The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

[erine_sturdevant]

This is one of my favorite books. I loved the perspective of the narrator, I loved that the main character was able to have a special relationship with a man as if he were her older brother, the love her adopted parents were able to provide for her no matter how hard it was to show at times. The movie was impressive as well considering they used actors with actual German accents instead of the usual movie being set in Europe so let's give them an English accent deal you normally see in Hollywood. It's easy to read for both young ones and adults and it's easy to stay engaged.

[kderse]

my review

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a small story, about a small girl, some words, an accordionist, some Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and a lot of thievery. Liesel is a foster girl living outside of Munich during WWII. Liesel loves books she cannot resist them when she encounters a house with a library she cannot help but steal them. Her foster father teaches her how to read. She reads and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man that is hidden in her basement before he is taken to Dachau.

I recommend this book to young adults.

I had a hard time deciding if I liked this book. I have always enjoyed reading about the holocaust era, I am not sure why. Ever since I read a diary of Ann Frank at a very young age I have been captivated by other writing that takes place during that time. I know these books tend to be depressing but I really enjoy them. A book reviewer said it best, if you are looking for a happy ending, this book is not for you, but if you love to read and fall in love with characters and have your heart broken and mended on the same page then read this book. The book had a strange narrator. To be honest it confused me a lot, I ended the book still not really understanding who was narrating and how he knew so much about the main characters. Thanks to other book reviewers I learned who he was. It may count as a book spoiler so I will not say who it is here but it all makes sense to me.

I could get lost in the authors writing, he is very talented. HIs sentences turn into poetry even while the Nazi’s are around everywhere. I think the challenging part for me was seeing the big picture. It was like I was reading a lot of short stories and I didn’t know how to put them all together to figure out what the author was trying to say. To be honest I found myself frustrated when I finished this book and went to read other peoples reviews. They praised this book so high and I felt like I missed something. I still don’t know why I couldn’t grasp this one. Maybe the movie will help. I hope to see it soon and I hope to understand everything better afterwards.

I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars.

[Clifora]

The start of the book was a little slow. I remember myself starting to get bored after reading for a while, and I was ready to put the book down and return it back to the library. However, I didn't, and I am so glad that I didn't.
It was a really heartbreaking story, especially the ending. I felt ready to cry. It was so... touching. I will definitely borrow this book from the library again if I could.

[Taylor Razzani]

I've had this book on my 'To Be Read' pile for awhile but didn't get a chance to read it until now. I really enjoyed all the rich characters, the suspense, even the horror of those times that was injected into the story and we got to see how citizens acted. But that ending killed me, even though you knew it was coming, it was still hard to prepare yourself. I just finished it tonight and I'm sad and sick about it, but I can appreciate it, because there were not so many happy endings during those times, so it makes sense.

[nina-mouawad]

I have hated words and I have loved them and I hope I have made them right

I devoured this. I read it; then I read it again, and now I want to read it for a third time. I’ve really got to move on, but this was just so Good with a capital G. This book takes such an interesting perspective on what is, in my opinion, an overly written about period of history. Having Death as the narrator for parts of the story really took it to the next level; it made it utterly unique. It also created a sense of detachment from the events, and evoked the message that death is unavoidable and will eventually come for all. I loved it, and I think the heroine is just superb.

A small fact: you are going to die

Everything about this book is just brilliant. I think this is such an accomplished story. It takes a lot to write a book like this, and to end it like this. The temptation to end it differently must have been humongous. It’s refreshing to see a modern story actually end how it should rather than the easier route of a happy ending. This certainly won’t be the last book I’ll be reading by Markus Zusak.

[bluestreak77]

The Book Thief is about a girl, Liesel, who is fostered to a family in Nazi Germany during WWII. The book is told from the point of view of Death. He discusses what he knows of Liesel as well as other characters of the book. The book bounces around from time period to time period as well as other people's stories, so you have to pay attention. It's an easy read other than that. It's hard, morally, to read because it makes you put yourself in the characters' place. You may think that their decisions were heartless, but it was a way to survive.
The book is a little over 500 pages, but it is worth the read. The book leaves some question unanswered at the end, but I think the author does this on purpose to make the reader to draw their own conclusion. It shows points of views that from people who had to follow the Nazi way even though they did not agree with Nazism. It is not a point of view that I have read. Most of the time, you read from Jewish sympathizers or Jewish survivors, so It was new for me. It was a book that I continued to pass over for years, and I am ecstatic that I finally decided to read it.

[jemgirl202]

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is nothing but 550 pages of intense raw emotion. I can’t even convey the depth of the characters. These characters gave me the impression that they were real. They displayed real and accurate emotion. They were relatable and determined. They all had experiences that shaped them throughout the novel. But most of all, they were hard to let go.

The book begins with the introduction of the narrator. Death himself. He is the gatherer of souls. He starts the story with a fact.

“Here is a small fact: You are going to die”

He speaks so nonchalant about death to the point where it is almost unnerving. However, you come to find that he is exhausted. The book starts out in the year 1939 in Germany. The Nazi party and Hitler have risen to power and the beginning of World War II was just months away. So Death is going to be busy. He hates wars and witnessing the human race slaughter each other. Here enters our main character, almost 10 years old, Liesal Meminger. Death spots her on a train when he goes to collect her younger brothers soul. Death watches her. At her brother’s burial, one of the gravediggers drops a book and Liesal picks it up. It is called The Grave Digger’s handbook. This was the beginning of her fascination with books. She would later steal books from a book burning and even the Mayor’s wife’s library.

Her mother then takes Liesal to live with foster parents. Scared and still grieving for her brother, she is then dropped off with Rosa and Hans Hubermann. Rosa is force to be reckoned with but Hans is gentle and comforting. Liesal goes through a period of terrible nightmares and Hans goes in to comfort her each night. He also begins to teach her to read. When she starts school she meets Rudy Steiner. He would soon become her partner in crime and best friend.

The book goes through the daily life on Himmel Street and progressively shows the effects of the war. The hatred for the Jews also steadily grows worse as they are out of business then gathered and sent to concentration camps. One Jewish man, named Max Vandenburg, finds himself seeking shelter from his father’s war friend. That friends happens to be Hans Hubermann. Liesal then slowly starts to see the lack of humanity and evil in the world as she is forced to keep a secret. If anyone should find out that there is Jewish man in their basement they would be arrested or worse. Danger is rising. The war is getting closer and raid sirens become more frequent. By stealing books, reading and writing, Liesal is able to find an outlet to help her deal with these fearful times. It is hard to believe it could get much worse and no one is prepared for the end.

I wish I could write and tell you about all the chapters that spoke to me or made me think. But honestly, there are just too many. I think what makes this book so unbelievably special are the characters. As I said earlier, they are so beautifully written. In a time when evil seems to win and control everything, these characters bring faith in humanity. Hans and Death are my favorites. Hans is genuinely a good person. I feel like he doesn’t even try to be good. He just is. The moment when he painted over the racial slurs on Jewish buildings or handed bread to the Jews walking to the concentration camp was pure goodness. He didn’t think about his actions, he just helped. Even though this has a negative effect on his life, Liesal is watching and learning from him and what it is to be a good human being. I also love Death. Even though Death has seen it all, he is fascinated with Liesal and learns more about humans because of her. He gives a fresh take on viewing humanity.

This book is one that I think everyone should read. It shows that words and books can change someone’s life. It also shows what it takes to be a good person and respect human life despite our differences. We need to remember history, study history and write about history so events like the Holocaust never happen again. We need to love and support each other despite our differences in gender, race or religion. This book proves that humans can be evil but how a little goodness can go a long way. A must read. 4 out of 4 stars

[Londera]

The writing from the perspective of death was very innovative. I loved the book. It was emotional and just a really genuine story.

[Medini]

I could feel liesel's presence and specially at the end where they all die leaving her alone in this cruel world but also knowing that she was not only saved by her words but also by her dear papa who made her and taught her! This book really made me think for a while about the circumstances we face and how we take decisions carelessly without much thought and always take things for granted!! Emotionally devastating and thought provoking!!