The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (December 2007)

578 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $9.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing and Violence

In a story narrated by a grim reaper with a penchant for colors, we follow young Liesel through Nazi Germany from her first encounter with death through to other successive encounters, marked by the reading of books (stolen, gifted and found). This story is so vivid, almost poetic at times, and so beautifully encapsulated the many different kinds connections we share with other people, and the many forms of love, that I couldn't help but get sucked into Liesel's world, affectionately hoarding the characters that populate it. I love that this is from the German people's perspective and throws some light onto the tenuous circumstances of their own survival and the fear that would have inspired acquiesce, even among those who opposed what was going on. Great Read!

A Book Thief's Library

1. The Grave Digger's Handbook (Stolen)
2. Faust the Dog (Present)
3. The Lighthouse (Present)
4. The Shoulder Shrug (Stolen)
5. Mein Kampf (Showed up on the Kitchen Table)
6. The Mud Men (Present)
7. The Standover Man (Made by a Hidden Jew)
8. The Whistler (Stolen)
9. The Dream Carrier (Stolen)
10. A Song in the Dark (Stolen)
11. The Complete Duden Dictionary and Thesaurus (Present)
12. The Word Shaker (Made by a Hidden Jew)
13. The Last Human Stranger (Stolen)
14. The Book Thief (Delivered on a Yellow-Dressed Afternoon)

Movie Adaptations:

The Book Thief (2013)

Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson

Movie Rating: PG-13

My Rating: 4 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

This adaption was like an abridged version of the book. Some of the characters were eliminated or combined with other characters, and some of the events of the book were changed or rearranged. Some of Liesel’s books were exchanged for others and she was portrayed as a storyteller in the end as well as in the air raid shelters, as opposed to reading to everyone—small changes here and there, some more bothersome then others. On its own, an entertaining film, but don’t expect it to follow the book exactly.