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JULY 2023 BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB. THE BOOK THIEF.
- Thread starter verna davies
- Start Date
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- #22
Just finishing off my current book so should start it tomorrow.
I finished it on Saturday. I’m going to have to renew it because my loan runs out at the end of the week!
Did you mean to say "started" Saturday instead of finished? Or did you just want to renew the book to be able to refer back to once the discussion starts. I always type up my review in Word right after I finish reading, while it's still fresh in my mind.
No, I finished it. I just want to have the book available to refresh my memory. I should have made some notes, but I’m too lazy.
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- #26
Only a couple more days left before discussion time. Hope those reading are enjoying the book.
Just finished reading, and have already written my review. I may tweak it, but wanted to write it while it was all still fresh in my mind.
Then searched for a meme that matched my thoughts. This one works, and isn't really spoilery..
Then searched for a meme that matched my thoughts. This one works, and isn't really spoilery..
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- #28
Its 22nd of the month which means its time to start discussing this months book The Book Thief.
The book was a little longer than our usual so we hope you have had time to finish it. Discussion time is from today until 28th but comments are welcome after that date so don't worry if you post after that date, all thoughts are welcome.
Here's my review, written just after I finished the book, and threw my soggy tissues in the trash.
This is the first book I’ve read in a while that I had to keep stopping to get more tissues. I’m generally a weepy person, and the ending of this book got me going with both sad tears and happy tears.
What an unusual book though. The writing style was so unique, and a little off putting at first. I mean, Death as the narrator! But after a while I either got used to it, or is became a bit more mainstream in its style.
I loved so many of the characters. Liesel, of course. But also Hans and Rosa. And, of course, Rudy. And Max. And lastly, the mayor’s wife.
Poor Lisel. How many people was she destined to lose.
And poor Rudy. He finally got his kiss.
I absolutely loved the mayor’s wife. I kept thinking she was a good, kind-hearted person, and was so happy when it turned out she knew Liesel was stealing the books. And then she ended up not only being the reason Liesel lived, but then took her in when she lost her family.
I’ve read several novels set during WWII. Kristen Hannah’s The Nightingale and Stephen Kierman’s The Baker’s Secret, two that come to mind, and both were emotional, heart-breaking stories, that left me not necessarily ready for another one. Yet The Book Thief was on my radar for quite some time, so I was happy when it was suggested for our July read.
The Book Thief was a bit different, being set in a poor neighbourhood in Munich. And maybe because it was a YA book, but I appreciated it not being as graphic or descriptive as other WWII books I’ve read. The atrocities were certainly mentioned, but not in a horrifically written manner.
Despite my heart breaking when the bombs hit Himmel Street, I was so happy Liesel survived. And Max too. My romantic heart would like to think they married, but there was nothing to actually suggest that in the epilogue. And that would be my only nitpick, what did happen to Max. How did Liesel end up in Australia? For those unanswered questions, I can’t give a 5 star review. But will give a very much deserved 4 stars.
This is the first book I’ve read in a while that I had to keep stopping to get more tissues. I’m generally a weepy person, and the ending of this book got me going with both sad tears and happy tears.
What an unusual book though. The writing style was so unique, and a little off putting at first. I mean, Death as the narrator! But after a while I either got used to it, or is became a bit more mainstream in its style.
I loved so many of the characters. Liesel, of course. But also Hans and Rosa. And, of course, Rudy. And Max. And lastly, the mayor’s wife.
Poor Lisel. How many people was she destined to lose.
And poor Rudy. He finally got his kiss.
I absolutely loved the mayor’s wife. I kept thinking she was a good, kind-hearted person, and was so happy when it turned out she knew Liesel was stealing the books. And then she ended up not only being the reason Liesel lived, but then took her in when she lost her family.
I’ve read several novels set during WWII. Kristen Hannah’s The Nightingale and Stephen Kierman’s The Baker’s Secret, two that come to mind, and both were emotional, heart-breaking stories, that left me not necessarily ready for another one. Yet The Book Thief was on my radar for quite some time, so I was happy when it was suggested for our July read.
The Book Thief was a bit different, being set in a poor neighbourhood in Munich. And maybe because it was a YA book, but I appreciated it not being as graphic or descriptive as other WWII books I’ve read. The atrocities were certainly mentioned, but not in a horrifically written manner.
Despite my heart breaking when the bombs hit Himmel Street, I was so happy Liesel survived. And Max too. My romantic heart would like to think they married, but there was nothing to actually suggest that in the epilogue. And that would be my only nitpick, what did happen to Max. How did Liesel end up in Australia? For those unanswered questions, I can’t give a 5 star review. But will give a very much deserved 4 stars.
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- #30
I've also been thinking about reading this book for a while but just haven't until now.
I enjoyed the book but not as much as I expected, although it was beautifully written, both sad and heartwarming. For me, the chapters had too many explanations in them. I cant make up my mind whether it was the author's style of writing, if he felt he needed to explain words, incidents, events to his readers because its for 11+ age or if it was how he perceived Death would write, whichever, I found there were too many for me.
I enjoyed many of the relationships Leisel had, her and Rudy's was endearing, the things they got up to and him always being there for her. The bond formed with Hans her foster father was wonderful, he was such a kind and caring man.
Parts of it were upsetting , Leisel and Rudy dropping scraps of stale bread for the Jews being marched to and from Dachau. Her not knowing if Hans or Max were alive or if she would ever see them again. Many parts were pulled from facts such as the fear of the Jews hiding in houses and those of the people hiding them.
So sad that Hans came home only for three months later to die when their street was bombed and Leisel being the only survivor, saved by her love of books.
Leisel lost so many people she cared for in her life but I'm glad she went on to live to an old age.
As you said
rubysmama
, some unanswered questions.
I enjoyed the book but not as much as I expected, although it was beautifully written, both sad and heartwarming. For me, the chapters had too many explanations in them. I cant make up my mind whether it was the author's style of writing, if he felt he needed to explain words, incidents, events to his readers because its for 11+ age or if it was how he perceived Death would write, whichever, I found there were too many for me.
I enjoyed many of the relationships Leisel had, her and Rudy's was endearing, the things they got up to and him always being there for her. The bond formed with Hans her foster father was wonderful, he was such a kind and caring man.
Parts of it were upsetting , Leisel and Rudy dropping scraps of stale bread for the Jews being marched to and from Dachau. Her not knowing if Hans or Max were alive or if she would ever see them again. Many parts were pulled from facts such as the fear of the Jews hiding in houses and those of the people hiding them.
So sad that Hans came home only for three months later to die when their street was bombed and Leisel being the only survivor, saved by her love of books.
Leisel lost so many people she cared for in her life but I'm glad she went on to live to an old age.
As you said
rubysmama
, some unanswered questions.
Tobermory
: just tagging you, in case you didn't realize we're into the discussion/review part of the month 
heatherwillard0614
: tagging you also, as you had indicated you might read the book. Were you able to?
gilmargl
: I know you posted you were going to be away in July, but tagging you for when you're back, so you don't forget to post your review.
GoldyCat
: also tagging you, as you posted you were thinking about re-reading the book. Did you get a chance? The thread is really quiet this month, so if there's anyone lurking, who previously read the book, feel free to post some comments, if you can remember enough about it.
Has anyone seen the movie? It looks really good.
Thanks,
rubysmama
! I did realize, and I read yours and
V
verna davies
's reviews...and then I went on my merry way, doing other things. Attention span of a gnat. 
Well. I have to say that when I began reading this book, I wasn't sure I would continue it. I found the style disconcerting with the periodic bold font interspersed with one or two word paragraphs mixed in with regular paragraphs. It seemed choppy and it was hard for me to concentrate and find the flow. But I stuck with it because it was the book club and I said I was going to participate.
I am so glad I did.I came to really like the narration by Death. And I felt as if Death had a certain humanity about It. Here's the definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary: compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition : the quality or state of being humane. I thought that described Death well. And I felt a bit sorry for Death and Its lonely existence and grim job.
I have to admit that I'm impatient to find out the end of a story. I have difficulty reading mysteries because I want to know the outcome so I can see if I can pick up the clues as I read the narrative. So I liked the fact that Death told us how the story was going to turn out (mostly) as It went along. And we knew the final outcome for all of the characters because as Death says on the very first page, "***HERE IS A SMALL FACT *** You are going to die."
There was a raw and powerful impact at the outset, reading about Liesel's brother's death. You could feel her grief and her confusion. And then to have her mother leave her at the gate of her foster home! "If her mother loved her, why leave her on someone else's doorstep? Why? Why?" And then a single word on the next line: "Why?" Gut wrenching. Just a little girl.
I thought that with all she'd gone through, Liesel might turn "bad." And I was VERY afraid when she first moved into the Hubermanns' home that Hans might be a pedophile. Creeping into her bedroom at night. Eeuw. But he was such a lovely and loving person. Liesel might not have turned out so well if he hadn't stepped in and through his compassion and caring, given her strength. Or actually, provided solid ground for the strength she already had. Rosa was difficult to take at first, but Liesel knew how to handle her and Rosa grew on me. She cared, too, albeit it differently. As Death says, "She possessed the unique ability to aggravate almost anyone she ever met. But she did love Liesel Meminger. Her way of showing it just happened to be strange."
Liesel had such resiliency. She lost everyone except the Mayor's wife and Max. I'm with
rubysmama
. I'd love to think that she and Max got married and moved to Australia. Death should have told us! But I loved how It walked with her and showed her the book It had saved. I've read many, many books set during WWI and WWII. The main characters have all been English or American or French or members of the Resistance. Or Jewish. I think this may be the first one where the characters are German. I'm not used to reading the impact the war had on the average, everyday German people. The children. I've often thought, "Why didn't they stop this? The persecution. The torture. The murder of millions of Jews and others." As hard as it is, you can see how it happened. It scares me, frankly, how easy it is to villainize a group of people.
I think this would be a difficult read for a young adult--but it's an important one. For anyone who has suffered tragedy and loss, Liesel shows how strength and fortitude and compassion and caring carry you through.
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- #33
Tobermory
I felt the same about the bold and short paragraphs and thought it was going to be a task reading the book but the story drew me I and I forgot about the bold explanations.Your right, its rare to read a book about the war from a german civilian point of view especially a child's although there must be plenty that have been written.
Sounds like we all struggled at the beginning of the book. Glad we kept going, as the story was a good one.
It was unusual to read a novel set in Germany during WWII. And was interesting to see how German citizens were living during those years. It must have been absolutely horrifying to be one who disagreed with all that was happening, but as we saw the repercussions to even minor resistance (Rudy's parents refusing to send him to that school, for one), it's easy to see why people would stay quiet.
I must not have taken much note of the " You are going to die" sentence on the first page, as I was partway into the book when it hit me that none of the characters were the narrator, which meant they all could die. So I was sad, but relieved, when Liesel was the only survivor of the bombing.
Hard to believe so many people could be brainwashed into villainizing a another group of people, but scarily signs that it could happen again are showing up in these current times. Scary.
It was unusual to read a novel set in Germany during WWII. And was interesting to see how German citizens were living during those years. It must have been absolutely horrifying to be one who disagreed with all that was happening, but as we saw the repercussions to even minor resistance (Rudy's parents refusing to send him to that school, for one), it's easy to see why people would stay quiet.
I must not have taken much note of the " You are going to die" sentence on the first page, as I was partway into the book when it hit me that none of the characters were the narrator, which meant they all could die. So I was sad, but relieved, when Liesel was the only survivor of the bombing.
Hard to believe so many people could be brainwashed into villainizing a another group of people, but scarily signs that it could happen again are showing up in these current times. Scary.
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- #35
