BOOK REVIEW: The Book Thief (redux)

ed note:  Pat first reviewed this book back in June 2010.  She has told me several times that this is on her top favorite books of all time.  Not a small task to make that list!  She is republishing the review to coincide with the 2012 Centre County Reads program. 

This year's book selected by Centre County Reads is one of my personal favorites. In fact, their yearly selections have met with my approval since the beginning of the program.  THE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak, is a brilliant choice. It is one of the books that though written for the youth market, has universal appeal.

There are so many things that I would like to share about THE BOOK THIEF, but here is what I wrote when I first read it:

THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak is not a happy book. But then, what would you expect from a book that takes place in Nazi Germany and is narrated by Death.

Twelve year old Liesel Meminger and her six year old brother were being taken to the small town of Molching, near Munich to foster parents by their mother, during the trip, the little boy dies. At the quick burial along the way, Liesel finds a book dropped in the snow by one of the gravediggers. Putting it in her jacket, she has stolen her first book. This becomes her only touch with her dead brother.

Liesel is delivered to her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Hans is a quiet man who makes a meager living painting homes of the wealthier residents of the town. Rosa does laundry for those who can still afford it.

Hans teaches Liesel to read from the book that she had stolen, ‘The Grave Digger’s handbook’. The book has come to stand for the last time she saw her brother and mother. Her next stolen book is taken from the large bonfire that the Nazis used to burn the dangerous books owned by the Jews of the community.

Liesel uses stealing books as a type of comfort as life get more precarious in the small town. Her reading becomes important to her neighbors as she reads to them in the basements used as bomb shelters during air attacks.

The neighbors themselves become an important part of the story. Liesel’s friend Ruby is obsessed with the image of Jesse Owens. So much so that he paints himself black and trains as a runner. The woman who lives next door hates Rosa Hubermann and never passes by without spitting on the Hubermann’s door. By the time her son is killed in Russia, we know her well enough to cry with her.
We have to mention the important Jew hiding in the Hubermann’s basement. To tell you too much about him would ruin the story for you.

All of the characters are so well defined that we could be living on Himmel Street and watch its demise with them. The plot of THE BOOK THIEF is what would be expected, a young girl during the Nazi uprising in Germany. If you are thinking, ‘Another story of the human ability to overcome adversities.’ You could be right, except in this book, we learn how tired Death gets picking up souls too soon and too often. We also learn how important words can be-- from Hitler’s use of words to stir up a nation to words saving a young girl’s life on Himmel Street.

I have to admit that I finished this book with tears running down my cheeks. It is brilliantly written. Using Death as the narrator keeps it from getting overly sentimental, in fact Death may have a bit of a sense of humor. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates a well written book about the human condition.

BOOK REVIEW: The Historian

With all of the interest in vampires today, it might be time to go back five years and have another look at THE HISTORIAN by Elizabeth Kostova. This is not a book written for young, romantic readers, but rather a well researched novel exploring the history of Vlad the Impaler. Mixing fact and legend, the story covers 30 years during Cold War Europe and the search for Prince Vad’s burial place.

Late one night in 1972. A sixteen-year-old girl discovers a box of letters and a mysterious book in her father’s library. These letters lead her to the story of her father’s search for a missing friend and the story of the mother that she never knew.

The quest takes us on a search for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Prince Vlad.

The combination of fascinating historical facts and a moving suspense story hold us captive. We learn much about the Ottomans and the Christians and their war for Istanbul. We travel from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Cold War Eastern Europe.

There is good proof that Vlad the Impaler did exist during Medieval times. The ironic fact seems to be that this man who has come down through history as the ultimate evil, was a fierce warrior for Christianity. Now the question addressed in this book is whether he still lives and how hard will his followers go to protect him.

It is probably no surprise to those who know me, but the temptation offered in this story would have made me think at least twice. Vlad has had centuries to build his personal library. If I had been the one offered the job as his librarian, well that would have been a tough decision. It gave me more sympathy for Doctor Faustus and his deal with Mephistopheles.

Be prepared to make a time commitment for this book. It is long. Bram Stoker may be responsible for starting our fascination with vampires, but Elizabeth Kostova has helped keep the legend alive.

BOOK REVIEW: The Eyre Affair

Before we get to this week’s book review, the following test is required. Please answer A or B.

Question number 1:
A. Do you believe that THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY is of real help so that intergalactic travelers don’t panic or forget their towels?

B. Do you believe that THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY is a silly book written only for nerds?

Question number 2:
A. Can you recite “The Jabberwocky” so that it makes sense?

B. Do you think that a Lewis Carroll is something sung at Christmas time?

Question number 3:
A. Do you know all of the lyrics to “Spam, Spam, Spam” and do you find ways to work, “Nobody expected the Spanish Inquisition” into a conversation?

B. Do you think that Monty Python sounds like a real neat guy and you wish that you had his autograph?

If you answered A to any of the above, you are ready for a Jasper Fforde book. If you answered B to any of the questions, please give me a call. You need help!


THE EYRE AFFAIR by Jasper Fforde introduces the reader to Thursday Next in a surreal version of Great Britain around 1985. Thursday is a renowned Special Operative in literary detection. Her job involves hunting down forged works of literature in a world that sees forging Byronic verse as a punishable offense. Literature is taken very seriously and Baconians heckle performances of HAMLET.  RICHARD THE THIRD is always playing and everyone goes regularly to see it. The scene where Thursday and a friend go made me laugh out loud. It was very much like going to see “Rocky Horror Picture Show” except instead of throwing rice, the audience holds up paper horses when Richard calls for one in exchange for his kingdom.

In this world not only is time travel possible, but an aunt can get lost, literally, in a poem. She did get to meet Wordsworth, though as she wanders through the daffodils.

Then, characters from the great works of literature start getting kidnapped. Thursday is involved in the case when Jane Eyre is plucked from the pages of Bronte’s novel.

This is a fun book. It is one of the most inventive things that I have read in a long time of reading off-beat literature. I have to admit that I caught myself thinking, "That is not the plot of JANE EYRE that I remember," but it had been a long time since I had read it and my memory is not what it was.

Naturally, all ends well, thanks to Thursday. It does make you want to see how she handles the literary woes in the books to come. The other books in the series are just as funny, but I would suggest reading THE EYRE AFFAIR first.

BOOK REVIEW: The Book Thief

THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak is not a happy book. But then, what would you expect from a book that takes place in Nazi Germany and is narrated by Death.

Twelve year old Liesel Meminger and her six year old brother were being taken to the small town of Molching, near Munich to foster parents by their mother, when the little boy dies. At the quick burial along the way, Liesel finds a book dropped in the snow by one of the gravediggers. Putting it in her jacket, she has stolen her first book. This becomes her only touch with her dead brother.

Liesel is delivered to her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Hans is a quiet man who makes a meager living painting homes of the wealthier residents of the town. Rosa does laundry for those who can still afford it.

Hans teaches Liesel to read from the book that she had stolen, "The Grave Digger’s Handbook". The book has come to stand for the last time she saw her brother and mother. Her next stolen book is taken from the large bonfire that the Nazis used to burn the dangerous books owned by the Jews of the community.

Liesel uses stealing books as a type of comfort as life get more precarious in the small town. Her reading becomes important to her neighbors as she reads to them in the basements used as bomb shelters during air attacks.

The neighbors themselves become an important part of the story. Liesel’s friend Ruby is obsessed with the image of Jesse Owens. So much so that he paints himself black and trains as a runner. The woman who lives next door hates Rosa Hubermann and never passes by without spitting on the Hubermann’s door. By the time her son is killed in Russia, we know her well enough to cry with her.

We have to mention the important Jew hiding in the Hubermann’s basement. To tell you too much about him would ruin the story for you.

All of the characters are so well defined that we could be living on Himmel Street and watch its demise with them. The plot of THE BOOK THIEF is what would be expected, a young girl during the Nazi uprising in Germany. If you are thinking, "Another story of the human ability to overcome adversities." you could be right, except in this book we learn how tired Death gets picking up souls too soon. We also learn how important words can be-- from Hitler’s use of words to stir up a nation to words saving a young girl’s life on Himmel Street.

I have to admit that I finished this book with tears running down my cheeks. It is brilliantly written. Using Death as the narrator keeps it from getting overly sentimental, in fact Death may have a bit of a sense of humor. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates a well written book.