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| The Book Thief | 
 enlarge | Author: Markus Zusak
Publisher: Black Swan
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £3.15
You Save: £4.84 (61%)
Buy New/Used from £3.15
Avg. Customer Rating:  (183 reviews)
Sales Rank: 27
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language)
Media: Paperback
Pages: 560
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.5
ISBN: 0552773891
EAN: 9780552773898
ASIN: 0552773891
Publication Date: January 1, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Book Description
The story of a young German girl who steals books, of her family and the Jewish boxer hidden in their basement as they struggle to survive in Nazi Germany when the bombs begin to fall.
Synopsis
1939 - Nazi Germany - The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. Some important information - this novel is narrated by death. It's a small story, about: a girl; an accordionist; some fanatical Germans; a Jewish fist fighter; and quite a lot of thievery. Another thing you should know - death will visit the book thief three times.
From the Back Cover
?Brilliant and hugely ambitious? New York Times ?Extraordinary, resonant, beautiful and angry?
Sunday Telegraph HERE IS A SMALL FACT YOU ARE GOING TO DIE 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION
THIS NOVEL IS NARRATED BY DEATH It?s a small story, about: a girl an accordionist some fanatical Germans a Jewish fist fighter and quite a lot of thievery. ANOTHER THING YOU SHOULD KNOW
DEATH WILL VISIT THE BOOK THIEF THREE TIMES
About the Author
Markus Zusak, a prize-winning author, lives in Sydney with his wife and daughter. The Doubleday hardback of The Book Thief , published at the beginning of January 07, stayed in the top ten of the Sunday Times bestsellers for nine weeks. It was published to critical acclaim in Australia and in America where it reached No. 1 on the The New York Times bestsellers list. Film rights have been optioned by the makers of The Devil Wears Prada.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 178 more reviews...
 a creative and new way of writing September 2, 2008
i thought that the book thief was better then amazing, it was written so orignally and narrated quite light-heartedly even though the narratee is always percieved as a somewhat depressive character. I am usually a hard critic when it comes to books, but this book blew me away, not only did it make me smile at some points but also provoked tears at the end (this rarely ever happens to me). The Book Thief also enlightened me on the point of view from the German side in the Second World War, and made me realise that it wasnt just the Allies side that suffered.
Captivaing story, superbly told September 2, 2008
Much of this book has been reviewed and retold many times on Amazon and this alone should tell you something of furore and discussion this book has created amongst readers as well as The Book Thief's popularity.
Many of the debates are about the personal enjoyment or otherwise of the story told from the perspective of Death; I suspect this is merely a private choice of third vs. first person narrative.
The Book Thief is captivating and exceptionally beautiful, despite its morose backdrop, thanks in part to its imaginative technical and narrative construction. The former maintains the pace of the book whilst allowing the author to pass comment on events without detracting from the characters and the story. The latter is simply enthralling; a wonderful use of words that aptly evoke that period in history and from a perspective not often told.
Such was the strength of characterisation that I definitely went on the journey with Liesel, her friends & family and found my emotional attachment quite surprising
I recommend this book highly for all ages 16+; I'm not sure I would have understood its merits at a younger age as has been suggested by other reviewers.
I have never read anything so heart wrenching August 28, 2008
This book was addictive from the very first page. I never wanted it to end. I walked around in a daze after I finished it for a few days. I just could not get the characters out of my head. I grew to love Liesel and wanted her to be my little girl, she was so real. How dreadful war torn Germany was and this book magnifies that. I left the book wanting to know more about the places mentioned and also the lives of the real people who survived that time. Markus Zusak wrote this book in a luminous and compelling way. I bought this book from the recommendations on Amazon and it would not have been a book I would have selected in a shop. So thank you fellow reviewers, without you I would never have discovered this delight.
One of my favourite books August 26, 2008
This is one of my favourite books. I found it great company. I loved it from start to finish and couldn't put it down. Markus Zusak creates beautiful characters (e.g. Liesel, Rudy, Hans Huberman etc. ) that you just fall in love with. My only slight grievance was that I would've liked to learn more about Liesel as an adult. But maybe this was because I didn't want the book to end! Overall though its a fantasic read. Highly recommended.
Fantastic and unable to put down August 22, 2008
I was given this book by a friend's mum to read as she thought I would enjoy it. It's not something I would have chosen for myself so I am extremely grateful to my friend's mum!
A fanstastic read that I simply couldn't put down. I read until well into the early morning the first night before deciding I really needed to get to sleep. When I got up I picked the book up again and didn't put it down until it was finished.
It made me laugh and cry. Death was not portrayed in the usual way as being something evil that is determined to get your soul no matter what. Instead death was a gentle 'being' who carefully cradled the souls he collected and who was haunted by humans.
I don't want to give too much away for those that haven't read it but each of the main characters in the book is special in their own way from Leisel (The Book Thief herself) to her friend Rudy, Max, the Jew they hid in their cellar, and her foster parents who appeared on the surface as the mother being the harsh disciplinarian and the father being the gentle soul, until you got to know more about their characters and looked beyond the brusqueness of the foster mother's demeanour and of course there was Death himself.
By the end of the book I could barely see the words on the pages in front of me through my tears.
Very thoroughly recommended.
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