Friday 20 March 2015

The Book Thief by: Markus Zusak

Genre: Young Adult fiction, Historical fiction
Published: March 14, 2006 by: Knopf Books
Pages: 550
Rating: 4/5 stars
*may contain spoilers*


The Book Thief was a chilling story about a young German girl named Liesel, trying to make things right during the rise of Nazism. When Liesel finds a book by her brother's graveside, she sparks an interest in books. With the help of her new foster father, she learns to read. After that, comes her drive to rescue books that will otherwise be burned by the Nazis. However when her family takes a Jewish boy into hiding, things begin to get more dangerous. Soon Liesel and her family are in great danger because of their views towards the new German government.

When I started this book, I had just finished learning about World War 2. I picked up this book because I wanted to learn more. I have to say that this book opened up my knowledge on this subject even more, and was extremely captivating.

The first positive of this book, is that it was so real. Even though the story is essentially fiction, the issues were of course real, and I think that it is very possible that a Book Thief could have existed. This book was not sugar-coated or made to be something that it wasn't. It brought people into the German world circa early 1940's, and the information, while sad, was powerful.

The book was told from the perspective of death. While this may seem confusing, it added to the theme of the book very well and really made sense. There is a lot of death in this book, so reading from the perspective of the thing that loomed in the air during that time, was very interesting. It added a very haunting feel to it.

The only negative that I have on this book is that it could have been confusing at times. I felt as if some information was lost during some chapters, that I couldn't really understand what was going on. I found myself having to re-read some chapters. However, re-reading the chapters gave be a better understanding on the topic.

Overall, a brilliantly written book. I have a deep appreciation for books, so this book was quite inspiring to me, and I'm sure to other book worms. What Liesel did for her passion was inspiring. While the book was very emotional and an extremely heavy topic, it was a great dive into history and a beautiful story. While it could have been confusing, I still loved it. That is why it got 4/5 stars.

Have you read The Book Thief? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

10 comments:

  1. I'm so happy that you liked this! If you hadn't .. let's just say I wouldn't have been very happy.

    I'm a huge fan of this book. The writing is beautiful, the characters are memorable and loveable and the story is unforgettable. I probably enjoyed it more than you because I didn't really find it confusing, except for a couple of pages at the beginning. Overall, this is one of my favourite books of all time. I honestly don't think any other book has had a similar emotional impact on me. It is truly something special. Great review!

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    1. I agree, Killian! This story will stay with me forever :)

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  2. I'm so glad you liked this book! It's a combination of so many great things - historical fiction, the feels, a character who is passionate about reading, and more. I didn't find it TOO confusing, although I get why a person would. But either way, it's still such a powerful story with a creative viewpoint. I really need to read more Zusak books, but I'm scared they won't live up to this one.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! I agree, it was a very powerful book. I wanted to read I Am The Messenger by: Markus Zusak as well, but I don't think it would be as good as this one.

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  3. I didn't read the entire review because I was afraid of spoilers, but I really need to read this book! Everyone seems to love it. :)

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    1. You should, Ranu! Let me know what you think!

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  4. I love love love this book! I love the characters (especially Hans and Rudy), and I think the concept of death being the narrator is creative and clever. I'm really glad you read it!

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    1. I thought that it was very well-written! I loved it :)

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  5. I love this book so much! I completely agree with everything you've written!
    I actually just finished "I am the Messenger" by the same author, just to see if he was just a one hit wonder. That was good too. He's really good!

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    1. I can't wait to read I Am a The Messenger! Thanks!

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