The Book Thief

A group of ladies (all over 65) decided that even though we meet once a month, we needed at least once during the year to read and review a book. Book thief was suggested, but acknowledged that it was during a depressing time of history. I thought I would read the book and then get on to more pleasant reading. I was surprised at what an excellent book this was. I found the story, completely fascinating, and the point of view of the narrator to be excellent. I couldn't put it down. It was a depressing time in Nazi Germany, but a new look at the era. Great book

A heartwarming tale that grabs you by the hand and never lets you go till the end. This is a tale of a pre-teen girl living and growing up in Nazi Germany. It tells of her joys and sorrows and the interesting people she meets along the way. As the title implies, she steals books. The young girl in the story thirsts for knowledge and so begins her book stealing career as a way to understand the world around her. I personally loved this book because it delves into the "other" Germany--the people who had no choice or say in their government's policies and atrocities but were in many ways just as much victims as Germany's other enemies.
The story is told by death and he/she/it constantly interrupts to give the reader certain insights. I found that off putting at first and I was really irritated by the constant interruptions. But it gets better either because I began to mind the interruptions alot less, or because the interruptions become less frequent. The story will make you laugh and there were times that I thought that my heart would burst cause I was so tense. I almost cried during certain scenes cause you feel the lack of humanity in some people and the surprising boldness of others to take a stand for goodness. A delightful tale and I would highly recommend it.

Excellent book about life in Germany during WWII. It brought back many memories of stories my mother told me about Germany before she was able to flee with her family to the United States.

This is a wonderful book! I find myself recommending it to people all the time. It touches you, makes you smile and sad and read in anticipation of whatever will come next. It is not your typical World war 2 horror story but you feel the horror in nearly every chapter. Read it and you find yourself with the urge to share it with everybody you know.

This is the strangest book I have ever read. The phrasing, word pictures and narrative form are exceptional (and sometimes unfathonable) and take some concentration to understand. Some parts have to be re-read to get the meaning and sometimes I never did get the meaning. This book makes you think and I am glad I read it. I went immediately and got another novel by this author.