Product Description

The story of a young orphan girl who steals books, about her foster family and the Jewish boxer hidden in their basement as they struggle to survive in Nazi Germany, narrated by the voice of Death.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45664 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-03
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

Synopsis
1939, Nazi Germany - The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. Some important information - This novel is narrated by death. It's a small story about: a girl, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. Another thing you should know - death will visit the book thief three times.

From the Back Cover
`Brilliant and hugely ambitious.' New York Times

HERE IS A SMALL FACT

YOU ARE GOING TO DIE

1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier.

Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION
THIS NOVEL IS NARRATED BY DEATH

It's a small story, about:

a girl

an accordionist

some fanatical Germans

a Jewish fist fighter

and quite a lot of thievery.

ANOTHER THING YOU SHOULD KNOW
DEATH WILL VISIT THE BOOK THIEF THREE TIMES

`Extraordinary, resonant, beautiful and angry.' Sunday Telegraph

About the Author
Markus Zusak, a prize-winning children's author, lives in Australia with his wife and daughter. This is his first adult novel. His story of Liesel, the girl who loved words, is a statement of their importance for the Nazi regime, and what they were able to make people believe and do. The Book Thief has been published to critical acclaim in Australia and America, where it reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestsellers list.

Customer Reviews

A Good Read but ultimately unsatisfying
At first I found this book irritating as I got used to the unusual narrative style and the page layout. However after about 50 pages or so you are drwn into the world of Liesel (The book Thief) and her surrogate family and friends. The book runs to over 500 pages and I read it in a little under 2 days so that gives an idea of how engrossing it is.
However throughout the book I felt I was being emotionally manipulated by some clever narrative tricks and at the end I think the feeling was justified. The context of the novel is of course one of the great tragedies of our time and one of great inhumanity, however I felt the author was deliberately playing on the readers emotions and trying too hard to elicit an emotional response, in fact to elicit a tearful response. Having said that there is great skill in keeping adults engrossed in a story about a childs life, conversations and interactions.

Highly Recommended Reading !!!!
Wonderful book. Read by our bookgroup and it got excellent reviews all round. Can't praise it enough! A MUST read...............

A Modern Classic
This is such an unexpected book. Absolutely brilliantly conceived it is compelling from the very first page. I can only agree to all the reviews and urge you to buy it and read it for yourself. You will think about it long after you have turned the last page.