Weeks Four and Five

Question: Do you think maybe Zusak has had lots of encounters with death that may have caused him to write from the point of view of death, or do you think he may have just wanted to have an interesting narrator?

Thoughts about the book: I really was not a big fan of the book. There were so many similes that they started to get on my nerves! And I think death was an interesting choice of narrator to begin with, but by the end death seemed a little... flighty? Like he couldn't quite stay on track or keep one train of thought going for too long. It drove me crazy. I don't know. Maybe it was just me, but I just don't like these kinds of books I guess...

Final Post

I really enjoyed reading 'The Book Thief'. I thought it was a fantastic book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading at all. The book is so varied that people who enjoy any genre will like it. My favorite part of the novel is the perspective it gives you. Not only do you have a unique narrator in death, the book also offers a non-mainstream view of World War II. Most books in this setting tend to favor the setting in concentration camps. My favorite part in the story is when Liesel is motioned into the mayors house by his wife and shown their library. It's humorous how Liesel returns to thank her after she forgot.

Bookthief final post

 I thought that the Book Thief was an interesting dark book that I really enjoyed. While it is fiction I felt like I had a window into the daily life of regular Germans living in Nazi Germany. When I think of Nazi Germany I picture a bunch of radical Nazis praising Hitler and discriminating against Jews. Yet the reality is that not all people supported Hitler or his ideas. Another think that really stuck to me about this book was the use of Death as a narrator. This is the first time I had read or even heard of this point of view. The book is not told through third person as it appears but first person with Death telling the story.  Overall the book did not have a lasting impression on me except for the things I mentioned above, It was a nice story but it just isn't a story I will remember. Unlike Of Mice and Men where George kills Lenie, the book thief does not have a shocking ending or a powerful message at the end that I will always recall. This book did have a sad ending with the destruction of Himmel street and Max but this book is not Kite Runner, where I felt depressed at the end, I didn't really feel any remorse. This is a good book and I would defiantly recommend this book but it is not one of my favorites.

Final post

Overall I thought that The Book Thief was fantastic. One major thing I liked about it was reading it from a different point of view. I mean many books about WWII are usually based in the concentration camps; this one was just a different perspective. I also liked how the book was told from death. It gave the book a different feeling when reading it, it also made it sadder when we find out how it ends. One of the parts I liked the most was when Liesel visits the mayor’s house in the earlier part of the book. I think it’s really cool how the wife lets Liesel read their books. It just seems like it really changed Liesel. This book really made me think more about WWII in general and how unfair it was. I never really thought deeply about this topic but after reading this book I really did. Overall I thought this was a fantastic book, sad at times, but would recommend it to anyone.

Final Post

When I first started reading The Book Thief, Death first foreshadows Liesel encounters with him. I could tell the book was going to be sad, and tried to enjoy the happy parts of the book, assuming the end would be completely devastating. As soon as I read when Death foreshadows Rudy's fate, including Liesel finally kissing him, it definitely had an effect on how I viewed the book. I could simply think that the book was depressing, but that's not the case. It was such a nice surprise to learn that Max lived through World War II. The characters were very memorable. Rudy was like a breath of fresh air, bringing joy to Liesel's life when it would otherwise be gloomy. Rosa was another nice surprise. She started off seeming abusive and one-dimensional, but then I realized that Rosa loved Hans and Liesel, especially when she played Hans' accordion. Even Death was not simply a depressed figure that tried to distract himself. He was human like, not able to cope with deaths easily and instead noticed the beauty in the colors of people's souls. Overall, I loved the book. The descriptions that, though unnecessary, reflected how precious each moment with Rudy and her foster parents was, and how amidst the atrocities of the war, there was hope. I recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate stories even if they are sad.

Final Post

Overall, I think that this was an excellent book. I really enjoyed the interesting viewpoint Death gave as the narrator. I think that his demeanor and the mood he gave were very original, and were extremely compelling. I also think that this book gives a new type of look at WWII, and what it's like in Nazi Germany. Many other books are very intensive on looking at the combat side of the story, but this novel's concentration on a single person, and how they live through this horrible time is awesome. I would most certainly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a unique and quality novel about WWII. I hope that this book is chosen for summer reading next year, because it was a very good book.

Final Post

Well, I finished the book about a week ago, but I haven't gotten around to writing this post. I thought the book was good, but I didn't think it was very difficult. The ending was poignant and emotional, which was a nice change after having read so many books with crappy endings. While this book was good, it was a little easy. I liked the description and the flow of the sentences a lot, but the plot was a little used. I think that this book was an original idea, but it was not written in a complex manner. I did like the use of Death of a narrator, I thought that was inventive and creative. I also liked the characterization of the supporting characters. By supporting, I mean the characters who weren't Liesel but were still important. I didn't like Liesel as much as the others because her naivete and insolence made the plot less interesting. I would recommend this book to others with the caution that it isn't very complex but it is still a very good book.