It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.
I listened to The Book Thief on CD and found it to be one of the most powerful stories I have read/heard in quite some time. I found it on the Young Adults shelf in the public library. Though I know that high school age readers will benefit by reading this novel, I feel that adults will be missing something important if they assume it is not an adult story.
writes,
From the disconcerting opening pages to the heartbreaking but uplifting conclusion, I found this book remarkable -- and that's coming from a very picky English teacher. I finished it a week ago but still have it on my mind. The author's choice of Death as the narrator is intriguing and thought-provoking and to me had the odd effect of making Death less terrifying. Liesel, her foster parents, and all of the other characters became real to me as people, and that is something I value highly in a novel.
Holocaust literature is grim by its very nature, and the author does not gloss over reality. But the story has so many uplifting moments that one finishes the book with hope for humanity, or at least for the human spirit.
I truly loved this book! It will be a "keeper," along with SUITE FRANCAISE and SOPHIE'S CHOICE.
writes,
As a lover of historical fiction and especially fiction set in Europe during WWII, I was drawn to THE BOOK THIEF after browsing the book jacket. It did not disappoint. As other reviewers have noted, the author's writing style, through his narrator ("Death"), is a bit off-putting in the early pages, but I quickly found the rhythym of the prose to be musical and almost magical.
THE BOOK THIEF and Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns" are easily my best reads of 2007 . . . and I don't expect another will topple either from that perch.
