The Book Thief in Crazy Challenge Connection

Dec 03, 2010 Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: anne-booklady-500-page-books, favorites, great-literary-fiction, permanent-library, classics, read-around-world, young-adult, summer-2014

Death comes, we think quietly then leaves. Not always so, Death says. Sometimes he lingers and a living person left behind interests him. He sees colors when he carries souls away. The last time he saw the book thief, it was red. But he doesn't start there - he goes back to the train where she saw him take her little brother's soul. A cough and Werner is gone, forever 6 years-old. He sees the book thief steal her first book in the grave yard, though she's illiterate. She craves words, smells the ...more

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Apr 28, 2010 mussolet rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: theme-history, read-notmine-c

There is no question about it that in a time where the Holocaust is denied in some places, and where ideas supported by the Nazis are surfacing again, and not just in Germany, young people need to learn about that time in history.
And there is no question that they will want to learn it from a book written for them, instead of reading highbrow-literature (Robert Merle comes to mind as one who has written excellent, non-YA-friendly books on the subject). The question is whether this book serves i There is no question about it that in a time where the Holocaust is denied in some places, and where ideas supported by the Nazis are surfacing again, and not just in Germany, young people need to learn about that time in history.
And there is no question that they will want to learn it from a book written for them, instead of reading highbrow-literature (Robert Merle comes to mind as one who has written excellent, non-YA-friendly books on the subject). The question is whether this book serves its cause well.

For the most part, the characters are interesting. The reader can relate to Liesel, whether it is about school, or about her friends, or her parents. The portrayal of a small town in Bavaria also paints a clear image about how much people just don't care about politics if they have enough problems of their own. There is a certain kind of comfort needed for people to be able to afford caring about rights, and a disinterest in politics is not always the sign of people in agreement with what is happening.

Also on the plus side is the fact that, although it was written by an Australian author, this story feels like it takes place in Germany. Which is important to me, I want a story to be as real as possible, and few German settings by non-German authors feel real.

This leaves my negative point. I say point, actually it is a constant disappointment throughout the book, and it destroyed my enjoyment enough to warrant the low rating.
*** What annoyed me: ***
- Death
Yes, you may have heard that this book is narrated by Death. And while that might have been a great idea, the execution is not enjoyable at all.
There are a few interesting, if dark and sarcastic, observations, but for the most part it was just annoying.
*** What I found particularly annoying: ***
- foreshadowing
- making totally uninteresting points in bold script
- the bold script in general
- AND THE FORESHADOWING!!!
Why did I think that I need to deduct a point for that? Because I do not want to read a story where I am told what will happen in the end (page 600) on page 250. This happened with the statement that "what happens is not as interesting to me as how it happens", and while that might be true, the "how" then has to be interesting enough to carry the entire book on its own. Which it wasn't.

Overall, this makes three stars. I wouldn't recommend it, but if you already own it or come across this book in a library, do check it out. But I will keep looking for a really good YA book on that subject. This was not it.

PS: On a pedantic sidenote, I would have loved to read excerpts of the first book that Liesel steals. But not a chance. ...more

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Jun 04, 2010 Rusty rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, historical-fiction

The Book Thief is such a good read. I liked the narrator (death) very much and Liesl, the heroine. The story is based on an interview the author had with people who told him what it was like to live under Hitler's reign when you were not supportive of him and his policies. To understand what an average German family must have endured during that period The Book Thief helps addresses their lives, thoughts and emotions. The child, Liesel, enters school and seems unable to learn to read. Through th ...more

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May 23, 2010 Jessie Marie rated it it was amazing

Wow. So I had a hard time with this one. For me, it started out rather strange, but as the plot picked up and things started happening, I found myself totally attached to this one. In the end, I cried and I'm sad that it's over. ...more

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Jun 01, 2010 Nancy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2010-books

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Aug 03, 2010 Amanda marked it as to-read

Shelves: to-read-this-year

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Aug 22, 2010 Amy marked it as to-read

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Aug 25, 2010 Elizabeth Stultz added it

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Nov 09, 2010 Kari rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-books

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Nov 16, 2010 Jennifer rated it it was ok

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Dec 05, 2023 Madge rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-books, historical-fiction, young-adult

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Nov 29, 2010 Sue rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, holocaust, young-adult, 01-flc-reading-bee, z5-1001-5star-tbr, zf-favorites-audio, zl-crpl-club-kit, zq-read-2015, favorites, books-about-books

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Jan 17, 2011 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: d-favorites, d-own, ya-all-recs, ya-recs-males, ya-recs-tearjerker, ya-xmiddle-grade, ya-recs-fantasy, ya-ya, ya-recs-historical-fiction, ya-recs-magic

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