What readers think of The Book Thief, plus links to write your own review.

This book was captivating and extremely well-written. I loved all of it and I am a very picky reader. I usually have a hard time finding books that I really enjoy but this was a very nice choice. Even the point of view of the book is interesting. I love the small comments inserted here and there to help you understand the setting and the characters. My two favorite characters in this book are "Death" and Hans Hubermann. They are both witty yet slightly mysterious characters which sometimes seem to take the most thought to write about. Some parts of the book that I really enjoyed were the very beginning and the end and even other aspects of 'The Book Thief' that don't have a name to me. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a quality book to read. It was the best of the best.

I needed a break for the obvious endings of fairy-tales, and unsatisfying closes in other books, and then a subtle xmas present turns into a HUGE find

This book is so unexpected, and written in an ambitious form I've never seen. This book is so so so...refreshing. the grim humor, just-so details, and totally completely perfectly imperfect characters, its just plain wonderful

This is one of the most haunting and memorable books I have ever read. I was extremely impressed with the writer's fluid use of simple words and imagery to evoke dramatic impact on the reader. My book club was almost turned away from the book because of the choice to categorize it as "Juvenile" literature - which I think is a huge disservice to the book and the author. The story is very rich and anything but juvenile.

Since I concur with all the reviews of this book, I wanted to focus on Zusak's use of several literary devices. Rather than chopping at the primary narration of Liesel's and Death's stories, the interjection of these devices made the book read ever so smoothly. First there are the narrator's "sidenotes" - explanations of words or explanations of another character's thoughts. And most importantly there is the inclusion of two stories written by Max for Liesel. I thought "The Standover Man" and "The Word Shaker" best illustrated the human compassion which haunted Death. Absolutely remarkable book.

Fabulous. Insightful. Heartbreaking. Full of hope for the future of that era. A testimonial for the indestructible human spirit. Quite truthful historically as well as in terms of human suffering during that war. I know this because I was there.



This well written, well researched book would be enjoyed by all ages.

I have just finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. At first, I was a bit put off by the format...everything was in very short sections, but as I continued, the sections lengthened and I was thoroughly caught up in the story line.

Having Death as the narrator provided a very interesting point of view. We don't tend to think of "Death" as being a "job," but "he" came across as an intelligent, thoughtful being who went about doing what was needed, commenting on humanity as "he" went on about his tasks. I have heard it said by many that they don't fear "Death" itself, but the actual process of dying. Zusak's personification of "Death" supports this concept.

While it is hard for me, as a Jew, to sometimes accept the fact that there were Good Germans during that time period, there were good and innocent people who were caught up in the events of WWII. And, as in all conflicts, the most unlikely people turn out to be heroes and persons of great compassion, understanding and love.

I would highly recommend this books. The characters are all intriguing and there is much more to them that what is immediately present.

This is a superlative book that should be read by as many people as possible – from about 9th grade level young people to adults. The author illuminates complexities of human behavior and also helps us to see depths of good and evil that are often missed.

I found this book to be wonderful. I am not sure if it is a child's book, I think my 12 year would have had a hard time with it. I finished the book in 2 days while on vacation, I could not put it down. The author made me feel like I was part of the family, living with Liesel, learning and understanding her new family and friend with her. I liked that Death was narrating it, and the fact "he" was not anyone bad, just a person doing his job like everyone else. I will keep this book to re-read and have my daughters read when they are a little older and and get the most out of it. I highly recommend it to everyone