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The Book Thief |
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by: Markus Zusak |
List Price: £7.99 Price: £4.99 You Save: £3.00 (38%)Prices subject to change. Used Price: £3.84 Collectible Price: £5.38 Third Party New Price: £4.11 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours |
| Binding: Paperback EAN: 9780552773898 ISBN: 0552773891 Label: Black Swan Manufacturer: Black Swan Number Of Pages: 560 Publication Date: January 01, 2008 Publisher: Black Swan Studio: Black Swan Sales Rank: 17 |
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| Editorial Review: Amazon.co.uk Review: The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak was the best-selling debut literary novel of the year 2007, selling over 400,000 copies. The author is a prize-winning writer of children's books, and this, his first novel for adults, proved to be a triumphant success. The book is extraordinary on many levels: moving, yet restrained, angry yet balanced -- and written with the kind of elegance found all too rarely in fiction these days. The book's narrator is nothing less than Death itself, regaling us with a remarkable tale of book burnings, treachery and theft. The book never forgets the primary purpose of compelling the reader's attention, yet which nevertheless is able to impart a cogent message about the importance of words, particularly in those societies which regard the word as dangerous (the book is set during the Nazi regime, but this message is all too relevant in many places in the world today). Nine-year-old Liesel lives with her foster family on Himmel Street during the dark days of the Third Reich. Her Communist parents have been transported to a concentration camp, and during the funeral for her brother, she manages to steal a macabre book: it is, in fact, a gravediggers’ instruction manual. This is the first of many books which will pass through her hands as the carnage of the Second World War begins to hungrily claim lives. Both Liesel and her fellow inhabitants of Himmel Street will find themselves changed by both words on the printed page and the horrendous events happening around them. Despite its grim narrator, The Book Thief is, in fact, a life-affirming book, celebrating the power of words and their ability to provide sustenance to the soul. Interestingly, the Second World War setting of the novel does not limit its relevance: in the 20th century, totalitarian censorship throughout the world is as keen as ever at suppressing books (notably in countries where the suppression of human beings is also par for the course) and that other assault on words represented by the increasing dumbing-down of Western society as cheap celebrity replaces the appeal of books for many people, ensures that the message of Marcus Zusak’s book could not be more timely. It is, in fact, required reading -- or should be in any civilised country. --Barry Forshaw |
| Customer Reviews |
Average Rating:  |
Rating:  - ** A 'Must Read' **'If you cried at Time Traveller's Wife or sobbed at the Notebook this one is for you. I remember reading through the tears! You know its a good one when the words swim and you get annoyed that you cannot read any more. Beautiful story told by a very human-like Death, you may know what's coming but you still are shocked when it happens. Well written and absorbing. You will be buying this book for your relatives and friends just like the Time Traveller's Wife. Rating: - Just AmazingI will not go into the ins and outs of the plot, many many of the other reviewers here can do that for you. I just had to write what I thought of this, I got this as a Christmas present from my father who couldn't understand why I wanted it... I was a bit unsure myself. Suffice to say I am so glad I got it. I have read many war/holocaust novels that have made me think but this one was/is incredible. I have laughed and sobbed through it. I truly think that everybody should read it. The characters ... Read More Rating:  - Average story but very original format.While I enjoyed this novel I felt that beyond its unique structure it was not as brilliant as previous reviewers. The narrator is the Grim Reaper(Death) and he tells us who dies and the endings before telling us the details of the story, a quirky aspect I enjoyed. It is very accessible with short snappy chapters, an interesting look at ordinary decent Germans during WW2 and for a book which addresses the holocaust is not overly sentimental like most novels dealing with the issue. I would recommend without ... Read More Rating: - An endearing tale...The book thief is a beautiful story, you are drawn into little Leisel's life with her Mama and Papa. Her love of books and her new family grows as she does. The narration by death of this girls life is sometimes sad, funny and always touching. A must read book! Rating: - An utterly amazing book - one of the bestI was a bit sceptical of this book at first and thought of it to be very unsettling but in the end it became my favourite of the many I have read. In some parts I laughed and in others I weeped but it came out tops overall. The book is narrated by Death who comments a lot in the book and expains in a cold and sometimes warm heart what he is doing and what is happening. Leisel is a young german girl who has had a traumatic life and, after witnessing her own brother's death, is sent to a foster family ... Read More |
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