Synopsis:
It is 1939, Nazi Germany.
The country is holding its breath.
Death has never been busier,
and will become busier still.
By her
brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up an object,
partially hidden in the snow. It is The
Gravedigger;s Handbook, and
it is her first act of book thievery.
So
begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel learns to read. Soon she
is stealing books from Nazi book - burnings, the mayors wife's library,
wherever there are books to be found.
But
there are dangerous ties. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jewish
fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed
down.
Review:
Since
sixth grade I have had an obsession over reading books about the Holocaust. The
subject fascinated me and intrigued my curiosity to discover more and more. I
believe this morbid fixation stems from my love for the dystopian genre. So
naturally The Book Thief immediately became one of my ultimate
favourites. However, this book is not like the traditional holocaust themed
books I've read.
The
Book Thief is a beautiful crafted story of words by Markus Zusak. What
makes this novel so interesting is the display of adoration for the influence
of words, making it easy for readers to immediately relate to the novel. The
story is narrated by Death giving the novel an interesting perspective. Death
puts forward very philosophical points and ideas such as his constant critique
of the human race, however, as the story continues, you can’t help but respect
and even feel sympathy for him. Some may find a story of the Holocaust narrated
by Death distasteful however; I personally, found it an intriguing method.
The
Book Thief, set in Germany within the years 1939 – 1943 and conveys the story
of an ambitious, compelling, and likable young girl, Liesel, who
effectively is an orphan. Her father is unheard of, her mother disappears
after delivering her to her new foster parents, and her younger brother passes
away on the train to Molching for unknown reasons. The title The Book
Thief derives from Liesels pleasure in stealing books. She first
discovered this when she stole her first book, The Gravedigger’s
Handbook, which was left a stray in the snow when a man had dropped it
when digging her brothers grave. Liesel grows up on a very deprived street and
therefore does not have access to many books, making her drown in the longing
she has for the power of books. At first, she only steals randomly
but soon grows into a more precise thief. However she is never greedy and only
takes what she believes she deserves. The books she steals provide comfort to
her during the war and help her describe and learn words.
I am
finding it hard to try and explain just what the book is about as there is just
so much that it is about. There are simply
so many themes, characters and stories contained in this book that I cannot
simply choose a few and then sacrifice the rest. I am no expert on the topic of
the novel nor am I an expert on the Holocaust; I am simply putting out my
opinion. But I will say that The
Book Thief is a magnificent
story, and it is a good one. It touched me even through all the unsettling
context and emotion. I would recommend this novel to anyone who is interested
in World War II, Historical Fiction or perhaps lovers, like myself, of the
dystopian genre.
This is my first time blogging so leave a comment below letting me know what you think!
Thanks for reading,
Ally xox
This is my first time blogging so leave a comment below letting me know what you think!
Thanks for reading,
Ally xox
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