Un libro che non dimentichero' facilmente. Mentre a volte il linguaggio e' artificiosamente costruito, con immagini volutamente inconsuete, e una ricerca dell'effetto, in altri, piu' frequenti casi la freschezza e la immediatezza delle immagini, la umanita' dei personaggi, e la crudelta' della storia ti lasciano trafitto. I personaggi sono indimenticabili, e il narratore - la morte - ha pieta e grandezza. I bombardamenti delle citta' tedesche sono descritti senza veli. E' il punto di vista della morte, che viene chiamata a raccogliere amorevolmente l'anima delle vittime, a darcene lo spessore umano. Alcune anime sono piu leggere delle altre, perche' si sono spese in vita...

Negli Stati Uniti questo e' definito come "YA" (young adult), e la cosa mi inorridisce. con utti i miei anni, ho trovato difficile da accettare la durezza (dolce, si, ma implacabile) di questo libro. Esito prima di darlo a mia figlia quindicenne. ( )

Moving story about a young girl's experience of WW2 - immaculately expressed as she embarks on her own journey. ( )

I listened to the audio version and if I could, would give Allan Corduner 5 stars for his reading, as well. This book worms it's way into your mind and soul. The characters were alive to me and affected me as if they were. It's a tribute to Zusak's writing ability that this was so. The story is also told from just a little different angle and opens your eyes to all those who were affected by WWII. I can't recommend this book highly enough......despite the fact that I am faaarrrr from being a juvenile!!!!:-) ( )

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–Zusak has created a work that deserves the attention of sophisticated teen and adult readers. Death himself narrates the World War II-era story of Liesel Meminger from the time she is taken, at age nine, to live in Molching, Germany, with a foster family in a working-class neighborhood of tough kids, acid-tongued mothers, and loving fathers who earn their living by the work of their hands. The child arrives having just stolen her first book–although she has not yet learned how to read–and her foster father uses it, The Gravediggers Handbook, to lull her to sleep when shes roused by regular nightmares about her younger brothers death. Across the ensuing years of the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Liesel collects more stolen books as well as a peculiar set of friends: the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee Max, the mayors reclusive wife (who has a whole library from which she allows Liesel to steal), and especially her foster parents. Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesels story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative. ( )

I am at a loss for words. I began reading The Book Thief on Sunday and finished it on Monday. Admittedly I was motivated to try and squeeze it in before the end of the year as my last pick for the War Through the Generations: World War II Challenge, but I truly was swept away by the book from the very first page. After I finished the book, I told my husband there was no way I could review it. What could I say besides that it's brilliant? The writing, the characters, the presentation of the story--every word of it is just plain brilliant. I suddenly understand why so many people gush over this book. And now it's my turn.

The novel is narrated by an unusual character, that of Death. Death offers a different perspective than a human would have. He is straight forward with his insights into the human condition, sometimes to the point of being blunt; and while his position offers him some detachment, he is at the same time drawn to humans and their stories, as he is in the case of Liesel Meminger.

Death is telling a story that happened in the past and as such offers spoilers along the way. This may be disconcerting to some, but I found the foreshadowing comforting in this case. It seems fitting given how omnipresent Death is. And like Death, I have always been more interested in the process, the chain of events leading up to something, than the ending itself (hence my enjoying a mystery even though I can see the ending coming a mile away). Death is not impartial despite what he wants the reader to believe, however. There is a hint of bitterness behind some of his statements, but he also has a heart, even if he is himself not human.

The characters are fully fleshed out, even the minor characters. The author makes their weaknesses and strengths clear. And these come out all the more fully in their interactions with one another and their relationships. The main character, Liesel, has suffered much loss in her young life. She is nine when she comes to live with her foster parents. Her foster mother is a bit rough around the edges and takes a little getting used to, but she has a big heart. Liesel takes to her foster father right away; he teaches her almost immediately how to roll a cigarette. He also is the one who teaches her to read and encourages her interest in books. Also among my favorites are the neighbor boy, Rudy, who becomes Liesel's best friend, the mayor's wife with the big library, and Max, the Jewish man hiding from the Nazis.

While a heartbreaking and brutal story at times, this is also a novel of hope and resilience. It demonstrates the ugly side of humanity as well as the beautiful. The evil of the Holocaust and the actions of the Nazis during World War II are well known. Set in a German town outside of Munich, The Book Thief offers the reader a glimpse of what life was like for the average (non-Jewish) German during that time in history. Liesel and her friends are members of the Hitler Youth, a requirement for children her age. There are book burnings, war rations and air raids. As the Jewish prisoners are paraded through the town on their way to the concentration camp Dachau, the town folk flock to the main street to watch. Complacency was all too common during that time period, whether out of fear or hate. Those who did intervene were beaten and often punished for reaching out to help.

The power of words is a strong theme throughout the novel. The first book Liesel steals is one she finds in a graveyard after the death of her brother. She has no idea what the book is about, being that she is unable to read. Somehow she knows, however, that the book is a treasure worth keeping close. It would be the first of many books that she would steal, earning her the title of the book thief.

It was through words that Adolf Hitler and his followers perpetuated the prejudice and hate against the Jewish people, spurring the violence on. It was with words that Liesel left marks on the mayor's wife out of anger. But it was also words that comforted during the air raids and soothed the injured soul. Words brought friends together and words that empowered a little girl, giving her courage and strength.

The writing is beautiful, almost poetic. There is a certain rhythm to Death's narration. The book may be long but I savored every word. I even found myself rereading passages not because I didn't understand them, but because I wanted to re-experience the words, feel them in my mind and taste them on my tongue.

This is one of those books that will haunt me for a long while. So much for being at a loss for words, eh? ( )

Incredibly moving. It's interesting to read about life during WWII from the perspective of non-Jewish Germans rather than the more obvious victims of the war. The choice of Death as a narrator is incredibly poignant and the writing is absolutely beautiful. Zusak has a wonderful way with words, using figurative language in a way that is both shocking and exquisite. ( )

I have just finished reading 'The Book Thief". Thank you Markus Zusak for this delicious book. This was the second time I borrowed this book from the library. The first time I returned it to the library unopened. After borrowing it the first time and reading the back cover, I was uninspired to read this book. I borrowed this book a second time after reading a few comments on 'librarything.com'. Even then when I borrowed this book a second time, I did so, still thinking that I would not enjoy this book and the subject matter. I grudgingly opened the book and started reading. Little did I know that I was opening an exquisitely written book. This book was a delight to read. Thank you again Markus Zusak. ( )

I loved this book. I have read a lot on the Holocaust - historical fiction, biographies, and historical accounts - so I have somewhat of a fascination, but it was really great to read a book from a German point of view. I loved how Liesel was able to experience new worlds because of the books brought to her by her foster father. This book is also interesting because of the narrative told by Death. I could see how some might not enjoy this book, but I would highly recommend it.
I would recommend this book for my library (medium public library). ( )

After hearing several recommendations from fellow teachers about this book, I began reading it with great anticipation. However, the format of having Death insert bold notices throughout the narrative really turned me off in the beginning. Once I got over that, I really began to enjoy the story.

This is a wonderful view of Nazi Germany from the inside. It is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl growing up with a foster family in Molching, outside Munich. And it is the story of how the family took in Max Vandenburg, a Jew, and hid him for months in their basement.

Liesel discovers a love of reading thanks to her foster father and that is woven throughout the book. She learns how to acquire books – stealing them when necessary. The Book Thief is a great YA read, which I would highly recommend. ( )

This book is many things. 'Haunting' may be an egregiously overused cliché, but it's difficult to find a better word to describe a book set in Germany during World War II that is narrated by none other than Death himself. People seem to either love or hate this book, and I think most of that has to do with the writing style. Zusak does things that are generally not done. Words are spoken about as objects that can slap you in the face or roll to a stop at your feet. Colors come to you through Death's eyes, so the skies may be blue or yellow or brown or white. And beneath it all is a rhythm that grabbed me and pulled me through Liesel's world.

'Summer came.
For the book thief, everything was going nicely.
For me, the sky was the color of Jews.'

For me, an interesting aspect of this book is the view of the life of a young German living in poverty in Hitler's Germany. I have read a lot of Holocaust literature, but very little from the German point of view. And there is a good mixture of points of view here. You have Germans from both sides of the line -- those who would help the Jews, and those who would throw things at the helpers and scream 'Jew-lover'. Yet even the screamers have their softer sides.

Though the book is about Liesel, the book thief, one of the more interesting characters is Hans, her foster father. He is the one who makes it possible for Liesel to develop the love of books and words that eventually saves her life. He makes it possible for Liesel to love anyone at all, with his patience and compassion. And he's the subject of one of my favorite descriptions in the entire book:

'Papa sat with me tonight. He brought the accordion down and sat close to where Max used to sit. I often look at his fingers and face when he plays. The accordion breathes. There are lines on his cheeks. They look drawn on, and for some reason, when I see them, I want to cry. It is not for any sadness or pride. I just like the way they move and change. Sometimes I think my papa is an accordion. When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes.'

One of the things that really made this book come alive for me is something that you won't get if you're listening to it on audio, or perhaps even reading the ebook (depending on the format). At one point, Max, the Jewish man living in Liesel's basement, paints over the pages of his copy of Mein Kampf and writes and illustrates a story for Liesel. In the book you are treated to this story, complete with the faded words of Mein Kampf in the background. It was something so minor, but so powerful for me.

There *are* aspects to the book that are weak. The whole plot line with the mayor's wife comes off as a little undeveloped, and when Liesel decides to write her own life story, it's rushed through and then forgotten in the rubble. There are a few unanswered questions that I really wish had been answered, but I guess it's those unanswered questions that keep us thinking about a book long after we've closed it. Overall, I loved it. ( )

Audio version - one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened!!!! ( )

This book is a masterpiece. I'm not going to summarize it for you, because a summary is easy to find. Also, do not be fooled; this isn't a young adult book. Not that young adults shouldn't read it -- I think they should. But adults should not feel that they are above this book in the least.

The Book Thief offers something that we seldom see; a Holocaust story from a German civilian's perspective. And in this story, Zusak manages to do something I've been striving for for years in my writing, without getting very far. He makes a story that is simultaneously joyful and sad, which I think makes it all the more heartbreaking. I can not recommend The Book Thief highly enough. Read it. This is a book that is bound to be a classic.

(On a side note, woah, this book has some stellar characters) ( )

Young Adult Novel:
'The Book Thief' is narrated by Death himself, and follows a young German girl named Liesel. Liesel develops a love of books and reading, and through that love helps her family and community through the trials of the Second World War It's a beautiful, bittersweet story. Although Death, as narrator, often revealed some key plot points before they happened, it didn’t deter me from wanting to find out how and why these events happened.

“The Book Thief” is actually different than most books I would pick up myself, so I’m glad I listened to my friend’s recommendations. I actually listened to the audiobook version first, and quickly got caught up in the excellent storytelling. I really appreciated how the author gave real personality to all of the voices, and was able to affect a German accent quite well.

It’s a winner of quite a few awards, including the Michael L Printz Honor Award 2007, YALSA Best Books for Young Adults 2007 and the Parents' Choice Awards for fiction in 2006. It was nominated for the 2009 YRCA award in the senior division, and received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly in 2006. ( )

Fantastically well written book detailing the life and experiences of 'The Book Thief'. Kept me glued to it from beginning to end. ( )

Very few books move me to tears. This clever, knowing, novel is one of those select few. It is a tale of self-discovery and of loss. It starts and ends with bereavements and, as is only to be expected when the narrator is the personification of Death, there is much here about mortality. But the losses are not simply those of life; the characters lose their dignity, their possessions, and their self-esteem too. They also lose some of their limitations and learn great things of themselves. And all this happens in a comic story of coming of age, of bravery, of love unrequited, and of great loyalty, and self-sacrifice. ( )

It was sad because of all of the deaths and because of the situation of Max hiding in their basement and how dangerous it was because he was a Jew but overall, it was well written. ( )

Liesel, a young girl growing up on the outskirts of Munich, helps her foster parents hide a Jewish man in their basement.

You've heard a lot of good things about this book, and they're true. Every one of 'em.

It's tempting, I think, to consider any Holocaust-related book as yet another story about how terrible the Nazis were, but THE BOOK THIEF is a great deal more than that. It's about regular Germans who are caught in the middle and have formed their own conclusions about what's going on around them. It's beautiful and brutal, and it is most definitely worth your time.

*** AND NOW, A WARNING ***
THE BOOK THIEF may be marketed
as YA in Canada and the US, but
don't think that means Zusak is
gonna pull his punches.
He isn't.

Death narrates the story, and he's blunt behind his fancy language. He doesn't try to shield us; he's frank about the horrors of war and the depredations of humanity, and he doesn't stint on the spoilers. We quickly learn who does or doesn't make it through to the end.

But for all that, it's not an overly depressing story. I mean, it is depressing, but there's so much hope and so much beauty that the sorrow never becomes overwhelming. Liesel and her friends are enmeshed in a difficult situation, and parts of their story had me in tears, but Zusak never lets the reader lose sight of the people at the heart of the drama. This is their story; it's about what they refuse to let go of, no matter how bad things get. He shows us the little bits and pieces that make up their lives, and there are far more kind moments than cruel ones. Papas teach their new daughters to roll cigarettes. Mamas show their love with gruff insults. Grieving women reach out in surprising ways.

That's not to say that the cruel moments weigh little. They don't. They are brutal. Every time I started to get complacent, every time I started to think that maybe everything was going to be all right after all, Zusak bashed me so hard I was in tears before I knew it. Even though Death tells you straight out what's gonna go down, I never believed him. I couldn't believe him. He was lying for the sake of narrative effect, and that was that. And I'll tell you, it's brilliantly done. The kindness and the cruelty exist alongside one another, just as they do in real life, and you let the narrator trick you because you'd collapse in on yourself if you didn't.

I also appreciated the book's structure. I found it cinematic in feel; it's composed of many small scenes and recollections that effectively act as jolts, forcing us to shift our focus and reevaluate the story at every turn. I found the structure quite effective. It drew me in and forced me to evaluate everything for myself. I couldn't read it quickly, but neither could I tear myself away. I became so immersed in it that I found myself thinking in the book's style.

*** MEMORY THINKS IN STRANGE WAYS ***
When she reads lots of graphic novels,
she thinks in word bubbles.
Now that she's finished THE BOOK THIEF,
she's thinking in big bold blocks.

(Be thankful that I didn't write the whole review in said big bold blocks. I was mighty tempted).

And on top of all that, we've got scads about books and literacy and the power of the word. You'd better believe I was all over that.

So it's true, what you've heard. This isn't a pleasant book, but it's a worthwhile one in which kindness and love run alongside the cruelty of war. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend that you do so.

(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

The image of death dancing on the spine of the book intrigued me immediately, but it took me many months to finally buy and read this book. The style of the first few pages was novel, partly because they were narrated by death, and partly because the words were presented in some odd ways, but I wasn’t sure that I really wanted to read 550 pages in such an odd style. After all, ‘different’ doesn’t necessarily imply ‘good to read’. Finally, I spotted it on a shelf in a charity shop and read the first few chapters without stopping. I couldn’t resist it anymore, but would I regret the impulsive purchase?

Style

Unusually, I want to discuss the style of the book first, as I think it is quite original and may discourage some potential readers.

Death organises the book thief’s story into a narrative that contains additional facts, theories and announcements under subheadings. He also makes use of bullet points as he introduces some of the key features of the story ahead. This sounds very artificial, but gives the reader a chance to reflect at key points and often allows for a slightly different perspective on things. Although they are not always equally useful or insightful, this is a feature that I soon became used to and it did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.

Similarly, the whole story is organised into a prologue and ten sections, each of which is introduced with a series of points that will be covered. Again, this sounds very artificial and perhaps too revealing, but in fact the points are so brief as to be highly intriguing. For example, part one covers (or “features”) “himmel street – the art of saumensching – an iron-fisted woman – a kiss attempt – jesse owens – sandpaper – the smell of friendship – a heavyweight champion – and the mother of all watschens”. Organising the sections of the story this way made me interested in what was coming up and I never found it too revealing.

Death does hint at what will happen and he often mentions that a character will die many chapters before they actually do. In a way, this allowed me to acclimatise myself to the upcoming loss and to anticipate how it would occur. I think that some readers might find this slightly irritating, but the focus in this novel is on story telling, rather than on developing a mystery. It is story telling that seems to help the characters survive, including the narrator.

In keeping with this intention, the language is often highly evocative. One example early on is: “The last time I saw her was red. The sky was like soup, boiling and stirring. In some places it was burned. There were black crumbs, and pepper, streaked among the redness.” This is the aspect of the book I enjoyed the most, although sometimes the similes seemed a little stretched. Everything was painted so vividly that the setting really came to life for me.

Finally, the text can appear quite stilted. There are some very short paragraphs and many one sentence paragraphs in the prologue, and these recur to a lesser extent through the book. These slow the pace right down and encourage the reader to absorb the moments the characters are experiencing. Again, although this might initially appear off-putting, I found it helped me to digest scenes of great emotional impact.

Not content to rely on the main story, Zusak also includes the pictures and stories that the characters tell each other. I have to say that I skimmed these sections and really didn’t find that they added anything much to be book, but I don’t think that they were particularly off-putting. It just meant that those few pages of the book flew by and I was less daunted by the size of the rest of it!

By now you’ve either given up reading or are dying to know the plot, so here goes.

Plot and characters

Leisel Meminger is a highly sympathetic character from the moment of her introduction. Death meets her for the first time as he takes away her brother, dead from a cough on an impatient railway line. As if this isn’t horrible enough, Leisel’s mother is taking her away to be adopted by another family (I have to say that I never understood why she was doing this – comments enlightening me regarding this would be welcomed!).

Although Leisel initially won’t get out of the car, she is soon an important part of Himmel Street. Her new mama is strict, but her papa begins to teach her to read and soon Leisel is eager for something other than her copy of ‘The Gravedigger’s Handbook’. Words become her salvation, although she also recognises their power to do ill as Nazi Germany grows more threatening around her.

As her story progresses, we learn more about the characters surrounding her: cheeky Rudy, the best friend who always requests a kiss for his efforts (although he never gets one); rude Frau Holtzapfel, the neighbour who always spits on the Hubermann’s front door; Max, the Jew who trekked many, many miles to hide in a basement and fight the Fuhrer in his dreams; the Mayor’s wife, who can’t move on following the death of her son.

Each character is convincing, even if their dominant characteristics seem slightly exaggerated, and their interactions are often highly charged with meaning. The narrator clearly holds their lives dear, despite his frequent references to their eventual fate. I enjoyed reading about the various characters and seeing how they responded as events became tougher. Often the changes in circumstance were sad, but the almost poetic style of the writing made the story easy to read.

The storyline meanders through some years in Leisel’s life, loosely structured by Death’s meetings with her and the incidents of book thievery. Gradually, the net tightens around the family and the Nazi threat seems to loom ever closer. Normally I’d include a few cliffhangery questions at this point, but the style of the novel means that these don’t feel appropriate. Suffice it to say that, despite the slightly weaving path of the story, there is a clear cut ending, which I liked (I hate ambiguous endings where there are lots of possibilities; surely it’s the author’s job to finish the tale, not mine?!)

One aspect I found particularly interesting was the idea of approaching Nazi Germany through the perspective of Death and two children. Death is a bit concerned by the extra workload. The children are alternatively hyper-aware of the need to behave appropriately or completely distracted by the day to day realities of their situation (Rudy wishes Leisel would steal food instead of books). The sense of threat seemed particularly real after The Jew arrives and has to be sheltered, but the pervasive nature of the Nazi culture comes across clearly throughout. Having read so many books looking at the war from a soldier’s perspective, I found this highly interesting.

Final thoughts

Although I was initially concerned about the style, I found the often poetic and reflective nature of it absorbing and easy to read as I followed Leisel’s history. The length of the book turned out not to be a problem either: I devoured it in a week. I felt that ‘finding out what would happen next’ was sometimes a powerful drive, whenever the tension was heightened, but that more often I kept reading simply because I was enjoying the way the story was told.

To me, a good book is one that makes you think about it after you’ve closed the pages, and this is perhaps the one area in which ‘The Book Thief’ falls down. I enjoyed reading it and I’d happily recommend it to others, but I don’t feel that it will stick in the mind particularly; somehow, it doesn’t have the raw power that certain stories possess. Of course, this is my personal feeling, and others may find differently, but I suspect that ultimately the way the story is told makes it rather dream like and ephemeral, and dreams have a tendency to slip away once you wake up. ( )

I wanted to love it like I loved Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but I didn't. I liked it, but didn't fall in love with it. ( )

Kristin Cashore mentioned this on her blog:http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/20...

One of the most wonderful and enjoyable books I have every read. It can be entered by all four of Nancy Pearls doors. ( )

This was the worst book I have read in a long time. It was so boring and dull I couldn't even finish it. ( )

This book takes a look at World War II from a different angle, a street in a small town near Munich where a Jew is hidden from the Nazis. Liesel, Hans, and Rudy are well drawn characters. ( )

An intense read, but worth every minute. ( )

A great book - as someone who feels overexposed to stories from and about Nazi Germany, this was different. Wonderful for anyone, any age - particularly if they love the written word. ( )