The Book Thief

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

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.

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.

but by the time I wiped away the tears at the end of it I knew I needed to give it five. This book was released as an adult book, rather than young adult in Australia. I picked it up, having never heard of it or anything about it. It was obvious from the first few pages who the narrator was, so I'm not sure why there seems to be a lot of reviewers who say they were confused about it. This book was very easy to read and did have an interesting storyline, coupled with loveable characters. All of the charactes have some flaw in their personality. That is what makes them real and that is what makes you relate to them. This is going to be one of those books that I continue to re-read for years to come.

Liesel Meminger and Death are not strangers. She saw him when he took her brother's soul. And he kept tabs on the interesting little girl throughout her life until it was time to take her soul. In between, he took the souls of many of her loved ones and even more strangers. After all, it was Nazi Germany, WWII was raging at home and abroad, and there was no lack of lives lost and souls to reap.

11-year-old Liesel was taken in by foster parents when her mother could no longer take care of her. Frightened by her new surroundings and by the recent loss of her brother, Liesel had heartwrenching nightmares night after night. But her new Papa, Hans Hubermann has a heart of gold and becomes the father she did not previously have. Her new Mama, Rosa, subscribes to the book of tough love and cuts Liesel no slack. But with her new parents and her best friend, Rudy, she finds a place on Himmel Street and finds herself. She discovers the power of words when her father teaches her to read and write. And it is these words that motivate her to become a book thief. She steals the books she cannot afford to buy and they become her most prized possessions.

This is a book of humanity set in a time when there was so little of it. It is the insight into the plight of the Jews as experienced by sympathetic Germans. It is Death's insight into humans and "his" observations of our nature. It is moving and beautifully written. The pages fly and you will not want to put it down. A unique perspective on Germany during WWII, this book is not to be missed.