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The Book Thief

Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author)

4.38 · Rating details · 1,918,876 ratings · 115,681 reviews

Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.

By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her f ...more

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Hardcover, First American Edition, 552 pages

Published March 14th 2006 by Alfred A. Knopf (first published September 1st 2005)

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Average rating 4.38 ·

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· 1,918,876 ratings · 115,681 reviews

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Aug 09, 2012 Sophia. rated it liked it

Shelves: best-friends, flaws-in-the-concept, bilingual, death, pretentious-writing, interesting-idea-or-concept, unsatisfaying-ending, clumsy-symbolism, disappointing, too-cliche

THE BOOK THIEF: A Summary.

Liesel: Hi, I'm Liesel. I have no personality, but I'm a cute little girl.

Death: Her name is not Liesel. Her name is THE BOOK THIEF and I shall name her that for the rest of the book.

Liesel: Even though I stole, like, 3 books in total or something.

Death: Shut up, Book Thief.

Rudy: Hello everyone. Have you ever seen a lemon? That's what my hair looks like.

Death: Here is a little information you should know: this books is filled with many interesting facts. Very releva ...more

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Dec 25, 2007 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, made-me-cry, favourite, historical-fiction, ya, magical-realism, cover-love

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 home, and car ...more

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Jul 24, 2008 La Petite Américaine Cash App: $Covid2020sucks rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: This is such a piece of steaming dog shit that I'd recommend it only to people I REALLY hate.

Shelves: i-want-my-money-back, sucked, worst-garbage-i-ve-ever-read, rants

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. UPDATE: AUG 26, 2016: This review has been here 8 years, has 18 pages of 854 comments and 764 likes. There's no outrage for you to add in the comments section that hasn't already been addressed.
If you want to talk about the book, or why you liked it, or anything else, feel free.

UPDATE: FEB 17, 2014: I wrote this review 4 years ago on a foreign keyboad, so I'm well aware that I spelled Chekhov's name wrong. I'm not going to fix it, so please don't drive my review further up in the rankings by co ...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Maja (The Nocturnal Library) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: amazing-writing, books-that-changed-me, reviewed-in-2011, wonders-from-down-under, favorites, made-me-cry, own-a-dtb

“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 detail the three day long head ...more

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Aug 18, 2007 Colleen rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: People who want a fresh angle on the Holocaust.

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, I sat down, hoping to enjoy it enough to gain some c 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, I sat down, hoping to enjoy it enough to gain some clever comments for the book group.

Turns out, most of my concerns were right. But one other thing was also true: THIS BOOK ROCKS.

The first thing any review will say about this book is that it is narrated by death. So, I might as well get it out of the way. Death, the Hooded One, the Angel of the Night, narrates. He is very busy during the war years, as you might expect. Some people claim this is a mere gimmick, and that the story is strong enough as it is.

I agree that this is a strong story-- it moves like a sailboat on a brisk day-- but I think the choice to tell it through Death was a good one. Death foreshadows constantly, so we know a bit about which of the characters will die. Instead of ruining the shock value, this heightened my anticipation and dread. And isn't that how people feel during war? They know some of them are bound to die. They know they will lose loved ones. It's one long, hellish wait to see how it will turn out.

It's also an unusual take on the Holocaust because it focuses on Liesel, an orphaned German girl living in Hitler's birthplace. Liesel (The Book Thief) and the other characters in this book are rich, interesting, and wily. I say wily because at points in the book you hate them, but they change, and you grow to love them. For instance, Liesel's adopted mother is a foul-mouthed, abusive, sharp woman. (SPOILER--->) When Liesel's adopted father is shipped off to war, however, Liesel creeps through the house to see Rosa sleeping with her husband's accordian strapped around her waist. Rosa's changes prove one of the greatest reasons to read good literature-- to get insight into the type of people we don't usually give a second chance.
...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Emily May rated it liked it

Shelves: historical, young-adult, 2011

I hate it when this happens, I truly do.

It makes me feel wrong inside when everyone else loves a book that I find to be underwhelming... I mean, what's wrong with me?? Did I not get it?? Obviously it must be a lack of intelligence or something because everyone seems to rate this 5 stars. I was looking through my friend reviews hoping that someone would share my opinion - at least a tiny bit - and seeing 5 stars, 5 stars, 4.5 stars, 5 stars...

I can appreciate that Markus Zusak is a very talente ...more

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Jul 07, 2007 Tamara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: top-10, crowd-pleasers, fiction, teen

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 Death during World War II, ...more

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Feb 21, 2016 Jesse (JesseTheReader) rated it it was amazing

Video review can be found here: https://youtu.be/rzEHcw769xg

It's going to take awhile for this book to fully sink in, but overall this was a masterpiece. ...more

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Oct 08, 2017 chai ♡ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018, adult, adult-historical, fiction

I feel like I was just given a history lesson but in the most emotionally damaging way possible.

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Jun 03, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: People into self-flagellation

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, i-learned-something-new, kat-s-book-reviews, australian-writer

Just to clarify: Yes, I did cry.

I've read a lot of positive and negative reviews for this book. I can see why people wouldn't like it - I really can. Perhaps because I took a lot out of it personally, I found I enjoyed it a lot.

Quick test to see if you'll like this book:

1. Did you like Anne of Green Gables?
2. Can you cope with an off-beat, melancholy, caustic, dead-pan, self-righteous narrator?
3. Do you like words?
(Questions 4-8 were all about what kind of underwear you're wearing so don't worry ...more

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Jul 30, 2009 Will Byrnes rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction

The Book Thief was published as Young Adult novel. Don’t you believe it. This is a wonderful novel, appropriate for adults of young, middle and advanced years. My wife was shedding copious tears as she finished reading the book, and insisted that I read it immediately. How could I not? I was prepared for a moving read and was not disappointed.

description

Sophie Nélisse as Liesel Meminger - from TV Guide

The main character is Liesel Meminger, just shy of ten years old when we first meet her. It is pre-WW II ...more

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Jun 10, 2008 Michael rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf

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 heavyy-handed 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 heavyy-handed symbolism) is that the story is narrated by Death. Now, this might work in some books, but not this one. The choice of narrator adds absolutely nothing to the story; it is only a distraction to the reader, and it also encouraged the author to add trite observations about Death's perspective (for example, he doesn't carry a scythe, but likes the human image) that add nothing to the story. If Death here had been given developed personality or a unique perspective, then maybe (and even then it's a stretch) the choice of narrator would have worked. As it is, the story is told almost entirely as though by an omniscient narrator (is Death omniscient?) and we get absolutely nothing from the choice of Death to fill the role. It's a gimmick, and it falls flat.

The other gimmick I found most distracting (these are not the only two, but they are the most egregious) is the repeated use of little newsflash-type, bold and centered notes that appear periodically through the story to highlight some stupid point and add (in the author's mind) dramatic effect. These newsflashes, as I think of them, were irritating and served only to break up the natural narrative flow without adding anything significant. This is another example of the author hitting the reader over the head with his points, rather than trusting his own writing to get the message across. This is another ill-conceived and heavy-handed gimmick intended to correct for a poor narrative.

I think it is telling that while this book gets listed as teen fiction, Zusak actually wrote it for adults. For some reason, it got identified as being for teens when it got marketed in the U.S. (it was written in Australia). It seems to me that the explanation for this change is that the novel feels like it was written by a very immature author, and so the prose does not attain the quality one should expect of adult fiction.

I think good Holocaust stories need to be told, but the Book Thief fails at that endeavor. The story is trite; the narrative is sentimental and uninspired. I recommend that you look elsewhere for something better. If you want something for younger readers, try Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry. If you're a bit older, also read Night by Elie Weisel or the Diary of Anne Frank. I might even add in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, to counteract the heavy-handed book-burning theme of the Book Thief. There's plenty more out there that better deserve your time and attention than does this book. ...more

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Nov 21, 2015 Sean Barrs rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-of-all-ages

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 a very 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 f ...more

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Oct 10, 2018 Miranda Reads rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook

This one is a long book. But was it worth all that paper?

Click the link for my video review of the big bois in my life.

The Written Review:

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

Liesel, an orphaned girl, is sent to live with a foster family right before the Nazi's take over Germany.

She has a peculiar attachment to books, her first being a gravedigger's manual that she picks up during her brother's funeral.

Death takes an interest in her and her books on t ...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Nataliya rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: People who have their handkerchiefs/Kleenex box handy

Recommended to Nataliya by: Mark Oshiro's blog

Shelves: favorites, awesome-kickass-heroines, for-my-future-hypothetical-daughter, war-s-inhuman-face, history-and-quasi-history, 2011-reads, i-also-saw-the-film, 2012-reads

Wow. Words cannot describe how much I loved this book, what impact it had on me. But, like Liesel, words is all I have, so I will have to try.

This is a lyrical, poignant, heartbreaking, soul-shattering story disjointedly told by a nearly-omniscient, fascinated by humans narrator - Death. (***I must confess that I kept imagining Death as the small-caps speaking Grim Reaper from Pratchett's Discworld, baffled by humans and loving cats and curry. Don't judge me - I needed a glimpse of fun in the bl
Wow. Words cannot describe how much I loved this book, what impact it had on me. But, like Liesel, words is all I have, so I will have to try.

This is a lyrical, poignant, heartbreaking, soul-shattering story disjointedly told by a nearly-omniscient, fascinated by humans narrator - Death. (***I must confess that I kept imagining Death as the small-caps speaking Grim Reaper from Pratchett's Discworld, baffled by humans and loving cats and curry. Don't judge me - I needed a glimpse of fun in the bleakness of Zusak's story.*** ) Death has plenty to keep it busy, as the story is set in Nazi Germany during World War II.

""Please believe me when I tell you that I picked up each soul that day as if it were newly born. I even kissed a few weary, poisoned cheeks. I listened to their last, gasping cries. Their vanishing words. I watched their love visions and freed them from their fear.""

And yet he becomes strangely fascinated with one particular human, the titular book thief, a young German girl Liesel Meminger, whose childhood is marked by war, who learns to read and love and treasure books, who has her small rebellions against the force of society, who learns to love and be loved. Who has to learn to lose what she loves. Because the world is baffling, because it is a cruel place, because often it tries to stomp out love and beauty.

"I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, that's where they begin. Their great skills is their capacity to escalate."

The book is beautifully surreal, with the masterfully written language reflecting the alien, non-understandable, strangely fascinating nature of the narrator - Death. It is the mix of colors and strange metaphors, semi-dictionary entries and frequent strange asides, with skipping time, with complete disregard for spoilers.

"Of course, I'm being rude. I'm spoiling the ending, not only of the entire book, but of this particular piece of it. I have given you two events in advance, because I don't have much interest in building mystery. Mystery bores me. It chores me. I know what happens and so do you. "

It will note the strangest things, ruminate about the weirdest subjects, and casually in the middle of a lyrical passage, omnisciently will tell us that terrible things are about to occur. It is its job to know, after all. And this prescience does not soften the blows when they finally come; it only brings anticipatory dread and loving appreciation for things and people while they still ARE.

"(view spoiler)."

Love. Beauty. And books. This is what the story set against the terrible backdrop of war is about. Zusak accomplished a difficult feat - making me ache for the children of the enemy, the children and people of Nazi Germany, because even when caught in the middle of destruction, even ending up on different sides of artificial barricades people are still people, still deserving of love, still beautiful.

This book is the ode to those who kept their humanity in the middle of war, who were so human that nothing could ever change that. Rudy Steiner, the boy with the "hair the color of lemons", who has so much love and integrity and life (view spoiler), who was by Liesel's side since the beginning of their friendship - "A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship." - Rudy, who dreamed about the kiss from Liesel (view spoiler)

"He does something to me, that boy. Every time. It’s his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry."

Hans and Rosa Hubermann, who possessed so much integrity and courage, who became real parents to Liesel, who risked everything for what they thought was right. Max Vandenburg, the Jewish fistfighter, who dreamed of battling Hitler and gave Liesel the perfect gift with everything he had.

"[...] Papa, you saved me. You taught me to read. No one can play like you. I'll never drink champagne. No one can play like you."

"Make no mistake, the woman had a heart. She had a bigger one that people would think. There was a lot in it, stored up, high in miles of hidden shelving. Remember that she was the woman with the instrument strapped to her body in the long, moon-slit night.""

And Liesel herself, lost and broken, but finding comfort and strength in family, friends, and books. Liesel, who learns more about the cold cruelty of this world than most children should ever know. Liesel, who learns to read from the Gravedigger's handbook, who rescues the book from fire, who would rather steal books than food, who is not afraid to show kindness in the face of very real threat, who finally gives Rudy that overdue kiss, who fascinates even Death itself. All of them remained human despite the circumstances, despite the pressure to do otherwise, despite anything. And I love them for that.

This is a wonderful, lyrical, surreal, excellent book that broke my heart into tiny little pieces and yet gave me hope that even in the worst of times we can find beauty. 5 stars is not enough, but this is all I can give.

"I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right."

-----------------
DISCLAIMER: This is the first review that I've wrote after working four 14-hour days in a row followed by endless reading of textbooks and paperwork, all sore from endless and painful retracting in surgery, having composed this review in my head as a means to not pass out from hunger in the endless surgery. So if something in it seems incoherent - that's why. ...more

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Jun 14, 2012 jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

it has been more than six years since i read this book, more than six years to write a review. and honestly, i still get emotional when i think about the beauty of this story. it broke my heart and then healed it all within the space of 144,000 heavy words, 550 fragile pages, 88 touching chapters, and 1 incredible story. deaths truth may be that he is haunted by humans, but mine is i am haunted by this book. and i wouldnt have it any other way, as it is truly a pleasure.

↠ 5 stars

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Jan 11, 2008 Zannachan rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, general-fiction

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, and I imagine 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, and I imagine if you did the book would be much more enjoyable to read. As it was I found the writing style consciously "artistic" or "literary" while the characters felt fake, superficial, and mechanical. I was too aware of the mechanics of the story and how he was manipulating the reader--kind of like going to a puppet show and having the puppeteer continually slipping and letting himself be seen. It kept knocking me out of the story.

Holocaust fiction is hard for me to read anyway, because it's an incredibly difficult period of history and human experience to read about. For me to want to read Holocaust fiction, it had better be better than okay, or even good--ti had better be absolutely amazing for me to be willing to put myself through the emotional pain and struggles that are inherent with a holocaust book. Real life is hard enough for me to get upset and stressed out by a mediocre book.

And please don't take that to mean that I only read books that are light and fluffy and safe, because I do read books that are hard, that are sad. But while some people same to take pleasure in reading a book just because it is sad ("Oh, this is a wonderful book! It made me cry!"), I don't enjoy crying in and of itself. For me to read a book that is heart wrenching, it had better offer me something besides an emotional train wreck--powerful characters I really care about, an engrossing story line, some new observation on human existence and human relations, something.

I do not usually read fiction to "learn," per se--that is, if I wanted to learn more about the Holocaust, I'd read non-fiction accounts. I have read non-fiction accounts. I have read a few things of Holocaust fiction as well, and I have read some scholarly work as well. So it doesn't sell me on the book that it is a painful story, that it shows that some Germans were good and how social pressures created the Holocaust. I needed it to be a book about people that really interested me, that I cared about, and instead I was bored with the characters and irritated at the narrator and the obvious manipulations of the author. Instead of getting wrapped into the story, every night I when I was reading it I'd throw it down and vent for a half an hour to my husband about something that annoyed me. After a few nights of this, I realized that unless someone could convince me that the second half of the book was much better than the first that it just wasn't worth my time to finish.

'm not saying it's a bad book. So many people wouldn't love it if it were bad. But it really did not work for me. ...more

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Apr 27, 2020 She-who-must-not-be-named rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction

Solid plot? Check
Strong emotions? Check.
Resolute characters? Check.
Compelling narration? Double check.

The writing engrossed me. The concept of death narrating the story was eloquently put forward. Often, when you have very high expectations from a book, you may end up getting disappointed. But this book proved to be quite the opposite and I loved it immensely.

The story follows a nine-year-old girl called Liesel Meminger who along with her brother Werner, given up by her mother, is taken to a sm ...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Whitney Atkinson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2015, made-me-cry, need-to-reread, audiobook, favorites

i have no words. never in my life have i sobbed so hard at a book. i had to put my knitting down, then i had to stop the audio book because i was crying too hard.
this book is no joke. i was going to give it 4 stars because i thought it was a little too long-winded but truly it is a masterpiece and thank you thank you thank you to everyone that persuaded me to read it.

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Apr 17, 2011 Jason rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed, 2012, wine-club, for-kindle

I write this review under severe duress.

Three-star books are always difficult to review, aren’t they? They are difficult for me, mostly because I am so dispassionate about them. It’s much easier to review something you love, or something you hate, rather than something you’ve half-forgotten before you even get to your local library’s return box.

So this book is fine. Fine. It’s the story of a young German girl caught in the path of the advancing Nazi regime during World War II. For many German vi I write this review under severe duress.

Three-star books are always difficult to review, aren’t they? They are difficult for me, mostly because I am so dispassionate about them. It’s much easier to review something you love, or something you hate, rather than something you’ve half-forgotten before you even get to your local library’s return box.

So this book is fine. Fine. It’s the story of a young German girl caught in the path of the advancing Nazi regime during World War II. For many German villagers in the late 30s and early 40s, the Third Reich was like a quiet glacier, slowly encroaching on their lives—it moved languidly enough that disaster seemed never truly imminent (there is always plenty of time to get out of the way), yet it had enough momentum to churn to pulp anything that was unfortunate enough to meet its frothing jaws.

What annoyed me about this book, however, was its distracting style of storytelling. It is told from the point-of-view of the Grim Reaper, the personification of death. I would have actually been okay with this except Death is a grating little sonofabitch. He pretends to keep a distance from the German girl whose story he’s telling, representing himself as a disinterested party whose job is simply to harvest souls from their lifeless hosts, but over time he becomes clearly vested in her story, and for this he is a failure. I mean, if death and taxes are the only two things I can count on, and the IRS is a bullshit government arm that can’t find its asshole with a flashlight, then I need to be able to depend on Death not being a loser.

Additionally, I specifically detested the

* * * Things That Irritate Me * * *
1. These interjections.
2. Interjections like these.

interjections, which occur frequently in this novel.

That said, I think this book is important for its one shining success, which is to remind us that civilian populations of even aggressor countries are innocent victims. Try to keep this in mind the next time your idiot friend says something like, “Dude, we should totally just bomb the fuck out of [insert Middle Eastern country here].”

My cousin told me I had to review this book or she would sic the Andover Ladies of Literature on me and I do not wish to scuffle with those broads. ...more

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Oct 09, 2008 Diane rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult, historical-fiction, book-club, germany, holocaust

I hated this book. There is so much I disliked about it that I'm not sure where to begin. I recognize that I am in the minority on this one and that many of my GR friends loved this novel, so there's no need to start screaming at me in the comments. This book just wasn't my cuppa, and that's OK. We're allowed to like different books.

My List
I think the thing I hated the most was the writing itself. The sentences were rough, uneven and felt unfinished.

I hated that even though the sentences and ch ...more

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Aug 19, 2018 Kylie D rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: seasonal-challenges, monthly-challenges, aussie-author, historical-fiction, signed-copy

I have no words to describe this book. Brilliant? Wonderful? Amazing? All fall short, it's far more powerful than that. You'll just have to read it for yourselves... ...more

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Sep 17, 2013 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, 21th-century, australia, young-adult, historical, literature

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is a 2005 historical novel by Australian author Markus Zusak and is his most popular work. Published in 2005, The Book Thief became an international bestseller and was translated into several languages. It was adapted into a 2013 feature film of the same name.

Narrated by Death, a male voice who over the course of the book proves to be morose yet caring, the plot follows Liesel Meminger as she comes of age in Nazi Germany during World War II.

After the d ...more

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Mar 19, 2008 Walt rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everyone.

Recommended to Walt by: My Dear Wife

Shelves: young-adult

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 concentratio 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 concentration camp had a haunting effect upon me that will last until Death comes for me and, I believe, beyond (but eternity’s yet another subject; this story was about life.) I went back to Dachau several times, the souls of the living and the dead calling me. As I worked among Germans in nearby Munich, I was surprised to encounter Jews still, or perhaps again, making their home there, so close to Dachau, so soon after Hitler and his henchmen. These early experiences furnished my life with both angst and vision: with angst to recognize the potential for evil within ever human being and with vision to see the possibility for courage and compassion, to pick up a piece of bread to feed a cipher.

And that’s a big part of what The Book Thief does for me: it captures and again reminds me of these viabilities as they play out near Dachau in the heart of World War II’s Nazi Germany in the lives of Liesel and her contemporaries, alive and dead. Death tells Liesel’s tragic yet wonderful story in order to keep memory alive. In the words of Elie Wiesel, “Because if we forget, we are guilty, we are accomplices.” And surely this is Liesel’s story not Death’s just as Gatsby's isn’t Nick’s. To remind us to stand up wherever tyranny and power put people down.

Zusak took the time and effort to invest the narrative with near perfect words and wonderful sentences and great paragraphs and superb chapters. It would have been too cruel and ironic if the “book thief” had found herself betrayed by the words, sentences, and paragraphs of her story’s teller. Flesh fully clothes each character; conflict, action, and suspense oblige the attention of each reader; and the themes are true and consistent throughout, start to finish, and the setting is hauntingly perfect. I hope because of this book I am closer to bending over and picking up some bread to give to a cipher, even if it puts us both at Death’s door.

It is a mighty work. ...more

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Jun 08, 2013 Lyn rated it really liked it

Very good.

Having Death as the narrator and having as a central protagonist a young girl in Nazi Germany make The Book Thief by Markus Zusak stand out from the crowd of books about Europe during World War II; this book is good not so much because of the story, but how the author tells it.

In the Book Thief, Zusak uses a rich, multi-layered blend of allegory, metaphor and symbolism to create amidst the dirt and depression of Germany during the late 30s and 40s a stark vision of historical and phil Very good.

Having Death as the narrator and having as a central protagonist a young girl in Nazi Germany make The Book Thief by Markus Zusak stand out from the crowd of books about Europe during World War II; this book is good not so much because of the story, but how the author tells it.

In the Book Thief, Zusak uses a rich, multi-layered blend of allegory, metaphor and symbolism to create amidst the dirt and depression of Germany during the late 30s and 40s a stark vision of historical and philosophical thoughtfulness. This international best seller features a healthy sense of dramatic irony, with the German setting and the strong use of script-like construction becoming reminiscent, vaguely, of Bertold Brecht, especially the sympathetic depiction of Marxists.

By using a surreal personification as a narrator, the author has softened the blow of the harsh setting and thus, incredibly, makes the characters more accessible and makes the reader approach an empathy with them that may otherwise be unavailable. I am reminded of Anthony Burgess’ comments about A Clockwork Orange and how he created the Nadsat language not just to add depth to his narration, but also to minimize the brutality of his story. In much the same way, Zusak has used Death as a narrator to ironically assuage the viciousness of the everyday life that Liesel and the Hubermanns experience in their quiet section of Nazi extremism.

Death is not just a narrator but also one of the characters. Telling a story from his vantage, about a group of Germans on Himmel (Heaven) Street amidst the moral flagellation of the Third Reich Zusak creates a fecundity of symbolic structure. I found myself getting lost in metaphoric possibilities. What did he mean by that? What could that symbolize? Yet the author does not over generalize or make universal declarations, his approach is far more subtle, and again Brechtian in it’s demystification for dramatic realism; the reader comes to know Liesel Meminger, not as an ultra-real snapshot, nor as a idealized German everygirl, but as an actress in a play, knowable and probable, but still a dramatic portrayal. Through the eyes of Death, Liesel enters from stage left and we follow her through stereotypical misadventures made hackneyed in the World War II genre, but also through the good, the bad, and the ugly that is histrionic enough to be believable and understandable as an expression of real life during Nazi Germany.

This is still, though, after all, a representative portrayal of an ugly time. The reader should not look for a Disney moment, there are few. Zusak peppers his chronicle with some scenes of comic relief, but he never lets you forget when and where the action takes place. Expectations of Hollywood commercial breaks will come and go unnoticed on this trip; and all to the credit of its creator, who has crafted that most rare of accomplishments: a commercial success and at the same time an artistic expression.

A very singular literary experience and an enjoyable journey with a young writer from whom we have much to expect.

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Aug 26, 2008 Brigid ✩ rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Brigid ✩ by: Lots of people

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, historical-fiction, favorites, yes-yes-yes

Oh, Book Thief …

I first picked up this book when I was 15 years old, after I'd been hearing such glowing reviews of it here on Goodreads. I knew next to nothing about it, besides that everyone seemed to love it so much; I recall seeing a conversation where a bunch of people agreed it was the best Young Adult book ever written. And then I pick it up from the library and it has some review on the front from the New York Times or something claiming this book is "LIFE-CHANGING" or something like tha ...more

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Mar 08, 2016 Luca Ambrosino rated it liked it · review of another edition

ENGLISH (The Book Thief) / ITALIANO

Prologue: maybe I did not pay enough attention, anyway I did not understand anything about the prologue (or nearly). The beginning of this novel was not very exciting for me, the first pages left me quite indifferent. Only the first pages, luckily. First chapter: the novel recovers right away, capturing my interest. Until the end.

Germany, World War II. It's the story of Liesel's childhood, the thief of books, a little girl adopted by a modest German family, dea

ENGLISH (The Book Thief) / ITALIANO

Germany, World War II. It's the story of Liesel's childhood, the thief of books, a little girl adopted by a modest German family, dealing with hunger and bombs. It's the story of his adoptive dad and mom, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, a good and gentle man, the first, a crusty and practical big lady, the second. It's the story of Rudy Steiner, a Liesel's playmate, who falls in love with her. And it's the story of Max, a jewish boy, who weaves his own destiny with that of Liesel. Although some statements appear to be somewhat cryptic, Zusak's prose is fluid and meaningful.

«For some reason, the dying guys always ask questions they already know about the answer. Maybe because they can die knowing they are right»

"the Death" tells us, an entity weighing on the Earth, the souls just gathered in the fingers. The novel is narrated precisely from the point of view of the Death, which is having its job during World War II, forced into working extra hours by a conflict that causes victims relentlessly.

In this book I see influences of Stephen King's "The Body" and "It", because of the way of Liesel and Rudy live their friendship. I see the influence of Neil Gaiman's "Death", because of the eccentric character of the Death. But above all, this book is son of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird". I cannot fail to see the little Scout in Liesel's shoes, as well as I cannot fail to see the good Atticus in Hans Hubermann's shoes. I cannot fail to see the same oppressed, black persons in jews's shoes.

Vote: 7,5

Prologo: forse non ho prestato la dovuta attenzione, in ogni caso non ho capito niente del prologo (o quasi). L'inizio non è stato dei più entusiasmanti, le prime pagine mi hanno lasciato abbastanza indifferente. Solamente le prime pagine, però. Primo capitolo: il romanzo si riprende subito, cattura il mio interesse. Fino alla fine.

Siamo in Germania, durante la seconda guerra mondiale. E' la storia della fanciullezza di Liesel, la ladra di libri, una bambina adottata da una modesta famiglia tedesca, alle prese con la fame e le bombe. E' la storia del suo papà e della sua mamma adottivi, Hans e Rosa Hubermann, un uomo buono e mite il primo, un donnone burbero e pratico la seconda. E' la storia di Rudy Steiner, compagno di giochi di Liesel, dichiaratamente innamorato di lei. Ed è la storia di Max, un ragazzo ebreo che intreccia il proprio destino con quello di Liesel. Nonostante alcune affermazioni risultino essere un pò criptiche, la prosa di Zusak è scorrevole.

«Per qualche ragione, i moribondi fanno sempre domande di cui conoscono già la risposta. Forse perché così possono morire avendo ragione»

ci dice "la Morte", un'entità che vaga sulla terra, le anime appena raccolte tra le dita. Non credo di spoilerare nulla (lo si capisce fin dal prologo) se dico che il libro è narrato proprio dal punto di vista della Morte, che ha il suo bel daffare durante la seconda guerra mondiale, costretta agli straordinari da un conflitto che miete vittime senza sosta.

In questo romanzo vedo influenze de "Il corpo" ("The Body") e di "It" di Stephen King, per come Liesel e Rudy vivono la loro amicizia. Vedo influenze del "Death" di Neil Gaiman, per il carattere piuttosto eccentrico della Morte. Ma soprattutto questo libro è figlio de "Il buio oltre la siepe" di Harper Lee. Non riesco a non rivedere la piccola Scout nei panni di Liesel, come pure non riesco a non rivedere il buon Atticus nei panni di Hans Hubermann. Non riesco a non rivedere gli stessi oppressi, persone di colore nei panni degli ebrei.

Voto 7,5

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Jun 22, 2017 Elizabeth Sagan rated it it was amazing

I'M SHATTERED. COME ON, JUST GO READ THIS BOOK, IT WILL STICK WITH YOU FOREVER! ...more

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Aug 04, 2020 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

Generous 3 star.

I feel like I should have like this but I didn't.

I like that death was the narrator, that the main character liked books and the relationship between her and her Papa.

I was indifferent about the rest. I always feel heartless when I don't care about a WW2 book but... here I am. ...more

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Apr 04, 2016 Archit rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-we-own

I don't usually write reviews, in fact this is my first on goodreads.

This book is a heartwarming tale of people in hardships, who find happiness in small little corners of life. Rudy, who lived a short yet a conquering life. Liesel, the protagonist who understood things so well. Perhaps this why my wife had so big an impact of Markus Zusak's creation of this fictitious character. The Hubermanns had a touching sense about them. The story to me is not heartbreaking but heartwarming.

The moment Max ...more

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About Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak

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Markus Zusak is the author of five books, including the international bestseller, The Book Thief , which spent more than a decade on the New York Times bestseller list, and is translated into more than forty languages – establishing Zusak as one of the most successful authors to come out of Australia.

To date, Zusak has held the number one position at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, the New York Times ...more