The Book Thief | Markus Zusak

The Book Thief | Markus Zusak | Catcher in the Rye in Nazi Germany

books:

The Book Thief

	The Book Thief Markus Zusak Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2007 - 576 pages average customer review:based on 424 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

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.

From the Hardcover edition.

for more information click here

Loved it

I loved this novel, and I must confess that I had serious reservations about it. I mean, it was hard for me to imagine being sympathetic with a German family in the midst of WWII. But I was wrong--the family is wonderful, the characters memorable. I especially loved the way the story was told--through the voice of Death. I definitely would recommend this novel. It's an anti-war book, which we certainly need right now.

Catcher in the Rye in Nazi Germany

In a word: Fabulous. One of the top 20 novels I have ever read. It transports the sensibilities of Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird to Nazi Germany (of all locales). The writing is truly poetic. It moved me like few other books. I have alrady alerted numerous people to this unforgetable saga. I have little to add to the other glowing reviews except for again pointing out the fully-formed characterizations of every major and most minor actors. The love stories-Mama and Papa; Papa and Liesel; Liesel and Max; and especially Liesel and Rudy displayed the greatest humanity within the most terrible of crucibles.

for more information click here

WWII Fiction -- required reading

This novel is an eye opener about what life was like for Germans under Hitler during WWII. Clearly the Huberman family was extremely ordinary and yet wonderfully out of the ordinary at the same time. This ordinary German family had a son fighting on the Russian front while they simultaneously hid a Jew in their cellar. The power of this book lies in its out of the ordinary perspective (as told by the grim reaper)about very ordinary people. And ordinary people can do exceptional things, accomplish extraordinary feats, and make one proud to be a member of the human race. Under Hitler, life was hell in Germany for many good Germans, too. This powerful novel explores in depth the life of one of those remarkable families. Like Bernhard Schlink's "The Reader," "The book thief," makes one rethink one's stereotypical image of the heartless, guilty Germans of WWII. It offers an explanation for why condeming an entire people for any reason is not acceptable. Good souls exist in all settings in virtually all times.

for more information click here

An beautifully told story

This may well have been the most beautifully written book that I've read in years. The story is compelling and the narrative is absolutely exquisite. This novel should be listed and marketed as adult fiction. The "young adult" categorization will turn some readers away and it will be their loss. Do not pass this one up.

Too great to put down

This was simply an awesome book for general reading but also for the depth put into the day-to-day living of an ordinary german in ww2. The narrator was extraordinary chilling and the graphics made we stop in mid-stream. Awesome, awesome

for more information click here