The Book Thief in Audiobook Junkies

Jun 03, 2013 Dianne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ages-12-up, own, survival, ya, historical-fiction, wartime, favorite

The Book Thief is an amazing work, told in the same chaotic way that life happens, definitely one to be read over and over, discussed and discussed, again. Told from the POV of Death, in a time when death was everywhere and the world was bleak, young Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich during World War II, risks everything for her love of books. Death recounts the three times he has encountered Liesel, recognizing the inner spark of life that burns brightly within her in spit ...more

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Jun 15, 2014 Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: spain, historical-fiction, read-in-2014

The Book Thief is a beautiful, hear-wrenching story, poetically written and so well executed!

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews ...more

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Jan 16, 2016 Eadie Burke rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2016

Book Description
The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul.

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 19t resist 13books. With the help of her a ...more

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Dec 28, 2016 Darlene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, young-adult, historical-fiction, library, read-in-2016, book-to-screen, overdrive

This was a touching story of one German family who showed kindness to a Jew, at a time when they were being persecuted.

The story takes place in Germany during World War II. A nine-year-old girl named Liesel Meminger is travelling to Munich with her younger brother, Werner, and mother. Unfortunately, her brother dies on the train. When they get off the train to bury her brother, Liesel steals a book. Liesel’s mother is ill and takes her to Hans and Rosa Hubermann, who will be Liesel’s foster pare This was a touching story of one German family who showed kindness to a Jew, at a time when they were being persecuted.

The story takes place in Germany during World War II. A nine-year-old girl named Liesel Meminger is travelling to Munich with her younger brother, Werner, and mother. Unfortunately, her brother dies on the train. When they get off the train to bury her brother, Liesel steals a book. Liesel’s mother is ill and takes her to Hans and Rosa Hubermann, who will be Liesel’s foster parents. Liesel actually does not know how to read, so Hans teaches her and reads the book to her that she stole, which turns out to be a gravedigger’s handbook. Rosa is a very brusque woman who insults everyone by calling them saumensch (pig girl) or saukerl (pig man). However, we later see as the story goes on that she uses these names as terms of endearment. The Hubermanns take in a young Jewish man named Max Vandenburg, and they hide him in their basement. Liesel and Max form a unique bond, and they share that they are both haunted by their dreams. Liesel also makes friends with a local boy named Rudy Steiner, who accompanies Liesel on her book burglaries. When the mayor’s wife cancels her laundry service with Rosa Hubermann, Liesel breaks into her house and steals books from their massive library. When the town’s residents have to seek refuge in bomb shelters, Liesel reads these books to them to pass the time.

This book is filled with examples of kindnesses shown from one to another during a very dark time. On one occasion, Hans Hubermann gives bread to a Jewish prisoner on his way to the concentration camp and Hans gets whipped for it. We also learn that the mayor’s wife was aware that Liesel was stealing her books, and she leaves her a note and invites her to use the door the next time.

Interestingly, this book’s narrator is Death and we are given lots of foreshadowing of what is about to take place. I thought that this gave the book a unique perspective.

Narrator Allan Corduner is new-to-me, and he was amazing! He brought this story to life, and he portrayed each character so well.

This review was posted on my book blog:
http://darlenesbooknook.blogspot.ca/2... ...more

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Mar 12, 2014 Jacqueline rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, audio-challenge-2015, audio-500

Oh Liesel, you had quite the childhood.

The Book Thief has been around for a while... about ten years or so. I'd never heard of it until it was made into a movie (which made me ball my eyes out by the way), and decided I needed to read the book. It was so easy for me to fall in love with Liesel, Hans, Rosa, Rudy, and Max.

It was different to read a book told from the point of view of Death, but it was also refreshing in a way. While the story is heartbreaking, it's very uplifting. ...more

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