Having loved The Book Thief, I came to The Messenger with a sense of both anticipation and trepidation -- the latter on the chance that Zusak, as with many writers before him, had only had one decent book in him. Fortunately, anticipation won! While I can't say I loved this quite as much as I did The Book Thief (which I thought was exceptional), it was nonetheless an original, interesting and strangely touching novel, with appeal to young adults and adults alike.

Ed Kennedy is a self-described no-hoper: "Taxi driver. Local loser. Cornerstone of mediocrity. Sexual midget. Pathetic card player." Together with a group of similarly apathetic friends and a smelly, coffee-drinking dog known as the Doorman, he is living an uninspired life in a dead end town -- until he foils an attempted bank robbery and is 'chosen' by an unknown power to intervene in the lives of struggling townsfolk. Following ambiguous clues delivered (not always kindly) on playing cards, Ed encounters and assists a range of strangers, helping them find peace, acceptance, security and self esteem. It is through these successes that he discovers the courage to challenge those closest to him, and ultimately finds the self respect necessary to take charge of his own life.

More than anything this is a novel about hope, about choosing to live the best life we can, irrespective of location or circumstances. This is summed up at the end of the book with the words: "If a guy like you can stand up and do what you did, then maybe everyone can. Maybe everyone can live beyond what they're capable of". That this message comes wrapped in beautifully written prose, and is delivered by an unlikely, yet overtly likeable protagonist, only adds to its attraction. I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy an entertaining, yet thought provoking, read. ( )

What I got from this book is that everyone could make a difference in someone elses life, just by being a messenger. This book will never leave my book shelves,
just like The Book Thief. ( )

After the unforgettable ‘The Book Thief’, I wondered if this earlier novel, ‘The Messenger’, would be up to scratch. Fans need not worry - ‘The Messenger’ it is a testament to the brilliance of Zusak's writing – and I was completely gripped from the first line. The blurb on the front cover says, don't start reading this book unless you're prepared to sit there and read it all the way through – and that is good advice.

‘The Messenger’ is completely different from ‘The Book Thief’, not only in subject matter, but also tone, characters, plotline, and story location. Yet both books are similar, in that their protagonists face situations that would never come up in our lives. Zusak's voice in this novel is, to me, recognisably Australian - but this does not detract from the universailty of the tale - if anything, it adds to the impact . His prose is brilliant and on every page there are phrases that are luminous with meaning,

Ed Kennedy is the sort of directionless young bloke that you can see in any suburb. He drives a taxi, hangs around with his friends playing cards. fights with his mum, and shares coffee with his geriatric, odoriferous, clever dog, The Doorman. Then one day he intervenes in the most inept bank robbery ever imaginable ... and his life changes. He begins receiving playing cards - aces - with messages he must figure out and tasks he must undertake. And we are kept in the dark as to who the deliverer of the messages is and why Ed has been chosen ... until the very last page.

‘The Messenger’ didn't move me to tears like ‘The Book Thief’ did – but it was nonetheless profoundly affecting. Zusak has again delivered a life-changing story. I closed it with a warm and positive feeling about the remarkable difference small actions by one person can make in other peoples’ lives. Ed, his old friends and his new friends (who could not feel great affection for Millaa?) - and of course the Doorman - will remain fixed in my memory for a long time to come.

This book delivers powerful and profound messages of faith, the underlying goodness of humanity, and the encouragement to understand that we must risk and stretch to achieve our purpose in life. ( )

This is a fun book. I'm not sure whether it is really a young adult book, but it is truly intriguing and enjoyable. I loved the coffee drinking Doorman. I only give it a four because I didn't like the way it wrapped up; however, the book was so good it did not bother me. ( )

I read it in a night. This book is beautiful, harsh, funny and wise all in one. Firstly, it's fast paced, and gripping - while the plot can sometimes slow, the writing is a joy to read, and keeps you absorbed. The characters are all well formed, interesting people, and they make you want to know more about them. The plot, is just gorgeous. It carries an underlying message that is brought to the surface slowly as the main character (Ed) realizes it himself. There is violence, but it's balanced with the beauty. Markus Zusak's writing is occasionally disjointed, and confusing, but his style compliments what this novel is trying to say. The ending, which came totally out of the blue for me, stuck in my head for hours. In my opinion, this story of the extra - ordinary, trumps The Book Thief (by the same author). This book is a keeper, and one to read over and over.