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At a glance
- Condition
- New
- Format
- Hardcover
- Dimensions
- 6.36 x 1.77 x 9.33 in
- Weight
- 2.31 lb
- Publisher
- Knopf Books for Young Readers
- Publication date
- March 8, 2016
- Edition
- 10th Anniversary ed.
Description
This anniversary edition of the extraordinary 1 New York Times bestseller features pages of bonus content, including marked-up manuscript pages, original sketches, and pages from the author's writing notebook. “Life- changing.” —The New York 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. “Deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.” —USA Today Read more
Specs 10
| Publisher | Knopf Books for Young Readers |
|---|---|
| Publication date | March 8, 2016 |
| Edition | 10th Anniversary ed. |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 592 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1101934182 |
| ISBN-13 | 80 |
| Item Weight | 2.31 pounds |
| Reading age | 11+ years, from customers |
| Dimensions | 6.36 x 1.77 x 9.33 inches |
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Top Amazon Reviews
Loved it!
I made a deal with myself to try and read a few of the books on my TBR pile each month on top of my other book commitments. The Book Thief has been on the top of that pile for quite a while. I know, I know! Try not to judge...I'm quite embarrassed that it has taken this long for me to tackle it. I honestly don't have any excuses. I love historical fiction and more importantly books surrounding World War I and World War II. My Mother, Sister and Daughter have all read it as well as numerous of my friends. It was time for me to read it. I knew I was in trouble after just a few pages. Not only did the story take place in WWII Germany but it was narrated by death. It did not have the makings of a happily ever after. First off, I wasn't sure how an entire book (particularly one that is 576 pages long) could be narrated by death without being completely depressing. I have to say though, that it worked beautifully. Of course there was a lot of depressing content, it was WWII after all, but at the same time there was a lot of beauty within the pages. Not only was the narration of the story unique but so was the writing and together it made for one of the best books that I have read in quite some time. The descriptors in this book were so vivid that I felt like I could reach out and touch them. It was pure 100% talent at its finest. I won't go into detail about the plot because this book has been reviewed millions of times. I will say, however, that the synopsis did not do it justice. It was far bigger and greater than how it was described. Some of the best characters were also found within the pages of this book that I adored. Leisel Meminger was an amazing young girl with a love for books. How could I not love her and the people she loved like Max, Rudy and Papa to name just a few. I won't lie and say that it was all rainbows and unicorns althought there was a lot of colour. There were times when I had a lump in my throat and a few times the tears ran down my face. I really can't properly put into words how moving and enjoyable this book was for me. After reading hundreds (yes hundreds) of books surrounding WWII you would think that they would all start to read the same. This was absolutely not the case. This was a uniquely beautiful story that would be suitable for readers of all ages. There really isn't anything that I can say other than it is a must read. I wish I hadn't waited so long to read it myself. I loved every heartbreaking page of this book and won't soon forget it.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2016 by Kristine
Absolutely Unforgettable
When I saw the movie version of The Book Thief was coming out I thought it was the perfect time to finally read my copy of the book that has been sitting on my shelf for some time. With all the lovely reviews I have read I was sure I would love it as well and I was definitely not disappointed. While I cannot say that it is a feel good read in any way it is an incredibly beautiful story and one who's characters I will never forget. First and foremost the narrator of this incredible story is death himself. He's not the usual scythe and darkness death we have seen before but a death who is just doing his job and trying not to get too distracted by the strange lives of the living he passes by. There is a heart beating in that cold chest, one that cannot turn away from our main character, Liesel Meminger, a girl who refuses to let this horrid life she has been born into break her spirit. It might sound strange but, with all the war stories I have read in my lifetime, it is this book narrated by death that presents the most humane and heartbreaking story yet. Liesel is another wholly unique character. Made to go live with foster parents when the Communist label attached to her family becomes too dangerous, Liesel's younger brother dies on the way to their new home. Finding a book in the snow by her brother's grave, Liesel steals the book and resolves to learn how to read it. It is with this first theft that Liesel resolves to steal words when the world takes things from her. However words become so much more to our young heroine: a bridge connecting her to her foster Papa, Hans Hubermann; a way to escape the horrors happening around her, both figuratively and literally; a way to emotionally relate and communicate to the young Jewish man the Hubermanns hide in their basement. For someone who love words as well I became very attached to Liesel and her various ways of dealing with the unpredictable, often hypocritical world she had to try and navigate. How else might a young German girl, a member of the local Hitler Young group, deal with the unwarranted hatred she sees being thrown at Jewish people like the young man in their basement she has come to love like family? I couldn't end this review without mentioning the other unforgettable characters that saturate this story. By far my favorite character is Liesel's best friend, Rudy Steiner, a young boy always willing to do what his heart feels is right, regardless of the danger it might present for himself, and a boy who wants nothing more than a kiss from Liesel. I don't want to give too much away regarding their sweet, innocent relationship but I will advise you prepare and have some tissues when you begin reading the last 50 pages or so of the story. Another unforgettable character is Papa, a man who seems to have unlimited amounts of kindness and another character who refuses to let the propaganda of the Fuhrer dement what he knows to be the right way to be. There are so many more remarkable characters - Max, the young Jew in the basement, Liesel's harsh yet caring Mama, Rosa, the many colorful characters inhabiting Himmel Street - and this collection of humanity makes the ending of the book that much more poignant. I've never quite read anything like it. Anyone who loves reading history from an alternative viewpoint, especially history dealing with WWII, would be remise not to read this book. This is a powerful, beautiful, bittersweet story. It's the kind of story that you will not only never forget but one that, once you have read it, will make you forget what it was like to have not known and loved these characters. Truly a life changing story.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2013 by Colleen T.
Good but definitely not without flaws
Format: Kindle
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is suppose to be one of those rare book that comes along every so often and change your outlook on life. It's sad, depressing and makes you really think on what is most important in life. Did it succeed in doing that for me personally? Honestly, I wouldn't really say so as I've definitely read other more life changing stories that The Book Thief but that isn't to say that I didn't enjoy the book. It is definitely something special and I'm extremely glad that a movie was made of it as it broadens the audience members. Instead of always watching mindless action flicks, I hope more movie-goers give this movie a chance in hopes of experiencing something a little different than what they are normally used to. If you've never liked stories that uses a war torn WWII Germany as the backdrop, then well, that's exactly what you'll be getting here! Personally, I can never tire of it. It usually makes for a somewhat depressing yet captivating story. The Book Thief is told through the eyes of a very special "narrator" and I'm sure that if you've read some of the other reviews for the book, someone somewhere must have given it away. Luckily for me, I just picked up the book and started reading without every going through one user review at all. It does make for a very interesting narrative as you'll follow along in the childhood of Liesel Meminger of Himmel Street. Being very poor, there's not much that Liesel can do that requires money. Eventually though, Liesel finds that she would come alive through the power of words in a book. As the title already gave it away, stealing books would become one of Liesel's favorite hobbies. What I liked most about The Book Thief is the poetic nature of the author's writing. He never lost me for one moment throughout the book, which is quite lengthy if I think about it now. The author just finds a way to write ever so smoothly from page to page and once you discover who the narrator is, the poetic style of writing feels even more haunting and chilling to say the least. It might put some readers off in the beginning but if you stick with it, you'll feel right at home after a few chapters in. What I'm most disappointed with in The Book Thief is that well, I actually thought it would involve more book stealing! I thought it would involve Liesel finding more clever ways to get her next book in the collection but it's not really about that. The characters in the story are a bit dry as they just seem to remain the same throughout the book save for a few instances. On a positive note however, I still can say that there were many memorable pieces sprinkled throughout the book to makeup for the negatives. The Book Thief in my opinion definitely deserves its praises but everything is with fault and so is this book. When you have such a highly rated and popular book, there are bound to be many readers who gets sucked into the hype only to realize that its not worth it. That is fine because you can't create something that everyone will like. The Book Thief gives me yet another look into one of the darkest periods of mankind and for that it was worth reading in my eyes.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2013 by Simon
Amazing Historical Fiction Book
Zusak, Markus,, and Trudy White. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. Print 608 pages, US $6.99 on Amazon (on 05/13/2021). ***Spoilers will be included*** Liesel, the perfect example of showing that one can overcome anything if they try really hard for it. In the beginning, she struggled with reading since she didn’t know how at all. That was until her adopted father Hans taught her how. She was made fun of for being a slower reader than her classmates. She just has a way with words, which encouraged her to steal books even if cost her own life. Her family helped hide a Jew in their basement during the Hitler Regime, which is the equivalence of having a death wish. At a young age, she had to keep dark secrets from others just to keep her family alive. She learned the seriousness of war, how people won’t submit to the fears of Hitler so easily. This story shows the importance of education, how words make a person so strong. A part in the book mentions how she’s stealing the words that Hitler used to make people support him. Like I mentioned before, she didn’t know how to read. She became more powerful once she learned how to. I think that’s why it was so important for her father to teach her how to. This book made you fall in love with the characters. Rudy, the one who loved Jesse Owens and dreamed to be him. He was super athletic and was pretty smart in class. Which was why it wasn’t a surprised when they wanted him to join their new program for making the best race. Max, the Jew who is so selfish and felt like he had to be in some way. It was sad when they had to go to someone else’s basement for the bombings while he had to stay alone at Liesel’s basement. He even gave Liesel a book, with small pictures throughout the story. People around her really made Liesel’s life more bearable. Like how she became friend’s with the Mayor’s wife. The massive library in their house gave Liesel hope. That she will be surrounded with books her whole life. What’s different about this book is that it’s narrated by death himself. It was clear that he had some biases. It was harder for him to collect people’s souls compared to others. He was always attached the book thief and the people that surrounded her. I had mixed emotions about death spoiling the ending, like how he told the readers that Rudy died. However, it did create the suspense about how it ended up happening. In the beginning, it was hard to read because I didn’t understand it. It was talking about colors and random things such as bombings. It was a lot to handle but it eventually became more clear. The writing style was definitely unique and something I really appreciate from the author. In other books that relate to WWII, they mostly mention people that support Hitler either out of admiration or fear. This book was clearly different. Yeah they did their salutes for the leader, but they just did it when they had to. They didn’t care about him being leader. They went against him but they didn’t make it so obvious like those who join the revolution. Her father deserved a lot better, he did escape death twice so I guess a third time was impossible. I never expected that Liesel would be the only only one alive from her street. Her love for words was clearly so strong that it helped her stay alive through the bombings. Max is eventually liberated from the concentration camp that he was in and visited Liesel right away. I think that’s where everything felt rushed from me. I wanted to know more about Max’s story. How Liesel cooped with everyone’s death. Especially the death from her lover. Then again, it’s up to our interpretation for everything. I highly recommend this book to any historical fiction lover like myself. I read this book in two days, it was too quick. I spent many days rereading many scenes and noticing small details that I missed before. Liesel and everyone on Himmel Street, including the Mayor’s wife, their lives will continue to live in my soul. A 5/5 book indeed.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2021 by Yuli Ibarra
A Masterpiece - One of the best novels I have ever read!!
"The Book Thief " is one of the best novels I have read. Truly! Author Markus Zusak's storyline is both sad and wonderful, as it deals with Germany during WWII and the Holocaust. His memorable characters have tremendous depth, and the plot is extremely original. However, what makes this book so extraordinary is the author's writing, which, at times, is more poetry than prose. I frequently found myself reading passages of the elegantly written narrative aloud. Appropriately for the times, Death is our narrator and a major character. Death, the "gatherer of souls," writes of himself, "I do not carry a sickle or scythe. I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold. And I don't have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance. You want to know what I really look like? I'll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue." In the Prologue, Death states, "Here is a small fact: you are going to die. Does that worry you? I urge you - don't be afraid. I'm nothing if not fair." The figure describes himself as amiable, even affable, but warns, "don't ask me to be nice. 'Nice' has nothing to do with me.'" When the novel begins, Death is gearing up for mass production. It is 1939 and WWII has just begun. By 1945 the entire world will be at war. And it is Death who comments on man's inhumanity to mad, almost without emotion, in as objective a manner as possible. This inhumanity will cause it/him to work 24/7 in various places in the world at once. That's what I call multi-tasking. Nine year-old Liesel Meminger is our protagonist, "the book thief," although when we meet her, she is unschooled and cannot read very well. Liesel, her little brother Werner, and their mother are on a train to Munich. All three are skinny and pale, with sores on their lips. It is on the train that Death comes to claim young Werner's soul. Liesel and her mother despair. The boy is buried near the city, and one of the gravediggers, an apprentice, drops a black book as he walks away in the freezing winter weather. Liesel picks up the book, without calling out to notify the gravedigger of his loss. The book is titled, in silver letters, "The Gravedigger's Handbook." It is the first book she steals. So much has been taken from her, the grieving child feels like she settles part of the score when she commits the theft. In Munich the girl's mother bids her good-bye and turns her over to a foster care woman. The mother disappears, never to be seen again. Liesel and the woman make their way to a small town, Molching, on the outskirts of Munich, close to the Dachau death camp. They stop at a small house on Himmel Street, where her new foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, await the little girl. Hans is a kind and loving man who quickly takes to Liesel and visa versa. Rosa is also basically kind, although she puts up a front as a shrewish loudmouth. She is a laundress by trade and Hans is a house painter who loves to play the accordion. He is not a member of the Nazi Party. When he realizes he is losing customers because of his lack of enthusiasm for Hitler and the Nazis, he tries to join but his papers are on permanent hold. Their two children are grown and live away from home. Liesel has terrible nightmares and occasionally wets the bed. Hans, hearing her late night screams, sits with her and comforts her, sometimes until dawn. Occasionally he plays the accordion for her until Rosa yells at him to "shut up!" The empathetic, kindly man and the traumatized little girl form a close bond and Hans begins to teach Liesel to read, especially as she is fascinated by words. She believes that words have great power, after all, Hitler didn't need guns to persuade the German people to follow him and to hate Jews. He used words. When she begins school and the teacher realizes that the girl can't read, she is placed in a class with younger children. Most humiliating! It is during one of Liesel's frequent nightmares, that Hans begins to teach her to read. Since the Hubers have no books of their own, Hans uses Liesel's "The Gravedigger's Handbook." as a teaching tool. Then another book, a copy of "Mein Kampf," is acquired, one of the few available books which have not been burned. And yet another book, "The Shoulder Shrug." which Liesel snatches from a pile of burning books, is added to her collection. "Germans loved to burn things. Shops, synagogues, Reichstags, houses, personal items, books and of course, people." Eventually, Liesel acclimates to her new home and makes friends, especially with Rudy, the boy next door and her biggest fan. She never overcomes her nightmares, however, nor does she ever forget her mother and brother. It is at this time when she is forced to join Hitler Youth. Then Max Vandenberg, a German Jew in hiding, comes to ask Hans to fulfill a promise he made to his father, a comrade in arms who saved Hans' life during WWI. A Jew seeking refuge...what to do? Hans, an honorable man, feels obligated to keep his promise, even though it would mean death for Rosa and himself if Max were discovered in their home. Liesel is sworn to secrecy. The Hubers take the man in and set up living quarters for him in the basement. Max becomes part of the family and forms a close friendship with Liesel. She becomes his eyes and ears to the outside world. He eventually writes a book for her, "The Standover Man" - a simple, illustrated and haunting book about what it is like to be born Jewish in Hitler's Germany. Life goes on. Liesel learns to read and steals more books - fourteen in all. She and her friends adventure. Germany declares war on Russia. Death's work increases, especially on the eastern front and in the concentration camps. He/it feels overwhelmed by the souls to collect from the camps, gas chambers, battlefields, and causalities from air-raid bombings. Max begins to do crossword puzzles in the old newspapers Liesel occasionally finds for him. Rosa's and Han's workload diminishes significantly. Times are tough, rationing is strict, and people don't have money to send out their laundry or to have their houses painted. And, of course, Hans carries the stigma of not belonging to the Party. I don't want to include any spoilers, so I will stop my summary here. This is a powerful novel that kept me riveted throughout. As I wrote above, I sometimes stopped to read parts of the prose aloud. There is humor here also. One needs comic relief when reading a novel about such a heinous period in mankind's history. Markus Zusak's parents grew up in Nazi Germany and Austria. He frequently thought of writing about the things his parents had seen during the war. He says he thought about the "importance of words in that time, and what they were able to make people believe and do." The novel's last words belong to Death: "A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR: I am haunted by humans." Jana Perskie
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Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2009 by Jana L.Perskie
Darkly Enchanting
"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak is an unusual, highly creative, captivating, and darkly enchanting novel. It tells the story of four years in the life of Liesel Meminger, a foster child growing up in Nazi Germany during the last years of World War II. We watch her grow from a frightened child of nine to a disillusioned and angry teenager forced to come to terms not only with the inhumanity wrought by Hitler's Holocaust, but also with her community's participation in it. Liesel's life is an uncommon story--one filled with both beauty and brutality. It makes for a riveting and compelling tale, and few readers, even those who find fault with the narration, will fail to be entertained. Liesel's life story is narrated by Death--a character who shares center stage along with the young girl as one of the book's most endearing and unforgettable protagonists. Death has a distinct fascination for this child. He rescues her autobiography from a garbage truck, and admits to having reread it thousands of times in an attempt to understand humanity. In the beginning of the novel, Death tells us: "in one of my vast array of pockets, I have kept her story to retell. It is one of the small legion I carry, each one extraordinary in its own right. Each one an attempt--an immense leap of an attempt--to prove to me that you, and your human existence, are worth it." The language of the narrative is brilliant in its originality. What makes this possible is the otherworldly point-of-view that Death brings to the narration. Through Death's eyes, our human world is seen anew with distinctly fresh and vivid prose. Death does not appreciate the difference between animate and inanimate objects, between people and things--thus his narration is filled with countless richly original metaphors that entertain (and yes, sometimes distract) the reader at almost every paragraph. Take these phrases for example: passengers "slide" out of a train "as if from a torn package;" a man wears "a face with the shades pulled down;" a woman "empties [her] words out into the sink;" books stand upright on a table "as if in conversation;" two words of regret are "giants" that a girl "struggles with, carries on her shoulder, and drops as a bungling pair at" a woman's feet; an exchange of gunfire is "a conversation of bullets;" and kind words "drop out of [a man's] mouth like jewels." There is enormous reading pleasure to be had between the pages of this book merely by experiencing the narrator's richly creative prose. "The Book Thief" is being marketed as a young-adult novel, but it can easily be enjoyed and appreciated by adults. Although the story unfolds against a background of immense historical inhumanity, Liesel's story is one of courage, goodness, integrity, and compassion. This book has an overall fairy-tale-like quality, yet it deals with major themes concerning the human condition. I found this juxtaposition between the fairy-tale world and the real world jolting--for example, at times the character of Death entranced me, and at other times I felt his presence to be annoying and contrived. Also, the construction of the plot, although highly original, made it difficult for me to believe in the story or its themes. The author constructed the telling of Liesel's story to be twice removed from any adult reality: first, the story is written down by a young girl who naturally lacks a reliable understanding of the full breadth of human experience; and second, the story is read, reinterpreted, and retold by Death, a character who acknowledges his complete inability to understand the human experience. Yet, we the readers are supposed to derive deep understanding about the human experience from these two unreliable narrators. The fairy-tale-like quality of the work made it difficult for me to give credence to its weighty main theme, namely: given all the pain and inhumanity inherent in the human condition, is there still sufficient value in human existence? In all likelihood, the young adult reader will come away from this book answering this question with a resounding, "Yes!" But the adult reader may want more complexity and reality from a novel dealing with such a serious theme. For the adult reader, I believe the book succeeds better with its secondary theme concerning the enormous power of words to do good and bad in the world. As a young-adult novel, "The Book Thief" succeeds admirably. Its words are powerful and do good in the world. I recommend this work and eagerly look forward to reading more books by this gifted writer.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2008 by B. Case
A beautiful piece of work you need to read
The ‘Book Thief’ is set in Germany during World War 2 where being a Nazi was displayed in every street. The book focuses on the main character Liesel Meminger who has just lost her brother while on the way to being given away to a foster family in the town Molching with Rosa and Hans Hubermann. Once Liesel settles into her foster family she explores her town and meets other people including her best friend Rudy Steiner which then leads to her exploring her interest in books which “coincidentally” connects to the book title. Liesels life gets a big obstacle when Max Vadenburg, who is a Jewish man, comes into Liesel's home and he has to hide in her basement while the family is already being suspected of being against Nazi views. The Book Thief explores challenges Liesel has to face and tragedies that occur due to living under Nazi rule. Overall there wasn’t anything I disliked about this book and I think a huge part of it was because of how much I liked the scenes given to us along with the characters. For example, the book-burning scene is strong as we see the people's ability to learn the truth being taken away. At the same time, we also see Liesel being rebellious when she steals a book from the ashes, marking a quiet rebellion against the Nazis. Then we have heartwarming scenes in the book like when Hans Hubermann teaches Liesel how to read. Then we are given the friendship of Liesel and Max who is the Jewish man in her basement, they have a touching relationship as Liesel treats him kindly and their connection grows stronger when he gives her a hand-drawn book. Since this book brings both dark, strong, and heartwarming scenes you can’t complain about not getting one of them. I feel like this is done because the book is narrated by Death, Death doesn’t focus on the negative, it's only made to tell Liesel's story. The characters in the book are characters you wouldn’t forget because they each have their traits. Liesel who is the main character stands out the most because of how rebellious she is even during the Nazi time and we’re able to see her figure out who she is during this time while having to go through obstacles. The way each character was written is a reason why I didn’t dislike this book because you never get bored with them, even if you seem to hate them, they’ll still give you a reaction. [SPOILER ALERT] In the end, the book is a book I'll never forget but it’s because of the tragic ending it has in which the town Liesel lives in gets bombed and Liesel loses almost everyone she loves, excluding the Jewish man Max in the basement. It’s a heartbreaking tragedy that will most likely get you to tear up or even cry (I cried) Markus Zusak has a writing style that is one you never see in other books because he was able to write this book in the narration of Death. With the book being told by Death you are already given foreshadows of what will happen in the book but it’s also an explanation of why the book has a dark tone while also being neutral because Death isn’t on either side, it’s only there to collect and observe. Then the book is slow paced which is what allowed us to get a deeper connection with the characters and the author gave us many scenes that either gave us a wake-up call on what each character had to go through or gave us details on what made each character them. Aside from the author's being able to write the book as if they’re Death, the characters are what made the storyline, without them the setting in Nazi Germany wouldn’t have had such a strong impact. Nazi Germany was already a tough time to live in but the author adding a Jewish character that they had to hide made the storyline more interesting. Aside from the Jewish character, Markus made other unique characters and each has their own story that makes you either like them or not. For example, Rosa Hubermann who you can say is Liesel's foster mom, has a strong personality where she comes off as rude and it seems she doesn’t have much care towards Liesel or her husband Hans Hubermann. Throughout the story and especially in the end the author lets us get a deeper sense of her personality and that she truly cares for her husband and Liesel. The actions that she does are made to help her family even if they seem as harsh as she just wants to protect them and keep them afloat. Then her husband, Hans Hubbermann is a character that was made for everyone to love, Hans doesn’t show any dislike towards Liesel and is the one to help her settle in and learn more about the world. In the book, Hans helps Liesel learn to read which helps Liesel's obsession with reading books. The author did an awesome job of making Hans a caring father figure for Liesel which did not help with [SPOILER ALERT] seeing Hans die at the end. Then we have the main character Liesel Meminger whose unique character was created because of what’s been thrown onto her life like losing her brother, being sent away to a foster family, and having to adapt to the Nazi world and being careful of what she does and says. What makes her even more interesting is her rebellious nature, like her stealing the books and she even goes onto stealing food with her new friend Rudy. The characterization was incredible in this book and it’s why it’s so well written and something you don’t see in other books. For ‘The Book Thief’, if you’re a reader who enjoys slower-paced books and stories that connect to World War Two you would enjoy this book a lot as the plot is based on Nazi Germany. There is a lot of historical context, so if you’re a history nerd it’ll be easier to get through this book. Aside from the plot being based on Nazi Germany, the book has a lot of poetic writing and powerful scenes that aren’t action filled but shows a lot of symbolism. It’s similar to books like ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ and the show ‘Anne with an E’ or the movie Jojo Rabbit’. Then those who may dislike this book are readers who like fast-paced books and prefer books that have actual action fighting scenes like ‘Percy Jackson’. This book has a lot of poetic phrases and words that have deep meanings because of the tragic theme. Readers who don’t like heavy-themed books and prefer books that have jokes and light themes wouldn’t like this book either. Overall this book goes through the story of Liesel Meminger who had to live through the time of Nazi Germany and having to adapt to her foster family.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2025 by Yeni
A different voice for a familiar subject.
Format: Kindle
I’ve wanted to read The Book Thief for a while but I was pretty scared of it. I mean everyone seems to love this book. Really, really love this book. So I was very nervous. I bought it back in 2013 and basically it just sat on my Kindle untouched. That’s until I was finally pushed to read it by a friend. Was it my favorite book? No. But it was a really powerful, truthful book about a really bad part of history. There were a lot of pages and some slow moments, but all in all a great story with a really good main character. It’s hard to really explain what The Book Thief is about. Everyone pretty much knows what was happening in Nazi Germany in the 1940s. We’ve all had the history lessons and have seen the movies and read the books. It was an awful time where a lot of lives were lost. On the surface one would think The Book Thief is just another to add to the pile. But it wasn’t. The Book Thief was a really unique way to tell a familiar story. I think what made the story unique and special was the voice of the narrator. I really enjoyed the voice and ability the author had to show more by using the voice they did. Seeing the book thief Liesel through another person’s eyes added a level to the story that made it stand out. The narrator was definitely not a character I’ve run into in a lot of books but it fit for this book. I also really liked Liesel. She was so young and had been through so much. She saw death and pain and hate. She was left and loved and disliked. She had so much against her yet she was strong and resilient. The things she went through were things no one should have to go through and yet Liesel kept going. She not only kept going but she stood up for herself and didn’t let anyone walk all over her. But she also knew when to keep quiet. She was a pretty special character and will stay with me for a while. The reason I didn’t rate this higher was the fact that it was slow moving at times with a lot of pages. Don’t get me wrong, that isn’t a bad thing, it just made reading the book a little daunting. But I pushed through and I’m glad I did. The Book Thief broke my heart in a unique way but also left me feeling that everything happens for a reason both good and bad. So I say thank you again to my friend for making me get over my fear and to take this journey. What a book journey it was.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2014 by Andi S. (Andi's ABCs)