This book was apparently the "most talked-about book of 2006", so I must have been asleep that year. This book has won numerous awards, including the Printz for 2007. I don't know that I can say that the book was "life changing" like the NYTimes said it could be. But, I will say that I am forever enriched because I read it.I should say up front that I loved it even though I didn't find it particularly "fun" or easy to read. I knew next to nothing about the book before I started reading it, and I know I won't do it justice trying to tell you about it anyway. But, I think it is useful to know what kind of a book you are getting yourself into because you need to be in the right frame of mind before you start reading it: The story is narrated by Death and is set in WWII Germany. Death follows the life of Leisel Meminger (the book thief), her foster parents, and other members of the town of Molching (near Dachau) during those horrific years.
The book was just extraordinarily well-written. Zusak's use of foreshadowing, irony, imagery, and figurative language were awe-inspiring. I definitely think this will be on my Top Ten list for 2008. Highly recommended.
10 comments:
I'm so glad you liked it. I don't know where I was either - I hadn't heard of it until a friend gave it to me for Christmas :)
adding it to my "to read" pile!
I just recently read this book myself and loved every word of it. Like you I don't think that its a life changing book but it is definately a book that I think everyone should read. The prose of it just blew me away.
NICE Blog :)
I didn't hear about it until last year. Absolutely loved it.
I need to check this one out again. I had it on hold forever and then finally when it was ready to pick up, so were 10 other books and so I never got around to reading this one.
so you were checking out my blog when i was doing the same to yours!!!:) isn't the book thief awesome!! i think its on my all-time top 10 list!!:)
well said. I read The Book Thief a couple months ago (so long already?) and every now and then something happens, usually on the news, that reminds me of some event or character or line in this book. I like it when a book has that kind of stick-with-you quality.
Bookbliss: Definitely check it out again. It will be one of my favorite reads for this year.
Ramya: Love your blog! :)
Great book isn't it? I didn't read it when it came out too. But better late than never! And yeah, it'll be in my Top 10 too. :)
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