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The Book Thief
- Author
- Markus Zusak
- Narrator
- Allan Corduner
- Publisher
- Transworld
- Publish Date
- 4 January 2007
- Run Time
- 13 hours 56 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Second World War fiction, Historical fiction, The Holocaust, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: coming of age, Narrative theme: sense of place
- Rating
- 5.0 (4 reviews)
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What to expect
'It's just a small story, really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery ...'
Narrated in the all-knowing matter-of-fact voice of Death, witnessing the story of the citizens of Himmel Street:
When nine-year-old Liesel arrives outside the boxlike house of her new foster parents, she refuses to get out of the car. Liesel has been separated from her parents - 'Kommunists' - for ever, and at the burial of her little brother, she steals a gravedigger's instruction manual which she can't read. It is the beginning of her illustrious career.
In the care of the Hubermans, Liesel befriends blond-haired Rudy Steiner, her neighbour obsessed with Jesse Owens. She also befriends the mayor's wife, who hides from despair in her library. Together Liesel and Rudy steal books - from Nazi book burning piles, from the mayor's library, from the richer people of Molching. In time, the family hide a Jewish boxer, Max, who reads with Liesel in the basement.
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By 1943, the Allied bombs are falling, and the sirens begin to wail. Liesel shares out her books in the air-raid shelters. But one day in the life of Himmel street, the wail of the sirens comes too late ...
A life-changing tale of the cruel twists of fate and the coincidences on which all our lives hinge, this is also a joyous look at the power of book to nourish the soul. Its uplifting ending will make all readers weep.
Critics Review
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Extraordinary, resonant and relevant, beautiful and angry.
Sunday Telegraph
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...a beautifully balanced piece of storytelling...Unsettling, thought-provoking, life affirming, triumphant and tragic, this is a novel of breathtaking scope, masterfully told. It is an important piece of work, but also a wonderful page-turner.
Guardian
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A moving work which will make many eyes brim.
Independent on Sunday
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This is a weighty novel worthy of universal acclaim. A sense of dread prevades this beautifully written novel. As The Book Thief draws to a close, Death says: "There's a multitude of stories that i allow to distract me as I work." The story of the Book Thief, who tried to change the world in her own small way, proves one formidable and inspiring distraction.
The Daily Express
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...breathtakingly good.
The Bookseller
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A magical tale.
Elle
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...a fantastic book...it packs a huge emotional punch.
The Bookseller
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A tonic much needed amid the ominous menace of an era of such calamity.
FT magazine
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Quirky, engaging and beautifully written
Woman and Home
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His faith in the transformative power of storytelling bestows this gentle but worthwhile novel with its own narrative strength and power.
Metro
User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
- No written reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Markus Zusak
- Narrator
- Allan Corduner
- Duration
- 13 hours 56 minutes
- Release Date
- 4 January 2007
- ISBN
- 9781407001661
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Transworld
- Genre
- Second World War fiction, Historical fiction, The Holocaust, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: coming of age, Narrative theme: sense of place
- Rating
- 5.0(4 reviews)
- Narration
- 5.0(4 reviews)
Synopsis
'It's just a small story, really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery ...'Narrated in the all-knowing matter-of-fact voice of Death, witnessing the story of the citizens of Himmel Street:When nine-year-old Liesel arrives outside the boxlike house of her new foster parents, she refuses to get out of the car. Liesel has been separated from her parents - 'Kommunists' - for ever, and at the burial of her little brother, she steals a gravedigger's instruction manual which she can't read. It is the beginning of her illustrious career.In the care of the Hubermans, Liesel befriends blond-haired Rudy Steiner, her neighbour obsessed with Jesse Owens. She also befriends the mayor's wife, who hides from despair in her library. Together Liesel and Rudy steal books - from Nazi book burning piles, from the mayor's library, from the richer people of Molching. In time, the family hide a Jewish boxer, Max, who reads with Liesel in the basement.. By 1943, the Allied bombs are falling, and the sirens begin to wail. Liesel shares out her books in the air-raid shelters. But one day in the life of Himmel street, the wail of the sirens comes too late ...A life-changing tale of the cruel twists of fate and the coincidences on which all our lives hinge, this is also a joyous look at the power of book to nourish the soul. Its uplifting ending will make all readers weep.
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