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The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

Start date: April 1, 2013

Finish date: April 30, 2013

Discussion: Past Reads

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Past Reads

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The Fault in Our Stars
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What Members Thought

Jan 05, 2013 Sandra Heinzman rated it it was amazing

Shelves: book-club, favorites, historical-fiction, history-holocaust, sandi-k-s-2013-alphabet-challenge, countries-of-the-world-2013, war

I just finished this book. It is in my top 3 of books read in 2013, so far. I loved the way the author wrote this; extremely creative. I plan to read it again in the future,but on Audible next time. There is a lot to digest and ponder in the book and there is a lot of symbolism and themes. The author is a creative genius and I want to check out his other books. I did not find it too long or wordy, as some of my friends did; I thought it was just right! But I do wish I knew what happened to Max a ...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Bror (Abrar) rated it it was ok

Death really ?
I got really bored , dont know why maybe the writing style , the lack of everything ?!!
Again death really ?

Maybe i'll like the movie , but the book not very much . ...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Mr. Twinkie rated it really liked it

A bit overrated but it was still an enjoyable reading thanks to Hans Huberman and the book's angling on the power of words.
The main idea of this book is not so much a celebration of life or whether germans were nice people during World War 2 as much as it is about the power of words. Words shapes meaning and I think this book does a great job for conveying and angling the discussion of how words can affect people. Everything from Liesel's pursue of learning to read and master words, through the A bit overrated but it was still an enjoyable reading thanks to Hans Huberman and the book's angling on the power of words.
The main idea of this book is not so much a celebration of life or whether germans were nice people during World War 2 as much as it is about the power of words. Words shapes meaning and I think this book does a great job for conveying and angling the discussion of how words can affect people. Everything from Liesel's pursue of learning to read and master words, through the cursing by the characters, to the shorter passages that mixes words and pictures. It is not perfect but Zusak does try to deal with it and I can appreciate a man who tries. However, I just lacked a more interesting discussion of other ideas that Zusak touches upon. Especially about hiding jews in the middle of Nazi-germany. Why isn't there any time where they really discuss the danger of hiding a jew? It is implicated that it is very dangerous but it is never discussed why they weight the goodness of their hearts higher than the dangers. Frankly, hiding a jew was a clearcut way to imprisonment and potentially a concentration camp. Although I can understand Hans Huberman's reason for hinding Max we just don't get much information on Rosa Huberman's motivation for supporting the hiding of him. Instead she just follows what the plot dictates, which I think is disappointing. The nazis in the story are equally superficially portraited and just doesn't have much of a characterization other than being brutal and evil. I do understand that not all the germans supported nazism. Far from it. But if we have to be honest it is not that interesting to try to understand people we can already identify ourselves with as much as trying to understand people who we think are completely nuts. Then there is Death as the narrator and as far as it sounds interesting to do it also has limitations. Especially if you make him a character with feelings and emotions. If this happens questions are going to be asked. Like: What is your motivation for doing your job? Why are you not telling us about what happens after we are dead? How long have you existed? Why is Liesel's story being told and not other people's? How can you be everywhere at the same time while observing so many details of Liesel's life? Are there life on other planets you take to? Do you also take dogs, cats, rabbits, whales and bacteria? I mean, it seems silly but think about about it, if you are going to make Death the narrator during World War II questions you are also turning him into a real character. And so you have to deal with him as he was a real character in the story. As a narrator it is also problematic if you start giving clear hints to how the story ends which Death is doing a lot in this story. Why can't he just tell the story instead of pointing out that this person and this person will die soon but that is not where we are now...seriously, use: "SPOILER ALERT".
In the end it was also a bit too long in comparison to how much it actually dealt with its main idea. At times it actually dragged and with the constant reminders of how tragically they will all die you actually get tired. But even with all these problems I still think it was an enjoyable novel. I liked the focus on the power of words and there were angles on it that were interesting. And I loved the character of Hans Huberman which I thought was the strongest and most interesting character in the book. So it just reach a four star which is quite good, but honestly, I think it is closer to three than five. ...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Fadelly Happi rated it it was amazing

This is definitely one of my favorite books. I have a soft spot for books about books, but this outshines them all. It takes place during WWII and the Holocaust. It's aptly narrated by Death and the three instances Death saw the main character, Lisel. The Book Thief is a huge book but it was so engrossing I was upset when it was over. I wanted to punch a hole in the wall- and that's only a slight exaggeration. Zusak as his best- which is saying something. ...more

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Jan 31, 2022 Lina rated it it was amazing

The Book Thief has been on my bookshelf for ages and I have always passed it by for one reason or another. Having finally read it, I regret not reading it sooner. I loved the writing style and the unwavering depiction of a girl's coming of age during WWII. The book isn't a happy book but it definitely has some uplifting moments and really portrays real love and emotion in a beautiful way. ...more

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