Shop Ireland

The Book Thief by: Markus Zusak

Click to tell a friend about this item...

Publisher: Black Swan
Release date: 1st January, 2008
Media: Paperback

Similar Products

• The Time Traveler's Wife
• Three Cups of Tea
• The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
• A Thousand Splendid Suns
• I am the Messenger
• See more...

Editorial Review

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak was the best-selling debut literary novel of the year 2007, selling over 400,000 copies. The author is a prize-winning writer of children's books, and this, his first novel for adults, proved to be a triumphant success. The book is extraordinary on many levels: moving, yet restrained, angry yet balanced -- and written with the kind of elegance found all too rarely in fiction these days. The book's narrator is nothing less than Death itself, regaling us with a remarkable tale of book burnings, treachery and theft. The book never forgets the primary purpose of compelling the reader's attention, yet which nevertheless is able to impart a cogent message about the importance of words, particularly in those societies which regard the word as dangerous (the book is set during the Nazi regime, but this message is all too relevant in many places in the world today).

Nine-year-old Liesel lives with her foster family on Himmel Street during the dark days of the Third Reich. Her Communist parents have been transported to a concentration camp, and during the funeral for her brother, she manages to steal a macabre book: it is, in fact, a gravediggers’ instruction manual. This is the first of many books which will pass through her hands as the carnage of the Second World War begins to hungrily claim lives. Both Liesel and her fellow inhabitants of Himmel Street will find themselves changed by both words on the printed page and the horrendous events happening around them.

Despite its grim narrator, The Book Thief is, in fact, a life-affirming book, celebrating the power of words and their ability to provide sustenance to the soul. Interestingly, the Second World War setting of the novel does not limit its relevance: in the 20th century, totalitarian censorship throughout the world is as keen as ever at suppressing books (notably in countries where the suppression of human beings is also par for the course) and that other assault on words represented by the increasing dumbing-down of Western society as cheap celebrity replaces the appeal of books for many people, ensures that the message of Marcus Zusak’s book could not be more timely. It is, in fact, required reading -- or should be in any civilised country. --Barry Forshaw

Click here to add a review!

Average rating - (more reviews)

Rating: - The time thief

I thought this was a very disappointing book. Both too long and rambling and too disjointed, it took you on a journey to nowhere and left you wondering why you'd bothered.

It seems to aim for magical and moving, yet comes across as coy and irritating.

The author's use of language is so very bad that I thought it must have been translated - badly - into English. Sadly, this isn't the case. There was one phrase that had me shouting "WHAT? That's beyond ridicule," but I can't remember what it was. And I'm glad I've expunged it from my memory.

The subject matter's been done better elsewhere, as has the style. My wife - who'd read it before me - warned that it was poor. I foolishly thought I knew better.

I'll never get back the hours that I spent reading it. Markus Zusak - you are the time thief.

Rating: - Clever but unconvincing

This book is clever, unusual and ambitious narrated as it is by death, but somehow it never seems to fully pull it off. The subject matter is often oversimplified with childlike language and as such I think it lacks authority on one of the darkest chapters in modern history. The book was highly recommended to me and maybe I expected too much. But seeing as words saved Liesel, I thought more would be made of language and it would be more sophisticated. Why Zusak felt the need to keep dropping in German words into the dialogue I will never know, we knew where the book was set and they jarred the prose. It also irritated me how death gave away so much so early on about the untimely deaths of some of the main characters. All of that aside, I raced through this book and found it very easy to read, but now I've finished it I feel ambivalent towards it. It held my attention and I grew to love Liesel and especially her Papa. I cried during the closing chapters. Her view of the world was sweet, yet haunted, and I felt she faced life with dignity despite the difficult hand it dealt her. If anything the book was a rather charming story of a child's view of growing up during the war, but overall for me it lacked depth. I'm sure many will disagree judging by the number of five star ratings, but don't believe the hype.

Rating: - Amazing and moving book!!!

I truly enjoyed this hefty (500+ page) read. No wonder its an international best seller. The way the book is written is very inventive and only draws you more and more into the story.

Rating: - Beautiful

I started and put down this book a few times before I really got into it. But once I became accustomed to the style, I absolutely loved it.

This is a story of stunning beauty. It is heart-breaking and life-affirming, testament to the strength and generosity of the human character. There are scenes and characters here that will stay with you forever.

Rating: - One of the best

I can't believe the 1 star reviews of this book; I totally disagree with every word written. I couldn't put this down (it went in the bath with me). I thought it would be weird and difficult to follow with the narrator being 'Death' but it isn't. It flows so quickly and how anyone could think it was dull is beyond me.

It is a simple story about a fostered girl in Germany at the start of the war and the lives of the people around her including a hidden Jew in the basement. The end of the book is heartbreaking and how anyone can fail to be moved is incomprehensible.
Highly recommended and should be on school syllabuses for English; I would have loved to have studied something like that as a teenager.

Review Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next »

Browse Categories

• - General
• - English
• - Paperback
• - Regular Size