The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

HERE IS A SMALL FACT - YOU ARE GOING TO DIE. 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION - THIS NOVEL IS NARRATED BY DEATH. It's a small story, about: a girl, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. ANOTHER THING YOU SHOULD KNOW - DEATH WILL VISIT THE BOOK THIEF THREE TIMES

My Thoughts:
 
I’ve just finished reading this book and let me start by saying that IT IS AMAZING!!! It has a lot of great elements and the story is so rich and beautiful that it’s impossible not to feel (at least) touched by it.

I’ll admit, I was feeling a little hesitant about this book. I really wanted to read it but I was afraid it was going to be a bit depressing because of its setting and the fact that it dealt with such heavy issues. However I quickly realized my fears were unfounded because of the way the book was written and also for its amazing group of characters and unique perspective. I was also afraid the pacing would be somewhat slow but that wasn’t the case either. It’s true, this isn’t the best book to power through because there is so much to take in but – again – the writing style is so beautiful and the story is so compelling that you just keep on reading with the same eagerness throughout the entire novel.

As for the characters, what can I say? What a stunning group of characters! First there is Liesel, a young German girl that loses her close family at the beginning of the book and is taken by Hans and Rosa Hubermann, her foster parents; she is determined, strong and works hard, all great qualities that made me like her. Then there was Rudy, her best friend. He had a great sense of justice, of what was right and wrong and was such an endearing boy that it was impossible not to fall in love with him. Max was also amazing; I really liked how strong minded he was and the fact that he understood just how powerful words could be. However, my favorite character was, by far, Hans Hubermann. He might have been a simple man but he understood that not everything was black and white and that he couldn’t just blindly follow Hitler’s ideas. He was altruistic and because of his simple gestures of kindness and humanity he really warmed my heart and that made me appreciate his character. He was Liasel's rock, the man she loved the most and the one who had taught her so much about life.

This book had another great feature which was its unique perspective. The fact that Death was the narrator of this story just added to the book and – I know this might sound strange – its presence was actually comforting. This was a great twist to the novel.

I loved this book! I was afraid my expectations wouldn’t be met, especially after hearing so many people gush about it, but fortunately that wasn’t the case. I loved Markus Zusak’s writing style and how he dealt with issues like humanity, the power of words and the need to stand up for what we believe is right, among others. The story was so engrossing that even when I wasn’t reading the book I was still thinking about it and about its characters.

A compelling story that is worth reading and that will most definitely become a literary classic. A must read that has become one of my favorite books of all time.


5 out of 5 stars