Tuesday, July 1, 2008

The Book Thief


I just finished this book and my eyes are still puffy! This was a serious book and it took me a few chapters before I could really get into it. Afterall, it's a book about war and death and human suffering. But it's also about kindness and friendship and love. It was difficult to read about Hitler and all the things that accompanied the Nazi's and the Jews. However, I found it so interesting that "Death" was the narrator. It was actually one of the main reasons I liked this book. Death didn't sugar coat things or give you hope when there was none. I appreciated the little glimpses (is that a word...glimpes?) of the future and of tragedy so I wasn't surprised or shocked. There were a lot of characters that I liked. I loved Liesel and Rudy and wanted so much for him to live. But death waits for no one. I am so glad she kissed him, even if he was dead. He was so good to her and their relationship was sweet and real. I wanted to know more of Liesel's life after the bombing. I loved Hans, too. He was so special to Liesel and filled her heart where there were so many missing pieces. The way it tied in with the accordian was cool. And I loved how the Hubberman family really did have the capabilities of compassion when they helped Max so much. Although, I thought the chapter when Max came to find Liesel at the end should've been a little more detailed! And what did they do after they saw each other? It was so heart-wrenching when Liesel saw him in the street marching with the other Jews that I thougth their reunion would've been a little more drawn out. I was glad he was alive, though. The Book Thief (Liesel) was saved because of her love of books and writing. That was awesome. I loved the books Max wrote for Liesel and I only wish they would've been saved in the bombings. Overall, a great book. I give it a thumbs-up. 4 stars out of 5.

1 comment:

Urry Family said...

I just finished reading this book. It took me a while to get into it also. I really enjoyed it, and there were a lot of lessons to get out of this book. I too wanted more about her long life and more about Max in the end. I thought that it really shows how compassionate people are, no matter what they may seem like. Her love of words and books was inspiring to me to listen more and pay attention more to what I am reading, and how much more I can get from stuff. I also loved the mayor's wife in this book, the way that Liesel healed her, and I would have loved to know how they played into her life in the end too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I am anxious for the next Stephanie Meyer "Twilight" book to come out in not too long. Yeah!