her life in this small German town, the families and friends around her, her families desire to save a Jewish man from harm, and her desire to learn to read so she can escape in stories.
The story isn’t your typical World War 2 story, it doesn’t focus much on the war other than basic information, it’s being told by “death” from his memories of the time and a book he came across that Liesel wrote. About her family hiding a Jewish man Max in their basement despite the risks, her and her friend Rudy’s escapades (mainly stealing books and food together), about the losses her and the whole town faces. It’s a story about Germans who didn’t agree with what Hitler was doing but were just trying to survive through the war with their families. (Well quite a few of them there are still plenty in the town that love hitler but the book doesn’t focus on them very much it leans more towards people like Liesel’s Papa that doesn’t agree with the way things)
The most impressive thing is the fact that death plainly mentions many times throughout that certain characters are going to die in this book but it still made me cry when we finally got to the point where it happened.
I think the story was beautifully written, it makes you care for Liesel, her family, friends and everyone she cares for. It shows you the tragedy of war and especially the young lives caught in it. Definitely a 5 star read.
Liesel is a young girl living in Germany during World War 2. After witnessing her 6 year old brother dying on the train to their new home she is left in the care of a married couple who she takes to quickly and soon refers to as Mama and Papa. The story follows her life in this small German town, the families and friends around her, her families desire to save a Jewish man from harm, and her desire to learn to read so she can escape in stories.
The story isn’t your typical World War 2 story, it doesn’t focus much on the war other than basic information, it’s being told by “death” from his memories of the time and a book he came across that Liesel wrote. About her family hiding a Jewish man Max in their basement despite the risks, her and her friend Rudy’s escapades (mainly stealing books and food together), about the losses her and the whole town faces. It’s a story about Germans who didn’t agree with what Hitler was doing but were just trying to survive through the war with their families. (Well quite a few of them there are still plenty in the town that love hitler but the book doesn’t focus on them very much it leans more towards people like Liesel’s Papa that doesn’t agree with the way things)
The most impressive thing is the fact that death plainly mentions many times throughout that certain characters are going to die in this book but it still made me cry when we finally got to the point where it happened.
I think the story was beautifully written, it makes you care for Liesel, her family, friends and everyone she cares for. It shows you the tragedy of war and especially the young lives caught in it. Definitely a 5 star read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Suicide, War, and Antisemitism