From the Bookshelf of 2025 Reading Challenge…

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

Start date: August 1, 2016

Finish date: August 31, 2016

Discussion: Group Reads

Discussion leader: Taylor C

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Showing 2 of 11 topics — 1,268 comments total

Group Reads

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* Group Read Rules and Timelines
By Winter , Group Reads · 1 post · 2554 views

last updated Jan 23, 2016 02:35AM

November Group Read Nominations
By Winter , Group Reads · 13 posts · 57 views

last updated Sep 14, 2025 08:24PM

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What Members Thought

Dec 21, 2013 Michelle rated it it was amazing

I read a third of this book which started quite quirky at first but beautifully written so tonight I went to see the film. The film is excellent. This film taught me a lot of things about germany and the war I didnt know. If you liked this book the film is well worth seeing.

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Sep 07, 2008 Nadine in NY Jones rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish, everyone-loved-it-except-me, book-club-read, ohno-its-magical-realism

Book club pick for January 2012 ... I'll get to it just as soon as I'm done w/ my trashy escapist pulp ...

Apparently I am a cretin. I am the only person in my book club - perhaps the only person on this planet - who did not like this book. The characters were great, the story was fine, but I was just completely 100% annoyed by the writing style. When I read a book, I like to lose myself in the book, to forget I'm actually reading. This book kept reminding me "you're reading a book! look at me, ...more

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Jul 02, 2008 Suvi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, _europe-western, novels, 2000s, war, _big-jubilee-read

Begins with Death describing colours. The whole idea of him/her/it narrating the story was brilliant. Some of the readers have experienced problems with the foreshadowing of events but to me it added the melancholy of the book and therefore made it better. It made me appreciate the time the characters still had together and hold onto things which I would have bypassed otherwise. Wonderful novel. Heartbreaking yet warm.

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Jun 21, 2008 Bea rated it really liked it

I couldn't put this book down. The main character is nine when the novel begins and 14 when it ends. It is well written and is about a lot of things besides WWII. There is love, humor, sadness, desperation. The narrator, Death, lets you know ahead of time how some of the people are going to end up so you don't get too attached to them. ...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Heather Wescott rated it really liked it · review of another edition

My only complaint about the Kindle version of this book is the inability to make the illustrations from Max's sketchbook larger. I would have liked to see those in better detail/resolution. Overall, this book tells a beautiful and heartbreaking story (which is funny since the narrator is Death), and has many wonderful characters. ...more

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