"Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are." Narrator
"I have hated the words, and I have loved them,
and I hope I have made
them right." Liesel Meminger
"I'm always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both." Narrator
These words are a sample of the morsel this deeply emotional and thought provoking read was to bite into.
On this journey, a very unsuspecting narrator...Death himself, will show you his perspective of the people and places he can never be a part of, but amidst his grueling task observes those few characters who defy their circumstances and live life.
Liesel Meminger, a 13 year old child amid WW 2 is one that caught his eye. Forced into a foster home because of the toll Hitler's war has taken on her family, Liesel must learn to make the most of her circumstances while war and death become a prominent backdrop in her life. Learning to read and finding a new and brighter world in books becomes Liesel's way of coping with the harsh hand dealt to her. But along the way new friendships are forged, one with a lemon haired boy full of passion, one with the old man wielding the accordion and an infinite sparkle of joy in his eyes, and one with a lonely Jew, who had almost lost the will to live, until Liesel renews a sense of wonder to his life through her books and imagination.
The Negative aspect:
As the title suggests, the main character develops an un-biblical habit of stealing...books. Her first two are truly stolen, the rest, well in order to not give the story away, she merely takes the books without permission but soon returns them.
The other stolen goods are food, committed by Liesel and her companions as an act of defiance against the Nazi community, but I do not consider that justifiable. The Book Thief is a book that should be enjoyed the first glance, and pondered and examined the next. But still it is a book to be read.
My words don't do the story justice and it is much deeper than this...so read the book instead!
Indecency: Mild
Violence: Minimal: minor descriptions about war injuries
Language: This was the clincher for me. There are many strong curse words, half said in German, but nonetheless, the reader understands all of them. And many are said by children. So I would encourage parents and perhaps older siblings to screen the book beforehand. I went through and marked out the words so I could pass it to my book loving sister.
Age range: 17-adult
P.S. There is now a movie based on this novel that is equally accurate and much more child friendly.
On this journey, a very unsuspecting narrator...Death himself, will show you his perspective of the people and places he can never be a part of, but amidst his grueling task observes those few characters who defy their circumstances and live life.
Liesel Meminger, a 13 year old child amid WW 2 is one that caught his eye. Forced into a foster home because of the toll Hitler's war has taken on her family, Liesel must learn to make the most of her circumstances while war and death become a prominent backdrop in her life. Learning to read and finding a new and brighter world in books becomes Liesel's way of coping with the harsh hand dealt to her. But along the way new friendships are forged, one with a lemon haired boy full of passion, one with the old man wielding the accordion and an infinite sparkle of joy in his eyes, and one with a lonely Jew, who had almost lost the will to live, until Liesel renews a sense of wonder to his life through her books and imagination.
The Negative aspect:
As the title suggests, the main character develops an un-biblical habit of stealing...books. Her first two are truly stolen, the rest, well in order to not give the story away, she merely takes the books without permission but soon returns them.
The other stolen goods are food, committed by Liesel and her companions as an act of defiance against the Nazi community, but I do not consider that justifiable. The Book Thief is a book that should be enjoyed the first glance, and pondered and examined the next. But still it is a book to be read.
My words don't do the story justice and it is much deeper than this...so read the book instead!
Indecency: Mild
Violence: Minimal: minor descriptions about war injuries
Language: This was the clincher for me. There are many strong curse words, half said in German, but nonetheless, the reader understands all of them. And many are said by children. So I would encourage parents and perhaps older siblings to screen the book beforehand. I went through and marked out the words so I could pass it to my book loving sister.
Age range: 17-adult
P.S. There is now a movie based on this novel that is equally accurate and much more child friendly.
4 comments:
Thanks! I love book reviews! So, would you recommend the movie?
-Madison
I literally just finished reading this book last night! I enjoyed it a lot but like you, I didn't appreciate all the cursing. I'm going to try to use white-out and make the book a little safer for my younger siblings. ;) Thanks for the review, and I'm also curious if you've seen the movie?
I did see the movie Shelbi. It was very good and like I said much more child friendly.
Bria, thanks for posting this. I read other reviews saying the language was intense which disappointed me but I'm so glad the movie isn't like that!
-Morgan
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