by Marcus Zusak is a phenomenal book. It's the kind of book that you can't put down. One friend told me today that she was brushing her teeth and reading it. Another that she was making dinner and reading it. A third said she devoured it and will need to re-read it. All were surprised when they were directed to the children's section of the local bookstore to pick up a copy. Luckily, they were not deterred.
The synopsis on the dust jacket does a fine job of hitting the highlights and setting up the plot: Death is narrating the story of a sweet and brave girl named Liesel, living with a foster family, in Molching, Germay during the rise of Hitler. The story is so much more sweet and brave, and complex, than those details, though. And that outline can not prepare you for the wonder of Zusak's writing.
The author's style is uniquely colorful. He deftly manages to pinpoint a color, a moment, a crack in a wall with language that is both surprising and wonderful. Countless times I took up my highlighter, only to set it back down again, in awe of the precision and beauty of the lines.
And all the while, being reeled in by the magic of the horrible story of Liesel's situation. This is a fantastic story for book groups for teens and older.
P.S. Note - you can see how I've changed my tune in comparison to my first mention of The Book Thief by clicking here.
now i wanna read it! YA lit is my fave genre, hands down.
ReplyDeleteI loved The Book Thief. I have read lots of reviews around the blogs and have yet to find one that takes a negative view of the book. Lovely writing. I've reviewed it on my blog too if you want to have a look.
ReplyDeleteLoved your review and your site embejoetc! And thanks for the link to the 100+ Reading Challenge. If picture books count than, I think I'm already there! Otherwise, it's a little late in the game for me. What a fantastic goal!
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