The Book Thief

554 pages

English language

Published June 15, 2007

ISBN:
978-0-552-77389-8
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4 stars (4 reviews)

HERE IS A SMALL FACT: YOU ARE GOING TO DIE. 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier.

Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with her foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

SOME MORE IMPORTANT INFORMATION: THIS NOVEL IS NARRATED BY DEATH.

It's a small story, about: a girl an accordionist some fanatical Germans a Jewish fist fighter and quite a lot of thievery.

ANOTHER THING YOU SHOULD KNOW: DEATH WILL VISIT THE BOOK THIEF THREE TIMES.

--back cover

16 editions

Wet cardboard

3 stars

It's historical misery porn, your Angela's Ashes or Kite Runner sort of deal. It's a bit smug & condescending which is a lot since it's pretty clear the author had no idea how to end it & panicked. The main character is devoid of personality & the cute trick of the narrator being the grim reaper gets old the second time it appears. I cried at the end but possibly because I was also ready for death to swing past one last time.

Will I ever learn to read a synopsis before starting a book? No. I blame the dice roll that chose this from my burgeoning 'to read' pile. Lousy roll