One of those books that i was unable to put down - loved the narration from 'Death'. completely brilliant.

This is another of those thought-provoking books which enable us to learn about the past in a whole new way. After the initial chapter, The Prologue, which I found irritating, I thoroughly enjoyed the cynical "interruptions" from Death.

I also thought this was a fantastic book, and have to admit I cried reading it. I thought it was original, engaging and have recommended it to all my friends!

This is a wonderful book with characters that live with you long after you finish reading. It is both extremely sad and inspiring. I loved it so much I read it again immediately and cried again.

The majority of the novel is set in Munich, Germany over a relatively short period between 1939 and 1943, yet much unfolds over these short years. It is Death that narrates the novel, and through a mixture of cynicism, frank objectivity, and compassion sets the scene of life in Nazi Germany; the characters within it, and the various fates that are to befall them.

The story of 'The Book Thief' ...
Show allcentres on the life of one young girl, Liesel Meminger. Tragedy is never far from Liesel, and as we are told at the beginning of the novel, Death will visit Liesel three times. The first occasion Death comes into contact with Liesel is as she kneels watching helplessly over her dying younger brother. Sure that the young girl has felt his presence, Death grows a strange sense of attachment to Liesel, and to her story.

The memory of her younger brother's death never leaves Liesel and at his funeral she steals a book 'The Gravediggers Handbook'. This book, almost a memento mori, becomes a physical link between her and her dead brother. From this one early act of theft, grows in her an obsession for reading books and a compulsion to steal them, both of which provide her with an escape from the harsh realities of the war.

Upon Liesel's arrival into Munich she is taken in by foster parents, Rosa, and Hans Huberman. A loving and doting father figure, Hans becomes the embodiment of calm and reassurance in her life. As the story unfolds Nazi authority is becoming increasingly prevalent in the everyday lives of the characters. At a time when Jews are being forced from their businesses and homes, Rosa and Hans take in and shelter a Jew by the name of Max, despite the knowledge that if they are found out it could lead to their deaths.

At the same time Leisel's book stealing continues, one occasion being particularly symbolic; she steals a book from the cinders of a ceremonial book burning, held by the local Nazi party to discard of books that might corrupt German minds. Similar to the famous phrase in Bulgakov's Master and Margarita, that: 'manuscripts don't burn', in her own way Liesel stands up to the totalitarian regime, and the censorship of the Nazi state, by stealing and reading something that would otherwise be forbidden.

The novel covers a variety of themes; friendship, the loss of innocence, love, death, and the power of words, all set against the backdrop of the Second World War. Death's narration intertwines Leisel's story with his own asides about the grim task of his work, in the guise of chapters entitled 'Death's Diary', in which is listed the endless drudgery of collecting the souls of those who have been killed during the war. It is these chapters I was most entranced by, at once; beautiful, heart rendering, poignant and tragic. Death evokes these strong feelings through the colours he sees when collecting the souls of people that have passed away, both the colours and the sky seemingly mimic the events below:

'I watched the sky as it turned from silver to grey to the colour of rain. Even the clouds tried to look the other way.'

Although I found some of the chapters fairly long winded (almost to the extent that they detracted from the impact of the novel) there are some scenes that etched into my mind. In particular, the highly evocative scene of Jews being shamelessly paraded through the streets of Munich, being jeered at, and whipped by guards for scrambling after bread crumbs on the floor. It is with great skill that Zusak brings home to the reader, the shear depravity of the Nazi regime, not through describing the tortuous death of Jews in the concentration camps, but through describing the collective humiliation many of them suffered in the lead up to their deaths, and the degradation they were forced to endure.

Overall I would highly recommend The Book Thief due to its difficult but well handled subject matter, it is a great story told with true originality. Although the central theme is fairly dark, the novel is also suffused with plenty of lighter moments. I have to admit that I found the novel to be overly lengthy in places, however, there is such a deep variety of themes and thought provoking moments that this is easily forgiven. The Book Thief gave me a new insight into how insufferable life must have been for those Germans who opposed Nazi rule but were powerless to stop it. For these reasons I am glad to have taken the time to read this engaging and eye opening book, and would highly recommend it to others.
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