September BOTM - The Book Thief & Time to Let Go

[Kirstin, Moderator]

Welcome to September's discussion of two wonderful books:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Let it Go by Christoph Fischer

Let's start the discussion. Which book did you read? What did you like? What did you think about the characters? plot?

[Sosa]

I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and absolutely loved it. The characters were diverse and had a way of making you root for them without even knowing it. The plot was tragically well carried out and the part I like the best about this book was the narrator. There's no story like the one told by Death.

[[deleted user]]

I read The Book Thief as well, and enjoyed it. I though Death was an excellent choice for narrator, and I found the description of feelings as colours neat.I loved the character of Max, and Rudy was great too.

[Kirstin, Moderator]

Have either of you seen the movie? I am interested to see how it compares. I recently read an article that said it was one of the top 6 movies that did not even remotely live up o the book.

[Kirstin, Moderator]

I read Let it Go by Christoph Fischer, I thought this was a wonderful take on real life scenarios. I am always amazed when authors can capture people perfectly, even in their imperfections. This book also touches on Alzheiers, which touches so many people's lives. I really felt he dealt with family issues, health issues, and real life in a fabulous way.

[Vincent]

Hi Kirstin,

I saw the The Book Thief and thought it was good, but it certainly did not rise to the level of the novel.

My daughter who is 16 read The Book Thief first and then saw the movie and really liked it. She thought the novel was much better though. I will tell you that the movie does not translate as well on the big screen due to the nuance of the narration in the book. (I had the opposite sense with Hunger Games).

Markus Zusak is downright genius and the movie could not bring his authorship to the screen. In my opinion the review you quoted was way too harsh. I didn't think it was that bad. My two cents.


Vincent

[Kirstin, Moderator]

That's great news. I often like to compare the book to its movie... or rather I prefer to read the book, but my husband watches the movies, so I get to see it both ways. haha

That's the problem with reviews... their opinion doesn't necessarily match up to mine own... I take it all with a grain of salt.

[Adriano]

I'll certainly be reading Time To Let Go. I'll get back...

[Lynsey]

The book thief is one of my favourite ever books- the characters come Alive and I fell in love with rudy and his hair the colour of lemons!! Death is so lyrical and that is what is missing from the film

[[deleted user]]

Kirstin wrote: "Have either of you seen the movie? I am interested to see how it compares. I recently read an article that said it was one of the top 6 movies that did not even remotely live up o the book."

I have not seen the movie, but was caught up in a conversation about it the other day. The person I was talking to said that she tried to watch the film, but left because of boredom about twenty minutes in.

[Abdul]

i just got a copy of the book thief. i hope it is worth the BOTM. #letthereadingbegin and i shall keep the group posted.

[Adriano]

Kirstin wrote: "That's great news. I often like to compare the book to its movie... or rather I prefer to read the book, but my husband watches the movies, so I get to see it both ways. haha

That's the problem wi..."

I wish I could watch films... :-(

[Christoph]

Martin wrote: "Congratulations to Christoph and Markus. Well done!"

Thank you. I feel very humbled to be in the company of the Book Thief, which is one of my own favourite books. :-)

[Christoph]

I'm very happy to answer any questions about my book you might have.

I found the film version of the Book Thief a little too Hollywood, the settings too polished and neat. I had imagined it all poorer and dirtier in a way, and found that a little unrealistic. The acting on the other hand is superb.

[Christoph]

Kirstin wrote: "Have either of you seen the movie? I am interested to see how it compares. I recently read an article that said it was one of the top 6 movies that did not even remotely live up o the book."
I found the film version of the Book Thief a little too Hollywood, the settings too polished and neat. I had imagined it all poorer and dirtier in a way, and found that a little unrealistic. The acting on the other hand is superb.

[Travis, Moderator]

Book Thief:

I enjoyed the film, and thought they did an admirable job of bringing the complexity of characters and drama to screen.

What didn't really carry over well in the film was the fact that the entire story is told by Death. Death's unique POV, in small snatches, made the book feel so much more vivid.

You knew most of these characters were going to die, you knew that before you met them. But still, there's no way to avoid becoming vested in them, their struggle to survive.

The entire story is told in hindsight.

And yes, the actors were phenomenal in the film. I consider this film on par with Enemy at the Gates, or The Pianist.

[Marie]

I loved The Book Thief. Actually didn't expect to like it as much as I did, because I've read so much about the Nazi era. But this was done from such interesting perspectives. What a great read.

Haven't seen the movie yet but I always prefer to read the book first (and usually like it better than the film!).

[Darlene]

I originally read The Book Thief a few years ago when it was high school reading material for my son. I found it very engaging and a good choice for discussion about the war/time period. Saw the movie a couple of months ago, and enjoyed it, too. There was an awful lot to get into a movie, but I thought they did a pretty good job with it.

[Daisy]

I read The Book Thief also. I really enjoyed it and thought it was one of the best novels I have ever read about that era. I loved the character of Max. I thought it was great that the family took him in and kept him hidden. My heart was breaking when he was so sick. I also liked the narrator being death. It just seemed to fit the story.

I will be reading Time to Let Go as soon as I can get my hands on a copy of it. I'm looking forward to reading it.