Jones, Sydney
Honors English, Huss, A2
9/11/11
Book Review
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Nazi Germany was a period of moral turmoil. A time in which Jews were slaughtered without a second thought. A time in which people ignored the Führer’s puzzle of lies. A time in which a young German girl learned the power of words.
Markus Zusak opens a window into an entirely different perspective of the Holocaust world. Using Death as a narrator, he tells the tale of Liesel Meminger, a foster child in the home of Hans and Rosa Hubermann. The girl begins her ‘illustrious career’ of book thievery at her brother’s cold and lonely funeral, where she picks up a frostbitten copy of The Grave Digger’s Handbook. With the help of Mr. Hubermann and a bedwetting incident, the black marks on the creamy pages begin to carry images for the young thief. Liesel lives a standard life on Himmel Street, attending Hitler Youth and playing soccer in the road, until the day a Jew comes to hide in the Hubermann’s basement.
The Book Thief deserves a 10 for its original writing and historical plotline. Zusak captures his readers with a poetic style, making you feel as if you are part of the story. Although, to warn you, the author does not disguise the truth of the situation, instead showing you the brutal reality of Germany 1939. I would suggest this book for those who are prepared for an emotionally heavy, yet beautiful story.
Jase Jacobson
ReplyDelete10-7-11
Per A2
This book has one of the most engaging and well-written first chapters I have ever read. The language is so incredibly imaginative that I had to read parts of it over, just to get a handle on the imaginative language that was used. The viewpoint is not entirely original (written from Death’s point of view) but is intriguing nonetheless. The way that Death is depicted however is incredible, he is an underappreciated yet necessary being who takes his pleasures while he can, considering how cheerless his job is this is no small task, which leads to his obsession with colors. When death talks about colors everything he says seems outlandish yet strangely true at the same time, you feel that you’ve realized the same things, but you just have never known what words to put it into. Like when he describes a thick blanket of snow Death says, “It felt as though the globe was dressed in snow. Like it had pulled it on, the way you pull on a sweater.” As I read this it just seemed to make sense to me, how the world pulls on different layers of clothes when it wants to change it’s weather. And how we choose to look at these differing outfits of our globe.
This leads me to the characters of the story, my personal favorite without a doubt, is Death. He seems like one of those people you meet in your lifetime that are always entertaining because of their outlandish way of looking at things, but are always honest and make very truthful observations. One of those people you can spend a lot of time with, and not have to say anything in particular to be content around them. I find it strange how Death sounds like an ideal friend, but I guess death in itself was never meant to be an evil thing. Which is a scary realization at the same time. In terms of other characters, there is of course “The Book Thief”, or Leisel Meminger a newly made orphan who was given into foster care, there is her brother who dies in the first few pages, there is her mother of who’s fate I am still uncertain of. And then there are the characters we start to get acquainted with; Leisel’s best friend, Rudy Steiner who is a young romantic with an innocent air about him, and Leisel’s foster parents, Hans Hubermann a kind father with a passion for cigarettes, and Rosa Hubermann, a harsh and demanding mother who can never seem to control the flow of cuss words from her mouth. All of these are believable enough characters, (except maybe Rosa, who is a little over the top) and you find yourself falling in love with the small town of Molching, besides the fact that it is a German town, full of Nazi’s.
Yes, this story does take place in Hitler’s Germany, and it provides interesting insights as to what actually went through the minds of the German civilians while the holocaust was taking place and they were going to war with multiple countries. Many of the Germans felt no strong loyalty to Hitler, but addressed themselves as Nazi’s out of fear of being cast out as the enemy. Some of them had a sick feeling in their hearts and stomachs that what Hitler was doing was wrong, but had no way to voice their opinions. To me, this makes me feel a great comfort, that not all of Germany was bad after Hitler took power.
So far, this book has proved extremely interesting to me; it combines the facts of WWII with the inner scope on a small German town, adding to that the stress and adventures of a young orphan girl, and this is all recapped from the wonderful viewpoint that Death sees. An original read, to say the least.
This book definitely sets itself apart from other works of historical fiction. For one thing, it is narrated by Death. For another, the author is incredibly descriptive about everything. However, what really stands out to me in this book is how real the characters are. They have real everyday problems and the author makes it easy to feel and understand their pain.
ReplyDeleteThe main character in this story, Liesel Meminger, lives in a poor part of town with her foster parents. As Jase mentions, this story takes place in Nazi Germany and as World War II begins, people are experiencing hard times. Liesel's foster parents, who were already poor, are getting even poorer, and the author does a fantastic job of portraying their difficulty in making ends meet. Liesel's foster mother, Rosa Hubermann, is a sharp-tongue but loving women and the author uses many paragraphs describing the bond she shares with her daughter. An even stronger bond exists between Liesel and her foster father Hans Hubermann who is a kind and loving parent. He teaches Liesel how to read and write and does his best for her. He even trades away his cigarettes to buy her books.
Through relationships and character's feelings the author is able to paint a picture that shows the reader the life of someone living in Nazi Germany. This story is a cut above the competition and definitely an interesting read. I look forward to finding out more about Liesel and her struggles in the world.
Well for starters the unique point that this book is written in has to be mentioned. The book is narrated by non other than Death himself. As of now, Death makes the book. Of course it does seem a little strange (if not rather stalker-ish) to have the great, undying Death narrate the story of a little girl it nonetheless adds so much color to the book. The thing is Death sees in different colors than the average human, quite literally too. The color comparison at the beginning of the book more or less set the tone of the whole book. The book seems to be defined by well, death. There was a cruel, inevitable sense of loss throughout much of the beginning. The interesting thing is that this loss is viewed from the eyes of the incarnation of the very loss. Death in this book is presented as an inevitable part of life. That it isn’t death (or rather Death-the-Narrator) that causes pain; it is being left alone life. The book seems to be one where characters are mercilessly killed off by the author. A rather ominous prediction, but then again, Death is the narrator.
ReplyDeleteAs of now the author doesn’t have many characters to send to the grave (which happens to be the arms of the narrator). The book consists of more or less Liesel and friends. Contrasting to the colorful narrator the characters almost seem dull. Hans and Rosa are entirely two-dimensional. It’s the whole good-parent bad-parent scheme all over again. Yes Hans will be the flawless, always there, moral role model father. Yes Rosa will be the over-bearing, abusive mother. The point is rather clear, and is rather repetitive. My eyes barely registered their existence on paper, let alone my imagination. Liesel also lacks depth. A sad, abandoned, foster child that struggles to fit in to her community. Well of course her predicament is sad and pitiful, it’s just that authors love and love and love to write about people like Liesel. Yes a perfectly believable (though thankfully not relatable) situation. It’s not exactly unheard of. Rudy on the other hand is harder to describe. He fits his role (being the only person to ever care about the new girl) rather nicely. Yet he just doesn’t seem too believable, mostly because of the Jesse Owens incident. It’s fairly obvious that the author was trying to make some sort of grand statement about racism. Yet it came out as a rather ridiculous attempt to add depth to Rudy’s character. Some family struggles and personality conflicts about anti-Semitism would be nice. Unbelievable stunts not so much. Now it is to be noted that I’m only 50-odd pages into the book. The author has the whole of the book to develop and shape his characters. It is undeniable that my viewpoint could change dramatically in as little as a few pages. But for now, I stand by what I said above.
As a history lover I’d like to point out some random allusions that I’ve found in the text. As a book about Nazi Germany I’ve made it my quest to find as much hidden correlations (intentional or not) to real life. So far I’ve found two. On page 16 the mentioning of a “final solution” to Liesel’s transition to her new foster parents. In Nazi Germany the final solution was the plan to exterminate the Jews. Not the most happy of comparisons. And then was the mentioning of the Kaufmann shop being reduced to broken glass, a most obvious reference to the Kristallnact.
Now one last thing, the centered bolded text. I absolutely love it. There’s a faint (sometimes not so much) irony and mockery to it that makes the book so much enjoyable to read. As I’ve had the pleasure of reading this book ebook style, I’m not entirely sure how it translates onto text. But nonetheless I love it.
You all seem to appreciate Death as the narrator.
ReplyDeleteJase: I'm glad you're enjoying the book so far. It's interesting that you've already deemed Death an "innocent" character. When I was first reading the Book, I felt the same way about him. Most people predict that he's going to be grim, or evil, yet somehow the author manages to contradict that prediction in a non-direct way.
Yuriy: I agree with you on the fact that Markus Zusak describes his characters in a way that makes them feel alive. Who is your favorite character so far?
Austin: From what I understand, you think that the characters aren't really defined and Death is evil, but hasn't found anybody to kill yet. These are your opinions, but I would suggest that you reread the first part, while really putting weight into each word. Stop after every three or so pages, and try to imagine what just happened. You might still hold the same beliefs, but hopefully they will change.
As you read, all of the characters will become far more in depth and more loveable. The character of Rosa Hubermann is a very interesting character to delve into and dissect. Read the centered bolded text about her again. I think it's on page 34, in the chapter entitled Growing Up a Saumensch.
ReplyDeletePay attention to all of Death's colors. It really sets up a beautiful scenic description.
Some of my favorite usage of figurative language that I haven't seen in any other book is when the author takes two adjectives and switches them, as in, "His eyes dragged. His feet drooped with exhaustion." At first I thought it was a typo, because eyes droop and feet drag. But when I read it again, it made sense to me that the author had written that to make you think twice on the description of the man. (You won't find this until part 8 of the book).
And one more thing: I really love the two handmade books within this book, but I'm getting ahead of myself. The illustrations are stunning, but they are not masterpieces. Their simplicity makes them far more intriguing than if they had been worked on for days on end. They look like ten-minute sketches, and they are. The sequences of these sketches could not fit together more perfectly.
And, Austin, one of your predictions was correct, but I'm not going to say which one.
My favorite character is the boy with hair the color of lemons.
Jase Jacobson
ReplyDelete10-20-11
Per A2
The Book Thief: Entry #2
The book has stayed entertaining; the main difference is that there are less of the inner musings that Death writes about, the book now concentrates more on Liesel’s story. She hasn’t heard from her mother and we now assume that her mother is either dead or in hiding, unsure of the reason however. Besides that, the town of Molching decided to celebrate Hitler’s birthday in 1940, by lighting a bon fire, of course this means a book burning. It also means an opportunity for Liesel to steal a book. At this point I want to introduce a criticism I have for this story, IT’S JUST A BOOK, it’s not that big of a deal. Death explains how dire of a situation it is whenever she steals a book, but the book was going to be burned anyways, and she’s just a little girl, it’s not like their going to put her in jail for picking up a little book that hadn’t quite burned.
Besides that I agreed with most of the points the book makes, I praise the author for giving Death an un-bias opinion of the Nazi’s. I imagine it was hard to write about Nazi Germany, and not be adding pieces of how awful all of it was. Death simply says things like “I had my work cut out for me in Germany,” just hinting at the amount of dead he had been collecting daily. He doesn’t describe it in a gruesome setting or admit at his own horror of the genocide, its just business to him.
Things start to get a little more intense when the Hubermann’s decide that they want to shelter a young Jewish man in their basement. Max Vandenburg, is the son of one of Hanns Hubermann’s old war buddies who died while fighting, and Herr Hubermann felt the need to help out his dead friend’s son. As you can imagine, this was highly dangerous. Liesel is still a little unsure as to how she should take this new resident in her abode, but she is sworn to secrecy and will not tell a soul of the Jew in her basement.
For me, this book is still incredibly original. I have to say that the beginning has outshined the middle of the story by quite a bit, but the story itself is entertaining and I continue to read excitedly. I have only a very few criticisms, and a large selection of praises for the writing style of Markus Zusak.
The second part of the book thief is every bit as good as the first, if not better. Zusak’s riveting descriptions of the characters and events in the story continue throughout part two of the book, and I especially enjoyed how real he made the argument between Hans and Hans Jr. seem. It was if I was standing in Nazi Germany and watching the two men argue. I also enjoyed the flashback to Hans Hubberman’s army days and how the description of his past tied into the current story.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of the story so far, is that the Hubberman’s decide to shelter a Jewish man by the name of Max, thus raising the suspense and tension of the story, and leading up to the climax. Max and Liesel have already started to develop a bond, and I am sure that that bond will only strengthen overtime.
Even though this part of the book shifted from death’s thoughts more to Liesel’s story, I still feel like the book was very interesting and remains one of the best books I have ever read. I look forward to the remaining chapters and am sure that I will savor every single page.
Oh sorry I'm not too sure if I was clear or not. I don't see Death as evil at all. Judging good an evil is really shaky when it comes to literature. I like to deem characters "likable" and "unlikable" (Death would be likeable). I did read the first part rather carefully and paid attention to every word.
ReplyDeleteI said something about the author killing off characters rather fastly not Death. Death is Death, from what I understand he doesn't kill actually anybody. He seems to collect their souls or something. Kinda reminds me of Hermes (Charon?) from Greek mythology actually. He does seem rather tired (bored?) of his job.
But even so I don't see why killing people is necessarily evil. That is if your name is Death. All people die. There's no way around it. Death happens to be the one certainty in our lives.
About the characters... well.. I guess it was a little to early to judge their likeability.
By the way that last comment wasn't my second blog entry. It was more of a response to a response of a response.
ReplyDeleteAnyways the one thing that still interests me most of all is Death. Being told from Death's point of view adds a great sadness to the book. I love it when Death speaks of characters that leave the story. It gives the book a sad touch, and it makes Death a character defined by sadness. If you stop to think about it he sees every death. I used to think of Death as and all powerful being that watched the world out of amusement. But now I think he watches the world out of pity.
A quote that interested me: "Sand castles, houses of cards, that’s where they begin. Their great skill is their capacity to escalate." It's so true. Humans greatest strength is the ability to constantly improve. Bicycles->Trains->Cars->Airplanes. But then again escalate doesn't always mean improve. One of our greatest flaws is that transgression leads to transgression. Annoyance->Hate->Discrimination->Holocaust.
One bit about Hans and Hans Jr. Hans Jr. obviously feels that Hans isn't living up to his country. From what I know about the Hitler Youth if a child suspected their parent of any disloyaty to Hitler the parent would most likely be "taken away".
Austin:
ReplyDeleteWow, I really misunderstood you, and I apologize. It's seems as if you're getting into the book. It would be interesting to know what specifically intrigues you the most about Death? What draws you the most to him as the narrator (if that makes any sense)?
Jase Jacobson
ReplyDelete10-30-11
Per A2
The Book Thief: Entry #3
This story is truly one of a kind, and I’m running out of different ways to form my praise for it. The story line and characters develop even further in the 3rd quarter of the book. A bound begins to form between Liesel and Max, a strange bound made out of a need for words, nightmares, and dreams. New characters are introduced, but none that affect the story line in a major way. Nazi Germany is progressing on its road to self-destruction and the people of Molching feel the hurt of the economic losses troubles of the war.
One of the key scenes in this part of the book is when Max is dreaming of being in a boxing match against Hitler. This chapter was incredible, for lack of a better word. It was the way the author showed us the pent up feeling left inside of an entrapped Jew, the thoughts and miseries of a man trapped in a basement. Brought down by the hate of Germany, and kept alive only by his own selfishness Max really is at the low point of his existence. And the way he takes his anger out is by beating the crap of Hitler over and over in his head. I really like that idea; to me it just seems to be poetic justice, if only it were real.
Another of my favorite parts of the story is when Liesel and Max are both talking down in the basement, explaining to each other their nightmares; Liesel’s reoccurring nightmare about her brother and her mother leaving her, and Max’s ever-present nightmare of leaving his family behind to save himself. Its ironic how both of their nightmares are caused by situations they couldn’t control, they did all they could for there loved ones, but then had to move on.
As expected, the book stayed true to its high standards and continues to add incredible figurative language that always surprises me. I love the way Death looks at life, (if that sentence makes any sense) its just incredible to me how the author could so well depict the point of view Death sees the world from.
The Book Thief continues to amaze me as I continue reading it. In the third part of the book thief Liesel forms a bond with Max Vanderburg, the Jew. However this bond is not formed from shared interests, but rather shared fears and problems, and these kinds of bonds are often stronger than any other. The way Markus Zusak conveys these bonds is stunning, you can really feel the emotion emanating from the two when, for example, Max give Liesel the first book he made for her. I also enjoyed how the author includes the book within his book, as it helps you better understand what Liesel felt when she was reading it, and a little about her point of view. One of the most interesting parts of the story was the author’s strange comparison of struggling against anti-Semitism to fighting Hitler in a boxing ring, something that helped Max deal with his problems. All in all the book continues to amaze and I am looking forward to see how the story ends.
ReplyDeleteJust out of curiosity, how many of you have read the part where Max gives Liesel her birthday present? The Standover Man? I love the books within the book. They were perhaps the most moving parts of the story for me. (There is another one in part 8.) They really helped me understand Max's character. Of course, the rest of the book is riveting as well. Who is everyone's favorite character? How would you describe Liesel's relationship with Rudy? With Rosa?
ReplyDeleteWell I really like the book so far. Death is still my favorite character and more than anything he still fascinates me the most. He's always just watching. He sees everything. Imagine being able to watch every single person in the history of the world. The knowledge and insights he must have is amazing. Honestly if anyone offered me his position I might just consider taking it. Of course there are the side effects of being Death. He sees ever single tragedy up close.
ReplyDeleteBut what I'm most curious of right now is..
Why Liesel? Death has the whole world to watch and he chooses a simple girl? Why?
It is undeniable that Liesel's situation is unique but how well interesting can it really be?
My thinking is that Death likes those that well know death the best. Specifically the ones that actively strive to cheat Death. I rather think Death loves being cheated. Which brings me to Max. I really feel sorry for him. And yes Rachel I also loved the Standover Man. It describes Max's situation so perfectly. And I love his defiance, especially that one part where his uncle died. How he swore to die defiant, which is why Death and I like him.
About the theme of the book? Well I guess it's loving while everyone else hates. Overcoming the norm. Doing what's right even when everyone else is wrong.
Oh and. Max is a mockingbird. Nuff said.
-Austin
Review... (it's supposed to go here right?)
ReplyDeleteThe Book Thief is a fabulous book. What sets the Book Theif aside from other books is its unique narrator, Death. Death adds a LOT to the book. It is rare that the narrator is a favorite character, but one will find that Death is just that. Funny how much life Death can bring to a book.
Having Death as a narrator is all too fitting. The story is set in Nazi Germany and is about a family that hides a Jew. Zusak masterfully builds a story of perserverance and love. The Book Thief really is a book that everybody should read.
Jase Jacobson
ReplyDelete11-20-11
Per A2
I loved this book, the ending especially; it was sad, tasteful, satisfying, and well written. I have to say though that about three quarters of the way through the book I did start to get a little bored, their wasn’t anything very important that happened for a bit and it was a bit unnecessary. With that said I absolutely loved the rest of the book. The writing style must have taken forever because of the imaginary language found throughout the pages is truly original. The story was good too; it made me have to think about a lot of unwanted topics. Like racism, genocide, killing and war, pretending not to see some things, etc. Overall I give “The Book Thief” 5 stars.
I absolutely adored The Book Thief. It was a fantastic book from beginning to end, which were both superb as well. Mark Zusak truly did his research before writing this book and the historical details are 100% accurate. He also did a fantastic job of using imagery when describing things and the scenes just popped out of the page. If someone were ever to make a movie adaptation (which they should) they would not need to get creative with the backgrounds because they are already very well described in the book. One great thing about The Book Thief was how much love and care the author put into the story. You could really tell that he adored all of his characters and spent hours defining their every detail and feature. I am sure that The Book Thief will soon become a classic. Five out of five stars no questions asked.
ReplyDelete