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Loading... The Book Thief (original 2005; edition 2007)by Markus Zusak
Work InformationThe Book Thief by Markus Zusak (2005)
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Liesel Meminger, The Grave Digger's Handbook, Accordion playing dad teaches her to read, stealing books from Nazi bookburnings, family hiding Jewish man in basement. ( ) This book is Genius. Written from the perspective of Death, as a being, who walks with people, sees everything, and narrates the story. A truly unique take on WW2 as Death stalks Liesel, Papa, Mama, Max, and Rudy; one is a foster child who comes to love and be loved by new parents, one is a Jew in hiding and one is a best friend. This book is moving in that it shows a side of the Germans not often seen in the depiction of WW2 stories; that they too struggled with the treatment of their fellow humans. That they too suffered great loss, heartache, and devastation. The author is extremely descriptive, using colorful ways to explain ordinary events by painting vivid word pictures. Not an easy read as the author expects his reader to participate in the art of language, with all its nuances and trickery. Personally, I found that as enjoyable as the story. I will admit this was the second time I picked up the book; the first time I was unsuccessful in finishing it. This time, I was sad that it was over. What changed? Perhaps my place in time. I highly recommend this book, but read it with an open mind. Don’t expect it to flow over you like a gentle river; it is more like a class four whitewater ride. I loved it. What can I say about this book? Before I begin, let me say that I have no inclination of spoilers, so POSSIBLE SPOILERS are ahead, read at your own risk. I wasn't sure what to think when I started this book. I was worried I wouldn't like it, but then Death started to narrate the story and I was already hooked because I do love the one we call "the Grim Reaper". I didn't know how the story was going to go because I didn't read the synopsis before starting this book - crazy, I know. I've never considered myself a history buff - history is quite boring to me most of the time, but seeing the words of this story laid out before me, even though it's fiction, describing what once took place so long ago in Germany... I feel wrong saying it intrigues me because I know many people suffered, but I'd be lying if I said otherwise. As an avid reader and writer, I felt a connection to Liesel as she struggled to learn how to read and write, before soon taking books and making them her own children. I became attached to the characters - I could feel them, as if they were standing before me, their stories and lives playing out like a movie before my eyes. Markus Zusak is a true wordsmith. He brought life to words on a page, gave them feeling and a home. I didn't feel like I was reading a book, I felt as if I were there, experiencing it in real-time alongside the characters. What a magical experience it was. I worried when I first started the book because I had 7 days to read it, and it's quite a thick one - over 550 pages long. I feared it would be boring and I'd struggle to finish it in time, but my worries proved to be nothing more than just that. I didn't want to stop reading. I kept thinking about the book and the characters as I did other things. It feels as if I just started the book. It doesn't feel as if I just read 550 pages full of words. I won't lie - this book hit me hard and I did cry. As I've said before, it doesn't take much to make me sob like a little bitch, but even so, it was like this book shot straight into my heart, clutching at it and holding it softly in its arms, just as Death had with all those he took during his time. I'd like to end off with a chopped up quote, but it isn't from the book itself, but from an addition from the author at the back. Even so, it hit me hard because I didn't even consider this as I read through this part of the story. "The text of Mein Kampf bled through to show the story of Max and Liesel's friendship strangling the words of Hitler. He would paint over the pages. He and Liesel would write stories of friendship over Hitler's words of hate." Words can not even express how this book touched me. An absolutely breathtaking read and highly recommended.
The Australian writer Markus Zusak's brilliant and hugely ambitious new young-adult novel is startling in many ways, but the first thing many teenagers will notice is its length: 552 pages! It's one thing to write a long book about, say, a boy who happens across a dragon's egg; it's quite another to write a long, achingly sad, intricately structured book about Nazi Germany narrated by Death itself. The book's length, subject matter and approach might give early teen readers pause, but those who can get beyond the rather confusing first pages will find an absorbing and searing narrative. "The Book Thief" attempts and achieves great final moments of tear-jerking sentiment. And Liesel is a fine heroine, a memorably strong and dauntless girl. But for every startlingly rebellious episode... there are moments that are slack. Writing fiction about the Holocaust is a risky endeavor. Most children learn about it in history class, or through nonfiction narratives like Eli Wiesel's "Night." Zusak has done a useful thing by hanging the story on the experience of a German civilian, not a camp survivor, and humanizing the choices that ordinary people had to make in the face of the Führer. It's unlikely young readers will forget what this atrocity looked like through the eyes of Death. The Book Thief is unsettling and unsentimental, yet ultimately poetic. Its grimness and tragedy run through the reader's mind like a black-and-white movie, bereft of the colors of life. Zusak may not have lived under Nazi domination, but The Book Thief deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel's Night. It seems poised to become a classic. Belongs to Publisher Seriesblanvalet (37395) La Campana (282) La Campana Tocs (62) Dwarsliggers (89) Narrativa [Frassinelli] (330) Is contained inHas the adaptationHas as a reference guide/companionHas as a commentary on the textHas as a student's study guideHas as a teacher's guideAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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