Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Dec 16, 2009

Tamara rated it:

I give this 5 stars, BUT there is a disclaimer: If you want a fast read, this book is not for you. If you only like happy endings this book is not for you. If you don't like experimental fiction, this book is not for you.

If you love to read and if you love to care about the characters you read about and if you love to eat words like they're ice cream and if you love to have your heart broken and mended on the same page, this book is for you.

This story is narrated by Dea More...

65 comments like (761 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Colleen rated it:

I put off reading this book for the library book club. Here are my three reasons for doing so:

1) It's a Young Adult Book. I am an Adult. It can't be that good if it's written for young people.
2) It's about the Holocaust, and I think we've all heard enough about that. The author will probably even focus on colors among the grays, as in "Schindler's List."
3) I have WAY too many other books to read.

After avoiding the book for as long as possible, More...

46 comments like (282 people liked it)

Oct 19, 2009

Shannon rated it:

This is a book to treasure, a new classic. I absolutely loved it.

Set in Germany in the years 1939-1943, The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel, narrated by Death who has in his possession the book she wrote about these years. So, in a way, they are both book thieves. Liesel steals randomly at first, and later more methodically, but she's never greedy. Death pockets Liesel's notebook after she leaves it, forgotten in her grief, amongst the destruction that was once her street, her h More...

30 comments like (140 people liked it)

Nov 14, 2011

Maja rated it:

“When death captures me,” the boy vowed, “he will feel my fist on his face.”
Personally, I quite like that. Such stupid gallantry.
Yes.
I like that a lot.

A few days ago, when I was starting The Book Thief, my mother stopped by and saw the book on my coffee table. Having just read it herself (and knowing me better than anyone else in the world, I might add), she was determined to save me from myself. She did her very best to convince me not to read it. She described in More...

53 comments like (75 people liked it)

Nov 24, 2011

Leanne rated it:

Have you ever...come across a book that so profoundly changed your life and blew you away that you immediately started buying copies for all your friends and family, so they can go through the same experience as you?

Have you ever...been tempted to thrust a book at the unknown lady sitting next to your table at Starbucks (and all the more if she was holding in her hands a copy of *cough* Twilight*cough*)?

Have you ever... stopped everything else in your life to read a boo More...

26 comments like (52 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Magdalena rated it:

Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief has one of the most original and striking narrators since Julian Barnes introduced us to the canny perspective of a woodlice in History of the World in 10½ Chapters. There’s no caginess about it. The first word of the first chapter’s title makes it clear that the narrator is a personified Death: the not so grim reaper. Having Death as the narrator for a book set in Germany at the start of World War II starts the book on exactly the right blackly humorous tone whi More...

1 comment like (46 people liked it)

Mar 29, 2008

Walt rated it:

Bravo Zusak! A standing ovation, a mighty opus. You stood Death on her head, removing her dark cloak and scythe, clothing her with feeling and letting us see she has eyes to see and a heart to feel, and the intellect to narrate a compelling story. I was so glad to find out she has a womb. Out of Death comes Life. She has greater aplomb than Nick in telling about Gatsby.

In the spring of 1968 at age 19, I made my way to Dachau. I lived just south of Munich and the visit to the defunct More...

11 comments like (73 people liked it)

Jan 11, 2008

Zannachan rated it:

I had a hardcover of this book. I no longer have it. I did not even finish reading it, because it irritated me so much and when I asked if it got better no one could convince me that it was worth persevering.

I know that there are many people who love this book, authors who's book I love, readers who's tastes I respect. But I couldn't stand the narrator. Every time the Narrator intruded on the story it felt like exactly that--an intrusion. A lot of people really like the narrator More...

57 comments like (94 people liked it)

Aug 16, 2011

Joyzi rated it:

(courtesy of www.deviantart.com)

Certainly one of the best books that I have read so far. It's heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. It's beautifully written, the descriptions of the skies, people, places are just unique, the descriptions used are not the usual like the author used to say his hair is like lemons, or he has hair like feathers.

The friendship and love story of Liesel and Rudy keep me from reading. It's just so cute and I always smile wheneve More...

67 comments like (37 people liked it)

Jan 18, 2012

Lora rated it:

It's probably fair to say that in all the years of Hitler's reign, no person was able to serve the Führer as loyally as me. A human doesn't have a heart like mine. The human heart is a line, whereas my own is a circle, and I have the endless ability to be in the right place at the right time. The consequence of this is that I'm always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both. Still, they have one thing I envy. Humans, More...

12 comments like (28 people liked it)

Jul 14, 2008

Michael rated it:

Occasionally, you will read a novel that offers you new ideas about what a novel can actually do, how point of view and voice can be used differently but powerfully, and how characters can be developed to such an extent that they seem more human than those we come into contact with each day. This seems to be the case with Markus Zusak's 2005 novel, The Book Thief. I first read it on a recommendation from a librarian friend, and now find myself talking about it at great length to anyone who will More...

4 comments like (49 people liked it)

Apr 01, 2008

Lisa rated it:

I admit that I am perplexed about why this is considered a young adult novel and not an adult novel that could be read by those 12 and up. The title character is a young girl, but there are plenty of novels written for adults that have young main protagonists. And I have to say that I could have enjoyed it at 12 but perhaps it’s more appropriate for those 14 and up, although that obviously depends on the reader. But I know that I enjoyed it more reading it as an adult than I would have as a youn More...

22 comments like (31 people liked it)

Jun 24, 2008

Michael rated it:

I am apparently one of the few people who just do not see what all of the hype is about on this one. I was really excited to read this after all of the glowing reviews it got, but I was left extremely disappointed. I found the writing stilted and stuttering (hard to stutter in writing, but this book pulls it off), overly sentimental, and heavy-handed on the symbolism.

I also found the author's approach to the story to be just plain gimmicky. The first and foremost gimmick (also see More...

22 comments like (69 people liked it)

May 15, 2010

La Petite Américaine rated it:

This was the biggest piece of garbage I've ever read, after The Kite Runner. Just as with The Kite Runner, I'm (somewhat) shocked that this book is a bestseller and has been given awards, chewed up and swallowed by the literary masses and regarded as greatness. Riiiight.

The whole thing can be summed up as the story of a girl who sometimes steals books, coming of age during the Holocaust. Throw in the snarky narration by Death (nifty trick except that it doesn't work), a few More...

83 comments like (101 people liked it)

Jul 26, 2008

Relyn rated it:

7/22/08
I have seen this book everywhere. I'm finally ready to sit down and read it. Yippie!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

7/25
OK, I know that almost no one is going to agree with me, but I really didn't like this book. I hear about it everywhere and about how wonderful it is. Not for me. I really thought the narrative device was trite. Death as a narrator? Death, who ate colors and was kind and sympathetic? WHAT?? It just doesn't work for me. More...

30 comments like (34 people liked it)

Dec 21, 2011

martha rated it:

Everyone in the whole world seems to adore this book and yet I hate it SO MUCH. The writing style is just SO grating; it took me forever to figure out why, but I think in large part it's because it's 100% telling-without-showing. See, the premise is awesome -- a book set in Germany during WWII, narrated by Death, focusing on the life of one civilian German girl. But Death(/the author) just tells you what everyone's feeling or doing, so the characters are like flat automatons. There's no dept More...

16 comments like (12 people liked it)

Jun 29, 2008

Amanda rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

11 comments like (13 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Angie rated it:

Wow...just wow! I don't think I can even begin to articulate the impact this book had on me. It was the most incredible book I think I have ever read. If you've read The Diary of Anne Frank, then you have an idea of what a little Jewish girl and her family experienced during WWII. But have you ever wondered about the other side of the coin? What did little German girls experience during WWII? Were they all just good little Nazi soldiers, intent on eradicating those of the Jewish faith?
More...

0 comments like (21 people liked it)

May 13, 2011

Kaitlyn rated it:

*First Read*
Absolutely breathtaking...and even that's an understatement!

*Second Read*
Wow. I'm speechless. There are so many things that I picked up on that I didn't the first time I read the book. I am blown away by it. I thought I wouldn't cry again but that definitely failed. I was sobbing like crazy. I know I have said this before but I will say it again. Read this book now, if you haven't already! You don't know what your missing out on.

19 comments like (20 people liked it)

Sep 12, 2008

Elise rated it:

During a trip to Munich years ago, we visited Dachau and I was astonished and then horrified how in the open it was - the camp was surrounded by a bustling town. I guess that I had always assumed that the camps were in secret locations far from the prying eyes of regular Germans...because if they had known what was happening, surely they would have protested, right? The Book Thief showed me that it was a lot more complicated than that for the average German citizen - their livelihood and survi More...

5 comments like (22 people liked it)

Apr 27, 2008

Tom rated it:

Markus Zusak originally wrote this book to be much shorter, only a hundred pages or so, but the extra length doesn’t bloat the tale at all. In fact this is one of the most succinct tales about humanity I have ever read, embodying all that’s best and worst about people in one childhood. It has a clear start, the death of her brother, and a clear ending that I won’t spoil for you.

First of all let’s get a few things straight.
Firstly: It’s set in Nazi Germany and features, amongst More...

1 comment like (15 people liked it)

Mar 25, 2008

Kim rated it:

In my kid's library there is one of those posters that pretty much says something to the effect of books are an escape. Begging the newly pubescent to take up the challenge, forget the traumas of youth.

The Book Thief delivers.

But, probably not how you'd like. Unless bleak historical fiction is your idea of beach blanket bingo parties.

I'm not going to retell the tale. You can read the synopsis or browse the back when you're at the library or bookstore. I More...

1 comment like (20 people liked it)

Apr 05, 2009

Daniel rated it:

I'm going to try to avoid a long rant about "The Book Thief." It's not an altogether terrible book, and is probably better than most books marketed for teenagers, as this one is. (I read it because my book club selected it. They also made me read "Twilight" recently. I think my book club is suffering from an acute case of arrested development.)

Most of what annoyed me about Markus Zusak's book are related to a few pet peeves of mine, and I'll limit my comments to t More...

25 comments like (53 people liked it)

Nov 01, 2011

Stephen rated it:

3.5 stars. The first thing I need to say is that it's quite possible that if I were to re-read this book at a later date, I might plant a gushing 5 ***** rating on this book (or at least an enthusiastic 4 stars). The writing is so gorgeous and descriptive that I truly found myself amazed by Zusak's prose. This is a book you could literally pick up and start reading at any page and find a memorable quote or a unique turn of phrase. It's just superbly well written.

The best way to rev More...

1 comment like (14 people liked it)

Mar 19, 2009

Jackie "the Librarian" rated it:

Yes, it's narrated by Death, but he just provides an omniscient point of view. His attention is caught by Liesl when he comes to claim her brother, and she provides a welcome distraction from the horrors of the war. Yes, even Death finds war disturbing. But he's not a major player in the book, okay? He's too busy keeping up with the Nazis, anyway.

During WWII in a small town in Germany, Liesl is entrusted by her mother to a good family, one that is quietly appalled by the Holocaust. S More...

7 comments like (11 people liked it)

Apr 02, 2009

Beth F. rated it:

It really chaps my hide when 95% of the world is creaming their panties over a book and when I finally get around to reading it, it just doesn't do it for me. It makes me feel like I'm in seventh grade again and there are a group of kids standing around me in a semicircle, asking embarrassing questions about the mating habits of sheep and how often I like to choke my chicken. I had the fortune (or misfortune, depending on the day you ask) of growing up on an adorable hobby farm in an otherwise More...

26 comments like (26 people liked it)

May 24, 2008

Yosafbridg rated it:

So here's yet another World War II book, yet another Holocaust book, yet another young adult book (though i'm not sure the classification is particularly apt in this case~it was originally published in the author's native Australia as an adult novel...), and yet another book i have to consider for that committee thing...

this one i've been hearing about for quite some time because my friend has been raving about how good it is and how we really should choose this one...

More...

0 comments like (8 people liked it)

Sep 25, 2007

Jessica rated it:

Before going any further, let’s just get one thing out of the way: Damn Nazis! Okay, now that’s out of my system, I can discuss things a little more rationally.

It was The Book Thief’s title and cover that made me pick it up, and it was the subject matter and award on the cover that made me buy it. It was the writing, though, that made me finish the almost-600 pages in just three days.

Starting with The Devil’s Arthimetic, Summer of My German Soldier, The Diary of Anne Fran More...

1 comment like (10 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Leila rated it:

The story of Liesel, a young girl in WW2 Germany. Sent to live with a foster family because her mother cannot keep her (for reasons not completely described). During the trip to the foster family her brother dies. The book that she finds in the snow near her brothers grave site is the only connection she feels she still has to her brother. When her foster father finds the illiterate girls book, it begins a relationship between the two of them; the first connection she has to her new family. Nigh More...

3 comments like (13 people liked it)

May 13, 2007

Susan rated it:

Holocaust literature is a difficult genre that presents many problems. One, an author tries to make art out of that which is unimaginably horrific, and to many, sacred. Can one take the truths and use them for storytelling, or must Holocaust literature be "true" in order to respect those whose stories are being echoed? Two, the Holocaust comes with an expected vocabulary, a predictable poetic. Barbed wire, trains, stripes, snow, smoke, bones, stars, shoes, eyeglasses, bullets, chimneys More...

0 comments like (11 people liked it)