Sunday, November 3, 2013

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Review

5 out of 5 stars
So… I also really liked this book.
Okay, I know I said that I probably wouldn’t write reviews on popular books, and this one and Legend are both pretty popular. I debated on whether or not to write the Legend review, but I did. I, however, did not debate writing this review. This book is amazing.
The summary: It is 1939 in Nazi Germany when young Liesel and her brother are on their way to be given to foster parents by a mother who can no longer take care of them. Except Liesel’s brother dies on the train ride there, so she alone is given to Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Though Liesel is plagued by nightmares, she quickly becomes at home with her new parents and becomes best friends with the boy down the street, Rudy. However, as trouble finds the Hubermann household, Liesel’s world begins to fall apart.
This book has the most amazing, surrealist writing, and it pulls it off for one reason: it is narrated by death. The organization is jumbled; the narrator picks you up, puts you down, and picks you back up again. Generally, 3rd person omniscient narration leaves the characters flat and the storyline slow, but this actually worked perfectly. I have read many books about WWII, but I’ve never read a book written like this one.
This book is not a fast read, and though it deals with young characters, it is a fairly mature book. I would say that it is more of a high school and up age range. Another quick warning: this book does not have a happy ending, not really, and I actually cried. I would still suggest it, especially if you love historical fiction. I know that this book has lots of good and bad reviews, but if you are looking for something deep and different, I would give it a try.
Thanks!
Liv


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