Margot Meanders's Reviews > The Book Thief
The Book Thief
by
by

Margot Meanders's review
bookshelves: 2020, long-novels, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life, story-within-a-story, books-stores-booksellers, favourites, interesting-concepts, war, parents-and-children, love-including-sweet-clean-romance, best-protagonist, historical-fiction
Jan 01, 2020
bookshelves: 2020, long-novels, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life, story-within-a-story, books-stores-booksellers, favourites, interesting-concepts, war, parents-and-children, love-including-sweet-clean-romance, best-protagonist, historical-fiction
An incredible book like this comes only once in a million reads.
It's hard for me to do more than babble about this book. It was THE ONE. The one that speaks to me on so many levels. It's written so well, has characters that strongly resonate and it's thoughtful. Book Thief really shows rather than tells and has heart in the heaps. This is a great writer. It's really a brilliant tale. A story like this it comes once in a million other reads.
It is snowing when Liesl travels with her brother to forster care.. it is white, but the colours of her world are to change drastically very soon. Death follows her at every step.But death has a heart too.
This is an incredible book. Not only is narrator-protagonist fascinating and you hang on to their every word, but the characters..the characters are done just right, with humanity they are due and most of all much love. They resonate strongly, I loved them all, Hans, Rosa (foster parents with much heart and love), Liesl, Rudy (Liesl's harming best friend). Max (a Jewish boy).They live in Himmel - heaven...but soon the brutal reality of hatred-torn Germany and war catches up with this little corner, forcing the characters to face tough decisions.
Besides the beautifully developed characters, plot and events, there is much thoughtful material. About the power of words, among other things, and about one man who abused that power in so many hideous ways, leading to terrible carnage and tragedy. What can happen when we abuse the words? This resounds very strongly today. Max writes stories wthin the story for Liesl; they highlight the friendship but also the theme of words very strongly. I loved it, it's really wonderful storytelling. There is also love vs hate theme done so beautifully it is breathtaking. Liesl and Max friendship is vital to this theme, as are actions of Hans and Rosa.
And all this is narrated by an ingenious narrator who has all the claim to omniscience and thanks to him we really can get to know what happened at various times and places - I absolutely loved that and I also loved how he prepared me for certain events. Moreover, the narrator is perfectly thoughtful as well. It's incredible. Original but most of all well-done narrator who is very careful and deliberate but very humane in the end. A story like this comes only once in a million. The storytelling and writing are just so right in everything here, with so much love, there is so much finesse but emotion and feeling too. It's the perfect book for me.
Excellent novel, excellent writing all throughout. characters to absolutely love. It is a fast and riveting read, with a lot of humanity in it. And a great read to start 2020 with. It was my first read of the New Year. and excellent, remarkable, moving, gorgeous, however heavy start. I wouldn't change it for the world.
I've read it on Kindle but have ordered the paperback anniversary edition. I wanted to move on and pick the next read, but I can't. This was just The One book. I love it so much, it's def going into my books of a lifetime shelf.
It's hard for me to do more than babble about this book. It was THE ONE. The one that speaks to me on so many levels. It's written so well, has characters that strongly resonate and it's thoughtful. Book Thief really shows rather than tells and has heart in the heaps. This is a great writer. It's really a brilliant tale. A story like this it comes once in a million other reads.
It is snowing when Liesl travels with her brother to forster care.. it is white, but the colours of her world are to change drastically very soon. Death follows her at every step.But death has a heart too.
This is an incredible book. Not only is narrator-protagonist fascinating and you hang on to their every word, but the characters..the characters are done just right, with humanity they are due and most of all much love. They resonate strongly, I loved them all, Hans, Rosa (foster parents with much heart and love), Liesl, Rudy (Liesl's harming best friend). Max (a Jewish boy).They live in Himmel - heaven...but soon the brutal reality of hatred-torn Germany and war catches up with this little corner, forcing the characters to face tough decisions.
Besides the beautifully developed characters, plot and events, there is much thoughtful material. About the power of words, among other things, and about one man who abused that power in so many hideous ways, leading to terrible carnage and tragedy. What can happen when we abuse the words? This resounds very strongly today. Max writes stories wthin the story for Liesl; they highlight the friendship but also the theme of words very strongly. I loved it, it's really wonderful storytelling. There is also love vs hate theme done so beautifully it is breathtaking. Liesl and Max friendship is vital to this theme, as are actions of Hans and Rosa.
And all this is narrated by an ingenious narrator who has all the claim to omniscience and thanks to him we really can get to know what happened at various times and places - I absolutely loved that and I also loved how he prepared me for certain events. Moreover, the narrator is perfectly thoughtful as well. It's incredible. Original but most of all well-done narrator who is very careful and deliberate but very humane in the end. A story like this comes only once in a million. The storytelling and writing are just so right in everything here, with so much love, there is so much finesse but emotion and feeling too. It's the perfect book for me.
Excellent novel, excellent writing all throughout. characters to absolutely love. It is a fast and riveting read, with a lot of humanity in it. And a great read to start 2020 with. It was my first read of the New Year. and excellent, remarkable, moving, gorgeous, however heavy start. I wouldn't change it for the world.
I've read it on Kindle but have ordered the paperback anniversary edition. I wanted to move on and pick the next read, but I can't. This was just The One book. I love it so much, it's def going into my books of a lifetime shelf.
Sign into Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to see if any of your friends have read
The Book Thief.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
December 29, 2019
–
Started Reading
December 29, 2019
– Shelved
December 29, 2019
– Shelved as:
to-read
January 1, 2020
– Shelved as:
long-novels
January 1, 2020
– Shelved as:
2020
January 1, 2020
–
Finished Reading
April 20, 2020
– Shelved as:
read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life
May 30, 2020
– Shelved as:
story-within-a-story
June 5, 2020
– Shelved as:
books-stores-booksellers
June 13, 2020
– Shelved as:
favourites
June 13, 2020
– Shelved as:
interesting-concepts
January 2, 2021
– Shelved as:
war
January 2, 2021
– Shelved as:
parents-and-children
January 2, 2021
– Shelved as:
love-including-sweet-clean-romance
January 2, 2021
– Shelved as:
best-protagonist
January 2, 2021
– Shelved as:
historical-fiction