The Book Thief question

I never saw the author’s intentions for Rudy, but enjoyed the fact that death was the narrator, gave it an interesting twist

I remember reading the book and thinking it was ok, nicely written, good in parts, dragging in others, but the ending just shook me up. It made the story beautiful. All what was described in liesel's life was simple and uneventful, but the ending makes the reader realise the beauty and wonder of life's small uneventful days and the tragedy of losing it all. I like the book because of the ending... it was totally correct

The ending did not serve the plot and the developements. It was an insincere attempt to get readers to be emotional.

The ending was the saddest thing ever. I couldn't stop crying. But I would say that it really did show the terrible deaths of war. People die. I loved Rudy and even though I knew he was going to die, I still cried my eyes out. I believe death said it was one of the hardest deaths for him. He didn't even know he was about to die... :'(

I think the end was amazing, true to the story. As others have said, it was was and a book narrated by death. What a beautifully written story.

One of the 10 best books I've ever read. War never makes sense. But, the fact that Rudy and so many other innocent people died - on Himmel Street and everywhere else - was what made sense. It was war.

I was up at lake tahoe in cali when i finished the book... i cried for an hour... the book was amazing none the less

The ending was the ending. The author's ability to leave the reader with their interpretation about how lives contined gave it credibility . That's life.

I did like the way the story ended. Max survived and found Liesel. The author left it up to the reader to fill in the blanks. For me, Liesel ended up with Max and they made a life in Sydney, Australia. They found happiness after enduring such tragedy and pain in Germany. Who would want to stay there after all that heartache? I LOVED this book!

Yes. It was war and it was reality

I am suprised that there aren't more comments about "papa". To me the best relationship in the book was with Lesiel and "papa". I cry so much when she was holding him after he died and saw him playing the accordian.

I thought Papa was supposed to live. Death said that "He escaped me twice", and it sounded like Papa was going to live.

The book was great. At first I found it so damn boring. I even found myself reading and rereading certain phrases and sentences so that I felt complete with the novel. The book was very very sad. I wanted to cry but couldn't. I am grateful Max survived (though when they first introduced him I thought he was a nuincance because of his guilt saying "I deserve to sleep on the floor etc.)I felt immense sadness when Hans died and Rudy. Especially how Death explained carrying their souls. What an interest lovely novel. The ending really switched my entire view point on the book.

I adored this book. It's one of my all-time favorites. The ending was perfect even though it's terribly tragic.

one of my favourites.

Reasonable in that it was realistic, but it ripped my heart out.

It was really hard because the narrator always hinted about the deaths of some of the characters, but I didn't really know what to expect, so I continued to read it through. The ending made me cry buckets of sad, sad tears. I got some pretty odd looks at the dentist's office. :P

Well, I cried very much when I finished this book, because Rudy was my favourite character.

I honestly thought that Hans was going to live, even though before I read the book I knew what was going to happen.

it's a book narrated by death during the holocaust. i didn't expect a happy ending.

The vagueness is part of the reason why the end sticks with people so much.

I cried, this book was amazing! The ending was OK, very sudden.

Is war (or death) reasonable?
I think the ending is good partly because you can't predict who will survive and that it will not always be the ones you want to.

The ending was good. I wanted throughout the entire book for Rudy to die a glorious death, protecting Liesel or feeding a Jew for example. In the end he died like everyone else on Himmel Street, no glory involved. That made me sad but i also loved it for it. War is senseless and so was his death. It doesn't matter how great a person you are it won't guarantee you a good death. And Max surviving was just perfect because i think everybody had pretty much already assumed he was going to die.

I wish Rudy had lived :'( But other than that, the ending was amazing. It was such a good book! I read it a couple times. I love it.

I thought it was a beautiful ending, and more than that, it was fitting and completely in sync with the book's tone. LOVED that it was all narrated by Death, and LOVED the beauty of Liesel's last meeting with him/her. Plus, I'm an unreasonable fan of tragic endings, and Liesel being the only survivor because of her love for books and writing was a stroke of genius - almost to the point of redeeming some of the novel's few downsides for me. :)

it was good-the only book that ever made me cry

Rudy and Hans dying was the worst!! Also, how old was the character Max? I was never to sure on his age, I read somewhere people think that Liesel married Max and started a family with him in Sydney? I thought Max was a lot older.

I think that the ending was perfect. It was sad,but it was what happened back then, the sad reality.. it was perfect when she went with the mayor and his wife, true destiny.. I did think the Sidney part was random and shouldn't have been there

The story was not about Leisel's life after the war, it was about Leisel's life during the war. That is when she worte her book "The Book Theif". She no doubt could have found a life in Germany but life is what it is and it takes us places, I am glad it took her out of Germany. I loved the Death held onto Leisel book for her, so she could read it in the end. I loved this book. I cried at Rudy's death, at the death of Himmel street, I think the author did an outstanding wrapping up the ending. Bravo!!

Rudy died. I did not like that. It made me feel like reading parts about him were a waste, even if they had a major impact on the story.

This is one of the top 10 books I have ever read. I felt the ending was approperate for the story. Like many of you have said the story took place during the holocaust and many good people died. What has suprised me is other peoples' recation to the book. I have found either you loved it or you didn't finish it.

I wish there was a bit more about Max at the end.

I thought the ending was excellent! I felt comfortable with the idea that she eventually led a happy, full life. I'd love a sequel though! One of the best books I've ever read, beginning to end!

I wished the end of the story would in Germany and not about Sidney. It was very strange to read a whole book happening in one country but for the last few pages. I felt like the author really wanted something to happen in his own country. Would not Liesel been able to find happiness in Germnay?

So did Rudy's father and the mayor and his wife.