The Book Thief
Books | Young Adult Fiction / Historical / Holocaust
4.6
(492)
Markus Zusak
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME • A NEW YORK TIMES READER TOP 100 PICK FOR BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURYThe extraordinary, beloved novel about the ability of books to feed the soul even in the darkest of times.When Death has a story to tell, you listen. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time. “The kind of book that can be life-changing.” —The New York Times “Deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.” —USA TodayDON’T MISS BRIDGE OF CLAY, MARKUS ZUSAK’S FIRST NOVEL SINCE THE BOOK THIEF.
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More Details:
Author
Markus Zusak
Pages
592
Publisher
Random House Children's Books
Published Date
2013-10-15
ISBN
0385754728 9780385754729
Ratings
Google: 5
Community ReviewsSee all
"Listened to the audiobook on and off. <br/>I thought it was really good, even though it’s historical fiction in the WW2 era, I felt the author set the story at a good pace and it was especially moving at the end how the main character loses her loved ones and the character building was for us as the audience to care about the people she interacted with on a daily basis.<br/>I liked how they had ‘Death’ be personified and the one narrating what he saw of Liesel’s life and what her story was.<br/>"
"An astonishing book. Just finished, wiping tears as I write this. I started The Book Thief during the Library of Congress’s Great American Read. I almost put it down, but it began to captivate me. I am touched beyond words. Liesel is the beating heart of this book. She and her foster parents, Max, Rudy, Ilsa Hermann and a raft of compassionate human beings add immeasurable depth, joy and yearning to this tale of Hitler’s Germany. Zusak’s choice of Death as the narrator is a masterstroke. I will read this book again, once I dry my tears."
"Dnf 75% of the way thru<br/><br/>Sadly I believe this book wasn't for me or maybe I just didn't have the patience to finish it. Although the opening was disastrously beautiful. It started off so well. And I have watched the movie but couldn't remember the gist of it.<br/><br/>The characters were relatable and likable really I enjoyed parts of this book immensely. It was just you had to wade thru a lot of non essentails. I think I'm just not in the right mind set to read this story. It has great character build and other things but it gets a little tedious when this great things make up only a small portion. So as a whole I did not like this book.<br/><br/>And if you have read any of my reviews you know that if there is symbolism or anything if that nature it flies over my head. I believe that made up a lot of this story so that too could have been a key to it's demise for me."
"I am so mad at myself for not reading this book (properly) sooner than I actually did.
I just finished it about an hour ago, and I seriously need to write down my thoughts.
First of all, if you haven’t read this novel yet, what are you waiting for? There’s a reason why it’s so well known. Now then, since all the non readers are gone, let’s talk about the novel (spoilers).
This book really changed my perspective on the holocaust, as it’s not from the perspective of a Jew. I find that often in media they show the suffering of the Jews only, and not all those who suffered outside of the camps.
Liesel was one of those suffering, along with almost everyone else she ever knew. She was wish and interesting character, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a well written one either. She is so young at the beginning of the novel, yet she suffers so much in that first chapter.
It makes me sad reading the ending, which I read repeatedly as I couldn’t comprehend why Marcus would finish it like this.
One of my favorite characters has to be Rudy, and I know that’s what everyone always says, but he really is. What I especially liked about Rudy was the dynamic between him and Liesel. It broke my heart seeing Death describe how he dreamt of kissing her, knowing that he would not be breathing for it. Reading The End Of The World (II) was just heart breaking, and I think what made it so great was the narrative. Death provides such a unique feeling to the story, and he really makes the characters seem more alive, which makes it so much sadder when he talks about their souls being alive, while their body is not.
Sorry for nonstop talking, but I just really need you to read this book. It hurts, but not because it’s sad. It hurts because it’s human."
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