So I recently finished Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief" after numerous gym sessions/car readings/and cuddle sessions with my stuffed elephant. It was probably the most uniquely written modern novel that I've read so far this year, perhaps ever. Zusak did a beautiful job with the novel, making it simple enough for kids/teenagers to read and understand, yet meaningful and poignant enough to capture the hearts of adults. One of my coworkers actually mentioned that her kids were reading this as part of their high school English curriculum, which I found surprising. Back in my high school days (aka 6 years ago), we very rarely read recently released bestsellers. The majority of our reading material was derived from ancient texts or modern classics, but never the NY Times Bestsellers list, so I thought that was kind of cool.
Our narrator for this tale is Death himself, and we listen as he recounts the remarkable tale of young Liesel Meminger as she grows up in and survives Nazi Germany during WWII. In a tale of innocence, whimsical childhoods, book thievery, Hitler Germany, and heartbreak, little Liesel commits her first act of book thievery at the graveside of her brother, hours before her impoverished mother drops her off with a working-class foster family. Her new accordion-playing, cigarette-smoking foster father teaches her how to read as a means of getting rid of the nightmares that plague Liesel nightly. As Liesel grows, the nightmares disappear but her love of words and books continues, and she commits more daring acts of book thievery, stealing from Nazi-book burnings, the mayor's personal library, etc. She also makes friends with an eclectic combination of people, from the young Jewish man hiding in her basement to the neighborhood scallywag with whom she steals food and books. We read as Liesel, her beloved father, bad-mouthed mother, and odd mix of friends help each other out and work hard to survive the difficult times, lack of food, and constant bombings. Zusak crafts a truly spectacular tale of innocence in the face of agonizing human cruelty.
I think the most intriguing element of this novel was the perspective from which it was told. Never have I had Death as a narrator, and I found it so very interesting and different. It took me a few pages to realize who was narrating, and even after I realized who was telling the story, it took me a while to confirm that it was indeed Death. I also found Markus Zusak's style of story-telling rather refreshing and unique. Death tells us who will survive and who won't very early on into the tale, thereby eliminating any chance of suspense, and yet it still breaks our heart when a character dies, which I thought was strange. The fact that I knew what was coming, made me dread it all the more, which I suppose could be a metaphor for what people felt during the war. The simple act of reading the novel left me anxious and dreadful; I can't even imagine what it must have been like to actually live during those times. Yet I absolutely loved the novel itself, and think it's a great recommendation for teens and grown ups alike!
Our narrator for this tale is Death himself, and we listen as he recounts the remarkable tale of young Liesel Meminger as she grows up in and survives Nazi Germany during WWII. In a tale of innocence, whimsical childhoods, book thievery, Hitler Germany, and heartbreak, little Liesel commits her first act of book thievery at the graveside of her brother, hours before her impoverished mother drops her off with a working-class foster family. Her new accordion-playing, cigarette-smoking foster father teaches her how to read as a means of getting rid of the nightmares that plague Liesel nightly. As Liesel grows, the nightmares disappear but her love of words and books continues, and she commits more daring acts of book thievery, stealing from Nazi-book burnings, the mayor's personal library, etc. She also makes friends with an eclectic combination of people, from the young Jewish man hiding in her basement to the neighborhood scallywag with whom she steals food and books. We read as Liesel, her beloved father, bad-mouthed mother, and odd mix of friends help each other out and work hard to survive the difficult times, lack of food, and constant bombings. Zusak crafts a truly spectacular tale of innocence in the face of agonizing human cruelty.
I think the most intriguing element of this novel was the perspective from which it was told. Never have I had Death as a narrator, and I found it so very interesting and different. It took me a few pages to realize who was narrating, and even after I realized who was telling the story, it took me a while to confirm that it was indeed Death. I also found Markus Zusak's style of story-telling rather refreshing and unique. Death tells us who will survive and who won't very early on into the tale, thereby eliminating any chance of suspense, and yet it still breaks our heart when a character dies, which I thought was strange. The fact that I knew what was coming, made me dread it all the more, which I suppose could be a metaphor for what people felt during the war. The simple act of reading the novel left me anxious and dreadful; I can't even imagine what it must have been like to actually live during those times. Yet I absolutely loved the novel itself, and think it's a great recommendation for teens and grown ups alike!
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