The Book Thief: A Review

"I Have Hated Words and I Have Loved Them and I Hope I Have Made Them Right"

- The Book Thief

First of all, what a stunning and beautifully written novel. It was written a little differently than what I am used to but, it fit the story so well. What a heartfelt and beautiful story to be told. 

When I first heard of The Book Thief and that it took place in Germany during WW2 I knew I had to bump it up on my "To Read" list. I have always been interested in such a sad time in our world's history. I enjoyed Elie Weisel's "Night" and I have read Anne Frank's "Diary of a Young Girl" at least 3 times. I have also seen "Schindler's List" a few times, although long and sad. I think what gets me the most is that, in a sense of time, it is recent history. There are still people living who remember it quite vividly, including my 90 year old Grandfather. 

The book is narrated by Death. Morbid right? Not at all. It makes death seem more peaceful and not alone. I loved that it was narrated by "someone", for lack of a better word, who had the outside set of eyes, who seemed to love this tale just as much as the reader would. I also loved how they told you what was going to happen in the book but then, at the end, it is not what you expected and all the pieces fit together. 

Liesel Meminger is an extraordinary character. She is full of love, hate, confusion, innocence, and memories. She cherishes all of it. She knows the world that she lives in is not a fair one but, that speaking out about it would deem dire consequences for her and her family. I think her innocence saves her on more than one occasion. 

Her friendship with Rudy is one that everyone can relate to. They play nice, they play mean, they get into mischief and they do what they need to do to survive this war torn world that they live in. It made me think of how simple childhood is while at the same time, all the challenges that youth face since they don't always understand why things are the way that they are, especially in war torn Germany. 

Then there is the character of Max, I felt like he really showed what it was like to be Jewish in Germany during World War 2. The secrets, the hiding, the hatred, and the longing for things to be better. I think I liked Leisel's character the best when she was in the company of Max. Her innocence truly shone while in his presence but, he ignited the spark in her that would never be put out. 

The story itself was reminiscent of other WW2 stories that I previously mentioned. You can feel the fear of the world during that time and the sadness that encompassed the people of Europe as war raged on in their backyards. The sacrifices they made and the way they survived. I always feel like the stories are heroic even though they are of ordinary people since it took heroism to survive war torn Europe if you were not a prominent member of the Nazi party.  

I do not wish to share much more with you because I think this is a book that has to be read and appreciated. I think it is a novel that will become a classic and hopefully be read for years and years to come.