The Book Thief By Markus Zusak- review

The Book Thief By Markus Zusak- review

student zs7

Liesel Meminger’s story begins in Molching, Germany. The story takes place during the Second World War. At the tender age of 11, Liesel was forced to say her last goodbye with her family. For Liesel‘s own safety, she lived with her foster parents, in Himmel street with no siblings, just her loyal and loving neighbour, Rudy Steiner. It was hard for Liesel to leave her past behind and start a new life. She had to cope with all her losses on her own. She was being humiliated and picked on for not being very educated. Liesel’s foster parents were nice people, but they had their own way of showing love. Thanks to Liesel’s foster papa, she learnt to read and write, which was later on her key to success and survival. By the time Liesel turned 13 nazis started to arrest jews and kill them in concentration camps. Luckily enough, a jew named Max Vandenburg manages to escape the nazis and go into hiding. He hides in Liesel’s basement for two years and eventually leaves for the family's safety. When Liesel first saw Max, it was love at first sight. A short while after Max left, Liesel’s father Hans went to war for helping a Jew on the street. He returns to his family after a year’s service in war. As time passes Liesel’s heart is shattered into pieces, since Max is nowhere to be seen. One fine sunny day, she sees him marching with other Jews through her street. She runs up to Max, although she has been warned. From that day on Liesel felt a blank space within her. To earn some extra money Liesel washed laundry for rich people who paid her for her services. Liesel was always tempted and excited to go to one house specifically in 8 Grande Starase. There was a woman who always let her into a library of her’s to read books. One day the woman gave Liesel a blank book of her own, in which she can write her own story. From that day Liesel always went down into the basement and wrote. Words saved her life. Apart from writing book thievery was her guilty pleasure. One night Liesel was writing in her basement and the sirens didn’t alarm people in time, therefore nobody went into hiding. That night Liesel was the only person from Himmel street to survive. She cried her heart out after seeing her dead foster parents and her amazing neighbour. The Book Thief subconsciously met with death that night. If Liesel wasn’t writing that book, death would have never found it in the basement and read it himself hundreds of times. Yes, the book is narrated by death. The only other person to survive was Rudy’s father who wasn’t present in Himmel street. He came back from war after the bombing. Max Vandenburg, the Jew that was believed to be dead, comes to see Liesel after the war. 

VOCABULARY LIST-THE BOOK THIEF

  CULMINATION

  DISCREPANCY

  DISPERSE

  DISSHEVELLED

  ECSTASY

  GRUBBY

  INCONSISTENCIE

  MAGNITUDE

  OBLITERATED

  PROMPTLY

  PRUDENTLY

  RATIONING

  REGIMENT

  RESTRAINT

  REVELATION

  REVELLED

  SEETHE

  SMOULDERING

  SPITEFUL