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But it has gotten so many rave reviews that I had to pick it up, and then of course, I could not put it down. It was originally published in Australia (and I *think* they speak English there, haha). Uh no thanks, too heavy for me. This is not typically anything I would pick up to read. And adults, of course. Secondly, the use of language is so unique that I thought for sure the book had to be translated from a different language, but it was not.
Death has a really funny sense of humor.
A couple of things really intrigued me: First of all, the narrator is Death.
Actually, this is quite a compelling book, and surprisingly not heavy, and not desperate and depressing, even with such a dark subject.
A story about a German family hiding a Jewish man during WWII.
Another unique aspect to the book is the little interruptions, which add greatly to the whimsy - if whimsy is a word you can use about a story narrated by Death on the subject of Jewish persecution in Nazi Germany.
Hmmm.
And guess what.
It's technically classified as YA but I would suggest it for more mature teens, as it might not be quite interesting enough for the group that is currently reading Twilight and Hunger Games.
It's great for adults.
The first few chapters were weird to me because they were unlike anything I had read in the past (which is part of the beauty of this book). These are not bad people, but people doing what they must to survive and maintain some sort of normalcy in a very un-normal time. When you do remember, as Death likes to remind you of upcoming events, or read the actual events you are somehow surprised, saddened and angered. It will move you in ways you never expected and surprise you in both good and bad ways. As I wasn't thrilled with the other offerings, I was quite vocal in my desire that this be selected as our next book.
This book is simply brilliant. This will now be at the top of my gift giving list for readers. It lingered on my TBR list for a while until my book club offered it as a choice for next month. The fact that Death is telling the story and can be quite funny at times (although often in unintentional ways), is sheer genius.
The characters are well fleshed out and you will fall in love with almost every one of them for different reasons. I loved this book so much I ordered my own copy (the one I read came from the library) so I can read it again at my leisure and sent a copy to my dad as a gift. When I first started reading it, I was confused. Death has a way with words that draws you in and lulls you. I would certainly not consider this typical YA fare.
I had been told by a blogging friend that this book was amazing. They show you the life of Germans during WWII. While Nazi's are obviously featured in the book, they are not the focus of it, other than how their actions affect the average citizen. These characters have depth is ways some writers can only dream of. They paint a picture; comfort you; surprise you. Yes, high schoolers could (and should) read it, but the appeal of this book extends far beyond the teen years. I am so glad I spoke up so forcefully on the side of this book (seriously, the others were dull).
Simply put, you MUST read this book. The words become more than words. You know early on what is going to happen to many of the characters, as Death is very straight up about these things, and you don't want to believe some of it, and in reading, you often forget. I hate that in the US it's marketed as YA because I'm afraid a lot of people will skip over it. You will not regret it.
I also loved the way the narrator interrupts the narrative to comment and to foreshadow; thus we are prepared for many sad happenings and left with an overall positive view of the world, even in its most horrific times. -The Book Thief_ is my new favorite book to recommend, the best book I've read since Patchett's _Run_. I loved the two books-within-a-book, complete with illustrations. Kindness conquers.The choice of narrator is a brilliant surprise, which expands as the book goes along. This author seems to be known as a write of fiction for young adults, but this book should move him into mainstream literature.
This is a very moving book. The author is quite poetic, many beautiful phrases.An interesting concept in that the book is written by "death". But that is not a depressing concept in the way that it is presented.
I read this as a bookclub pick and while the beginning feels a little slow it is well worth finishing. To quote a friend "It makes you feel". Kindle version - no editing/formating issues
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