Set during World War 2, The Book Thief is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl living with foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubermann, near Munich. It is poetic and beautifully worded, beginning as Liesel, aged nine, is separated from her younger brother and her mother and father. Though she can’t yet read she begins collecting stolen books. With reading lessons from Hans Hubermann, and with her best friend Rudy, she discovers the power of words, language and friendship.
Death is the narrator of the story and there are a host of other characters worth knowing. Her friend Rudy; her kind foster father Hans; the Jew, Max; the mayor's wife; the foster mother, Rosa; the gang of thieves, and all the residents of Himmel Street. It presents moving and disturbing insights into the everyday lives of ordinary Germans as they find themselves drawn into the horrors of war. Originally written for the young-adult reader, this book will unsettle and sadden all who read it, yet it displays great humanity and courage. Well worth reading.
'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak - chosen book for May 2008
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Re: 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak - chosen book for May 2008
This is a huge book which can be off putting for some but I loved every minute of it. I flew through it as i could not put it down. The chapters are very short so you keep saying to yourself "I'll read just one more." It's book features a poor German family who are not supporters of the Nazi Regime, people who we rarely hear about in our history books. When I looked for this book in the shops it was in the fantasy section something I could not understand as I would never go to that section when browsing.