The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Summary
A girl feels compelled to steal books. This is set during WWII. The girl is called Liesel, and she is a foster child. Her family is not rich. They hide a Jew.
Commentary
The entire book is written like the summary above with the narrator being a mysterious third party who is not revealed until the end. It's very difficult to keep reading as the prose is somewhat stilted although a lot of people find this style to be wonderfully artsy.
The unfolding of the tale is actually pretty well done once I managed to get past the writing style, which took about half the book. The tone of this book is mostly grey and is in keeping with other Holocaust books.
If you like artsy writing (or perhaps would like to try) and/or Holocaust books, this is worth a read.
Star Rating: 3.0/5.0
For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.
Edit:
This is now a Book Review Wednesday post~~
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10 comments: Jump to Comment Form
Oh no!! I sqw this book yesterday in a book store and I didn't get it! Now I think I should've!!
I enjoyed this book a lot, and for me the writing style did really work with the subject matter.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved having death narrate this book and I think Zusak did a great job at portraying a different side of death and the holocaust than what we are used to.
This book has been on my "to read" list for a while, I actually have the eBook.
I'm a new follower from bookblogs.ning
http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
@Universe lol, it'll still be around the next time you go!
@Sam I'm not a huge fan of free verse~~
@Lisa heh, I didn't want to mention Death because it's a spoiler for the story. It was a pretty good idea.
I felt the same way about the book!
Definitely agree with you that it took a while to get used to the writing. I'm not too much of a fan of artsy books. I just like to read it like it is. Still, I love how the story developed. Great review. :) Quick and to the point.
lil bit surprised with your review.
Because most of my friends here love it.
I have been waiting so long for this book.
But it has not been here yet
@Aleetha I'm not a fan of alternative/artsy writing styles in my books because I feel like it gets in the way of the story. I also don't like poetry much so.... yeah~~
I enjoyed your review. This book has been on my TBR list for a while because of the wonderful reviews I've read about it, but I keep putting off starting it because of the writing style. I read simply for entertainment and enjoyment, I have to think all day long at work and when I relax with a book, I don't want it to be something I have to decipher, just an escape into a fantasy world.
I still may pick this one up, but with so many other excellent books I'm dying to read, this one may remain on my back burner.
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