This is definately one worth stealing
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I read this book a few months ago and it still has me thinking of how peoples lives were changed (even now) beyond recognition and belief by one mans' hatred. It is a book full to the brim with beauty,love,innocence,bravery,hatred,brutality,ignorance,indifference and tragedy. Truly a reflection of humanity at its best and worst. I loved every minute of it, so beautifully written even death seemed alive. I recommend this to everyone who loves stories whether based on truth or fairy tale, I will read it again and again its that kind of book.....
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Whats that all about?
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I bought this book about 8 months ago and only got around to reading it recently. It came highly recommended to me by a number of people who had read it. I must confess that when I had got over the idea that I had to like it, I realised that it just didn't live up to expectations at all. The premise of the book is good. It tells the a story of how the War affected ordinary German citizens. It debunks the myth that everyone in Germany during the war was a Nazi sympathiser, and and that overnight they all became "bad" people. This is interesting and a subject that I think deserves more attention from writers in general. But the book is badly constructed. It's deficiencies are added to by a bizarre narration by "Death",which is intensely annoying as almost every chapter he has a litle diatribe about the meaning of certain words or little clues about who is going to die when and also at times it's like he is addressing the narration to children and talks in a patronising way. I also felt that some of the main charachters were scarcely believable. They just don't behave the way kids of that age behave. They are heavily laden with pointless idiosyncracies. There are good points to the book as well and I found the grown up charachters to be a little more believable. But the fact that every piece of dialogue ends with the words "saumench" or "saukerl" or "arschloch" is extremely irritating. It's a shame, without the "Narrator", with a little more realism injected into the child charachters, I think that the book could have gone somewhere important. As it is I can't really say that I enjoyed it. To be fair to the author, his ability is not in question, although I haven't read any of his other books it is obvious that he has what it takes. I just think he made a few executive decisions regarding this book which didn't work out.
A far better book I felt was The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. A similar story, told from an unusual viewpoint. About one third the size of this book, but gets the message across far more effectively and leaves a longer lasting impression.
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Heart rending
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Words fail me to adequately describe this book. It evokes an entire range of emotions with its beautiful, lyrical description of the lives and events of the people of Himmel Street, particularly a little book thief. I cannot imagine how anyone could read this book and not be touched (and in tears by the end).
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A Steal For Younger Readers
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The book jacket tells us that this novel is narrated by Death - a promising start but one which arguably fails to deliver its dark potential. The story has warm, moral characters but also a light, safe quality more suited to the imagination of the younger reader, especially as the protagonist is a young girl. The hardcover layout supports this element, as it is easy on the eye, with illustrations, hand-written entries and short chapters.
There is a poignant portrait of a father struggling to protect his daughter from poverty, illiteracy and the indignities of war and an endearing presentation of a community refusing to be split down the seams by Nazism.
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Unbelievable
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This book is fantastic. Read it. You won't be dissapointed.
8/8 of my fellow book club members agreed.
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