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The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

Start date: December 1, 2013

Finish date: December 31, 2013

Discussion: Book/Genre of the Month

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What Members Thought

Nov 16, 2015 Gayathri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, fiction, awards, reviewed, 2015, history, movie

Originally reviewed in detailed at Musings Over Nothing
The book thief is a slow moving poignant story of a young, skinny German girl Liesel Meminger who lives with her foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann at 33 Himmel Street. The story has layers of intertwined lives filled with emotions that makes me feel bewildered not knowing where to start. What better, if not easier path to start than from the beginning.
I should start off by saying how much I loved the simple yet powerful language used. T Originally reviewed in detailed at Musings Over Nothing
The book thief is a slow moving poignant story of a young, skinny German girl Liesel Meminger who lives with her foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann at 33 Himmel Street. The story has layers of intertwined lives filled with emotions that makes me feel bewildered not knowing where to start. What better, if not easier path to start than from the beginning.
I should start off by saying how much I loved the simple yet powerful language used. Too many quotable quotes to remember and not to worry, I have shared them for you below the review. Though I got to know that Death visited her thrice earlier in the story, I couldn't keep the book down till I finished the last paragraph since I wanted to know what happened next.
I loved the friendly banter between Liesel and Rudy as much as I loved the relationship of Hans and Rosa. Who could not admire Hans for his kindness, benevolence and integrity despite the hard times they faced! Every single character, be it small or not, from Max, Ilsa to even Frau Diller who was a Fuehrer loyalist was etched perfection. Very small moments in the book left a lingering impact in my mind, like Illsa offering notebooks for Liesel to write her own thoughts, which incidentally saves her life and Max's sketches extolling the power of the words and its role in Hitler's rise. Nothing but Markus's words could have let me justify the suicide of the son of Frau Holtzman, who had already lost her other son to the war.
The way that Death was personified, not just as the evil taker of lives but as a being that "who gently carries off the souls of those who have passed" spun sheer magic for me and I clearly was hooked.

I had to hold the best for the last, don't I? I simply adored Rudy. Be it his crazy obsession about Jesse Owens that he blackened himself head to toe, or his loyal friendship that he always accompanied our book thief even though he knows she was lying about hunting the Mayor's house for food. I couldn't stop grinning every time he asked for a kiss. And to know he wasn't going to survive the end earlier on, made him more irresistible than before. Rudy Steiner you are the romantic guy that I need ;) Augustus Waters, who?

I cannot stop gushing over the book yet, to anyone who would listen. Yes it is a little slow but powerful words make up for that. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2013 Ritika Gupta rated it really liked it

Shelves: can-be-re-read, depressing, holocaust, world-war, haunting

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

To the author of the BOOK THIEF:
I have always loved words and you have made them right enough for me to love them more.

What I am writing is more of a synopsis than a review.

Death narrating a story. I imagined it would be detached narration but it was one of the most personal narratives I have read in a while.

It is 1939 and Germany.
The book starts with Liesel Meminger, a 10 year old German girl travelling with her bro ...more

2 likes · Like · see review