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List Price: £7.99Amazon.co.uk's Price: £3.95 You Save: £4.04 (51%)as of 09/02/2010 04:48 GMT
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9780552773898
Edition: Reprint
ISBN: 0552773891
Label: Black Swan
Manufacturer: Black Swan
Number Of Pages: 560
Publication Date: January 01, 2008
Publisher: Black Swan
Studio: Black Swan
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.co.uk Review:
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak was the best-selling debut literary novel of the year 2007, selling over 400,000 copies. The author is a prize-winning writer of children's books, and this, his first novel for adults, proved to be a triumphant success. The book is extraordinary on many levels: moving, yet restrained, angry yet balanced -- and written with the kind of elegance found all too rarely in fiction these days. The book's narrator is nothing less than Death itself, regaling us with a remarkable tale of book burnings, treachery and theft. The book never forgets the primary purpose of compelling the reader's attention, yet which nevertheless is able to impart a cogent message about the importance of words, particularly in those societies which regard the word as dangerous (the book is set during the Nazi regime, but this message is all too relevant in many places in the world today).
Nine-year-old Liesel lives with her foster family on Himmel Street during the dark days of the Third Reich. Her Communist parents have been transported to a concentration camp, and during the funeral for her brother, she manages to steal a macabre book: it is, in fact, a gravediggers’ instruction manual. This is the first of many books which will pass through her hands as the carnage of the Second World War begins to hungrily claim lives. Both Liesel and her fellow inhabitants of Himmel Street will find themselves changed by both words on the printed page and the horrendous events happening around them.
Despite its grim narrator, The Book Thief is, in fact, a life-affirming book, celebrating the power of words and their ability to provide sustenance to the soul. Interestingly, the Second World War setting of the novel does not limit its relevance: in the 20th century, totalitarian censorship throughout the world is as keen as ever at suppressing books (notably in countries where the suppression of human beings is also par for the course) and that other assault on words represented by the increasing dumbing-down of Western society as cheap celebrity replaces the appeal of books for many people, ensures that the message of Marcus Zusak’s book could not be more timely. It is, in fact, required reading -- or should be in any civilised country. --Barry Forshaw
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
I don't usually write reviews but this book was so bad, I felt I had to comment. I made it to page 58 before giving up. The narrative style, far from being innovative is dull and tedious. The use of bullet lists to describe characters is lazy and the frequent use of centred bold text to highlight details is plain annoying. I strongly advise giving this a wide berth.
Rating:  -
Highly recommended book, well written and gripping but not an easy read for Europians who were hearing Holocaust stories in their country of origin, or even worse - from their own parents who survived it , as I did.
Rating: -
I'm not one for hyperbole and I'm surprised to find myself writing this but The Book Thief is the greatest book I have read. I admit that my taste in literature can sometimes be a little obvious and this was one of my more adventurous literary endeavors but I was captivated from the start. Never before have I found such inspired imagery and adept storytelling in one place. A picture speaks a thousand words and Zusak's words themselves speak more than the sum of their parts. There are passages of ... Read More
Rating: -
A devastating yet wonderful book. Beautifully written and flawlessly entices you into the story.
A genuine must read.
Rating: -
This book is truly superb. I can't really add anything to the other 5***** reviews, this book is so so good. All I will say is that after reading the reviews I was really looking forward to reading this even though I found the whole concept of a book narrated by "Death" as little strange and I found the first few pages quite confusing and hard going, don't be put off, it is one of the best books I've read for a long time. I couldn't put it down and at the same time didn't want it to end. ... Read More
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The Book Thief
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