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The Book Thief (精装)
by Markus Zusak
| Category:
Fiction, Story, Ages 9-12, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 178.00
MSL price:
¥ 168.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
It's the kind of book that can be life-changing, and offers us a believable hard-won hope. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 5 items |
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Heidi Estrin, New York, NY
<2006-12-21 00:00>
Liesel Meminger, a German girl in the 1940's, survives the vicissitudes of war through two forces: the power of love and the power of words. At her younger brother's funeral, she steals The Gravedigger's Handbook as a remembrance of him. Her foster father quells her nightmares by teaching her to read, and she soon discovers that books soothe the soul. When her family hides a Jew in their basement, the young man writes to survive, often aiming his words directly at Leisel. Ultimately, it is the strength of her relationships and the reading and writing they inspire that save her life, spiritually and literally.
One of Zusak's inspirations was a story of a boy being whipped on the street for giving bread to a starving Jewish man. This alternate side of Nazi Germany is what we see in The Book Thief - ordinary people who are not angels or villains, whose actions are based on their own personalities rather than on politics.
The book is narrated by Death, who tries to distract himself from the unpleasantness of his war-time job by noticing interesting stories such as Liesel's. He lends an otherworldly air to the tale, painting small events as part of a grand human drama that is both intimate and panoramic. Even when Death, in his omniscience, reveals "spoilers," the strength of the narrative keeps the reader spellbound. Quirky use of language, multiple points of view, and imagery both beautiful and stark will haunt readers to the last page and beyond.
The Book Thief cannot be described as a "Jewish story" or a "Holocaust story" in the traditional sense - it is more a story of the human condition, worthy of being read by audiences of every background. However, the World War II German setting and the relationship between Liesel's family and Max, the Jew in the basement, make the book an appropriate addition for Judaic collections. This is a must-read for older teens and adults, and would make an excellent selection for book discussion groups.
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Zinta Aistars , MI United States
<2006-12-21 00:00>
How rare the times that we read something entirely new and unique! It has been said that there are no new stories to tell, and I will not argue that. There really are only a few novel plots, although it is in our endless variations that we set ourselves apart as writers and word-artists, perhaps also as readers, in the manner and voice in which we tell the story. This is true for Markus Zusak in his creative storytelling of "The Book Thief."
The story is one of the oldest ones told: the narrator is mankind's friend/nemesis, Death, ancient as Time itself, and the scenes Death (not without compassion and not without wry humor) narrates for us are those of human suffering and endurance, an eventual overcoming of conflicts and obstacles, a story of love pitted against hate, of the victory of the best in all of us over the worst in any of us. Zusak's main characters are a 9-year old girl, Liesel Meminger, her companion and young partner in crime, Rudy, and a Jewish refugee named Max hiding in the basement of the house where she lives, herself something of a refugee in Nazi Germany during WWII. A wide range of secondary characters fill in all gaps and keep us reading with fascination, e.g. Liesel's adoptive family, especially her cruel and ascorbic foster mother, Rosa, who on occasion cracks to show a bit of humanity; the mayor's deeply depressed wife, who quietly allows Liesel to "steal" her books; Liesel's young comrades in thievery, and many more.
It is hard to pinpoint what it is, precisely, that makes Zusak's work so unique. But I knew it, felt it, instantly, page one, first line. Voice, yes. Style. A few experimental approaches in his storytelling, such as illustrations inserted in the novel with all errors present, just as Max wrote the text and drew the pictures for his young friend, Liesel. Death's narration is unique, too, with occasional bolded quotes that give just the right amount of distance. There are many such details that all come together to form a story worth reading, worth hearing, worth understanding. It is the story of Liesel, a spunky little book thief, who does far more than steal good books. Liesel steals hearts. In our smallest, we often find our greatest heroes.
Highly recommended.
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New York Times, USA
<2006-12-21 00:00>
“Brilliant and hugely ambitious…Some will argue that a book so difficult and sad may not be appropriate for teenage readers…Adults will probably like it (this one did), but it’s a great young-adult novel…It’s the kind of book that can be life-changing, because without ever denying the essential amorality and randomness of the natural order, The Book Thief offers us a believable hard-won hope…The hope we see in Liesel is unassailable, the kind you can hang on to in the midst of poverty and war and violence. Young readers need such alternatives to ideological rigidity, and such explorations of how stories matter. And so, come to think of it, do adults.” |
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J. Stephens, CA USA
<2006-12-21 00:00>
This book is beautiful.
Following on the heels of I AM THE MESSENGER, nominated for best young adult book at the 2006 L.A. Times Book Festival, Markus Zusak's THE BOOK THIEF is an astounding piece of literature. Originally published in Australia as mainstream fiction and arguably not young adult, the novel works surprisingly well both ways. Adults will relish the story's beauty and magnitude, and while the first third of the novel may be a tad too slow for teens, the persistent ones will connect with young Liesel's tragic experiences in Nazi Germany.
Zusak's novel, set in a small town outside Munich during World War II, chronicles the story of Liesel Meminger, a German girl taken into Hans Huberman's household as a foster child. As likeable as she is well-developed, it's amazing to watch a young girl like that remain so strong in the face of human tragedy, impossible hatred, and adolescent love.
The twist is that Death is the one telling Liesel's story. From the very beginning, he wants us to trust him. "I most definitely can be cheerful," he tells us. "I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that's only the A's. Just don't ask me to be nice. Nice has nothing to do with me." An interesting character, to say the least. But what does Death think about our wars? Our famines? Our day-to-day lives? We may not often think about such things, but he does. It's his job to see the world as it is. Infinite in color. And fear.
John Green, author of the award-winning LOOKING FOR ALASKA, said that this is the novel he wished he'd have written. I must wholeheartedly agree. While the story is painful and lovely, the images are fresh and lasting, the words, poetic and stirring. This story pays tribute to the simple power of words, to their ability to change our minds, destroy our lives, move our souls, recount our memories, and yes, heal our world.
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C. Myers, CA USA
<2006-12-21 00:00>
This novel contains so many thematic threads that one must be careful not to pin it down as an anti-war story or a condemnation of the Holocaust or a study of how language influences our lives or an extended parable about good and evil or stepchildren or poverty. Markus Zusak takes all these threads and weaves a brilliant tapestry depicting the life of a poor girl who becomes the foster child of a poor German couple struggling to make a living during Hitler's reign of terror. He offers readers a cast of characters who touch us in far-reaching and wide-ranging ways. He offers an edgy narrator, Death himself, who is far from an archetypal Grim-Reaper. This Death is, despite his omnipresence in the world, confused by and fearful of humanity. He is also affable, sardonic, and witty, but he insists, "not nice."
Through the life of Liesel, the book thief, Zusak reassures us that the combination of words and story-telling and love have redemptive power-for characters and readers alike.
I suppose that because Zusak has written for young adults in the past, this book has been thoughtlessly labeled "young adult," as well. On this point, I suppose the book can speak for itself. One of the characters writes a story for Liesel and has this to say about it: "I thought you might be too old for such a tale, but maybe no one is." Please read this book and reap the double reward of excellent storytelling and outstanding writing.
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1 Total 1 pages 5 items |
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