Looking for a new book to read? Check out the reviews to see if there's one here you want to read!
You know you’ve just been handed a novel worth its weight in gold when a teacher rushes up to you, presses it into your hand and tells you not to bother with homework that night.
The Book Thief is set in Nazi Germany, but it isn’t your usual Holocaust story. It’s a beautifully crafted piece of writing that will haunt you with its strange metaphors, provoking insight and delightful characters. Its story will keep you spellbound and its ending will have you smiling through your tears. This is, if I may say so, an extraordinary piece of literature.
A singular element to the tale is its narrator. The story is told by none other than Death himself, and he opens his account with “a Small Fact”. “You are”, he says, “going to die”.
He hastens then to reassure, in case he has put off any readers by such a statement. “I most definitely can be cheerful. I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that’s only the A’s”. This is a Death who tells us that his black, hooded cloak only comes out of the cupboard when winter sets in, and that he most certainly does not carry a scythe. He is quirky, funny and will be your constant companion as you follow Liesel through her journey.
Death is not merely for entertainment – Zusak uses the character to slip in comments which sting in their very truthfulness. An quote about war and soldiers from page 189 here is one which particularly touched me.
A Small but Noteworthy Note
I’ve seen so many young men
over the years who think they’re
running at other young men.
They are not.
They’re running at me.
There is love in the story, too – the love of family and of friendship, sometimes not realised until it is too late. Rudy, Liesel’s best friend, is an especial source of both joy and pain, for his fate is spelled out by Death early in the narrative; watching it approach is like standing by and watching a car speeding towards a frozen figure in the centre of the road. The novel is filled with vibrant characters, ranging from Max, the Jewish fist fighter sequestered in the basement, to the coarse yet caring Rosa, the replacement mother of Liesel.
From the first page to the last, this haunting, powerful novel had me spellbound, and I strongly recommend it to all other lovers of fine writing.
Review by Ishtar
This debut novel of Aprilynne Pike’s was given to me as a present by my sister. I was quickly intrigued by the front cover. Shiny and glossy and lovely shades of purples. A picture of a flower growing on the curving vines of ivy shooting straight up the middle of the cover it quickly caught my romantic eye.
Set in a small town in
Strange things like a giant flower growing out of her back!
Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated besides her head. They looked almost like wings.
To find the answers she needs to understand what is happening to her body
In the surrounding woods she meets a strange boy, Tamani. He’s very mysterious and
Coming to the conclusion that she is a faerie is hard for
Aprilynne Pike puts a new spin on faerie lore and though it is not an angle I find myself favoring, it is clever and the author has done her research.
When a enemy threatens, not only the faerie kingdom
This story of gentle romance and magic is an enjoyable read. The descriptions are beautifully written and the characters enjoyable to read about.
The twilight author, Stephenie Meyer, praised the novel for being ‘A remarkable debut’ and I have to agree.