THE BOOK THIEF

Markus Zusak

MSRP $11.99, 560 Pages.

Published by Knopf.

A girl saves books from Nazi burning.

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.

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Articles from the New York Times

Book Review

First Chapter

Sunday Review

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Customer Reviews

The Book Thief

Rating

I don't think I have ever read a book that was narrated by Death before. It definitely gave the book an interesting perspective. The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel Meminger who comes to live with the Himmerman family in Nazi Germany after her mother can no longer care for her. Death tells the different times he meets Liesel and how she came to be known as the Book Thief. It also gives a glimpse into how it was to live in Munich during the time of the Nazi's and also the trials the Himmerman family goes through to hide Max, the Jewish son of Hans Himmermans' old deceased war buddy, after Hans made a promise to help his widow if she ever needed anything.If this story were told from the perspective of one of the actual characters (Liesel, Hans, Max, or Rudy-Liesel's neighbor and best friend) I don't think the story would have been nearly as good. It's the story told from Death's point of view and how among all the people in the world and all the suffering at the time this girl stood out to him and his telling of her story and those around her which puts the book in a class by itself.I like books that allow you to put a human face on tribulations endured. For the Holocaust the Diary of Anne Frank did that, Elie Wiesel's Night did that, and the Book Thief accomplished this also. Great, although very sad read.

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Not Another Little Girl in Nazi Germany Book

Rating

A little girl's world is thrown upside down; the sudden death of her brother and his snowy graveside set the scene for an act of thievery that will mark her new beginning.

Set in fictional Molching, Germany, The Book Thief follows the trials and tribulations of Liesel Meminger as she begins life anew with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, while the Nazi idealism in Germany grows stronger.

As you accompany the narrator, Death, from Liesel's arrival on Himmel Street through the next five years, you will experience the ups and downs of adolescence, the courage to stand up for what you believe in, and the utter tragedies of war. You root for Liesel as she learns to read and develops a profound love for books, especially those which are stolen. You go along as she and her best friend Rudy Steiner commit various acts of `teenage-ism'. You sit on pins and needles as Liesel and her family risks everything by hiding a Jew in their basement. And one of the most intriguing aspects of the journey is the insights Death gives you into his perspective of war along the way.

Prepare to be pulled into the chaotic world of a little girl who is growing up in Nazi Germany. Don't think it's another German-Holocaust-Anne Frank like book. Don't be put off by the fact it's listed under Young Adult (which I completely disagree with). And think about picking up this book and enjoying one of the most brilliantly written, enduring stories of our time.

Also reviewed at [...]

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A gem with a rough spot or two.

Rating

I have to say that I don't particularly like the layout of the book with its bold, terse intrusions that seem to be an attempt at some sort of post-modern technique that, in my opinion, detracts from rather than elucidates the story.
That said I did like this book. The grim Reaper as narrator (and even the aforementioned technique) work well when dealing with the evils of the Nazis. This may be particularly instructive as the modern world continues with the old us vs them dialectic.
Zusak's tale brings to mind Gunther Grass' poignant little book "Cat and Mouse," with its rendition of boys growing up and coming of age during the Nazi era in Danzig. As much as I liked Grass' book, Zusak's is better in my opinion: broader in scope, characterization and even historical perspective. Where Grass uses the obvious metaphor of the cat toying with the mice until it kills them, Zusak's Is more subtle: the idea perhaps that every life is a book and that in dire times one may have to steal a life.
I've given only four stars not only based on the format, but because I thought some of the dialogue needed a little more work.

Michael D. Edwards, Author of the recently released "Royal Ryukian Blues" a memoir of Okinawa.

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The Book Thief stole my heart

Rating

The Book Thief was suggested to me by Aine Gleadhill of Belfast She is an author and a great reader. She knows me well. The book clutched at my heart and would not let go even when the story ended. Picking up the next bool was more than a little difficult. I let The Book Thief lay on the table and went back again and again to review the amazing wisdom and philosophy... Fear of Death keeping us from living.

Roisin

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The Book Thief

Rating

Very hard to read. The story is good but written in a very fragmented way. I would not recommend it.

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