My Thoughts on The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Hi All,

It’s been a while since I read The Book Thief by Australian author, Markus Zusak. At the time I had no idea it was a teen/YA book although I have read it described as ‘adult’ too.

As always, my review is not a spoiler and I’ve pasted the jacket blurb further below.

The plot in a nutshell is about a young girl, Liesel Meminger, who lives with a foster family in Germany during WWII. Her accordion playing foster father encourages her to read, however, because they’re so poor, they only have one book to read each night – The Grave Digger’s Handbook.

As the title suggests, Leisel steals books. Her love of reading resonated with me and saddened me at the same time. The thought of not being able to read any book I want to read is appalling to me.

Markus is a brilliant writer who knows how to crawl under the skin and into the soul of the reader. He takes Liesel AND the reader on a journey paved with prose and interwoven with beautiful characters.

I haven’t seen the film yet and, despite the so so reviews, I will eventually watch it with an open mind. Some critics liken the movie to an Anne Frank rip off, however, I won’t let this put me off since I believe most critics should be taken with a shovel full of salt.

Again, I’ve pasted the book blurb below. You can visit Markus’ site for more information about the book and the author. If you’ve read the book or seen the movie, please let me know what you thought in the comments below.

Purchase the novel here and support another great Aussie author!

Happy reading all, take care, Viv x

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that will be in movie theaters on November 15, 2013, Markus Zusak’s unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul.

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

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