I've Finally Read The Book Thief!

Hey everyone,

Another book, another bandwagon I was late for. I finally finished The Book Thief last night after reading it gradually for about four weeks then finally getting in to it properly last weekend. Narrated by Death who is, as it turns out, a very insightful and thoughtful person, this book also delves in to the world of Liesel, a young girl living in Nazi Germany who, as you may have guessed, has a tendency to steal books. I'll say no more about the plot...

Because I have previously studied the holocaust and took a module called 'Interpretations of the Holocaust' I am interested in the ways that the holocaust and the WW2 are represented in history, media and literature. This book did a great job of being accessible to everyone and exploring the reality of Nazi Germany for the people living in it.

Things I love about it

• It's exploration of the importance and power of language
• It's focus on underrepresented histories
• The pictures... ooo intrigue...
• The complex depictions of the characters
• Liesel's foster parents' love and generousity

Things I wasn't so sure about

• The pacing of certain parts
• The order in which some of the events were presented

Reasons why this book is important

• It is an empathetic exploration of the experiences of Germans living in Nazi Germany.
• It tackles the difficult themes of death, cruelty and suffering.
• The way it explores the nature of dictatorships and the cruelty of humans universally, without just pinning blame on the German nation. (Shouldn't be too much to ask but refreshing all the same!)

It's an understated story which reveals the best and worst of humans. I highly recommend it and I don't know a single person who's read it and hasn't really liked it/loved it!