The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Book Thief
Book Review: Absorbing, tender, powerful
Summary: 5 Stars
Zusak has created a novel so tender and painful that it becomes hard imagine a story better told. He draws the reader into the lives of Liesel and those around her with complex characterisation on so deep a level that I felt bereaved when I came to the end of the book. Rarely does a work of fiction come along that transports you so dramatically to its core that you forget to care what you look like streaming with tears on the bus to work first thing in the morning.
The child protagonist undergoes a journey of understanding, maturation and ultimately disillusionment with the contradictions of adult life; to paint Nazism from a child's perspective highlights the absurd simplicity of Hitler's antisemitic atrocities.
It may sound incongruous that a novel narrated by Death can be uplifting, but Zusak's characterisation replaced in my mind the stereotypical violent, dreaded shadow with a fragile, sensitive creature - one who reluctantly and gently lifts souls from their empty human shells to their final resting place. His measured prose is polished but never attention-seeking, so that you are moved and involved before you even have chance to realise, with an intoxicating mix of despair, joy, anguish, gratitude and excitement.
Even when I wasn't reading 'The Book Thief' it was on my mind, and it will remain there for a long time to come.
Book Review: Uplifting Tale
Summary: 5 Stars
A young girl, Liesel, steals books from a gravedigger at the burial of her younger brother, from Nazi book burnings and from the mayor's library. She lives with a foster family and her father slowly teaches her to read these books. Later, her family hide a Jew to keep him safe. The story is narrated by Death, who I came to respect and admire for his sense of compassion. This book tells of the nasty turns that life can take and how our lives can alter in the blink of an eye, and is about life, love and the power of words. It's the most eloquently written, emotional, yet uplifting story I have read in a long, long while and my ramblings really cannot do justice to the brilliance of this superlative tale
Book Review: Magical
Summary: 5 Stars
I had the same feeling after reading this that I had when I saw Pan's Labyrinth at the cinema, that you had been there with something horrendous and heartbreaking yet you left it with a feeling of peace and beauty.
I put this book down and stared at the wall for ages, please take the time to read it, honestly your life will be richer because you did.
Book Review: Thought provoking
Summary: 5 Stars
FACT.
I have never taken the time to write a review of a book.
But I felt the need to try and tell everybody that happens to browse this page, BUY IT NOW!! You will NOT be disappointed.
I have just finished this extraordinary tale, it has left me devastated, yet uplifted at the same time.
Thank you Markus zusak, for your beautifully written words, never have I thought about this subject matter from the point of view that you portray.
I fell in love with all the characters! Which made it very sad that the book had to finish.
This story will stay with me a long time.
Book Review: Zusak's Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Book Thief" is the best book I've ever read. It is beautifuly written and imposible to stop reading-you just don't want to put it down! It is unbelieveably sad but at the same time it can be funny.The plot has so many twists that the end comes as such a big shock I had to read it twice before I believe it had happened.
I read an extract out to my class and after only one and a half pages nearly everybody wanted to read it. I would highly recomend it to anyone. It is a book that should be on everyone's shelf.