First Published: January 1, 2005
Growing up I read every children's or young adult book taking place in the Holocaust I could find. I remember being 11-years-old, at the National Holocaust Museum, disappointed because I had read almost every single book they had for sale. If only I could have know that how YA books would explode in the coming years, and with that explosion the books that would be expending that niche.
Considering my background, I was surprised at how unique I found the story in here. In some ways I almost wouldn't call it a book about the Holocaust, but instead a book that happens to take place during the Holocaust. One thing that seemed to have made it stand out to is that Liesel, the main character, wasn't Jewish. But even so, some of the favorites I remember, namely The Devil in Vienna and Mischling, Second Degree, were told from a similar perspective.
As a teen I think I would have loved this book. Even now, I really enjoyed it, except I don't think it lived up to my expectations. I do think this is a classic case of reading amazing reviews over and over, and setting unrealistic expectations. Also the fact that death is the narrator, which so many people loved and found so unique, was almost old news to me since I kept hearing others gush about it.
Even with my complaints, this is one I won't forget, and I'm hoping to be able to drag the boy to the movie. If you haven't read it yet, I definitely think you should, and hopefully my review puts it in perspective for you to create more realistic expectations.
4.5/5
Today I'm linking up with Blonde Undercover Blonde for Book Club Friday!
I definitely need to read this before the movie comes out. I saw the trailer and it looked so good.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book as well! I rarely used to read YA fiction and after reading this I was really impressed with how much YA has changed for the better since I was a teen!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know they are making a movie!
ReplyDeleteYes, they are! I believe it comes out in November.
DeleteI read this a while back, and for some reason, there was something about it that I didn't like, and I've read a great deal about the Holocaust as well. Am I the only one who wasn't wild about it?
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I was wild about it, but I still at least enjoyed it.
DeleteI didn't know a whole lot about The Book Thief before reading it so I didn't have any expectations. I am looking forward to the movie.
ReplyDeletePart of me wishes that had been the case with me too. Although if I hadn't heard what I did about it, I probably still wouldn't have read it.
DeleteIt's one of my favorites. Near the end of the book, I screamed "MAX!" so loud, I'm sure all the neighbors heard me.
ReplyDeleteI actually finished reading it in the break room at work, and had to hold back tears as I was reading it.
DeleteI did like how it was a different story from your usual Holocaust book. I think if it had been written differently, I would have loved the story. (And if he hadn't killed almost everyone important... haha)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I wasn't quite a fan of how everybody died, but yet, I think it worked for the story.
DeleteI loved this book so much. But I read it four years ago, so I imagine having heard so much about it would make a difference.
ReplyDeleteAnd like you, I read EVERYTHING on the Holocaust, fictional and non-fictional. It affected me so deeply that my master's thesis was on literature portraying the Holocaust. My argument centered on the fact that it is impossible to articulate the horrors of a holocaust (a common theme but I talked about appropriating fairy motifs to explain the events in children's works), which is appropriate considering I feel like I did a terrible job expressing my thoughts. I'm often still pulled towards continuing my studies in this area, but I'm not sure my heart and words can keep bearing witness.