Book Review: The Book Thief

This is actually a book that I read on my own (the other books I've reviewed were ones that I read with my husband). One of my coworkers suggested it, and I was intrigued by her description of the story. First of all, the story takes place during World War II. The book follows the life of a young girl who lives just outside of Munich. She steals her first book at the age of ten, and is taught to read and write from that book. The subsequent books that she steals over the next several years open her up to ideas and situations that shape her as a person and help her to take a stand for what she believes. The story is told from the viewpoint of Death. This had some pro's and some con's. It gave the storytelling a very unique feel, and the way that Death describes scenes and situations was beautifully crafted. You wouldn't think that a "chocolate colored sky" made perfect sense, but it does. However, Death is not hindered by the chronology of time, and I found that distracting. The stories are not always told in order, which made for some very confusing moments. At one point the reader is told that a character dies, but then you learn that it doesn't happen for a couple more years after the story you are currently being told. I didn't like that. Also, the reader is told the ending before it happens. I didn't like that either. The only other issue I had with the book was that there is a lot of profanity. That may not bother some people, but it bothered me. Granted, about half of the swearing is in German, but it's all the same when you know exactly what's being said. Other than that, it is a beautifully written book. Very moving, and it brings the humanity to a complicated situation like Nazi Germany. It shows that not all Nazi party members were bad people. Some were just trying to survive. Over all, The Book Thief was well worth reading.