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A review by steen
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
3.0
"The Book Thief" is a mediocre novel at best and undeserving of the high praise it continues to receive. The narration of the novel through the eyes of Death adds nothing to the story except to remind the reader that a lot of people died (and unjustly so in the case of the Jews), during WWII. This isn't a startling revelation, and through the narration of Death unfolds a watered down retelling of a high level timeline of events that transpired during the war.
The generic theme that "words are power" can be appreciated by many, but the author does little to add or expand to this cliche, rendering the characters static in their development. Liesel, Hans, Rosa and Rudy were predictable and tame in contrast to the setting of a Germany embroiled in a destructive war. It's boring to read about good-hearted characters through and through. If their major flaws are to be too nice, too good and too selfless, it's no fun to read about, and is idealistically naive.
The book was too generic and too "safe" to be considered anything but plain and unsurprising.
The generic theme that "words are power" can be appreciated by many, but the author does little to add or expand to this cliche, rendering the characters static in their development. Liesel, Hans, Rosa and Rudy were predictable and tame in contrast to the setting of a Germany embroiled in a destructive war. It's boring to read about good-hearted characters through and through. If their major flaws are to be too nice, too good and too selfless, it's no fun to read about, and is idealistically naive.
The book was too generic and too "safe" to be considered anything but plain and unsurprising.