The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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Maud Fitch
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Re: The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

Post by Maud Fitch »

Hannellene wrote:Zusak shows us how small defiances and unexpectedly courageous acts remind us of our humanity.
How very true. I just wish we humans would learn from our mistakes in the past.
"Every story has three sides to it - yours, mine and the facts" Foster Meharny Russell
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Va_treehugger
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Post by Va_treehugger »

Enjoyed the book very much. It wasn't mainstream. It was very different. The choice of narrator was excellent.
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Redlegs
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Post by Redlegs »

An absolute corker of a book; one of my very favourites. Don't mind admitting I cried too - but I also laughed a little.
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sweetpea
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Post by sweetpea »

I finished The Book Thief this morning. Humorous and heartbreaking.
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Post by bookworm137 »

I've just joined onlinebookclub and the first thing I looked for was a discussion on The Book Thief. As you said it stays with you. After reading this I found myself haunted by it (much like Liesel and Death). It is a brilliant read heartwarming, devestating and unputdownable(!) I was hooked from the very first line "Here is a small fact : YOU ARE GOING TO DIE" ,what an opener! This is one of the most compelling books I have ever read. Zusak describes scenes and feelings in a very unique and out-of-the-box way. The characters are so well written and lovable. I could rave about this book forever. A must read.
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Maud Fitch
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Post by Maud Fitch »

bookworm137 wrote:I've just joined onlinebookclub and the first thing I looked for was a discussion on The Book Thief. As you said it stays with you. After reading this I found myself haunted by it (much like Liesel and Death). It is a brilliant read heartwarming, devestating and unputdownable(!) I was hooked from the very first line "Here is a small fact : YOU ARE GOING TO DIE" ,what an opener! This is one of the most compelling books I have ever read. Zusak describes scenes and feelings in a very unique and out-of-the-box way. The characters are so well written and lovable. I could rave about this book forever. A must read.
Nicely said, and so true.
"Every story has three sides to it - yours, mine and the facts" Foster Meharny Russell
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Post by wafeeqa »

I had to do a book review on a book written in the last decade and by pure luck I stumbled onto the book thief. I got so absorbed in Liesl's life that my assignment lay forgotten until the book was finished. I will definitely be reading it again. Brilliant!
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Post by Cnc_theft_auto »

I started reading this a few days ago after lots of hype at my school, but I find the writing style a little plain and boring. To me the story progression is slow, although I have only read about 40 pages so far...does the rest of the book get any better? I'm going to read it anyway, but I just want to know what I'm getting into.
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Post by Redlegs »

Cnc_theft_auto wrote:I started reading this a few days ago after lots of hype at my school, but I find the writing style a little plain and boring. To me the story progression is slow, although I have only read about 40 pages so far...does the rest of the book get any better? I'm going to read it anyway, but I just want to know what I'm getting into.
Read the other posts here - I recommend you stick with it and you will be rewarded. :D
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Post by Cnc_theft_auto »

I just finished it yesterday and loved it! The first 150 pages bored me to death but after that I LOVED it!!
"Desperation is your enemy's best weapon." - Me
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Post by primrose777 »

I have just completed The Book Thief. Unfortunately I finished it during break at work... and cried..... not a great look.
I don't think I have read a book that has moved me as much, not only by the content and story but by the shape and structure of the words. Markus Zusak writes in such a way that words that would not normally be melded together are constructed in such a way that my heart was penetrated and the words lingered for a very long time.
The subject is not an easy one. WW2, Hitler, The Jews and the terrible inhumanity to man. I thought it a stroke of genius that the narrator was death, and very apt for the time. I have never read a book abut WW2 from the German peoples perspective,those caught in the crossfire if you like and found that insight very interesting. I think it can be forgotten that there were probably many Germans who were as appalled by Hitler as the rest of the world.
I thought this book brilliantly written, so sad, so moving, the characters vivid yet ordinary in an extraordinary situation.
I finish with these words... some of my favourite.

" Papa sat with me tonight. He brought his accordion down and sat close to where Max used to sit. I often look at his fingers and face when he plays. The accordion breathes. There are lines on his cheeks. They look drawn on,and for some reason, when I see them, I want to cry. It is not for any sadness or pride. I just like the way they move and change. Sometimes I think my Papa is an accordion. When he looks ay me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes."

Beautiful.
There are years that ask questions and years that answer. Zora Neale Hurston.
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Maud Fitch
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Post by Maud Fitch »

Great to read your review, Primrose. As you rightly said, it is a very moving story.

On the topic of WWII, have you read "Maus", a graphic novel by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman?
I find the cartoons overwhelming, the message is very powerful.

It's hard for me to explain because it evokes similar reactions as "The Book Thief". Art Spiegelman was born in Sweden to parents who were Holocaust survivors. His brother, Richieu, did not survive, having been poisoned by an aunt in order to avoid capture by the Nazis four years before Art was born. He immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1951.

Growing up, his mother would occasionally talk about Auschwitz, but his father didn't want him to know about it. Because his father wouldn't talk openly about the Holocaust, Spiegelman interviews him about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. The book (originally serialised) uses post-modern techniques and depicts different races of humans as different breeds of animal, with Jews as mice - hence "Maus" - Germans as cats and Poles as pigs. Sometimes labelled memoir, biography, history, fiction, a mixture of genres with a chilling subtitle A Survivor's Tale - My Father Bleeds History.

It was the first comic book to win a Pulitzer Prize. But definitely not one for kids.
"Every story has three sides to it - yours, mine and the facts" Foster Meharny Russell
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Post by primrose777 »

@ Maud. Maus sounds very interesting, will try and source it and NOT read it to the kids :D :D
There are years that ask questions and years that answer. Zora Neale Hurston.
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Post by michelet3005 »

I had never heard of this book before until I was in the store one day and randomly picked it up. Sounded alright but wasn't going to get it until a woman walked past and said it was amazing. She wasn't wrong. I absolutely LOVED it. I don't think I've ever read a book from the point of view of Death. It was so moving! A definate must read!
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Post by MelMariah »

I think you speak for the majority in great words, Maud.
Everything you've said is perfectly correct. Zusak has done an amazing job on this book and it's definitely a favourite of mine.
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