Oh my gosh, I loved THE BOOK THIEF by Mark Zusak. I am headed to my book club tonight, so I want to get my feelings down before they're either "tainted" or "colored" by what others think or feel about it. (I know, I know: No self-respecting reviewer lets others' opinions determine his/her own. Right.) Still I don't want anyone's negative comments to rain on my parade.(There are always the "haters" in every group. I know, because I have been among them at times). So in anticipation of that: I want it to be known there is nothing, absolutely nothing to hate in this book. It's brilliant. The writing is so fresh (who knew "pimples grew in peer groups" or that "Death" had a soft side and was actually a good writer?) The characters are so memorable, so real, so alive, that I full envisioned every single one of them. I fell in love with dear Rudy and Liesel and Papa and Max––and most of all, Dear Death. I was sad to see them all go when I turned the last page.
Holocaust stories are not all the same--true some are better than others. This is one of the best. And I don't care how many stories about the Holocaust there have been, will be or are being written or read, (there could be 6 million for all I know), but it would never be enough. Ever. No there could never be enough to replace the 6 million lives lost. I still don't think we humans can learn enough or ever truly know, ever truly understand the horrors caused by the words and ideas of a fellow human being and all those who stood by and watched and let it happen. To those who didn't and to those who came before Mark Zusak--Wiesel and Frank, for starters--I am eternally grateful that word by word, they "stole" back what Hitler took with his words and actions, namely dignity, hope, love, and life. Yes, The Book Thief steals them back one word, one character, one page at time. It's a treasure.
I would recommend this book to EVERYONE--from high school on up. (It's technically a YA novel). I am going to complete my Nazi Germany trifecta (finished Sarah's Key before this) with In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson next.
Holocaust stories are not all the same--true some are better than others. This is one of the best. And I don't care how many stories about the Holocaust there have been, will be or are being written or read, (there could be 6 million for all I know), but it would never be enough. Ever. No there could never be enough to replace the 6 million lives lost. I still don't think we humans can learn enough or ever truly know, ever truly understand the horrors caused by the words and ideas of a fellow human being and all those who stood by and watched and let it happen. To those who didn't and to those who came before Mark Zusak--Wiesel and Frank, for starters--I am eternally grateful that word by word, they "stole" back what Hitler took with his words and actions, namely dignity, hope, love, and life. Yes, The Book Thief steals them back one word, one character, one page at time. It's a treasure.
I would recommend this book to EVERYONE--from high school on up. (It's technically a YA novel). I am going to complete my Nazi Germany trifecta (finished Sarah's Key before this) with In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson next.